In digital marketing, marketers continually strive to capture customers‘ attention through cross-media campaigns. Successful cross-media campaigns require a consistent theme with customer-relevant stories that are integrated across all media in terms of content, format, and timing.
In this article, you’ll learn how to successfully implement cross-media campaigns in digital marketing using social media, based on practical examples from Hornbach and Red Bull. This includes a process model for creating a cross-media campaign and a checklist to determine whether your cross-media campaign is truly professionally designed.
Crossmedia campaigns in digital marketing
The approach should be networked and interactive to offer prospective customers usefulness and added value. Cross-media campaigns are often also used for viral marketing. But how does this work in practice? The choice of channels for a cross-media campaign depends on the objectives. Companies can use four types of media, as shown in the following figure.
- Owned Media: Content publication on own platforms, e.g. website, blog
- Paid Media : Content on platforms such as Facebook, where the company places paid advertising
- Earned Content: free placement through news values, such as media cooperation and press work
- Social Media: Content on social networks that brands and users generate themselves
Crossmedia campaigns from practice
Below you will gain insights into the practice of cross-media campaigns in content marketing, which are intended to provide an opportunity for inspiration.
Cross-media marketing: “Hornbach Hammer”
The cross-media campaign „Hornbach Hammer“ is truly a hammer! The story: An old Czech tank was melted down and processed into 7,000 hammers, which were then sold in this limited edition. The entire campaign was accompanied by a unique social media campaign. Hornbach received four gold, five silver, and three bronze nails for its campaign and also won the 2014 Art Directors Club (ADC) Grand Prix competition, citing its „innovative, consistent, and excellent execution in many aspects.“
Crossmedia campaign: Stratos from Red Bull
Red Bull’s Stratos project was an outstanding cross-media marketing campaign in 2012. With it, Red Bull succeeded in raising the bar once again. Felix Baumgartner’s leap from the stratosphere secured sponsor Red Bull a permanent place in advertising history. This practical example demonstrates that companies with a unique marketing strategy and exclusive content strategy can achieve great success with social media marketing.
Designing successful cross-media campaigns
How do marketers design a cross-media campaign? Here’s a model for inspiration from Prof. Dr. Mahrdt. What’s important is a creative and coherent central idea that fits the brand image, positioning, and identity.
Strategic cross-media campaigns
The following sequence of steps has proven to be effective when developing a cross-media campaign.
- Analyze communication objectives and define campaign.
- Selection of a suitable main theme, i.e. a central idea that is interesting for the target group.
- Selection of appropriate media or communication tools.
- Networking of instruments through cross-references in digital interactive media.
- Conduct success monitoring and target collected leads.
- Analysis: which measures were successful and will be strengthened?
- Where do instruments need to be exchanged and new communication measures tried out?
Checklist for cross-media marketing strategies
Now the question arises: Is your campaign truly „cross-media“? If so, the following eight criteria must be met in your cross-media campaign analysis.
1) Consistent guiding idea
Is there a consistent theme, a central idea, a story, etc.?
2) Suitable choice of media with regard to target group, products and market?
Is the choice of media appropriate for the target audience’s media usage?
Do the selected media fit the product and brand?
3) Temporal, formal and content-related integration
Are the requirements of integrated communication met?
4) Editorial and advertising networking and information management
Which medium links to which others? What other indications of
brand contact are there besides the current medium?
5) Interaction options and activation
What response and interaction options does the consumer have?
What methods are used to persuade the consumer to participate?
6) Multisensory approach
Are different senses addressed?
Which of the selected media appeals to which senses?
7) Target medium, convergence and CRM potential
Is there a target medium to which consumers are directed?
Can customer profiles be created there in compliance with legal guidelines?
8) Added value and utility for the consumer
What added value and benefits do the consumer derive from the chosen media?
Where are the interests and needs of consumers addressed?
Source: Prof. Dr. Niklas Mahrdt (2009)
Conclusion: It shows that managing cross-media marketing professionally isn’t easy. One particular challenge I encounter in my consulting work is that many marketing experts are overwhelmed by the complex requirements of integrated communication with media convergence. And developing a creative theme is also often problematic in low-engagement areas.
Agency for cross-media marketing campaigns consulting
If you need advice for your cross-media campaign, send us an email .
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