You made me sad
You made me sad
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Thanks for subscribing to Work the Funnel, a newsletter by marketer Chantelle Marcelle, aka @ccmarce_writes (me!), that highlights best practices and trends in marketing.
Today's issue:
1. Guilty Marketing, feat. Duolingo
2. Harry Styles and a Lesson in Brand Audience
3. Other interesting stuff from around the web
Duolingo became the talk of the marketing world after their TikTok account grew by 40X in under 5 months.
Plus a $6B+ valuation and a special place in the hearts of Gen-Z...
Suddenly they’re the model for capturing the power of social media culture.
I recently re-downloaded the app because of all the buzz. And I love the free content.
What I don’t love are the guilt trips at the core of their customer communication strategy.
And I’m not the only one who feels this way.
If you do a search on Twitter, numerous users have shared their reactions to the guilt trip engagement strategy.
Duolingo says they have data on their side though. They based their strategy on over 200M user interactions.
Their guilt trip messages work 5 to 8% better than other methods.
The most successful brands figure out ways to keep customers engaged. Strong retention balances acquisition costs and supports healthy ROI in marketing.
Duolingo’s VP of Product says customer engagement communications work best when they are:
Personal: Make customers feel like it’s a 1-to-1 touch point
Unique: Designed to stand out
Well-timed: Sent at the right time in the customer journey
Another study found that customers are more likely to stick around when you use savvy marketing tactics like:
Dynamic messaging
Profile-based targeting
Location-based messaging
In my opinion, most of our customers don't want to feel guilty.
It's why I will backflip across the room to find the remote control and change the TV channel when a commercial comes on combining sad-eyed puppies and a Sarah McLachlan ballad to get me to donate to a random charity.
I'd much rather use my position as a marketer to create positive connections with brand audiences.
It relates to that one saying:
"People won't remember what we say, they'll remember how we make them feel."
I looked into a few studies that support this idea.
Get the full, in-depth commentary on the Duolingo case study in my new article. You can read the full thing here.
Here’s a little bonus for you.
If you were a marketer on the team of singer-slash-actor Harry Styles, what channels would you prioritize to promote him?
Harry is currently doing a press tour to celebrate a No. 1 album debut and the upcoming release of Don't Worry, Darling, a movie with more offscreen drama than on (based on trending Twitter topics this week).
Still, I was surprised to spot him on the cover of Better Homes & Gardens.
The magazine evokes images of 1950s housewives competing for the title of who leaves the best lines in the carpet after vacuuming.
In my mind, not the most natural promo placement for a Gen Z (or baby Millennial) heartthrob.
I mean, only 7% of 13 - 35 years olds say they buy magazines, and more than half can't name a single magazine they regularly read (perYpulse).
A TikTok or Instagram ad seems the more obvious choice.
But take a look at the publication's audience demographics:
80% women
Average age: mid-50s
Mostly middle class
Mostly (grand)parents
Mostly Caucasian
His team helps Harry position his messaging very well for this specific target and placement.
He drops references to his musical heroes, well-known stars that rose in the 70s like Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Van Morrison.
He discusses the importance of family and values.
The writer compares Harry to
"teddy bears on your teenage bed, perfect handwriting on thank you cards, picked flowers on Sunday morning, puppies running on fresh-cut grass, Grandma's favorite homemade cake."
It shows a perfect understanding of the audience and their importance to Harry's brand.
MeeMaw may not be jamming to As I Am herself.
But she would very likely buy his album or tickets to his concert for her grandkids.
Creating familiarity with his brand among these buyers could mean they feel more comfortable with supporting him versus other next-gen musical acts.
Too often we as marketers default to the most obvious choices.
We overlook opportunities to explore uncertain territory.
Maybe it's fear of not having concrete data to prove success.
When developing a marketing strategy, we have to challenge ourselves to step out of the box. It could be as simple as testing the waters on a new social channel or collaborating with a new brand outside of our normal spaces.
Who knows what's waiting for your brand in those unexpected places you haven't dared to enter?
If you're looking to do some brainstorming, check out this article on 7 fun, creative marketing tactics brands are trying out in 2022.
Other Interesting Things From Around the Web
IQ and EQ are out. Apparently it's your CQ that determines your success at work. Here's the full article on the definition of CQ and how it helps you get ahead professionally 💪.
Any fellow Google Sheets nerds out there? 📊 A gift for you then: this Twitter thread details 10 new functions you can take advantage of.
Can you imagine having a marketing budget of $100M at your disposal? If you worked on the marketing for Game of Thrones-spinoff House of the Dragon 🐉🐲, that fantasy would be a reality. More here.
Speaking of dropping insane cash for marketing, Crypto.com, FTX and Coinbase all spent a reported $6.5M for a 30-second Super Bowl advertisement this year. 🤯 Despite that and other big crypto marketing pushes, there was no increase in the percentage of Americans who say they've invested in cryptocurrencies in the past year (a steady 16%). It's an example of when spending millions on ads doesn't necessarily translate into equivalent growth. Here's the article.
And if you're not in the mood to sit through the 3-hour interview 😱 between podcaster Joe Rogan and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, take a look at these highlights and such.
Thanks for reading again this week!
Wishing you a week of good health and quiet quitting your way to the next weekend. 😅
Until next time!
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