In public relations, it often seems like slow and steady wins the race. By distributing a steady stream of news, securing key coverage and continuing to put out consistent messages via social media, blogs and contributed articles, your efforts will likely have an impact on your business.
However, sometimes there is a need for speed. As communications professionals, we need to be adept at recognizing situations, whether it is news or holidays that our clients can capitalize on with a witty response, relevant pitch, timely event or infographic.
Ad Week recently published an article titled, “Types of Real-Time Marketing, and the Brands That Got It Right,” by Tim Nudd, which looks at examples of how brands took advantage of situations with a quick response. He refers to it as “right timing marketing.”
At Communiqué PR, we often look for local news events to tee off of for pitches for our clients. Here are a few of my favorite ways brands can take advantage of timely situations:
- Holidays. Companies often look for a way to tie into the holidays. For consumer brands, for example, Christmas often makes sense. However, the holiday season is also a very noisy and crowded time. Standing out requires a great deal of creativity. Lowe’s did a nice job celebrating Fourth of July, by creating a Vine that used exploding tools to imitate fireworks. It was simple, but well-timed and creative.
- Celebrities. Leveraging a celebrity can often help draw attention to your brand. When Prince George was born, many brands tried to give “congrats” or joke about the royal birth. Ad Week called the efforts “disappointing.” However, the Sun managed to put together a clever picture featuring Prince George and other celebrity babies that was well received.
- Newsmakers. Brands often have a hard time promoting their own news in a creative, not overly promotional way. However, one of my local favorites is the Seattle Police Department. I’ve long admired their witty Twitter feed, sharp replies and out-of-the-box campaigns. During last month’s Hempfest, for example, SPD handed out Doritos with the dos and don’ts of marijuana use. Additionally, they tweet real-time updates about crime and respond to followers. It is isn’t all fun and games—the @SeattlePD handle is serious when it needs to be—but they’ve build a steady stream of followers to successfully disseminate the messages necessary.
- Comebacks. Twitter can present a fun platform for witty responses and banter between brands. And, when done well, the back-and-forth can earn you a slow clap from followers. For example, Taco Bell and Old Spice duked it out on Twitter about their products’ respective ingredients. “Why is it that ‘fire sauce’ isn’t made with any real fire? Seems like false advertising,” @OldSpice asked—to which @TacoBell replied: “@OldSpice Is your deodorant made with really old spices?” OldSpice had the last word: “@TacoBell Depends. Do you consider volcanos, tanks and freedom to be spices?”
While these companies really nailed real-time marketing, companies should always make sure that they remain true to their brands. What worked for Taco Bell, won’t necessarily work for Microsoft. Keep an eye out on the world around you—you never know where you’ll find inspiration.