The Future of Marketing? This Morning's Run Was Sponsored By #SauconySunday

See Jeff Run

I do my best to run several days a week.  I am not fast.  My running is more of a tortoise style - slow and steady - but I love the physical and mental benefits of running.  I love getting into "the zone" and letting my mind wander and think.  I love getting lost in podcasts or audio books, the cadence of my steps and breathing in the background lulling me into another world.  I love the portability of running - that I can do it anytime and anywhere.  And, as a geeky member of the Quantified Self Club, I love tracking my running progress with the RunKeeper app.

As a gadget guy and early adopter I've owned and used just about every fitness tracker, from the early, enormous, Garmin GPS Running watches, to FitBits, Fuel and UP bands, and multiple smartwatches.  RunKeeper has been my Running App of choice for a number of years, and I love the way it seamlessly integrates with my Pebble and Android Wear watches.  Today, RunKeeper changed the way I think about marketing too.

Sunday Runday

The other day an in-app alert let me know that today would be #SauconySunday: Anyone who records a 30 minute workout in RunKeeper would be entered in a drawing for one of 10 pairs of Saucony Running Shoes, and everyone who participates would get a coupon code for a 20% discount on Saucony shoes.  I took mental note, and promptly forgot about it.  Then this morning, when I set out on my typical Sunday run and launched RunKeeper a pop-up reminded me that it was #SauconySunday and asked if I wanted to participate.  With one click I was in, and proceeded with my slow and steady 5k.  At the 30 minute mark, a voice in my headphones acknowledged that I had completed the 30 minute challenge, and shortly after I ended my run, an email from RunKeeper confirmed I was eligible for tomorrow's drawing and gave me my 20% discount code.

3 Reasons This Could Be The Future of Marketing

I loved this campaign and kudos to RunKeeper and Saucony for smartly leveraging smartphone technology to create an effective promotion.  Many "in-app" ads are still very traditional. Click a banner and jump from the app to a mobile web page.  Click a banner and download an add-on, etc.  Instead, the Sunday Runday campaign is truly integrated into the function of the app, which I think is a positive sign of things to come.  I didn't have to "enter" by sending a disingenuous tweet... I simply had to RUN.

Here are three reasons I think this is an example of the future of great marketing:

1. It was relevant to ME.  By linking the campaign to the RunKeeper app, Saucony reached runners.  As a runner, I don't mind learning about running shoes.  I use and need running shoes.  Information about running shoes is content to me, not just advertising. I want to know.

2. It was integrated into MY LIFE.  This is the one that gets me excited.  As someone who is into wearable tech and tracking and measuring everything from steps to calories to sleep, this is an example of what I'd call Quantified Marketing (or Quantified Advertising) - marketing that leverages personal data and behavior in a relevant and meaningful way.  I didn't have to change my behavior to benefit from this campaign. I run. I use RunKeeper when I run.  This promotion was built into RunKeeper on the product level - it tracked my run as always, and, with my opt-in, qualified me based on my running at least 30 minutes today.  I didn't have to do anything differently or disrupt my routine or be disrupted for the campaign to impact me in a positive way.

3. It WORKED for the brand.  I may or may not win a pair of Saucony's tomorrow, and I may or may not use my 20% discount code (but I will go to Saucony.com and take a look).  Regardless, this campaign succeeded in bringing Saucony to the forefront of my thinking, and made me think more highly of the brand, both for their recognized quality and value in running shoes, and for delighting me with a cool promotion.  While I was running today I was thinking about the brand.  I remembered that my very first pair of running shoes, back in my college days, was a pair of Saucony's, and that I have owned and enjoyed several pairs over the years as I've bounced from brand to brand in search of the perfect running shoe for me.  The chances of me trying Saucony again have dramatically increased, thanks to my regular Sunday run today.  That's good for the brand.

There's a lot of debate about the amount of data our mobile phones and wearable devices know about us and our behavior.  Personally, as a consumer, and professionally, as a CMO, I am excited about the creative opportunities apps and wearable tech can present for brands and marketers who are willing to try new ways of bringing immediacy, relevance and a bit of fun into their campaigns.  I look forward to seeing more.

What do you think? Do you think this type of advertising is invasive or effective? Have you seen other examples of campaigns that leverage apps and user data in creative ways?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Mobile Is Dead, Long Live Mobile!

I've been involved with the Mobile Industry for a long time, and for more than 10 years there has been a "buzz" about the so-called "year of mobile."  Has it already passed?  Is it finally going to arrive? What do you think?

Last week I gave this presentation to the South Florida chapter of WITI (Women In Technology International).  I've given many presentations over the years, and I enjoyed giving this one.  Since I am working with cartoonist Hugh MacLeod (@gapingvoid) at Social Object Factory, I used a number of Hugh's insightful cartoons to illustrate my talk, which is called "Mobile Is Dead, Long Live Mobile."

There is no question that the smartphone has changed the face of mobile, but there are other forces at play as well.  As addicted as we may be to our smartphones, we are also now creatures of multiple devices - "Digital Omnivores" as comScore calls it.  Thanks to the prevalence of apps and the ubiquity of "the cloud" the idea of mobility goes way beyond our phones.  So, while an older vision of what mobile is may well be dead, our multi-device, cross-platform mobility is most certainly here to stay.  Long live mobile!

I'd love your feedback on this presentation.

Can't see the video? Click Here.

For more information about Jeff and to book him as a speaker, please visit http://about.me/sass or http://www.jeffreysass.com/speaking. Cartoons courtesy of @gapingvoid.

Location ROI: The Relevance of Interruption

Location, Location, Location...  

William Shakespeare once said that "all the world's a stage" and we are merely players... That 
was then and this is now.  Now all the world's a location waiting to be "checked in" to...  Our modern lives are nothing more than a growing trail of digital breadcrumbs as we actively and passively record and broadcast our every move to friends and strangers alike.  Despite the fallout over Facebook and the perils of privacy (or the lack thereof) our liberation of our location is not necessarily the epitome of evil.  There can be benefits to location awareness, if we are just aware of them.

Bring On The Marketers

Last month Jay Berkowitz invited me to speak on a "Location Super Panel" at the 2010 SFIMA Summit held at Nova University, headlined by a great Keynote by blogger, podcaster and all around mensch, Mitch Joel, of the highly regarded Agency TwistImage and author of the bestselling "Six Pixels Of Separation."  An engaging speaker, Mitch set the tone for a day of sharing and learning, and it was my pleasure to contribute a few pixels of my own.  I was asked to prepare a short presentation on location and given the influence of my own experiences and employment in the mobile content industry I gave some thought to the influence of location on mobile content and marketing.  Key points of my talk include:

• We live in a mobile world. 
• In a mobile world, location creates context.
• Context, not content, is King!
• Context creates relevance.
• Relevance determines the impact and success of marketing and advertising.
• Mobile advertising is an interruption.
• Successful Mobile advertising is gauged by the ROI: the Relevance Of Interruption.
• Location Aware Content personalizes your experience.

My slides, and a video of the presentation (courtesy of @iamjeffcohen) are embedded below.


Myxer's Jeff Sass Talks Mobile, Location & Content at the 2010 SFIMA SUMMIT from Jeffrey Sass on Vimeo.

YOU ARE HERE! Myxer's Jeff Sass at SFIMA Summit 2010
 

Do you agree with where we location is taking us?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and views in the comments.

Posted via email from Kiss My SASS!

Mobile Marketing Has Nothing To Do With Alabama

Just before the holidays I was invited to be a guest on Paul Dunay's Buzz Marketing For Technology podcast to talk about Mobile Marketing. At first I was confused because I have never been to the State of Alabama and I have no clue as to what they may do special to market things in the fine city of Mobile. Then I realized that Paul wanted to talk about Mobile Marketing as in Mobile phone! What a relief... I have a mobile phone! In truth, I have been involved in the mobile commerce and content arena for almost 10 years and I currently work for Myxer, a leader in ad-supported mobile content, so it was my pleasure to participate in a conversation with Paul, and marketing strategist Greg Verdino. Here is the podcast as it appeared in Paul's blog and on the Marketing Profs Daily Fix blog. Enjoy...and I welcome any comments you may have.