CRM - May 2008 - (Page 43)

The viral reach generated by the event extended to more than 500,000 potential consumers. 5,500 completed applications, out of which the company had to select the 1,000 most-qualified applicants. Incorporating BH&G’s vision, House Party was responsible for producing all the creatives involved in the planning, from invitations to party supplies. House Party also facilitated the flow of communication between Better Homes and Gardens, the hosts, and the guests before, during, and after each event. Just days before the Event Day in October, hosts and guests were asked to complete a pre-event survey describing their perceptions and knowledge about the brands and products that would be featured at the event. According to the results, over 70 percent of guests were only “somewhat familiar” or “not very familiar” with the cookbook and its relationship to the fight against breast cancer. On the day of the event, BH&G and its advertisers reached 15,448 direct participants, an average of 15 guests per party. Guests received “party packages” filled with goods including the Pink Plaid cookbook, CDs, recipe cards, coupons, and gift certificates. To measure results, BH&G administered a post-event survey a couple of days after the event. According to the survey, 72 percent of hosts said that the party packages were “awesome—exceeded my 43 he terms “marketing” and “house party” are rarely used in the same sentence. If anything, we might think of Tupperware parties, but those would hardly be considered an entertaining night out. And yet parties are a wonderful way of bringing friends together. In a world where the customer is a marketer’s best salesperson, it’s no wonder the magazine Better Homes and Gardens (BH&G) jumped on the opportunity to throw some parties of its own. “We’re always looking for something new and exciting to offer our advertisers,” says Kristen Stucchio Suarez, BH&G’s promotions director. So when it came across New York–based viral marketing platform provider House Party, www.destinationCRM.com Are You Ready to Party? T When friends have fun, brands get a big benefit BH&G saw an opportunity to engage in viral marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, and social networking, all in one package—a trifecta that would otherwise have required multiple distinct programs. The primary objective of the party was to promote the awareness of BH&G’s limited edition of its Pink Plaid cookbook, which supported the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. BH&G began by outlining its goals to reach a national audience. Then came two to three months of detailed planning, and the first concrete step: the creation of the “Pink Plaid House Party” Web site. Beginning with Better Homes and Gardens’ August 2007 issue, readers were invited to fill out host applications. By September, BH&G had received CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | MAY 2008 http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - May 2008

CRM - May 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Is CRM Too Hard for Microsoft Vendors Go Virtual For Feedback Sense-sational Marketing How UGC Can Benefit CRM DestinationCRM Dashboard Price Check, Aisle 5 Required Reading The Moving Target The Excellence Myth Seven Steps to SOA Success And They're Off! Are You Ready to Party? Skin in the Game The Right Numbers Secret of My Success Re: Tooling Connect Pint of View

CRM - May 2008

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