If you haven’t been to HP’s 367 Addison Avenue Blog, it’s a great resource for small-to-medium business owners with helpful tips, tricks and advice to help bring your business to the next level.  Melissa Zieger, the editor at 367 Addison, has been kind enough to share some of her content with us; some of it will be cross-posted here from time to time.  – Tina

Like millions of others, I was intrigued by the phenomenal reach and impact of the Old Spice Man viral campaign. By leveraging social media channels in a smart way, a somewhat sedate P&G brand was suddenly everywhere, and in a very good way. The Old Spice Man campaign demonstrated the sheer power of smart, strategic social media. But it was also brought to us by a global company with a very large, worldwide stable of resources.

So I was pleasantly surprised recently when I read this article, which dissects the campaign in the context of lessons much smaller businesses can draw from it. In it, you’ll find a wealth of reminders about the importance of truly engaging with your audience, giving people the opportunity to participate and much more.

The section that really captured my attention and my imagination, however, concerns the importance of linking your campaign to someone famous. This is a tactic that even we at HP used in our “hands” ads. But fame, the author wisely points out, is often local. That reminded me of a colleague who recently shared an experience he’d had at a neighborhood meeting. Everyone present was asked to introduce themselves by sharing an encounter they’d had with someone famous. There were tales of professional athletes, politicians and a rock star or two, but the one that generated the most questions? One attendee’s neighbor was the woman who made announcements over the PA system at the local airport. He was peppered with questions. What does she look like? How old is she? Is she from around here?

I don’t believe anyone asked what she smelled like, but people were clearly intrigued by the person attached to the voice that gently reminds hundreds and thousands of travelers each to meet their party, retrieve a lost item or pick up a white courtesy phone for a message. People felt they knew her; at the same time, there were enough unknowns for her to be intriguing.

To get your imagination warmed up as you envision your next campaign, I am not suggesting you go to the airport. But thinking about people you know, and people your target audience knows – or would like to – is a great starting point. And if that proves too difficult, you can always invent that person – look at the runway success Dos Equis has had with “The Most Interesting Man in the World”.

Thanks for reading,

Melissa Zieger

Melissa Zieger (@HP_SmallBiz) is the editor-in-chief of HP's SMB blog, 367 Addison Avenue and a worldwide public relations manager for HP's Personal Systems Group.

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