This week, Apple upsets the email marketing cart, LAY’S and Uber Eats think outside the box together, and a new survey reveals what consumers want from brands – and who gets to hear their feelings.
Apple takes a bite out of email
At its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) last week, Apple announced a new email privacy protection program that will prevent email tracking pixels. That means companies sending ads through email will no longer be able to follow the recipient through their IP address to learn about their web behavior to deliver content throughout their internet journey.
“Some journalists believe … Apple is now going after the digital ad business hook, line, and sinker, which wouldn’t end well for newsletter publishers,” according to TechRadar.
WHY IT MATTERS: Apple says it’s only going after emails with paid advertising. That set could include email newsletters (the full details on the program’s future haven’t been released). No matter what Apple ultimately does, take this news as the latest reminder to be open with your audience about how you use their data. On your email sign-up page, be transparent about what data your brand collects and all the ways that data will be used. If that feels like too much transparency, rethink your data strategy. When Basecamp released its email service last year, it didn’t use tracking pixels – and promoted that fact to its audience.
.@Apple’s privacy email bite is a good reminder to review your #email data strategy via @CMIContent. #WeeklyWrap Click To TweetLAY’S thinks outside the bag for promotion
In a unique brand partnership, Uber Eats created a non-existent restaurant in Amsterdam to feature LAY’S “Iconic Restaurant” flavors based on KFC, Subway, and Pizza Hut foods. Diners who couldn’t eat at their favorite restaurants because of the pandemic could at least order the restaurant-themed potato chips. Uber Eats delivered the orders in the restaurants’ iconic packaging – a KFC bucket, a Subway footlong sandwich wrapper, and a Pizza Hut pizza box. The chips sold out in two days.
And, of course, the at-home chip diners took to social to share their delectable delights.
WHY IT MATTERS: The LAY’S and Uber Eats partnership isn’t precisely content marketing (though the video promo and social sharing are closer.) Still, it’s a worthy example of brands thinking outside the box (or inside it in Pizza Hut’s case) and connecting for great partnerships.
Want to try it? Look for organizations that have an audience similar to yours but that don’t compete with your brand. What content could you provide that would fit in their “packaging” or make sense to deliver through their channels (or vice versa)?
TIP: LAY’S and Uber Eats could have earned an extra star if they’d explained whether the chips will be sold in stores or why they chose the three restaurant brands. Details create a better narrative and let your audience know what you want them to do next.
Get out-of-the-box creative inspiration from @LAYS chips wrapped up like a @Subway sandwich, a @KFC bucket filled with KFC-flavored chips, and @pizzahut flavored crisps in a pizza box via @CMIContent. #WeeklyWrap Click To TweetConsumers say brand values do matter
Iterable’s 2021 Consumer Psychology Poll found that 87% of consumers say they’re more receptive to a brand’s messages when they know the company’s beliefs and values.
Why? Sixty-two percent say it makes them feel more trust toward the brand, while 44% say they feel like they know the brand’s authentic identity better, and 34% better believe in the brand’s purpose.
Among the other results, consumers revealed who they share their brand experiences with:
- 67% communicate recommendations to friends and family
- 51% share their warnings with friends and family
- 29% take to social media to express satisfaction
- 21% share their dissatisfaction on social channels
WHY IT MATTERS: The survey results reinforce the wisdom of content marketing strategies that focus on building relationships based on shared values. Yes, social media gets a lot of attention. But these results indicate the more important aspects of content marketing to pay attention to – transparency about your brand beliefs and promotion of one-to-one connections (i.e., ask your audience to share your content, forward your newsletters to their colleagues, friends, or family).
Try including your corporate values and mission statement at the bottom of every newsletter. To encourage your audience to share your content with their connections, create a rewards program that incentivizes sharing content, encouraging friends and colleagues to sign up for your newsletter, and so on.
Make your brand’s beliefs and values known – that’s what 87% of consumers say they’re receptive to, according to an @Iterable poll via @CMIContent. #WeeklyWrap Click To TweetCover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
