The Art of Hyper Targeting
Everyone in marketing loves to talk targeting. But rarely do you see a campaign as targeted as the Unlearn Outsourcing campaign recently rolled out by Unisys.I was lucky enough to get a peek behind the curtain of this campaign at the Marketing Sherpa B2B Demand Generation Summit in Boston. Unisys wanted to target C-Level decision makers in Fortune 500 companies. More specifically they wanted to enhance the perception that Unisys was the best strategic partner for outsourcing solutions. Even more specifically, they wanted to focus on about 100 key execs within that list.
Sure, with such a small list, Unisys could have simply sent in their top sales people (and I’m sure they did). But they went way beyond that.
It started with a big idea: Unlearn Outsourcing. It was a great theme that challenged C-level folks to rethink their perceptions of outsourcing.
To this big idea they added another: hyper targeting. While hyper-targeting is not without controversy—especially in the free-wheeling social networking world of MySpace, Facebook, et.al.—it can be highly effective when done right.
Unisys knew exactly who their top 100 prospects were. They knew where they worked, where they lived, how they commuted, etc. So they leveraged that knowledge and ran a drive to web campaign aimed at specific individuals.
Unisys ran outdoor ads along specific commuting routes. They wrapped select commuter trains. They used Captivate to message to key prospects within their own office buildings. They created magazine covers with personalized photos and messaging. They even sent these top 100 individuals a dimensional mailer complete with a video iPod pre-loaded with a personal message.
And then things really got targeted.
Once an individual went to the Website, he or she was greeted by name and a hand-picked list of content. The microsite is a wonderful example of how engaging a B2B site can really be. It's also a perfect illustration of the famous quote by Confucius: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
OK. From one point of view, this sort of targeting is one stop short of stalking. But from another point of view (the one I share) it's a smart way to tailor messaging and media. Of course it doesn't come cheap. By Unisys' own admission, this was a multi-million dollar campaign. But it paid off with new client relationships worth a heck of a lot more than that.
Even if your budget is small, there are big lessons here. Know your target. Be relevant. And always deliver something with real value for your target. And if you happen to have a few million to spend, well, that's nice too.
