What is Moment Marketing? How Top Brands Are Leveraging?

Marketers are constantly trying to find new ways and means to connect with their customers and have begun to turn to moment based marketing to get their message across with more relevance. Brands have been prudent in making use of the trends to catch peoples’ attention since long, as you’ll see in the examples below. But first,

What is Moment Marketing?

Simply put, it’s the art of tapping into hot topics, trending events, and real-time conversations to craft timely, targeted, and engaging marketing messages. Moment based marketing, as it’s sometimes called, leverages the power of the here and now to make your brand resonate with consumers in a truly authentic way.

Now, what exactly makes moment marketing work?

Two reasons,

• Customers are already part of the 24/7 news cycle, thanks to the immediacy and richness of content available today on demand.
• Brands want to insert themselves into the daily conversations of their users and since people talk about trends, making use of these trends automatically removes the brands’ guess-work.

People are always plugged in and just a few taps away from finding and forwarding the latest content, be it a meme, a viral video, a social media post or a tweet. In fact, half of YouTube subscribers between the ages of 18 and 34 say they would drop whatever they were doing to watch a new video from their favorite channel. 

In this article, we will quickly go over why you should consider incorporating moment marketing into your arsenal, give you a few insights into what makes for good moment marketing, share moment marketing examples and draw your attention to brands that are doing it well.

1. Why you ought to consider Moment Marketing?
2. Moment Marketing > Interruption Marketing
3. Benefits of Moment Marketing
4. How Marketing Automation tools can help you land your message right?
5. Ways to design a Moment Marketing campaign that works
   • • Seize the time
     • Keep sales at the centre of your campaigns
     • Use humour
     • Create event-led or occasion-specific communication
     • Ride the pop culture wave
     • Make use of existing memes or make your own
     • Stay true to your core brand message
     • Engage in banter
     • Put customers first
     • Don’t try too hard

Why you ought to consider Moment Marketing?

If you are no longer satisfied with rolling out predictable, standardised campaigns and want to move away from generic messaging to reach your target audience, consider using moment marketing to build memorable communication around popular events and topics on trend.

These are campaigns that brands create by hijacking a trending topic and weaving clever content around it. Brands aim to catch people’s attention by becoming part of a conversation around a trend.

A Deloitte digital trend report defined moment marketing as, “The ability to take advantage of an event to deliver relevant and related, seemingly spontaneous, and often fleeting interactions with customers in real time.”  

What makes moment marketing different from other approaches is its requirement for both agility and accuracy. 

A lot of marketers struggle to move quickly enough to disseminate timely messages on multiple channels, while some others struggle with the creative back and forth required to go to market with a relevant and on-brand campaign. But those who are able to do both are assured of riding the wave of consumer attention. 

Bonus Read – Choosing the Best Marketing Automation Software: A Comprehensive Guide

Here are 3 distinct ways in which moment advertising could be helpful to you.

• Embracing the moment and publishing creatives that cleverly riff on whatever is happening in the world at a given moment, certainly gives you an edge as a marketer allowing you to stand out and be memorable.  
• Joining the conversation in this manner can make your brand familiar. 
• Becoming a part of people’s newsfeeds organically ensures that your marketing message reaches them when they are most receptive, and willing to listen or interact. 

Moment Marketing > Interruption Marketing

Moment marketing wins over traditional interruption marketing because unlike a typical TV commercial or skippable YouTube ad, brand communications that references current TV shows, events, or news, feel less forced and artificial, and more real and engaging. 

80% of people dislike pre-roll video, and 82% of people have closed a web page because of an auto-playing video ad. Share on X

People are more likely to ignore a non-contextual salesy message or get annoyed by a pushy ad that interrupts their day. Why then run the risk with a direct plug or cookie cutter ad, when you can start off a friendly conversation with your target audience, instead?

But reaching the right customers, on the right channels, with just the right message, can be a challenging task. This is where marketing automation software can help!

Benefits of Moment Marketing

Moment marketing is an innovative approach to engaging your audiences by capitalizing on trending events and emotions.

Here are some of the benefits of Moment marketing:

Helps you grab your audience’s attention

By tapping into what’s trending, you instantly grab eyeballs and ears. People are already buzzing about the topic, and your brand joins the party, making it impossible to miss.

Boost your customer engagement

The conversation flows naturally when you chime in on something everyone’s talking about. Likes, shares, and comments skyrocket as you connect with your audience on their terms, fostering vibrant two-way communication.

Improves your brand image

By jumping on relevant trends, you show your brand is relatable and even a little fun. This injects a dose of personality into your brand, making it more human and likable.

It boosts sales

Moment marketing isn’t just about quick fame; it can convert buzz into real business. When you offer the right product or service at the right time, aligned with the trending topic, you create a buying craze.

Enables you to create cost-effective campaigns

Compared to traditional marketing, moment-based marketing can be a budget-friendly champion. Forget expensive ad campaigns; a witty tweet or a creative Instagram story can do the trick. By leveraging existing trends and platforms, you reach a massive audience without breaking the bank.

How Marketing Automation tools can help you land your message right

Event oriented, agile campaigns were hard to pull off, until now. But a surge of new, automated platforms are now offering brands a suite of sophisticated tools to help them launch campaigns, effortlessly, quickly and efficiently. Today, there are far fewer limitations on how quickly or by how much you can scale your business, without hiring a full-fledged creative agency or without a large team of in-house resources. 

For instance, brands can now go live with digital ad campaigns and build 1000s of professional looking banner ads or even videos in mere minutes, using easy to use image and video automation tools. And marketers, with absolutely zero technical know-how, can create complex cross-channel engagement campaigns using simple drag-and-drop editors of marketing automation platforms. These platforms even help in creating trigger-based lifecycle campaigns to send out highly contextual messages & collaterals based on specific user actions and events.

Now that we have talked about how you can go about the creative production and marketing automation problem, let us take a look at some creative approaches to moment marketing and the brands that made it work. 

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How to design a Moment Marketing campaign that works

Here are some moment marketing ideas and examples of timely, relevant and personalized marketing that managed to grab consumer attention while reinforcing the core brand proposition.

• Seize the time

Oreo’s ‘You Can Still Dunk In The Dark’ tweet during a 2013 Super Bowl game will go down in marketing history for being one of the most successful instances of real-time marketing. The brand capitalized on a half-hour-long power outage with a timely tweet that riffed on the game and was retweeted over 18,000 times quickly becoming a viral talking point amongst audiences all over.

• Keep sales at the centre of your campaigns

Make sure your communication ties back into your product offerings so you can spur sales. For instance, Target was prepared to take advantage of the buzz around who wore what during a previous edition of the Emmys and helped customers shop Tina Fey’s look by drawing attention to specific pieces available in store and online. 

• Use humour

Brands acquire a loyal following by putting out content that captures their brand personality consistently. Netflix does a good job of channelling its sassiness with always on point, tongue in cheek humour sparking spontaneous conversations with their audience. And they never forget to use customized marketing to suit local tastes, like here.

• Create event-led or occasion-specific communication

Adidas roped in 56 of the world’s biggest names from the world of sport and entertainment and attempted to reengineer the way advertising is delivered with a highly personalized video campaign around the FIFA world cup. The ‘Create The Answer’ campaign featured one long video that could be chopped into multiple narratives, chosen to be shown to customers based on their individual profile. 

“We are co-creating our story of sport and creativity with our consumers by reacting and responding to their preferences, attitudes, passions and geographies. Athletes in New York will get a different experience from those in London.” — Ryan Morlan, Vice President of Brand Communications at Adidas

• Ride the pop culture wave

Remember when you couldn’t scroll more than a few seconds without stumbling upon a Game of Thrones related piece of content? Well, brands made good use of the audience’s collective obsession with the show by creating social media posts that were an inside joke, only for the whole of the internet. Riding the pop culture wave is a good way to grab customer attention and build in virality into content. 

• Make use of existing memes or make your own 

According to Google Trends, “memes” are becoming a more popular search term than “Jesus”, so God save you if you are still unconvinced about the power of meme marketing. Memes are a great way to reach millennials who spend over 200 minutes online every day. These same millennials also hate traditional advertising so using memes to make people laugh with a casual reference to your brand is a great way of getting your customer’s attention without getting obvious and overly promotional. Like Chipotle, here. 

• Stay true to your core brand message

Don’t run the risk of diluting your brand message or compromising on values you stand for, in order to chase an event, a season or micro-moment. 

For instance, Patagonia separates themselves from other brands by pointedly staying away from offering a Black Friday sale. In this example, the brand, which stands for conscious buying, urged people to NOT buy during Black Friday to drive home their point against mindless consumerism. They used this occasion, instead, to draw attention to their commitment to environmental sustainability, thus managing to score more points with their loyal fan base. 

• Engage in banter

Brands are known to engage in some good-natured banter,  have clever comebacks and engage in  Twitter wars amongst themselves to keep audiences hooked. These instances also help brands earn press coverage and seed PR articles. See how Kitkat did this by inviting Oreo to a playoff to win a fan’s attention in this tweet below.

• Put customers first

Brands that truly care for their customers and put people first, win in the long run. Now that the world is in the grips of the Corona pandemic, many brands have come forward to put out responsible messages and do good for the community at large. This is a great way to cultivate customer loyalty that will outlast tough times. 

“Creativity has never been more vital […] When 99 per cent of the news is about one subject, how do you possibly cut through without an idea? Social media usage is through the roof. Despite (or because of) the crisis we’ve never craved conversation and connection more, and that’s got to be a huge opportunity for brave clients looking to weather the storm.” — Executive Creative Director of Global PR heavyweight, The Romans, Joe Mackay-Sinclair

But the key for all brand communication at the moment is, “Not to appear like creative ambulance chasers,”  warns Kev O’Sullivan of award-winning British agency FleishmanHillard Fishburn. He cautions that brands should stay away from trying to exploit this opportunity to drive sales and cautions communication heads to be sensitive, empathetic and respectful. 

For instance, Burger King does this well by changing up a sign in Belgium urging their customers to stay home and practice social distancing. 

• Don’t try too hard

And lastly, don’t try too hard. Customers can smell fakery a mile off and brands that try and force a topical connection or try to exploit a moment for its promotional potential get swiftly called out on social media. So try and stay authentic and keep it real!

How do you measure the results of moment marketing?

Moment marketing thrives on seizing the day, but how do you know if your quick-witted tweets and trendy Instagram stories are actually landing? Here’s your toolkit for measuring moment marketing magic:

• • Engagement metrics: Did your content resonate with your audience? Track website traffic, social media mentions and shares, and the oh-so-satisfying comment flood. These metrics show if your moment marketing struck a chord, sparking conversation and interest.
  • Reach and impressions: Assess how far your content traveled. Reach indicates the number of unique users who saw your content, while impressions reflect the total number of times your content was displayed.
  • Conversion Rates: Did your message turn the audience into customers? Track website conversions, sales spikes, and coupon code redemptions. These numbers reveal if your moment marketing not only grabbed attention but also nudged people towards action.
  • Sentiment analysis & brand mentions: Is your brand name popping up everywhere? Monitor brand mentions, sentiment analysis, and hashtag usage. Seeing your brand organically woven into the trending topic tapestry shows you’ve successfully become part of the conversation.
  • Comparative analysis: Compare the performance of your moment marketing campaign against your regular content. This comparison helps you understand the added value and impact of moment marketing strategies.
  • Bonus Tip: Don’t just track numbers, track trends! Analyze how specific moments influenced your overall brand metrics. Did a viral tweet spike website traffic for weeks? This deeper understanding helps you leverage future moments for long-lasting impact.

Gain real-time insights and elevate your customer journey with WebEngage’s live analytics.

To wrap up,

These were the best moment marketing examples, and ongoing campaigns by some of the world’s biggest brands just go to show that moment marketing is much more than a fad and a phenomenon that is here to stay. For smart marketers, moment marketing can help them reach out to a large number of customers spontaneously and at a low cost. This could help them improve recall and form a deeper connection with audiences over the long term.

Moment marketing is just one of the more impactful ways to engage users. There are countless engagement strategies to hold your users’ attention and get them to stay with your brand, which is something WebEngage specializes in.

If you’re someone who’d love a test drive of the platform, book a free demo with us and learn how to engage your users.

FAQ

What is the moment marketing process?

Ready to harness the power of trending topics and real-time conversations? Understanding the moment marketing process is your first step! Here’s a breakdown to guide you from trend whisperer to marketing magician:

1. Monitoring and identifying opportunities

The first step is to stay updated with current events, trends, and social conversations. This involves monitoring news, social media trends, and cultural events that your target audience cares about.

2. Find your brand’s connection

Ask the, “So what?” How does this trending moment relate to your brand’s values, products, or services? Don’t force it – the connection should feel natural and relevant.

Keep it quick and witty. Craft a message that’s engaging, concise, and captures the essence of the moment.

3. Choose your platform

Think about your audience. Where are they likely to engage with your message? Social media, your website, email campaigns, or even creative PR stunts can be perfect channels.

Act fast! Time is of the essence. Be ready to deploy your campaign while the trend is still hot.

4. Creating relevant content

The next step is to create content that ties in with the identified moment. This could be a social media post, a blog article, a video, or any other format that best suits the message and the platform.

5. Measure and learn

Monitor social mentions, shares, website traffic, and any other relevant metrics to gauge the impact of your campaign. Learn from what worked and what didn’t. Refine your approach for future moments.

How to choose your moment marketing topic

So, you’re ready to tap into the buzz of trending topics, but finding the right one can feel like searching for a unicorn! Here’s how to identify a killer moment marketing topic:

1. Know your audience

Think like them. What topics pique their interest? What are they talking about on social media and in their daily lives?
Align with their values. Choose trends that resonate with your brand’s core values and messaging. Authenticity matters!

2. Scan the landscape:

Stay updated on current events, cultural hot takes, and upcoming holidays. Look for unexpected happenings, too! Use social media platforms and trending hashtags to gauge what’s capturing people’s attention.

3. Find the intersection

Analyze how this trending topic connects to your brand in a natural and relevant way. Don’t force it – the fit should feel genuine. Look for unique angles and creative connections that set your message apart from the crowd.

4. Keep it timely

Pick trends with momentum. Don’t jump on fading trends. Choose topics that are currently trending or just starting to gain traction.

Act fast! The window of opportunity can be fleeting. Be ready to craft and deploy your campaign while the trend is still hot.

What are the objectives of moment marketing?

• Moment marketing aims to enhance a brand’s visibility by capitalizing on trending topics and current events.
• It focuses on creating content that resonates and actively engages the audience in meaningful ways.
• This approach increases website traffic and encourages specific consumer actions, like purchases or sign-ups.
• Regular, relatable moment marketing efforts work towards strengthening loyalty among existing customers.
• It reaches new potential customers by engaging with wider and more diverse audiences.

• What is a brand moment?

  A brand moment is a powerful instance when your brand’s message seamlessly integrates with a trending topic or event, igniting a spark of connection with your audience on a massive scale. It’s not just about being present; it’s about becoming an integral part of the conversation, captivating hearts and minds in a way that outperforms traditional marketing. This strategy focuses on being relevant, engaging, and often witty, ensuring the content resonates with the audience while maintaining the brand’s core values.