How to create a harmonious multichannel campaign

By Elise Hacking Carr

Just in time for Father's Day, Unilever's Dove brand launched "First Fatherhood Moments," a multichannel campaign celebrating that life-changing moment when a man first learns he's going to be a dad. The campaign featured a video montage of real dads finding out that they are going to become fathers; a press release with an interactive call-to-action; an educational, user-generated forum for first-time fathers; a mobile app and more. The video alone, which is available on YouTube, gained more than a million views during its first day.

Unilever isn't the first company to adopt a multichannel strategy, and it certainly won't be the last. As digital technology continues to evolve—and attention spans dwindle—it's no longer enough to pick one channel and hope it sticks. When marketing to a hyper-connected society, it is important to create as many touch points as possible to get your message seen and remembered.

That's not to say you should overwhelm prospects with emails, social media and QR codes—you need to offer a seamless, consistent experience across all communication channels. Here's how to launch a cohesive campaign.

IN ACTION: A CASE STUDY

Multichannel marketing is about delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time through relevant communication channels. Here is how Rockford, Illinois-based TREKK helped a client accomplish just that:

TREKK recently completed a cross-media trade show campaign that incorporated augmented reality (AR) that proved to be a real show stopper, encouraging repeat visits to the booth and offering booth staff more opportunity to connect with potential prospects.

Darwill, a marketing services provider specializing in complex direct mail, wanted to make a big impact at the Direct Marketing Association annual conference. It had already hired a magician to perform in the booth. However, it also wanted to give booth visitors an interactive experience they would remember long after the event was over.

TREKK's interactive designers leveraged the magic theme to create four printed cards and corresponding AR experiences that communicated Darwill value propositions in fun and magical ways. Each time they visited the booth, attendees received a card and were directed to a large TV screen where they could witness the magic of Darwill through an AR browser. The printed AR cards not only provided a conversation starter for booth staff, but also served as a reminder of Darwill's unique value propositions and a sharable takeaway that reinforced the booth experience.

As part of the trade show program, TREKK also created a booth video loop with animation and voiceover that entertained while demonstrating Darwill capabilities. The program also included a pre-show mailer, show bag stuffer and post-show follow-up. The client was so overwhelmed by the interest and meetings generated by the booth experience, it decided to hold off on the planned post-show follow-up.

(Information provided by Sarah Mannone, vice president of client services, TREKK.)

1. Set goals upfront

A favorable campaign outcome hinges on strategy. The Dove campaign is a great example. The brand teamed its First Fatherhood Moments campaign with its Dove Men+Care product line. Why? After conducting careful research studies (e.g., "Care Makes a Man Stronger" and "Google Dove Men+Care New Dad Survey"), Dove learned that men feel more equipped to better care for their families after fitting in some self-care. Dove marketers kept this in mind when building the multichannel strategy, proving that a little homework goes a long way.

"If you don't know what you're trying to accomplish, you won't know who to target, the best ways to communicate with them or what messages will resonate with them," said Sarah Mannone, vice president of client services, TREKK, Rockford, Ill.