12 Feb How Digital Magazines Can Work For Your Campaign
APC BY SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC: #NOWIFI
Schneider Electric challenged Ignite Social Media, to promote their revolutionary network battery backup, the APC Back-UPS Connect, to a new target demographic. Rather than taking the familiar review-based approach of advertising a technology product to strictly tech-minded people, we aimed to engage a user-group not already saturated by tech specs and must-have gadgets. We wanted to appeal directly to the household purchaser.
By studying the product, using it in our homes and offices, and strategically thinking about who could benefit from such a valuable device, it became clear to us that everything in our lives revolves around one inevitable necessity – the ability to stay connected. Whether you’re a parent who needs the flexibility of working from home, an on-the-go business traveler who lives on your laptop, or a victim of the smartphone age who gets separation anxiety when you lose a signal, we’re all dependent on technology, WiFi, and the magic that powers our always-on lives – electricity.
As we brainstormed about turning this revelation into a successful marketing campaign, we hit upon the idea of #NoWifi, or the unique ways in which digitally-dependent people can be affected by potential power outages. In working with a number of influencers from the family and lifestyle categories we were able to engage an audience that was not already familiar with this product, and likely had never even considered owning one. Not only did we capture stories from real women about their personal experiences with #NoWifi, but we also learned about why the APC Back-UPS Connect became a staple in each of their disaster-preparedness kits.
THE ULTIMATE WIFI SURVIVAL GUIDE: DESIGNING A DIGITAL MAGAZINE
For the #NoWifi campaign, we partnered with nine influencers: Elizabeth Mascali and Dawn Sandomeno (PartyBluprintsBlog.com); Leticia Barr (TechSavvyMama.com); Carol Cain (GirlGoneTravel.com); Sharon Couto and Audrey McClelland (MomGenerations.com); Nicole Feliciano (MomTrends Media); Tonya Staab (tonyastaab.com); and Danielle Elliott Smith (ExtraordinaryMommy.com). By involving influencers with varying fields of expertise – photography, travel, parenting, technology, lifestyle, etc. – we offered a holistic view of the APC Back-UPS Connect, which spoke to our target audience at a very real, accessible level.
We asked each influencer to create a blog post about the ways in which their lives change when the power goes out. Content ranged from the dangers associated with being disconnected during a state of emergency, to tips about working from home during inclement weather. Working in partnership with Dawn and Elizabeth of Party BluPrints, we then compiled these stories into a cohesive digital magazine, blending influencer-created content with the client’s branded messaging, and offered it to Schneider Electric as a unique foundation for their marketing campaign. Not only was each author’s voice sincere and compelling, but they all agreed on one clear message – owning the APC Back-UPS Connect provides their families with an overwhelming sense of security and peace of mind.
Along with contributing to the overall success of the #NoWifi campaign, the digital magazine now serves as a fixed piece in Schneider Electric’s repertoire of marketing materials. Moving forward, the magazine can essentially serve as a ‘landing page’ for the brand. It’s a single place where they can find all of the influencer stories associated with this campaign in a unified, attractive format. By its very nature, the digital magazine is shareable, reproducible (i.e. a ready-made marketing material for the future), and permanent. It’s a new way to approach social media marketing.
