Marketing activation is the execution of the marketing mix as part of the
marketing process. The activation phase typically comes after the planning phase
during which managers plan their marketing activities and is followed by
a feedback phase in which results are evaluated with marketing analytics.
Depending on the business objective, two types of marketing activation can be
used as part of a marketing strategy. Brand activation, sometimes called brand
engagement which focuses on building a longer term emotional connection between
the brand and the customer. Activation based on direct-response
marketing will focus on generating immediate sales transactions.
Planning the activation Before executing its marketing
activities, a firm will benefit from identifying which customer groups to
target. “By focusing on some fewer influencers only, activation can become
more efficient and higher returns can be expected.”
Customer data is a significant source of information for planning marketing
activation. A common practice is to use customer relationship management tools
and techniques to augment the impact of marketing activation because CRM
“provides an integrative framework in which marketing activation and customer
activities collaborate to increase patronage”
Challenges A successful marketing activation will
allow businesses to increase their profits and reach their strategic goals.
There are however challenges that managers will face in putting in place a
marketing activation program. One of the challenges is dealing with an ever
changing marketplace. Customer preferences and attitudes keep evolving
and require managers to adapt rapidly. This poses a challenge because, for
example, “direct marketing activation triggers that were accurate 6 months
ago, may now be quite inappropriate.” Another challenge related to marketing
activation has to do with reaching different target markets with culturally
relevant propositions. McDonald’s is said to be a good example of a company
that can effectively reach a diverse audience. Among the techniques it uses,
“it engages in unique marketing activation, including strong use of PR
and events targeted at black, Asian, and Latino youth.”
Data-driven marketing activation Over the years, marketing activation has
become more and more data-driven. This allows marketers to be more precise in
their actions, measure results more effectively, and increase returns. This
phenomenon has become more and more important because “marketing activation
usually entails a universal blast of information to all consumers. Often,
only a small proportion of the consumers react positively to such activation,
resulting to waste in marketing expenses. If a circle of influencers can
be identified for certain events or phenomena, then such activities can be
focused into a group of factors or individuals, thus, optimizing the
outcomes.” Different types of data are used in
marketing activation. For example, “video-based measurement provides
visibility into shopper engagement and behaviour relative to exact marketing
activation, enabling a holistic approach to shopper marketing.”
CRM data and models are also used to improve the effectiveness of marketing
activation. One of these models, the marketing funnel, “is a key conceptual
framework that is routinely used by practitioners to deconstruct the
marketing activation and identify key issues.”
Online video Marketing activation can be enriched
with the use of online tools. The advent of online video has opened up many
opportunities for marketers who use it to engage customers in more compelling
ways with new forms of advertising. YouTube, for example, “has given
marketers a platform for celebrating and amplifying nearly every marketing
activation.” Sports marketing
Marketing activation techniques are commonly used in sports marketing. They
are often associated with a brand sponsoring an athlete or an event in
order to boost their brand awareness. It has been said that “with strong
marketing activation and creativity, consumers should remember the sponsor’s
campaign” What it is not
Even though marketing activation encompasses most marketing activities a
firm will execute, some approaches, in the fields of communication and customer
service, may not qualify as marketing activation. For example, “public
relations may be viewed as broad communication operation rather than a
sharp marketing activation.” Notes
Further reading Schultz, Don E.; Barnes, Beth E.;
Schultz, Heidi F.; Azzaro, Marian. Building customer-brand relationships.
M. E. Sharpe. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-7656-1799-6.
Duffy, Neil; Hooper, Jo. Passion branding: harnessing the power of
emotion to build strong brands. John Wiley & Sons. p. 173. ISBN
978-0-470-85052-7. Activation is an Integral Part of
Marketing – Adedoyin, Ex Unilever Strategist
Why Brand Activations Work