We often talk about "the audience" in our line of business. Whether it's traditional advertising or the fan engagement stuff that Campfire is doing, the term is bandied about as a universal constant of whom we should be reaching.
In the strictest sense of the word, the term is accurate enough. But I've recently been considering whether the term does justice to what the audiences of fan-influencers represent. And maybe, just maybe, we should be looking at this relationship as something deeper.
Engaging an audience of influencers on the surface looks like any other audience engagement. . . . Yet it couldn't be more different.
I recently had dinner with Chris Baccus, the Director of Digital and Social Media for AT&T. But some of you may recognize Chris from a completely different claim to fame. Chris is also the publisher of The Auto Marketing Blog, one of the biggest auto blogs around. And over the years, he's built quite an extensive network of both car enthusiasts and marketing professionals. . . .
Snapple needed to reclaim their "Best Stuff on Earth" brand essence and engage their devoted fans in the digital environment. Campfire created a unique program that celebrated fan behaviors, fueled conversations and reinvigorated the Snapple community.
"Forget sending out a simple press release to promote a new television show. These days marketing executives know that you need something special to stand out from the crowd..."
"What HBO has done is create an expanding array of experiences to actively engage the user, transporting him or her to Westeros directly."
Human Insight Over Technology
When Contagious interviewed Mike Monello about his experience on the jury of the 2011 International Andy's Awards, he explained that "As an industry, we're creating digital work that is designed to emotionally engage and comes from human insight rather than being driven by technology."
