Beyoncé, Budweiser & Burritos: This Week in Marketing

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As many of us watched “the big game” on Sunday, I was honestly present at a Super Bowl party for the company, snacks & commercials. As a marketing geek, I studied more of the commercials rather than the big plays.

I feel that marketing is all around us, even when we least expect it. Today we’ll explore a few instances where marketing is around us and what we can learn from each one.

SCENARIO #1 – BEYONCÉ

On the brink of performing at the halftime show for the 50th Super Bowl alongside the band Coldplay and singer Bruno Mars, Beyoncé releases the new song & visual for “Formation” on Saturday, February 6th. In the song she name drops Red Lobster. Read the lyrics for yourself – Warning: they are not safe for reading at work!

The Beyhive and the Internet waited for the seafood & cheddar bay biscuit restaurant to respond.

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They didn’t reply until the following Monday. RedLobster_BeyonceResponse

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT

  1. Don’t randomly drop content a la Beyoncé or any popular performer – have a strategic plan in place with measurable goals.
  2. In terms of social media marketing, having an “emergency” plan is helpful for when your responses explode outside of typical office hours. Imagine the reactions if Red Lobster responded in real time on Saturday night?
  3. Considering the nature of the mention, maybe the RL team had to wait to regroup on Monday. Still, two days for a response on social media is the equivalent of waiting years. Having that “emergency” team on standby could have handled the reaction in a quicker fashion.

SCENARIO #2 – BUDWEISER

Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos win the big game Sunday night. During a post-game interview, Peyton endorses Budweiser beer.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT

Upon first impressions, it was an awkward mention of the Anheuser-Busch brand for a check. Upon further investigation he didn’t receive compensation for the endorsement and he is actually an investor in the beer. It’s estimated that the single mention was valued at $3.2 Million Sunday night. Either way, Manning wins & Budweiser wins because we’re talking about it!

SCENARIO #3 – BURRITOS

Chipotle’s big date finally arrived on Monday, February 8th. All of their US locations were closed for several hours for food safety training in response to the recent contamination debacle.chipotle_screenshotIn true fashion, competitors in the industry including Moe’s Mexican Grill took note & took a jab at the restaurant during the closing.

MoesBurrito_Screenshot

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT

Have a clever writer on your team. Take advantage of relevant trending topics to bring awareness to your brand. Demonstrating how you’re better than your competition is a marketing concept known as differentiation. With a few words, Moe’s pointed out the obvious and promoted themselves in the process.

IN SUMMARY

Overall, you have to take advantage of marketing opportunities wherever they may appear regardless of how much lead time you have. To get ahead of the game, have an action plan, backup systems and a method to effectively measure your results. Or have a high-profile investor to name drop you without warning!

Is there anything from a marketing standpoint that stood out to you this week? Let us know in the comments!

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