The End of Ceefax

This week we say goodbye to Ceefax as the seemingly perennial information provider will be making its final broadcast. It’s another poignant landmark that highlights the way in which modern technology and socio-cultural behaviour is shifting and that the next decade belongs to those who can tap into this paradigm shift.

Gone will be the days of frantically trying to punch digits on the remote control -“302, 302! Quick, get the footie results”.
The 21st Century has given birth to a new form of media that’s quick to access, available anywhere and far more engaging.

Today, information that Ceefax typically presents can be provided through apps, social media and via mobile websites in superior fashion for the customer in every way; excellent functionality, powerful visuals and incredibly interactive.
We’ve all heard of social media and many companies are attempting to adopt it because it’s the new buzz word in marketing, but is it being utilised by companies in the correct way?
The world of social media has become a completely new universe for many companies to market their brand, services and products but very few companies are instilling a creative and/or strategic operation where the worlds between brand and customer can collide.

Here are a few examples of how it should be done:

Starbucks: My Starbucks Idea

Starbucks created an online forum area where Starbucks’ customers were able to post their feedback on services and ideas on how to improve their offerings. Giving freedom of speech to a whole world of customers can seem a scary prospect, however engaging with customers asking them to present their thoughts about your service or products and for them to then see their points discussed amongst others or even executed solidifies brand loyalty, demonstrates appreciation and ultimately improves your business. Not to mention the shear amount of money that is saved on market research and inadvertently advertising due to the social sharing capacity of such a medium.

The Home Depot: Building a HOW TO Community

Home Depot invites people to post questions through a forum about all domestic projects and DIY nightmares with the promise that in-house experts will respond with how their DIY dreams can become a reality. To increase further personal engagement, the ‘in-house experts’ have pseudonyms and profile pictures (as below). Not only do the experts get involved but other community members can also comment and share their experiences. The whole adoption and implementation of their social media adds value to the customer and brings customers closer to the Home Depot brand – A Win-Win combination.
Applications and other social media channels are utilised to offer further value and increase engagement.

Old Spice: With a touch of Humour

Old Spice, a Proctor & Gamble brand, could have fallen by the way side as a short lived entertaining TV commercial but the brand’s agency, Wieden + Kennedy, utilised Isaiah Mustafa (main character) across the Web and invited fans to engage with him via Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels, to pose questions that he would swiftly respond to.

The questions flooded in and Mustafa responded via video in what accrued over a few days to 180 web videos, becoming the first type of social media engagement of its kind, which of course could be seen and shared by millions.

Video marketing is a fantastic form of marketing and creates content that can be used repeatedly across various online platforms and thankfully doesn’t cost the earth to create.

While there are hundreds of companies quickly adopting social media, there is still a lot of confusion regarding how to effectively do this, which is where we come in.

We have the creative minds, understanding and marketing assets for your disposal to execute a thoroughly well targeted and planned social media campaign with the correct infrastructure.

Call us today on 0121 355 8092, and see how we can help your brand embrace the benefits of today and avoid the Ceefax’s of yesterday.