How are you getting your marketing message across?

One of my favorite commercials of all time is the “Coke Zero” commercial (which had the very appealing James Bond theme that you can see here). The humor of the commercial (as the contestants try to avoid many road blocks to get to their free tickets) paired with the long-awaited 007 movie and creative advertisement idea, has become a popular ad on YouTube with almost ten million views.

The idea behind the commercial is that a person has 70 seconds to “unlock the 007” within and race across an airport to win free tickets. This gives customers a small taste of what it’s like to be 007 and then thank their lucky stars that they do not have to endure the physical stress that Mr. Bond goes through himself.

Seeing really good marketing puts a little more color back in my day. When I see a commercial that is creative and weirdly realistic, I can’t help but take notice. And although this Coke Zero commercial was released in October 2012, it is still in the forefront of my mind as one of the most interesting marketing tactics that I’ve ever seen.

So, how can we use this within our own businesses to give our customers the same “WOW factor” as this commercial? Well, it may not be an easy goal to achieve, but it is possible for small businesses.

The most important aspect of this “real marketing” tool is that you find a completely new way to reach your customers - by involving them in the experience. The point is to find a way to connect their real life, tangible experiences with your product. By doing so, you are integrating your brand (and experience) into your customer’s lives, most of the time without them even realizing it!

Here are a few ways that you can use this form of marketing to engage with your customer's real lives:

1) Social Media: Ask your customers real questions and have them compete for prizes. If you were, let's say, to ask your followers on Twitter to upload pictures of themselves using your product, you are involving them in the experience. You could also find humor in this by asking your consumers to find the funniest ways to use your product, etc. If you as a company are worried about changing the dynamics of your social media or webpage, start off small and see if you get better reactions from your customers. Or, if you're feeling ballsy, look into some market research to see what your target market prefers!

2) YouTube Videos: Your company can post videos talking to real customers - and make them fun and creative!

3) Humor: This is KEY to building a connection with (most) customers. An important part of real marketing is understanding that your customers have real-world stresses - and that your brand needs to alleviate those stresses in some form or another.

By means of a humorous YouTube commercial involving real people, a contest among customers, or something else left up to your small company’s discretion, you use this tool to connect with your customers in a deeper way. It may be easier for some of the Big-wigs like the Coca-Cola company to pull off this marketing tactic; however, the goal is to affect at least one person’s perception of your brand. And one person can make all the difference to a small business!