by samWhen England Captain John Terry donned his Chelsea kit for the Champions league ceremony, despite being suspended for the final, it’s safe to say that he received a hefty amount of online ridicule. ‘Doing a John Terry’ became a popular expression to describe taking credit for other people’s success, but what is so wrong with free riding? It may be slightly morally iffy but many have forged successful and lucrative careers in doing so. For Internet marketing experts, coasting on the proverbial back of a big press release, national event or product launch is very simple. This year we saw a plethora of advertisers leaping at the opportunity to associate their product with the 2012 London Olympics. The advantage of this ‘piggyback marketing’ as it is referred, is that one can use a strong public mood to boost revenue without having to break the bank. However, it is not without its risks. For a start, you will quickly find yourself skirting around copyright laws in order to stay legal and one slip could have financially devastating consequences. If the link between your product and the particular event is loose and deemed as tenuous by consumers then they may get annoyed at the conspicuous attempt to cash in. Here are a few tips to avoid these potential pitfalls:
Know your audience
The key to a good piggyback marketing campaign is to find overlapping target audiences. Will the people who are interested in this particular news story be the same as those who buy your product? Maybe they will even need your product when attending a certain event. For example if you sell wellington boots you might think about forming a partnership with one of the UK’s summer music festivals.
Do your research
Take an in depth look at your competitors’ marketing campaigns.If it is a big news story or event you can bet your bottom dollar that everyone else will have the same idea, leaving your content to appear clichéd and unoriginal. Avoid anything that resembles your competitors’ ideas by finding less obvious associations.
Plan for the future
In a lot of cases, events occur out of the blue with little, if any, prior warning. This gives a marketer next to no time to prepare a comprehensive campaign. It is important to stay ahead of the curve to give yourself as much time as possible. At the beginning of the calendar year, note down all the important upcoming dates and keep on top of the most recent press releases.
Make them an offer they can’t refuse
Remember that this venture needs to be cost effective for both parties so make it worthwhile for your piggyback partner. Give a commission on all sales of your product and use search engine marketing techniques like pay per click adverts to offer a sum of money any time someone lands on your website. You can also provide additional promotion such as free giveaways and special offers to your partner’s customers.