Binod, Rashi, and Zomato! Moment Marketing In the Age of Internet Sensations

For some weeks, Binod had taken the internet by storm. It seemed Binod knew no limits but only until the real queen arrived with her empty cooker. The latest viral obsession with Rashi Ben and her cooker too shall fade into oblivion, soon. But, there is no end to viral, stupid but also funny and engaging trends on the internet. It is also this viral feature of the internet that presents a new marketing opportunity for brands that are willing to take the viral rides. The buzzword is Moment Marketing and it is about doing the right ad at the right time to promote a brand and/or connect better with its audience.

What is Moment Marketing?

Moment marketing refers to using current events or internet sensations to the advantage of a brand to promote some promotional message (or simply any message)

The buzzword shot into popularity with social media and viral overnight trends but similar practices seem to also exist in the pre-internet period. Remember the iconic Amul girl? The Amul girl shared the emotions of the general population and could thus connect better with her audience.

In fact, the Amul ads have been dubbed as the barometer for the Indian nation since one may track major national events by simply tracing the ads. There is also an interesting book tracing these iconic ads for a period of 50 years. The book is titled Amul’s India and you may purchase your copy from the link below.

Purchase Amul’s India on Amazon

Power out? No problem, you can still dunk in the dark.

Oreo’s crisp response to the unusual power failure during 2013’s Super Bowl is another one of my favorite examples of moment marketing. The tweet went viral and reached millions for the cost of absolutely zero paid space.

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

Moment Marketing in the Age of Internet Sensations

Identifying and sharing moments were perhaps simpler for advertisers before social media. These momentary events would either be a cricket match, a scheduled public event, and/or some disaster. But today, those momentary events are more often than not the overnight internet sensations such as Binod, Rashi, and God knows who next.

Brands ought to keep a thumb on every second pulse of the internet and must be ready for any moment one of these trends shoots up. It truly is about the moment. You cannot be late to the party.

Zomato, Netflix, Bewakoof, and other new-age startups have been perfectly nailing moment marketing in this age of overnight internet sensations. These brands have also seen exponential growth and have developed intimate relations with their young audience.

khali cooker gas par chadhane se acha hai order hi kar lo

— Zomato (@ZomatoIN) August 23, 2020

But, it shouldn’t only be these new-age successful startups. In a decade or two, all of your paying customers would have likely been born with a smartphone in their tiny hands.

Gladly, the older enterprises too have responded to the changing characteristics of their audience and that of marketing, as well. Of late, the State Bank of India and even the public authorities have been pretty active online and have been creative with their own appropriation of internet sensations.

Only if everyone behaved like #Binod when online, there would be lesser fraud reports. #CyberSafety #OnlineFraud #OnlineBanking #SocialMedia pic.twitter.com/aofciYWnKZ

— State Bank of India (@TheOfficialSBI) August 8, 2020

But When is the Moment ‘Right’?

Simple answer, whenever your audience feels so.

Okay, that was vague. But it really isn’t that difficult. You have to have a thumb on what’s going on on the internet and some Binod or Rashi might just pop into your feed.

But, it’s also a lot simpler at other times. Our example of Oreo’s campaign did not bet on an overnight sensation. The team simply followed a popular public event. Amul has also been doing exactly that for the last six decades.

But, of course, your brands need not rely solely on these public events and should have rather fun with Binod and Rashi too. In fact, no brand follows only either of the one. Share all moments with your audience.

Why Does It Work?

It works because it says when the audience is open to listening.

During national and international moments, people actively look for and share thoughts and memes (and, sometimes, also a promotional appropriation of the same in some other context). Your brand does not only receive cheap yet credible publicity but also develops an intimate relationship with your consumers.

The ethics of such practice might be put to debate if and when a brand uses a disaster for publicity. In my opinion, it is also these moments of grief that a brand should share with its audience, given the message is not a sales pitch and has been crafted responsibly.

You Toss the Coin

Finally, does your brand need moment marketing, especially the ones that originate from internet sensations?

That’s up to the audience of yours. If your brand sells B2C (sells to consumers), your social media team should probably follow internet trends and be ready to ride them. For B2B businesses, social media has proven to increase sales as well. So, why shouldn’t moment marketing work for B2B businesses?

The final call rests upon your audience. If ‘your’ audience appreciates it, go ahead. If such tactics attract other people but fail to engage your audience, your business may probably be better without them.

One final thing, do comment on what you think of moment marketing and of this article. If you did find this helpful, do share it with your friends, colleagues, and maybe your boss. If you did not like this article, felt it missed something, or simply have feedback to leave, we are very receptive to your opinions. Do leave your comments below.