The Evolution of Interactive Marketing
Things sure have changed a lot in the past 12 years. I can remember like it was yesterday standing at a pay phone near the field where I played little league baseball. I proudly dropped my quarter into the slot and dialed the 800 number I had written down on a little piece of crumpled up paper. I pressed the number corresponded to the color blue and the rest was history. It would soon be revealed that I had voted with the majority of Americans, 54 percent to be exact, in deciding the new M&M color. With over 10 million votes cast, blue won in a landslide over pink, purple or no change. Being just a kid, I couldn’t help but think that I had a huge impact on making the new M&M blue. That’s the brilliance of a successfully executed marketing campaign.
This is all somewhat ironic now, first and foremost because M&M’s don’t differ in taste depending on color, but also because of the way in which I interacted with the campaign. A recent L.A. Times report revealed that AT&T plans to phase out its pay phone business by the end of ’08. Additionally, a kid today would probably never fathom having to write down an 800 number on a piece of paper, but instead would be asked to text a quick code to vote for something or log onto a website. This all came to me when a current television commercial asked consumers to help create the next Mountain Dew. The “Dewmocracy” campaign asks consumers to join the movement, play games, and take a journey with fellow consumers as they develop teams eventually leading to a new flavor, color, name, logo, label, and tagline for the next Mountain Dew. This innovative campaign is a far cry from pressing 1 for blue. Only time will tell if it will be a success.
Do you think the Mountain Dew campaign will take off? Are there any recent interactive marketing campaigns that you’ve been impressed with?
Pat Cauley, eMedia editor, Electronic Retailer Magazine
Tags: dewmocracy, interactive marketing, M&Ms, mountain dew, pat cauley, viral marketing
January 17th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I VOTED for the Blue M&M also! Gosh was that a long time ago, blue was my favorite color. My friend and I waited to see which color would win my blue against her purple and blue came out the victor! You are right, we felt like we played a part, however small, in helping the Mars company decide to produce the Blue M&M!
January 21st, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Oh man, it was YOU that is responsible for the Blue M&M…I was a participating voter of the Purple M&M and I must say, I was crushed as a kid when I found out that I had been defeated! There was a part of me that took it a bit personally =)
As for present day interactive marketing the one that strikes me most is American Idol. And although I can’t say I’ve ever REALLY watched the show, it’s amazingly effective at grabbing viewers and captivating them into watching over and over and over again…as it’s ultimately up to them how the show will end.
Great post.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
This “interactive public” marketing strategy that companies have make consumers feel like they have a hand in bringing a new product to life. I think it will be very successful.
Great blog Pat!
PS- I kinda miss the tan M&M… but I totally voted for the pink one!