Executives at Olay, which is Procter & Gamble’s premier beauty brand, wanted to launch a new product – Regenerist Eye & Lash Duo – in a way that would drive brand engagement through social and mobile channels. As a result, Olay came up with an idea to turn customers into advocates and create instant brand loyalty by making them famous for a day.
Over two weekends in May, Olay fans received beauty makeovers in Times Square in the heart of New York City, and then saw their faces literally up in lights on a giant digital billboard in the most trafficked intersection in the world. Other fans who weren’t in New York City could snap their pictures through the Wow Eyes digital experience on Facebook – a social and mobile extension of the live event – and they also were made famous in Times Square.
“It was deep engagement,” Elizabeth Joyce, Assistant Brand Manager, Procter & Gamble, Olay North America, told attendees during a Thursday session, “Olay ‘Eye and Lash Duo Wows Times Square,” at the 3rd Annual Engagement & Experience Expo, presented by Loyalty 360 – The Loyalty Marketer’s Association.
Joyce said many customers were treated to their “15 seconds of fame” as they saw their faces on a giant digital billboard in Times Square. Olay garnered 30,000 interactions with people from the event and 2,910 user photos were sent to Times Square.
“We had great feedback with people talking about our brand with more passion due to the shareability and virality of the event,” she said. “It was an organic way to find more consumers through a 360-degree activation designed to drive brand engagement, mind share, and advocacy.”
Jed Singer, Director of Client Engagement, Stuzo, told attendees that social media represents a “seismic shift” in ownership.
“Your brand exists in so many places now, and social is increasingly mobile,” he said. “Mobile is really critical in this story. Social is about creating collaborative experiences -- amazing experiences people feel ownership of.”
Singer said brands now have a “third moment” – which figured prominently for Olay’s Times Square event.
“Part of the brand marketer’s handbook is the concept of the Moments of Truth of which there have traditionally been only two,” he said. “When the consumer is shopping in the store and decides to select your brand, and when the consumer tries your product and decides that it was a good value.”
But social and mobile have changed this philosophy in the past 10 years.
“There is now a third Moment of Truth for virtually every brand in the world: When the consumer has an opportunity to share their story about the brand with friends, family, and connections across the social and mobile web,” Singer explained. “This moment is critical, as over 92% of people trust online recommendations and brand stories from people they know, while only 24% trust ads.”
During the digital user journey, that trust leads to purchase intent, Singer said. Brands have to harness consumers’ positive feelings toward their products or services, give the consumer a platform on which to share their story, and reward that person – either intrinsically or extrinsically – to turn them into a loyal consumer or advocate for the brand.
“The event was a huge digital experience with a lot of sharing on Facebook,” Singer said. “This will influence future events.”