Download - Ordinary People Change the World
Brand and Communications StrategyVCU Brandcenter, September 2008
The Project: Turn Brad Meltzer’s pet project into a brand• Help leverage the site’s early success by creating and communicating a consistent brand offering
• Build a core audience through an initiative to bridge the site’s early success and its long-term role
The Outcome: A ripple effectWe took the brand ethos to heart - that one small action inspires many others -
and built off the site’s existing assets
How to nurture early brand growth through an intrinsic - and synchronized -
brand and communications strategy
MICHAEL SCHMIDTBrand + Communications Strategy Call Schmidty 804.836.5475 | [email protected] | MeetSchmidty.tumblr.com
By leveraging its initial momentum, we helped the site appeal to a self-sustaining community that could be periodically rejuvenated by what Brad was used to doing already - promoting his books and comics
• Author of 7 bestsellers
• Writer for seminal comics Green Arrow and Justice League of America
• Scion of Joss Whedon and Damon Lindelof
The Client: Brad who?
ORDINARYPEOPLECHANGETHEWORLD
fh b
BrandBackground:
KeyFindings:1
2
ExpandingtheEssence:
B BA
B
Appeal:
OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.comisayoungbrandthatisprimarilyknownforitsfounder,BradMeltzer,andhisfirstonlineinitiative,anauctionbenefittingtheformerhomeofSuperman’screator,JerrySiegel,throughcomics‐relatedartworkandexperiences.
OurApproach:NurturetheseedplantedbytheSiegelauction.
Wetaskedourselveswithcraftingastrategyforthesitethatexpandedfromitsinitialequityandtarget.
GatheringIntelligence:AttendingoneofBrad’sbooksigningsandgettingtoknowhisfans,werealizedhebringstogetherdiversegroupswithslightlydifferentreasonsforappreciatinghiswork.
Inhisnewestnovel,Bradcombinedhisinterestsforthefirsttime,usingthedeathofSuperman’screatorasakeyplotpointinhisthriller.
PressforTheBookofLiesoftenmentionedboththeSiegelauctionandOPCTW.
Leveragingtheexistingassetsofthesitetoexpandtobroaderandmoresustainablerole,appealandmessage.
A BContent:
Message:
Superman’srealstory Realandliteraryheroes
Comicsfans Bookandcomicslovers
Donatenow Findinspirationtoactnow
Brand
Target Strategy
Thesite’smissionis“toinspireordinarypeopletotakeactionandmakeadifferenceintheworld,”howevertheyseefit.Tofulfillthismission,thesiteneedstoexpandbeyondthecomicscommunity.
Onlythemostwell‐establishedorwell‐fundednon‐profitscanaffordtoappealtoawideaudience.Allotherscanonlysucceedthroughsharplyclarifiedpurposeandfocusedtargeting.
CategoryDynamics:
Bybuildingoffthesite’sinitialappealwithcomicsfans,wecouldfocusongrowingtheaudience,nottargetinganewone.
Brad’sworkprovidesanexusforthreedistinctaudiencegroups,whichhavetheirownliteraryheroesinadditiontoBrad.
Thewebisuniquelyabletocatertotheaudience’svariedinterestsandshowhowtheylinktogether.
AudienceSegments:
ClarkKents
fReadBrad’s:comicsAges:20‐35Size:5.5MillionLookonlinefornewsandinformation
Looksuptothosewhopromptchangedespiteflawsorcircumstances
Inspiredbyseeingsupportforgreatideas
!
JackRyans
hReadBrad’s:comicsandthrillersAges:40‐55Size:5.3MillionPreferInternetandradio
Admiresdoerswhoknowhowtodrawonalltheirresources
Inspiredbyonemancausingamovement
!
TheYa‐YaSisterhood
bReadBrad’s:thrillersAges:40‐55Size:2.5MillionStayupdatedwithprintandword‐of‐mouth
Drawntopeoplewhohelpthroughsimpleyetmeaningfulways
Inspiredbyothers’thoughtfulactions
!
StrategicBrandInitiative:
BrandContentStrategy: MediaStrategy:Heroismfromanysourcethatinspiresyoutoactnow
Alignliteraturewithinspirationforheroismineverydaylife
HeroicVoicesOnlineFestivalAsix‐dayonlineliterarygatheringfeaturingpopularauthorsfromvariousgenres,thefestivalusestheaudience’ssharedliteraryinterestasinspirationtoincorporatetheactsofheroismtheyreadaboutintotheireverydaylife.
Howitworks:Drawntothefestivalbyourcampaign(nextpage),theaudiencecancreateaprofiletoparticipateinexclusivecontentfromtheirfavoriteauthors:
Whyitworks:TheinitiativedrawsfromthelegacyoftheSiegelauctionanditsappealtocomicsfans,whilealsomakingthebestuseofBrad’spersonalassets;hesharesapublisherwithalloftheselectedauthors.
Usingthisequitytointroducethesitetothewideraudiencewillmakethemmorereceptivetoitsmessageofheroism.
Throughthis,thefestivalbridges,inbothcontentandaudience,thecomics‐focusedauctionandthesite’smissiontoinspireeverydayheroes.
• PopularauthorslikeStephenieMeyerdiscussingheroismintheirwork
•Originalworksonheroismcreatedbyup‐and‐comingauthors
• Livechatscenteredondrawinginspirationforactsofheroismineverydaylife
• Contentupdatesinthemonthsfollowing
Gettinginvolvedwithacommunityoflike‐mindedindividualswillhelpthemseehowtheirinterestscanbeinspirationtoincorporateheroicactsintotheirownlives.
CONNECTIONSAudienceNeed:
awareness information
CommunicationsRole:
Context:
Banners&Blogs
“Join me in fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.”
HEROIC VOICES ONLINE FESTIVAL
January 5 -10
Please join me on Jan.6th @ 4:00pm EST at OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com
when I talk about Bella, Edward, and Jacobʼs heroic acts!!! It might inspire you!!!
Basedonanextensivelistofbookswithstrongthemes
ofheroism,AmazonuserswhoviewoneofthebookswillseeanOPCTWmessageandrecommendationsofotherheroicbooksinthegenre.
HEROIC VOICESONLINE
FESTIVALJanuary 5 – 10
ORDINARYPEOPLECHANGETHEWORLD.COM
SEO:Thesitewillbeoptimizedtoappearinsearchresultsfortermslikeheroes,inspiration,andbookfestival.
EmailList:Brad’semailstohisloyalfanswillaskthemtospreadthewordaboutthefestivaltootherbookfans.
SponsoredStaffPicks
BookstoreDominations
AuthorEndorsements:Participatingauthorswilllendsupport
throughnewspaperandwebsiteeditorials,interviewswithindieradio,andmentionsontheirwebsitesandatbooksignings.
Recommendations:
“It is not violence that overcomes hate – nor vengeance that most certainly heals injury”
– Jane Eyre
Wetailoredthebrandexperienceplantoalignwithallthefactorscrucialtothecampaign’ssuccess,including:
• Whattheaudienceislookingforinordertoprogressfromawarenesstoadvocacy.
• HowtheHeroicVoicesOnlineFestivalandotheraspectsofourcampaigncanaddvaluetotherelationshiptodeliverontheprojectgoals.
• Wheretheaudiencespendstheirtimeandwillfindourmessagerelevant.
• Howthecontentofthesitecancontinuetodeliveronthemessageoncetheaudiencevisits.
Theplanservestoacceleratetheaudience’sinvolvementwiththesite,buteachelementmustactonitsowntoattractthemhowevertheyinteractwiththecontentandcontext.
BrandExperience:Modeledafterlevelsofinteractionwithliterature
lookingfornew,relevantcontent
learningaboutandfrommyfavoriteauthors
FestivalInitiative:Thecentralaspectofourcampaign,thefestivalengagestheaudiencebypresentingthesite’smessageofheroismthroughtheirsharedinterestofliterature.
Butthefestivaloffersbenefitsmoretangiblethanengagingtheaudience:
• Profilecreationforinteractingwithcontentprovidesamechanismforrelationshipmanagement.
• AndthepresstoursBradandtheotherauthorsareusedtodoingwillcontinuetoprovidefreemedia.
browsescan
PLAN
engagement advocacy contribution
HeroicVoicesOnlineFestival:Asix‐daygatheringofliteratureandheroism
BookClubs:Contentforonlineandlocalheroismbookclubsfosteruserinteractionandcomparisonstotheirownlives.
OnlineForum:PromptsaboutheroismsimilartotheauthorQ&Aanddiscussionswillkeepusersengagedindependentoftheauthors’contentandreturningtothesite.
SocialBookmarking
DownloadablePropagandaWAP
Pictures
SMS
Astheaudiencebecomesmoreinvolvedwiththecampaignandwebsite,contentfeatureswillhelpthemapplytheHeroicVoicesliteraryinspirationintoactsofheroismfortheireverydaylives.
interactinginapersonal,customizableway
sharingcontentwithotherswhomightbeinterested
expressingmyuniqueviewpoint
immerse suggest submit
ActionableItems:ATwitter‐like,continuouslyupdatingpageencouragesuserstointeractandhelpothersactasheroes.
EvaluationMeasures:
Traffic:• Sitevisits•WAPvisits• Searchterms• Priorsources• Profilescreated•Click‐throughrates
Toensureouraudiencegrowsandreturnsformorevisits,wefocusedonmeasuringtrafficandengagement.
MEDIAPLAN
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
ONLINE BOOK FESTIVAL
AUTHOR WEBSITE SPONSORSHIP
BOOKSTORE WEBSITE SPONSORSHIP
BOOKSTORE E-NEWSLETTERS
MELTZER EMAIL LIST
BOOK BLOG CONTENT
PRINTABLE PROPAGANDA
FACEBOOK GROUP / MYSPACE PROFILE
AMAZON PARTNERSHIP
BOOK BLOG BANNER ADS
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
TABLE TOPPERS
HANDOUTS
BOOKMARKS
NOTEPADS
BRANDED LOUNGE SPACES
BecauseOPCTWisnot‐for‐profit,weusedfreeorcooperativemediawheneverpossible.
Amultichannelplanimmersesouraudienceinthemessage,withflightingconcentratedonpromotingtheonlinefestivalandthethree‐monthlongauthorinitiativeitintroduces.
Despitespendingunder$250,000,theplanachieves32MMtotalimpressions,helpingtobuildaloyalcommunitythatwilltaketoheartthesite’smissionofheroismineverydaylife.
TotalImpressions:20,435,300earned+11,741,800paid=32,177,100totalimpressions
TotalSpend: $249,765
Ambient
Online
EarnedImpressions: PaidImpressions: Spend:26,920 $0
EarnedImpressions: PaidImpressions: Spend:5,084,500 $78,4001,646,800
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
INDEPENDENT RADIO
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
OPCTW STAFF PICKS IN BOOK STORES
AUTHOR BOOK SIGNINGS
BOOK FESTIVALS
COMIC CONVENTIONS
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
BOOKSTORE NEWSLETTERS
BOOK CLUB CONTENT
AUTHOR EDITORIALS
PRINT ADS
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
SMS ALERTS
Bydevelopingastrategythatstaystruetoitscurrentequityandaudience,wegavethebrandaheadstart.
AndthroughaninitiativethatexpandedonthelegacyandusedBrad’sassetstomaximumeffect,wespreadourmediadollarsfar.
Ultimately,bysynchronizingourbrandandmediastrategywetransitionedthebrandfromcomicsfanstoasustainablefuturefocusedonheroism.
Radio
Print/PR/DirectMarketing
Event
Mobile
Engagement:• TimespentandPageviews
• Forumsubmissions
• Emailsubscribers
• SMSsubscribers• Socialbookmarks
• Bookclubparticipants
•Materialsdownloaded
EarnedImpressions: Spend:1,000 $0
EarnedImpressions: PaidImpressions: Spend:13,666,000 $136,63510,065,000
EarnedImpressions: PaidImpressions: Spend:32,000 $35,000110,000
EarnedImpressions: Spend:110,000 $0