Don’t like “Likes” as a success metric? How about the dollar value in additional earned media impressions across all of the social networks, blogs, and mainstream media?the beauty today is that there are more opportunities than ever to make a powerful and instantaneous connection with customers.

1. By Michael Ruby, Creative Director, Stein + Partners Brand Activation
Big, Activating Ideas: If You Give A Customer A Cookie
For this week’s post, I sought input from one of my colleagues, Will Vancans, a senior
copywriter at SPBA. Will thought it would be interesting to explore where big ideas are
best realized–the kind of great, big ideas that spur widespread conversation, deeply
engage customers, and compel action. Is it still big budget TV spots (as this Wall Street
Journal commentary might suggest)? Major promotions (and big Cannes Lion winners)
like AMEX’s Small Business Saturday?
I was intrigued, and we debated for a bit when, suddenly, I thought of cookies. Delicious,
delicious cookies.
No, I wasn’t hungry. I remembered something remarkable I saw last week, and was
quickly reminded how great, activating ideas can really come from anywhere…live
anywhere…and don’t really have to cost a thing. They just have to be great ideas.
Case in point: On June 25, Oreo posted a rainbow-colored cookie on its Facebook wall in
celebration of Gay Pride and in support of LGBT Americans. One of the world’s favorite
and most delicious cookies instantly created an impassioned, topically relevant, and
inspired conversation. As of writing this post, the picture has been liked more than
295,000 times, shared more than 90,000 times, and had more than 59,000 comments on
Facebook alone.
Don’t like “Likes” as a success metric? How about the dollar value in additional earned
media impressions across all of the social networks, blogs, and mainstream media?
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2. The picture has generated tremendous support–and, yes, dissatisfaction. Incredibly, the
photo’s detractors have driven even more support for the Oreo brand, inspiring active and
passive Oreo consumers alike to promote purchasing more cookies in solidarity. That’s
right: Even people who didn’t buy Oreo cookies before are now encouraging other people
to buy Oreo cookies based on reactions to the picture.
Nowadays, big ideas can come from anywhere and exist anywhere across the media
spectrum. Coming up with such a big idea is, of course, is always easier said than done.
But the beauty today is that there are more opportunities than ever to make a powerful
and instantaneous connection with customers.
As a kid, I loved the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. As you think of conversation-
driving, business-building, brand-activating ideas, think about writing your own story,
titled If You Give a Customer a Cookie. Because today even a seemingly small thing, like
a multicolored cookie, can excite your customers, get them talking, and engage them to
take action in a big way.
That said, now I am hungry. To the cookie jar!
Read more: http://www.cmo.com/branding/big-activating-ideas-if-you-give-customer-
cookie#ixzz27aYSG8nu
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