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Avoid Following The Followers
January 24, 2012
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Sammy Simpson wants you to stop following followers.
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Many watched the beginning of the New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens football game as Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler took center field to sing "The Star Spangled Banner."
I believe WTOP said it best by posing the question on its website and Facebook post, "What would Steven Tyler, the 'American Idol' judge, think of Steven Tyler, who sang the National Anthem at the AFC championship game on Sunday?"
It has certainly created something for everyone to talk about with "Steven Tyler" sitting at #3 on Google Trends on the Monday after the game, even though the story peaked many hours ago.
Just a quick Facebook timeline check will also uncover station after station, and person after person, curating the video in the same fashion with some type of question to help rank/rate the performance, or offering an opinion.
It speaks to being on top of a very topical moment that can be related to a number of angles from sports to music, television to pop culture.
However, my problem is that most missed an opportunity because of doing simply what would be expected in the moment -- and no more. Post a link to the curated video with a question ... and call it a day.
But, what about your brand/personality will make this story connect in a unique and local way for you, besides simply sharing the content with fans?
What anticipation was built around your post that users could not get from all the others who were basically doing the same thing?
How did you own it?
Most were simply following the followers.
I would have tried to accomplish something along the lines of the following to use the moment in a way to stand out.
- Get Randy Jackson or Jennifer Lopez to comment on how they would judge the performance ... "Would Steven make it to Hollywood?"
- Track down the color guard behind Steven and ask the men in uniform about the vibe in the stadium and their thoughts on the performance.
- Have a Raven or Patriot comment.
- Play the "Land of the free" scream as a cue to call-in and win American-themed prizes associated with New England or New York building up to the Big Game.
- Find the flyover pilot for comment.
- Battle a liked it vs. hated it person to argue why on-air, through social pages, the website, etc.
- Google it and you will have uncovered an opportunity on Sunday to advertise through search words, video ads and more -- to be in the moment for a small fee.
You get the idea.
The moment is the new marketing and not by just curating it, but building anticipation for the value you can add in a way to ensure a great performance for you in this game of making a social impact.
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