Digital Marketing is a constantly evolving sphere that is seeing the introduction and evolution of both the classical ideas of marketing as well as new innovations that have never been seen before.
One such concept is the idea of Moment Marketing. This is a very interesting field as it tries to capture the essence of living in the moment. What does moment marketing mean? Basically, it is a perspective where current events are given deep consideration in the marketing mix. The way this pans out is that all your marketing feels ‘timely’ and suited for the moment. This sense of timing and belonging for the marketing gives it an instant boost in its relatability and reception.
What’s the Psychology Behind It?
It’s pretty simple to understand why moment marketing works. There is a psychological phenomenon known as the proximity bias which makes us more receptive to things that are closer to us.
This closeness or proximity isn’t just physical but also time-based, which means recent and ongoing events are far more likely to incite a strong emotional response than something old or something that hasn’t even happened yet. This becomes the premise of moment marketing, which wants to ride off the proximity bias of current affairs to incubate an advertising message in its viewers.
How Does Moment Marketing Work?
Truthfully, the moment marketing approach includes several possibilities. If we explain using examples, a company simply saying Merry Christmas to its consumers while it launches its festive season product is also moment marketing as it captures the persisting Christmas spirit.
Moments can coincide with festivals of the year, seasons, controversial or popular events happening at the time, or even current browsing and big data trends. Other manifestations of it can look like search engine optimization and ad targeting to specific customers based on keywords that they’re typing online or what they’re watching.
A great example of this is you watching a video on gardening tutorials, and when you open your browser you find yourself bombarded by targeted advertisements of gardening products because that’s what’s on your mind at the moment.
Keys to Effective Moment Marketing
- Obviously, the most important thing is that it needs to be timely. If I get ads for winter wear during the summer, it’s highly unlikely it is going to interest me. Thus, care and research need to be undertaken to keep up to date with the trends and patterns being followed.
- Spontaneity is a key factor because of the sporadic nature and it makes it feel natural. Knowing that the marketing was intentional takes away from the magic of making it feel organic and hence capturing your attention. Capitalizing on that funny meme everybody is laughing at has to happen now, not three months later. This is even more important, because due to the flow of information nowadays, things tend to become stale or old very quickly.
Bring the You in now. The magic of moment marketing happens for the advertisers when they are successfully able to insert themselves. Sure, your targeted internet trend may be timely and relatable, but how does it tie into your own brand image? Innovation and creativity are needed to ensure that the circumstances of the current events are spun in such a manner that your brand and product become the center of attraction even within it.
- Know your audience. Look, a lot of things happen throughout the world every day. And not everyone cares about all the little things happening around them. Human focus is limited. Marketers thus have to find what trends are relevant to which demographic. A corporate digital hardware developer has no incentive to use a popular fashion Instagrammer for their marketing, as this person has zero connection to their target audience. Hence, knowing what events are important to your particular target audience helps you decide which ones are worth capitalizing on.
Why Is It Popular Now?
The answer is simple, Big Data. Because all our lives on the internet can be tracked and analyzed, companies are able to study our preferences and trends better than ever before. The keystone of moment marketing is that it feels personal. In order to stay relevant to the moments for each and every user, big data plays a huge role. Brand recall and engagement are at an all-time high because even the consumer has so many options to interact with marketing. Gone are the days where you expect the consumer to just be an audience to your advertisement.
Netizens today can comment, like, or dislike, and share their work among their friends and peers. This means, there’s greater scope for soliciting feedback from your consumer when they buy imported products online, but also for the consumer to respond to your marketing as a public promoter by spreading the word and getting you more eyeballs. Here’s where current affairs become more important. People talk about what’s happening now. This means, if your marketing has timely relevance, you can expect it to be discussed, dissected, and shared. All of it leads consumers to spend more time with your brand. The benefit? Brand recognition, brand recall, and a positive influence on buying preferences, which are the exact goals that marketing wants to achieve.
Moment Marketing is a genre of digital marketing that is gaining great amounts of traction. Its power is to be receptive to every individual and have the level of relatability that allows it to connect with the sentiments that people are feeling. As a result of our dependence on social media, information is always available to us. No one is left isolated anymore in their own world, hence, advertisements have to possess the ability to penetrate through every kind of person. By monitoring trends, creating timely and unique ad campaigns and social media posts, and implementing a robust feedback loop, companies can simply sit back and watch their numbers grow. C’est la vie, for the time of Moment Marketing, is here!
