Fall is upon us, and for SCS, that means business is ramping up. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday approaching fast, clients are preparing for these seasonal sales events. Far from the time to slow down, now is when brands should be planning how to position themselves for 2022 and beyond.
OCTOBER UPDATE
Fall is in the Air and Brands are on the Move
Fall is upon us, and for SCS, that means business is ramping up. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday approaching fast, clients are preparing for these seasonal sales events. Far from the time to slow down, now is when brands should be planning how to position themselves for 2022 and beyond.
AGENCY NEWS
SCS TAPS MYTHBUSTERS’ ADAM SAVAGE FOR KWIKSET’S "A SMARTER KIND OF SIMPLE" CAMPAIGN
With the home improvement sector growing more competitive, Kwikset knew it was time to reinforce its identity as the provider of some of the most advanced and easy to use security features on the market. Emphasizing this duality of innovation and simplicty, SCS developed a new mantra for Kwikset: “A Smarter Kind of Simple." In a new brand-sell campaign, favorite nerd of innovation and former co-host of MythBusters, Adam Savage plays a "smart" character who can't stop raving about Kwikset's advanced lock technology. To communicate the “simpler” side of the equation, SCS paired Adam with a stylish, easy-going partner, played by actress Chivonne Michelle who isn’t all that concerned with the vast innovation that goes into Kwikset products, but truly appreciates all the great design and simple features. Check out how SCS used the odd couple in the "Smarter Kind of Simple" campaign to embody the complementary features that Kwikset provides.
GOING META: WHY THE METAVERSE WILL REMAIN AN IMPORTANT FRONTIER FOR BRANDS
Even after lockdown, the Metaverse is still an exciting place for Brands to connect with their audiences. At the Ipsos event, "The Next Frontier of Entertainment: The Metaverse," SCS President & Chief Strategy Officer, Jeff Roach explained: “Brands have an opportunity to get engaged in and infiltrate [the metaverse] and to figure out ways to create great experiences for these audiences. It's an exciting territory with a lot of fun things to come, it's going to elevate experiences in a really interesting way." With co-panelists Catherine Hackl and Tina Rubin, Roach further elaborated on how the Metaverse is becoming a core part of Web 3.0 and attracting massive audiences. Brands that want to stay relevant during the shift away from Web 2.0 will have to find ways to reach their audiences in this rapidly developing digital frontier. For all this and more, watch the full panel here.
SCS SPONSORS AIMA'S RELAUNCH AS FUSE AND MATCHES DONATION TO CITY OF REFUGE
When the pandemic hit, the events-based Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AiMA) decided against more Zooms and webinars to focus on rethinking its core purpose and relaunching itself under a new brand: Fuse. "What went into this new name was a lot more than a whiteboard session and picking names out of a hat. Behind this new brand is a new identity with a vision and mission to serve a more diverse group of marketers first and then work to find the right partners to connect how they contribute to the community," said Jason Prance, the group's new President and SCS's VP of Strategy. Grounding this new identity to unite and ignite the marketing community, the group celebrated its rebrand with “Laughs & Libations IRL”, a celebration and comedy show at Monday Night Garage. Fifty percent of all ticket sales went to City of Refuge, a faith-based organization that helps those who are in crisis find a safe haven on premise and learn new career skills. SCS matched all donations up to $7500 to support the positive impact of this group in Atlanta.
MEDIAPOST: COKE'S ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE WITH GAMERS FLAMES OUT ON YOUTUBE
The backlash to one of Coke's recent gaming-themed advertisements reinforces an obvious lesson for brands: failing to properly understand your intended audience risks more than a tepid response - it can backfire spectacularly. "One Coke Away From Each Other" depicts an esports event where one player drinks a coke and lays his weapons down in-game, triggering a match-wide disarmament. Gamers have complained that the ad is such an unrealistic depiction that it verges on being disrespectful. Coke "had access to major esports personalities and a gigantic advertising research machine, so insights shouldn't have been a problem,” says Sean MacPhedran, SCS Director of Digital Strategy. “Ultimately, [it] just brought the campaign into a space where it took itself, and esports, too seriously and forgot to have fun with it." Read the whole story here.
SCS VP OF MARKETING KIRSTEN WRIGHT EXPLAINS HOW BUSINESSES CAN NAVIGATE D2C SUCCESSFULLY IN THE POST-COVID ERA.
Adopting an omnichannel approach, more and more brands have moved beyond the traditional D2C business model to create a consistent customer experience across websites, social, mobile, and in-store visits. The transition out of traditional D2C is complex, and trusted thought leaders on the subject are more important than ever. It's why SCS VP of Marketing and Director of Social Media, Kirsten Wright, led the panel, "D2C Brands Navigating Scale Post-Pandemic" at Media Post's Brand Insider Summit: "D2C brands can’t afford to ignore even one step in a customer’s journey. We have seen a shift in media mixes with our clients. As digital CPMs increase, understanding how to work effectively to measure offline channels provides deeper contextual understanding around audience targeting will be key for marketing/creative teams to adapt their approaches." Check out the panel page and stay tuned for a full video of the panel coming soon.
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