Today's "Lessons for Learning" - leveraging marketing techniques for more Engaging & Impactful Learning - comes from a recent promotion run by NBC in partnership with Google.
Marketing Tactic
As appears on the Marketing Dive Blog:
- NBC partnered with Google on YouTube ads that promote the new season of the network's sitcom "The Good Place," according to Ad Age. In exchange for watching the ads without skipping after six seconds, users will get to see a clip from season 3 of the show, which premiers Sept. 27.
- The video ads feature bunnies, dogs and kittens and a message asking viewers to pause and "enjoy something good." NBC and Google hosted a 360-degree experience at San Diego Comic Con to support the show, and Google also launched an extension for its Chrome search engine called "Ask Janet" that plays off a programmed assistant character on the show who answers questions.
(https://www.marketingdive.com/news/nbc-google-team-on-the-good-place-ads-that-urge-viewers-not-to-skip/530955/)
Use this Strategy in Learning
- YouTube treated their viewers with respect, and offered incentives and rewards for viewing content. They don't assume people want to consume ad content - they earn the right to show it by offering something of value at the end.
Offer incentives and rewards - don't assume people care about the courses you offer (sorry!). Try including outtakes of videos you produced, seek permission to promote company members personal successes (band performances, graduating students, promotions earned, etc.) and other micro-content that doesn't add much time, but is only accessible for consuming required or promoted Learning.
- NBC and Google added personality to a usually dry experience. By leveraging the character on the show, they reinforce the brand, while making the experience more personal, meaning it is more memorable and more engaging.
Which would you rather interact with...a robot or a person?
Could you program a bot to mimic the CEO or other leader(s) within the organization? Use their speech patterns, familiar phrases, etc. Make it personal to your business. All of this has the added benefits of supporting the company culture and helping people feel like they have a personal connection with senior leadership.
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