New York-- In the increasingly fragmented media/promotional world, Brent Poer, president of Liquid Thread North America, truly believes brands can break through the clutter and resonate in the minds -- and hearts -- of consumers by being different.
Speaking at NewBay Media’s On Demand Summit here Thursday, the enthusiastic Poer described how the agency, part of Starcom MediaVest Group, strives to take roads less traveled and connect the paths to consumers. In his keynote interview with Multichannel News editor in chief Mark Robichaux, Poer said that “everybody knows that Tide really works,” but LiquidThread seeks to emotional connections with viewers/consumers as they reach for the P&G detergent and put it in their shopping basket.
“From the beginning we do a lot of mining for insights and innovations that get consumers engaged and involved with the brand,” he said.
The keynote showcased a trio of brand-building plays executed by the agency:
*Cover Girl’s introduction of a recreated product line under the Capital Collection moniker was associated with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Therein, the agency worked with the client as it established 12 different districts and products for specific retailers. The result was a 9% gain in market share, at a time when mass cosmetics sales were flat.
* LiquidThread helped Microsoft launch Windows 8 by working with media companies, including Fox, CBS, Discovery Communications and The New York Times, to develop apps that were showcased on the new platform. The move helped pay adoption dividends, as Windows 8 sold some 60 million licenses during its rollout phase.
* The agency developed promotional content executions with AMC around cable’s top show, The Walking Dead, including one in which a fan misreads and imagines the ramifications of a memo saying I want to" eat you," instead of the real message that I want to "meet you" to watch the next episode. As such, there was an emotional link to the zombie apocalypse.
Looking ahead, Poer provided insights about marketers/companies who are working with/targeting the “mysterious” millennial group. “I don’t understand them; there behavior is so different than what we’ve been taught over the years,” said Poer, pointing to their belief that Twitter is credible news source and their affinity of all things mobile. “They are totally fine with two- and three-inch screens.”
He also said millennials are different because they live in “a beta world. In the past, no one ever bought the first version. Now, no one cares. It’s all about iterations,” he said, noting that marketers need to adjust to this mindset.
With creative, "everybody wanted to wait until everything was perfect. Now, it’s okay to be imperfect. It’s about speed," he said. "Marketers need to act with speed or they are going to miss out on opportunities.”
