People often laud the so-called trackability of the Internet and digital marketing, but what really gets me hot under the collar is its massive scope for ingenuity. With all the tools, platforms and services available, it really comes down to how opportunistic marketers and creatives allow themselves to be.  The lovely Keryn Brews covered some really great ways of using ORM tools in creative and innovative ways. Now we’ll take it a little further and chat to an expert in the field.

Fred Roed, head honcho over at World Wide Creative and founder of Heavy Chef is one of those guys. Using ORM powerhouse BrandsEye, Fred and his team tweaked an already fun campaign into something innovative.

Jason: Tell us a bit about the Chaos Christmas Candystore campaign?

“Chaos’ brand messaging revolves around the idea of that feeling of being like a ‘kid in a candystore’. World Wide Creative was tasked to spread the word about the daily ‘sweet deals’ leading up to Christmas 2010. We wanted a more interesting approach than just emailing a product, so we used BrandsEye to gauge what people were talking about daily on the interwebs.

We picked the hottest topics and created messages around them. So, for example, when Jacques Kallis scored his 200 runs we immediately picked up everyone was talking more  about his hair than his efforts on the field, so our daily deal (a Logitech webcam) was headlined with the caption “Hopefully your next 200 runs won’t be as hair-raising”.

Likewise, Shrien Dewani’s alleged murder case was big in November 2010, so our creative team paired the daily deal, a laptop and case, with the story: “Need an air-tight case, fast?” And so on.

Fred says the campaign was born out of the need for immediacy, while digital tools pulled it all together.

“We asked the question how can we use purely digital tools in a fun way. Out of that came the idea of combining ORM, for topicality, and newsletter mail shots for immediacy. I definitely think ORM can be used more often. My favourite brands are those which react the quickest to topics that are meaningful to consumers.”

This is where ORM tools are particularly handy, says Fred. Using software like BrandsEye or Radian6 brands can track trending topics by closely following conversations online. One suggestion is for service-related industries to keep a close eye on what their customers are talking about. This is a great example of how ORM tools allow brands to keep track of what’s important to their clients, says Fred.

“Tools like BrandsEye ensure that you know what’s going on with your campaigns. We’re actually pretty pragmatic at WWC. We like to deal in facts. “

Chaos Computers definitely reaped the benefits of such an innovative campaign. According to World Wide Creative, the brand’s website saw a massive increase in traffic while a 900% increase in sales on the site was the cherry on top.

Jason: What tips would you offer those hoping to make use of ORM tools in a creative way?

“Have a solid overall strategy first – you must ensure that everyone involved in the marketing must understand what the topline objectives are, what the messaging is and what your cause is. This guides everyone from the account and community managers to the PPC and SEO guys. I’d also recognise the difference between OR Management and OR Monitoring – they are two very different functions. Management is a whole different ball game and requires 100% buy-in from clients."

But ORM isn’t a miracle drug, says Fred. If clients aren’t ready to engage in a fully committed way, they might run into any number of risks.

“It’s something that has to be driven internally as part of customer service. I learned that the hard way a few years ago.

“But using digital tools in innovative ways ensures you get exposure for your brand. You get a double whammy of people responding to the incentives in the campaign, and people talking about how clever / brave / innovative you are for applying the new tools of digital marketing. It’s also great for the marketing environment in general.”

Personally, I’m glad to see local agencies taking proactive steps with ORM tools Pop over to our website if you’re interested in the recently launched Quirk Education ORM course.


Also check out:

• A Beginners Guide to ORM
• ORM: Unusual Business Benefits
• The Future of Online Reputation Management Software