How Marketing Has Changed During 13 Years Of GottaBe!

This March, we are celebrating 13 years of GottaBe! Throughout the last 13 years we have helped brands both large and small promote their products and services and reach new audiences. Brands including EE, Western Union, Red Funnel, Specsavers and Dominos have trusted us to deliver innovative and exciting campaigns that get people talking.

During these 13 years our central message has remained the same: your product, our people! However, the channels and methods that we employ have evolved and, in many cases, have completely changed. These changes are exciting as they create almost endless marketing possibilities for our clients, and they keep us moving forward as we strive to be at the cutting edge of the latest technologies and techniques. In this article, we explore how marketing has changed throughout the last 13 years.

How Marketing Has Changed

Brand Ambassadors

The role of a brand ambassador in 2021 is almost unrecognisable from that of a 2008 brand ambassador. Back in 2008, leafleting was the key activity that concerned our brand teams. They would be working out in the field, delivering leaflets directly to homes and businesses or handing out leaflets in busy city and town centres. These campaigns focused on delivering a message and enticing customers to engage with a client’s brand.

In 2021, we still deliver leaflets, but the role of a brand ambassador has evolved into so much more than that. Our brand ambassadors are now tasked with proactively engaging with potential customers on behalf of our clients, in-depth conversations are commonplace, and each ambassador is trained and immersed in each brand so they can answer detailed questions about the products/services that they are promoting. This approach is far more effective and delivers excellent results as potential customers are taken on a journey where they can learn about a brand and be convinced as to why they should buy from a client.

Influencer Marketing

13 years ago, influencer marketing was very much in its infancy. YouTube had only been launched in 2005 as a platform for sharing funny videos and its role in establishing influencers was yet to emerge. In 2009, influencers began to emerge with Alfie Deyes and Zoella both gaining traction and kickstarting the phenomenon. In these early years, using influencers was a less expensive and far less targeted process. With a smaller pool of influencers to choose from your choice was somewhat limited. Choosing an influencer for your brand often meant choosing someone with a level of relevance and an audience that is likely to have an interest in your products/services.

Fast forward 13 years, influencer marketing has become a mainstream marketing channel across many social media channels including Instagram for brands of all sizes. The number of available influencers has increased significantly which allows brands to select influencers that fit their brand perfectly. Influencer marketing campaigns now involve choosing the right people with the right following and the perfect audience. It is now also possible to find influencers in specific niches so you can gain access to their exceptionally relevant followings. Our influencer marketing campaigns are accessible for most brands as we work with influencers of all sizes and across multiple topics and niches.

Product Sampling & E-Sampling

Product sampling has been a mainstay of the marketing line-up for many years. In 2008, it focused on creating an experience with a product that convinced customers to buy it. Samples were delivered directly to offices and made available at festivals, high streets, transport hubs, tradeshows and shops. The sampling activities were able to provide face-to-face feedback while also generating valuable leads and sales.

In 2020, the world was struck by the Coronavirus pandemic. This created challenges for product sampling activities which rely on face-to-face contact to take place. While product sampling could still take place in-between lockdowns, albeit in a revised format, COVID has accelerated another hugely popular form of sampling, e-sampling. E-sampling was an established sampling channel prior to COVID-19 with the significant rise of online shopping over the past few years. The trend of online shopping has combined with COVID to drive this form of sampling forward. It allows you to distribute your products directly to potential customers through the orders that they place with an online retailer.

We are confident that e-sampling is set to continue its strong and sustained level of growth even after the Coronavirus pandemic has passed. Our team uses strong established ties with retailers including Amazon, ASOS, Next, boohoo and HelloFresh to help brands reach valuable potential customers.

Social Media

In 2008, social media was a relatively new concept with Facebook, Blogger and MySpace dominating the landscape. Twitter was a relatively small network but one that was growing at an exceptionally fast rate. Social media marketing was not a notably important marketing channel and much of the functionality and features that we take for granted today did not exist. Some large brands had Facebook pages but many smaller brands and SMEs were yet to realise the potential offered by social media.

Fast forward to 2021 and social media has evolved to become one of the key digital marketing channels. The number of available social media networks has increased significantly, giving brands a range of networks to choose from when they are building their social media presence. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn are now all well-established networks with significant user bases. New networks have also joined the fold including TikTok, Clubhouse and Houseparty. We now offer social media as one of the key services in our digital marketing portfolio and our team continue to stay abreast of the latest developments and updates in what continues to be a fast paced and ever-changing marketing channel.

New Marketing Options

Digivan

If 13 years ago a company offered a service that allows you to deliver targeted mobile billboard advertising on a digital screen that has been built onto a custom van you might not have believed that it was possible. Now digivan is an established and popular marketing option for brands in all sectors. It offers an agile and adaptable advertising space that eliminates the time and hassle associated with preparing and printing traditional adverts. You can simply design digital content; this can be a static image and text or if you are really seeking strong engagement you can display a video that has been designed to capture the attention of your target audience. You can even use video testimonials to really engage potential customers with a potent form of social proof.

Digivan is adaptable as you can update and change the content that it displays in response to how your target audience responds to it. This allows you to achieve the best possible results in less time while also gaining valuable insights along the way. In 2021 we are all more eco conscious and aware of our impact on the world around us, the eco-friendly credentials of digivan makes it a popular choice for all brands that care about their environmental impact.

Adwalkers

Adwalkers are another exciting addition to the world of promotional staffing. They help brands deliver bigger and bolder messages when they have promotional staff working in the field. Previously promotional staff would be focused on handing out leaflets and flyers, which results in a narrow focus of only reaching people that you give leaflets and flyers to while missing out on reaching people who are nearby, walk past your promo staff but might still be interested in a brands products/services.

Our promotional staff often use ad walkers, backpack billboards and flags to generate increased brand exposure and awareness. These forms of marketing further increase the effectiveness of promo staff and take your face-to-face marketing efforts to a whole new level.

We’ve Been Helping Brands For 13 Years And Are Looking Forward To Many More

We are delighted to have been able to help brands reach customers for 13 years and we are celebrating our years of success while looking forward to helping more brands increase brand awareness and generate leads and sales over the next 13 years.

If you are looking for a proactive, award-winning marketing agency to help your brand with any form of marketing, whether it is offline or online, we can help. Our friendly marketing team are ready to take your businesses marketing to the next level with innovative and exciting campaigns. Why not join Dominos, OLA Cabs, Western Union, Bio-Oil, easyJet and Skrill by becoming one of our valued clients? Contact us find out how we can help you with your marketing. Call us on +44 2380 634283 or complete our contact form.