The moment when marketing becomes spamming

Content produced for every moment allows brands to reach out to their target consumers in quick time and at a marginal cost. Brands understand the need to create a post when a topic is trending because if they miss the bus, the content would become irrelevant.

But not every occasion or content created for a moment will resonate with a particular target audience as there would be slip-ups too.

For instance, when badminton champion PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals after her bronze at the Tokyo Olympics this year, quite a few brands, without her nod, ran ads on social media channels with her photos and name, along with their logo and branding, to congratulate her.

Eventually, the brands were sued by Sindhu for Rs 5 crore each.

Not every brand is a Zomato or a Dunzo, who have mastered the art of moment marketing, to precisely and seamlessly put content for every occasion without sounding irrelevant.

Amul has been doing moment marketing for almost 30 years for every topical discussion, making the brand sound authentic.

But with every moment making news and every other brand riding on the bandwagon with nothing different and unique to deliver, moment marketing becomes no more than spamming for consumers.

Prardhana Chillarige

Moment marketing, when done right, helps convert content consumers to content propagators, converts passive brand engagement to active brand experience. But in the pursuit to be a part of the conversation, do not alienate the consumer, cautioned Prardhana Chillarige, Sr. Brand Strategy Manager, Gozoop. 

Moment marketing, Chillarige said, can be divided into three types — Hero Moments, which the brand creates; Episodic Moments, which are annual and can be predicted (Holi, Diwali, Teachers Day); and Real-Time Moments, which are short-lived with insane chatter and operate out of carefully planned content strategies.

Each of these moments, when done right, can have a huge impact because they capture the mindspace of the audience, their opinions and hence their behaviour. 

“It’s not just about adding to the noise, but cutting through it. This is where amplification support becomes necessary — whether through monetary support or strategic support via key partnerships to get the right momentum,” she said.

Chillarige says moment marketing is an art and not an exact science and so there is no formula to apply every single time. But always keep three checks in mind: Study, Sieve and then Speak, she said and asked brands to study a topic and understand the sentiment around it.

She said, “A lot of brands go wrong simply because they copied the template without understanding the use case. Make it your own, not a copycat. Sieve any communication you build on the topic through your brand philosophy or lens while staying true to your brand and the topic at hand, without diluting either one. Finally, focus on the point and speak about the singular message. Don’t try to squeeze in multiple layers, objectives and CTAs in a single content piece.”

In a digital world, a single tweet or Facebook post is all it takes to get consumers hooked to a brand and therefore, the brand needs to make its marketing topical. It is all about finding the right zone where the brand personality intercepts the concerning incident. 

Joy Chatterjee

However, Joy Chatterjee, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Mankind Pharma, said a brand should always make sure the particular trend should relate to its proposition because then only reaps benefits.

“If you latch on to every conversation then it might not turn out as best as it could be. Most of the time, brands ride on every moment without gauging if it suits their proposition or not. It is imperative to recognise it and not take the risk of diluting the brand message to chase the moment. Humour should be evoked and used sensibly. If a meme has your brand’s reference in a casual way, then it is a great way to grab the customer’s attention without getting too much into promotion and helps the brand in maximising its revenue,” he said.

Most brands utilise moment marketing to build top-of-the-mind awareness or recall in a consumer's mind. Some brands such as Netflix win hearts and are always on the news for its quirky takes on every occasion.

For example: Netflix’s crossover between Peaky Blinders and ‘Rasode me kaun tha’ last year, which became an instant hit:

Rajeesh Rajagopalan

Rajeesh Rajagopalan, National Business Head, Grapes Digital, said it is important to understand how relevant the occasion is to the brand, the category and if it goes with the brand philosophy. Content creation just for the sake of content creation doesn't work.

“The brands that have mastered moment marketing are the ones that understand their consumers and create content that is appealing and relevant,” he said.

But how much moment marketing is too much moment marketing? How can a marketer avoid being a spammer in such cases?

Answering this, Rajagopalan said there is no thumb rule of how much is too much. The content should be relevant and must appeal to the audience.

For instance, Amul has been doing moment marketing for ages, and no one has ever said it is too much moment marketing.

Chillarige said real-time moment marketing should be a part of a brand’s larger content calendar and never the whole calendar.

“Have checks and processes in place that help you decide which conversation is going to reinforce your brand promise and build on that. At the end of the day, a consumer is engaging with the brand because of the service or product you offer, and not just because of what creative pun you had on the Olympics,” she said.

Over the years, moment marketing has become a well-thought and pre-planned activity to achieve virality. But does it need a separate marketing budget as well?

Chatterjee said no definite budget is allocated as moment marketing is usually an opportunity for the brand.

He said, “A dedicated team keeps an eye on the latest happenings in and around, and immediately reacts within hours. There is no fixed time to it as well. One can’t have a marketing calendar for moment marketing, because it is conducted on real-time events.”

However, he said brands have already started considering moment marketing as an integral part of their content strategy because it is one of the most important tools that help them connect with its audience.

In the case of Mankind Pharma, the strategy usually depends on how the specific trend is accepted among the audience.

“There are certain legalities and guidelines that we do have to follow as a responsible brand. We have multiple brands, but we can't leverage it for each brand. It varies from audience to audience and the way you approach,” he said.

Its brand Manforce owns the biggest chunk of moment marketing, followed by Prega News and Gas-O-Fast. 

According to Rajagopalan, moment marketing will always be part of the larger communication strategy.

He said technically one cannot have a separate strategy for moment marketing.

Moment marketing has to flow from the larger thought, and that is why he believes there is no cannibalisation of budget for this strategy.