Two weeks ago, one of my friends invited me to go with her to the Summer Krush tour featuring Dierks Bentley. The show was “free,” and I use the term loosely, as the old adage says—there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and like lunch, this show was not really free.
Sponsored by Samsung and AT&T, the show was scheduled to begin around 8pm. However, the show time came and went, and the only visible activities were the continuous looping of a Samsung Jack commercial on overhead monitors, and an on-stage screen that projected text messages of concert-goers (most to the tune of “I heart Dierks” and “Hi Mom!”). When the MC finally arrived on stage, he chose two random numbers who had texted the screen to win prizes—one person won a Samsung Jack, and the other a Summer Krush electric guitar. Then, Dierks took the stage, and put on a great show.
I think that offering a free concert series is a really innovative way for advertisers, in this case Samsung and AT&T, to bring together a large group of targeted consumers (I estimate Caucasian females between 14 and 30 years old who like country music) and inundate them with a targeted message—in this case, the messaging described the “coolness” of the Samsung Jack, and its text messaging/email/Internet features.
Not only is it a great way to interact with consumers thus strengthening the relationship with them (read: face time with potential buyers), but as a targeted consumer, I am more receptive to listening to their message...especially if there's no hard cost for me. While I do not intend to purchase a Samsung Jack any time soon, I like that Samsung and AT&T are not only reaching out to consumers and becoming more accessible in the marketplace, but also are trying a new strategy to reach consumers that I've never experienced before.
References:
http://www.samsungsummerkrush.com/atlanta.asp
http://www.dierks.com/
http://www.samsung.com/us/
http://pages.samsung.com/ca/jack/eng/
About Me
- eckramer
- Growing up in Atlanta, GA, I moved to New Orleans, LA to achieve my BBA in Marketing and Management from Loyola University New Orleans. After being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, I spent a semester at Georgia State University, but was able to return to New Orleans to achieve my degree. Following graduation, I returned to Atlanta to pursue a coveted career in advertising. Currently, I am working as an assistant traffic manager at a prestigious advertising agency. I am a self-motivated, organized, detail-oriented, advertising professional with a strong sense of project ownership and proactive approach to issue resolution. Although my background has been primarily focused on online media, I have the ambition to learn and master new technologies, processes, departments, and other innovative facets of the advertising industry including broadcast and print production, public relations, communications, and strategy. I interact with a variety of people, personalities, and overcome unique challenges on a daily basis in a highly-dynamic environment under strict deadlines. I am always looking to increase success for myself, my agency, and our clients.