Using real-time technology to deliver targeted campaigns

To succeed in the current environment, digital marketers need to be able to think on their feet and find smart ways of using real-time technology to develop more targeted, relevant and sophisticated campaigns — and to act at the speed of light when an opportunity presents itself.

Capitalising on a real-life scenario, especially one that presents a golden opportunity to maximise a client’s campaign or brand positioning, can really pay dividends.

According to Miro Walker, co-founder of Cognifide, the WPP digital technology consultancy, marketers need to make a fundamental shift in the way that they work, challenging traditional campaign cycles and processes that felt comfortable and adopting new ones that are faster and more on-point.

Marketing in the minute is one of the most effective ways that local marketers can make an impact and elevate their client’s brand above the fray — especially when it piggybacks off real-time events or news.

For instance, in the three months between July and September 2022, Eskom plunged the country into darkness and misery, recording the highest collective period of load-shedding to date — and it has been downhill since. Advertising agencies lose out on millions of rand of advertising value when TV screens go dark over peak viewing times. 

This inspired local digital marketing agency YDigital Media to create a well-timed, first-to-market solution, using real-time technology and aligning to real-world challenges. By working closely with one of South Africa’s largest apps, the team designed an innovative digital solution that allows advertisers to continue syncing their marketing campaigns across mobile screens when load-shedding kicks in, cutting off power to TV screens over peak times.

This is achieved by understanding peak times when the electricity is switched off and delivering creative content using advanced geolocation technology to access areas — and their residents — around the country as this happens. Key to the success of the campaign is understanding Eskom feeds.

By working with the load-shedding application programming interface, YDigital Media sends creative content to targeted mobile phones, in the process extending the reach of a TV commercial or radio campaign — and protecting budgets. 

The approach is akin to the famous Oreo campaign that pulled off some fancy footwork in a marketing triumph by tweeting “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark” when the lights went off during the 2013 Super Bowl for 34 minutes. The message caught on almost immediately, garnering nearly 15,000 retweets and more than 20,000 likes on Facebook. The ad was also posted on Tumblr by digg, with the note “Oreo won the Super Bowl blackout”. 

This kind of in-the-minute marketing solutions shows what can be done when the odds are against marketers, and how this scenario can provide a perfect opportunity to turn it on its head and capitalise on it.   

The big take-out: In-the-minute marketing solutions demonstrate what can be done when the odds are against marketers.