Topics: Digital Media, Media + Advertising
Most people don’t realize how much food they throw away every day. Did you know approximately 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year? Food waste has become a controversial issue, so restaurants, grocery stores and the federal government are adopting strategies to reduce it in the United States (as well as internationally).
Even digital marketing companies have explored unconventional ways to raise awareness among people on a national scale. For example, in the last couple of years, media and marketing companies have been trying to sensitize Americans to learn how to recycle properly. At MSSmedia, we partnered with the University of Southern California to run an ad campaign for the Environmental Student Assembly. This campaign helped generate and increase awareness among all students through the installments of out-of-home advertisements to promote recycling bins. From years of experience dealing with sustainability campaigns, we want to share some ideas that digital advertising companies, like us, have been using to get people closer to food and recycling topics.
REMEMBER. ADVERTISING IS EVERYWHERE.
Regardless if on a mobile device or giant billboard, people typically don’t realize that advertisements are everywhere. However, to succeed, it is important to set up the right digital marketing strategy that can help your brand gain measurable and attainable results.
Last year, we ran a sustainability campaign partnering with the University of Illinois at Chicago to encourage recycling. At the end of the campaign, we delivered an outstanding 255,000+ impressions campus wide. In the full scope of this effort, we also implemented an out-of-home and mobile advertising campaign at Boston College and Northeastern University for Peapod, a food delivery service that has been working on sustainable seafood support since 2008. The multi-tiered campaign increased brand engagement and visibility through a mobile campaign as well as out-of-home advertisements that delivered more than 100,000 impressions and generated 1,000 clicks. This is a prime example of how business practices in food production can work with sustainability messaging to deliver a successful long-term campaign.
MAKE IT SOCIAL.
We all know that social media marketing is crucial for brands to reach success in the advertising industry. However, even if becoming familiar with Instagram sponsored ads or Google display ads may seem simple, it is important to take a step back before investing in these opportunities.
First, let’s focus on the following question: what is digital advertising? The answer is simple: whenever people see ads on the internet, from banners and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to social networking and email marketing. Online advertising is one of the fastest-growing ways to reach your target audience. For example, research has shown that more than 65% of buyer-intent keywords are paid clicks. At MSSmedia, we know the current digital marketing trends and can shape into personalized digital advertising strategies for each client.
ENCOURAGE BEHAVIOR CHANGE.
Don’t limit yourself to just acknowledging the problem. Don’t just post an ad that informs people but, instead, create something that will invoke change. Give the consumer a reason to be more mindful, whether it may be recycling or health. Send them home making more conscious decisions, ones that can influence others to do the same causing a chain reaction. Once you establish trust, people will react to your advertisements and pass it along.
For example, Foote, Cone & Belding, with the collaboration of Ogilvy, ran one of the most successful social media campaigns on food waste. The initial step was to gather food from the agencies’ waste bins to create posters with a very clear message. This message was “Your Agency Helped Us Make this Ad,” and a call to action at the end of the campaign. The campaign became viral and made people reflect on how much can be done with the food that goes to waste. People loved it and even digital advertising agencies took it as an inspiration to add value to their work.
Here at MSS Media, Inc., we’ve been providing Education, Government, Real Estate & Lifestyle clients with succinct, optimized, and successful marketing solutions for more than 15 years. Consider MSS Media, Inc. a full-service, one-stop shop for all your Media and Public Relations needs. Your goals are our motivation. And our mission is to propel your message, further and faster, to achieve the outcomes you’re looking for. If you found this blog post helpful, please share!
