No matter where we come from or where we’re headed or who we are, we could all use a little more generosity in our lives, right? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if more people had “a quality that’s a lot like unselfishness — someone showing generosity is happy to give to or share time, money, food, or whatever with others?”
Those of us who live, work and play in the marketing, advertising and branding world would love to have consumers look at us and our clients as being generous, yes? How priceless would that be? In today’s relationship marketing world, especially.
Well one national brand is doing something that they hope will convey their message of generosity in a somewhat “crazy” way.
The brand is Vonage and last week, as per their press release “unveiled a new national integrated marketing campaign, ‘Crazy Generous.’ The campaign spotlights Vonage’s relentless pursuit of innovation that disrupts traditional telecommunications conventions that inhibit people from connecting generously. The campaign spotlights Vonage’s relentless pursuit of innovation that disrupts traditional telecommunications conventions that inhibit people from connecting generously.”
No that was not a typo.
The campaign is called “Crazy Generous.”
Now, you see why I said they’re taking generous to a whole new level?
By the way I love the use of the word “disrupts” in the above excerpt from the release. I love anytime I hear that word coming from a brand or advertiser. Not crazy about in the context of my children, however.
But I digress.
The TV spot started airing last week.
As you can see the “spokesperson” or Chief Generosity Officer, is not exactly what one would expect to see in this type of role. And that’s precisely why I think this will resonate with consumers.
Crazy Generous is the first campaign produced for Vonage by JWT, which was brought on in January 2013 to lead creative duties. The new campaign features television, print and online advertising, as well social media integration.
I had a chance to talk with Barbara Goodstein, CMO of Vonage, not long ago to get her take on this rather unique campaign.
SO: How did you come up with idea for this campaign?
BG: When JWT first presented their concepts for this campaign, they brought to us the idea of “Crazy Generous” and the CGO. We fell in love instantly. The elements of the campaign that resonated the most with us were the acknowledgment that people don’t want to be constrained by old, cumbersome methods for communicating and that, even with texting, emailing and social media, people still want to connect and talk, they just don’t want the restraints. The connections Vonage facilitates through our innovations aligned perfectly with this message. The angle and positioning of generosity made a lot of sense for us.
SO: Why a CGO (Chief Generosity Officer)?
BG: Vonage as a brand has always taken the voice of the consumer very seriously. We make it our mission to hear what people are saying and enhance our product line accordingly. We are able to elevate the importance of this mission by featuring the CGO as “The People’s Champion” throughout the campaign. So it’s no longer just giving the consumer a voice, but now, we’ve given the consumer a face, as well. He’s unconventional and unapologetic but a man of the people. We’ll use that persona to bring the campaign to life, literally.
SO: Where can consumers expect to see the CGO?
BG: The CGO will be on television, on the web and in social media. YouTube, Facebook and Twitter will be used to build his persona. We are positioning him as “The People’s Champion.” This is an integrated campaign, and we want people to feel his presence.
SO: Why is it important to have an integrated marketing campaign?
BG: The new campaign showcases Vonage’s use of technology to empower people to connect in a generous manner with their friends and family no matter where they are in the world. We want to be able to get that message across all platforms. “Crazy Generous” is both the tag line for Vonage and our business philosophy. We want that to be a cohesive message throughout, and more importantly, we want it to be a message that we don’t just preach, but that we also practice. This is both our brand and our foundational business belief. We want everyone to know this is what Vonage lives by.
SO: What advertising/marketing platforms will be used in the campaign? TV? Radio? Print? Direct Mail? Email? Social?
BG: The “Crazy Generous” campaign will appear in all marketing channels where Vonage appears. That will evolve over time. We are very visible right now in TV and online, and we will continue to evaluate the best marketing channels.
Sources: vocabulary.com, voncup (Photo credit: flicktoast)
Named one of the Top 100 Influencers In Social Media (#41) by Social Technology Review and a Top 50 Social Media Blogger by Kred, Steve Olenski is a senior creative content strategist at Responsys, a leading global provider of on-demand email and cross-channel marketing solutions, and a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing. He can be reached via Twitter, LinkedIn or Email.