DEWmocracy Project

Mountain Dew Crowd Sources Media Planning

Mountain Dew is once again tapping the collective intelligence of it’s most passionate consumers.  The DEWmocracy project, now in its second iteration, kicked off last year with the brand asking 4,000 of its most loyal fans to help in creating three new Mountain Dew flavors.  Participants were first split up into groups to campaign for their favorite flavor followed by a series of nationwide events to drum up support for their particular drink.  This time, agencies were asked to pitch their creative ideas to the three groups, who in turn got to vote where the adverts would run and on which platforms.

Frank Cooper, chief engagement officer at PepsiCo said, “By maintaining an open dialog with our consumer through an intense, year-long collaborative project, we’ve offered them an opportunity to leave their imprint on a brand they truly love and have solidified an even stronger relationship with fans who matter most.”

A significant 89% of marketers said the ability of experiential marketing to build long-term customer relationships was the discipline’s biggest asset, according to a recent survey of 406 marketers across the globe by live marketing agency Jack Morton.  In the same study, 96% of marketers also identified building long-term customer relationships as the most important benefit of marketing currently.

Furthermore, an overwhelming 97% of marketers surveyed by Jack Morton Worldwide in the UK, Europe, the US, China and Australia recognised that, in tough times, engaging key stakeholders is an investment and not an expense. Critically, 96% agreed that this engagement (as opposed to ‘talking at’ or interruption marketing) is vital if brands are to maintain loyalty.

Marketers know that experiential marketing boosts sales and helps them capture customer data, generate trial, foster retail relationships and introduce products and brands.

Word of mouth definitely influences purchase decision. Cap Gemini Ernst & Young asked car buyers what influenced them to buy a new car: 70% cited word of mouth; only 18% cited advertising. The Promotion Marketing Association asked consumers about the top influencers of purchase decisions: 48.5% cited word of mouth; only 27% cited advertising. Jack Morton recently asked our 360 subscribers to name the number one influencer of their purchase decisions: over 71% cited word of mouth, far more than a free trial (21%), advertising (4%) or direct mail (3%).

P&G Interactive Ad

Get Ready for Interactive Television Ads

“In a 2008 study of big advertisers, more than 60% said TV advertising had become less effective over the past two years. Consumers are unhappy with the large amount of ad clutter that appears during commercial breaks, leading to the explosion of devices that allow viewers to circumvent TV ads altogether.”