ABC, Thorlo engage consumers
This entry was posted on March 17, 2008 5:19 PM and is filed under In the News.
By Liza Horan
New York—As the number of marketing messages bombarding consumers continues to increase, marketers try harder and smarter to get their attention. Inviting the public to vote is a clever way to engage them in your brand for several reasons:
- It makes them feel as if the company values their opinion
- It allows the consumer to initiate involvement with the company, which could spark or strengthen a relationship
- It creates a newsworthy angle along the lines of "the public has spoken"
- It informs the company about trends and preferences.
Tuesday night the public gets to vote on which pairings get to continue on Dancing with the Stars by sending a text message via mobile phone, a phone call on a cell or land line, or placing a vote online. Click here for story.
Lots of TV reality shows are using this technique, and now a tennis apparel maker is doing the same.
Early this month Thorlo invited the public to vote on sock color options. Color choices are only part of the knowledge base the North Carolina company is gaining.
"We sent this e-mail to our database so our tennis consumers could vote on their favorite colors and help us decide which ones we take to market," says Tracy Harris, Thorlo's tennis market coordinator. "The information we get in the comments section will help us for 2009 Spring colors, too. We've already received a ton of feedback since the e-mail went out."
The email invitation included two important components for future marketing efforts:
- The "send to a friend" function to inspire viral marketing
- The required opt-in to receive promotional materials
This campaign by Thorlo is a case study in smart online marketing.
Do you have one? Email liza@tenniswire.org with the details.
