In the current absence of live events and XM activations that require human interaction to drive consumer trial, and ultimately sales, we must look beyond conventional marketing approaches. As brands are actively pivoting to engage consumers in the era of social distancing, surprise and delight marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach the consumer.
Let’s be honest, we all like to be pleasantly surprised. Whether it is a gift card, free product, or an unexpected promo code for your next purchase – it is highly likely you will consider taking advantage of the offer. In other words, a pleasant surprise will prompt you to take some form of action, which is the ultimate goal of surprise and delight marketing. However – surprise and delight marketing is beyond sending coupons to your customers. What is it then?
Pre, During, and Post COVID-19: Surprise and Delight Matters
‘Surprise and delight’ isn’t just a marketing strategy, but also a concept backed by science! According to a study on human brain activity, scientists found reward pathways in the brain respond most strongly to unpredictably activity. Providing customers with unexpected rewards increases customer loyalty and engagement. It ultimately boosts brand awareness as customers love to share their experiences with friends and family.
Especially during the times of social distancing, surprise and delight marketing is one of the safest and most effective ways to engage consumers and drive loyalty, while making customers feel safe, valued and appreciated.
By providing a gift or curated kit with necessary tools for consumers to enjoy a brand experience at home, it creates a bond between the consumer and the brand.
To take it one step further, this approach builds on the memorable consumer experience by allowing brands to add a ‘give back’ component and make the consumer feel involved. Successful campaigns include: supporting a local initiative or delivering product to front line workers.
Karma Case Study: Mother’s Day with RISE Kombucha
For Mother’s Day, Karma partnered with RISE Kombucha to deliver special gift packages to social media influencers as part of a Mother’s Day campaign! The goal of the campaign was to reward influencers without them expecting it. Through influencer appreciation posts, this campaign generated more than 20,000 impressions on social media and resulted in over 1,000 interactions between the brand and social media users.
To help RISE with this campaign, Karma provided Ambassadors who conducted the safe and secure deliveries of gift baskets to influencers’ doorsteps. Ambassadors were equipped with proper PPE and sanitizing products.
With over 27,000 Ambassadors in markets across North America, Karma is able to source profiled staff to execute various types of campaigns, including door step deliveries and surprise and delight initiatives!
Need ideas on how to engage your customers and create a memorable and safe experience? We got you covered! By leveraging technology, Karma can quickly and efficiently take care of what should always come first – the people.