N.B. - The following is an award winning article, written in January 2012 for Mark Darshak - the marketing magazine of NITIE. Publishing it here as it might interest a few souls out there.
Co-authors: Kaavish Kidwai, 2012 pass out from IMT-N, and self.
Co-authors: Kaavish Kidwai, 2012 pass out from IMT-N, and self.
Stealth marketing can be described as a covert form of marketing where, neither the marketing intentions behind the campaign are obvious, nor is the identity of the marketer revealed. One of the first instances of stealth
marketing was actually a psychological experiment. During the course of a movie, the Coca-Cola
logo was flashed on the screen for a fraction of a second, such that it went
largely unnoticed by the conscious mind but it had registered in the subconscious. During the interval snack break a steep
increase in the purchase of Coca Cola, compared to the daily average, was
noticed.
Setting up third party websites,
profiles or creating seemingly anonymous videos is a great way to create
stealth marketing campaigns online where easy and cheap resources offer a
plethora of opportunities to catch people’s attention. Marketers often have their own people comment
or post as a consumer for products on review and discussion forums. From posting glowing reviews to a movie that
has taken in mediocre reception from the critics to posting favourable and
satisfied opinion posts about a newly launched technological gadget, marketers
indulge in various forms of unethical stealth marketing online.
A big risk in some of the bolder
stealth marketing campaigns, where the customer is not supposed to realise that
he has been part of an elaborate set up for a marketing campaign is that it may
generate negative feelings about the brand/product. Basic human psychology states that a person
does not like to feel cheated or being at the wrong end of a scam/prank. The ideal situation is to leave the consumer
feeling he has had the upper hand in an encounter. But Viral Marketing campaigns, some of which
are often judged as stealth marketing campaigns, are different. Here, part of the allure is to try and guess
the source of the marketer/promoter.
When the customer is gently lead towards the answers with clues he or
she may actually feel smart and better about himself or herself for having arrived
at the right answer. In this case, long
or repeated exposure to the campaign actually helps in conditioning the
consumer towards the product/service and its attributes and features.
The situation is actually analogous to
men sitting in hotel/restaurant bars in Las Vegas. They end up striking conversations and having
a great time with attractive women. It is only next morning that they find out
that they have actually availed themselves the services of an escort which
leaves them embarrassed or feeling foolish.
The strategic placing of these escorts is in fact an instance of stealth
marketing. Casinos use atmospherics,
pheromones and periodic releases of pure oxygen to create a sense of light-headedness
and euphoria that keeps the customer engaged at the gambling tables in spite of
losing streaks.
Stealth pop-up windows have been associated
with many websites where a window to an alternative site pops up in the
background, often noticed by the customer only when the main window has been
closed. Online engagement and use of planted
trained salespeople to engage in one to one conversation helps develop a
personalised target and approach but on the flipside, the more personal a
tactic the more is the sense of indignation one feels when the truth is
revealed. Stealth marketing is often dangerously personal. People are hired to move and mix among oblivious
throngs and crowds of people publicly using the products and exclaiming about
their benefits and features. The rest is
left often to the “Keeping up with the Joneses” Syndrome or else the hired
salespeople might casually strike up conversations with members of the crowd
and introduce the product into the conversation.
The flattery aspect is tapped in when
an attractive or comely person shows apparent interest in an average person and
strikes up a conversation. Though the person feels better, what is worse is the sense of betrayal if and when he/she
senses the deception. The sense of
understanding and similarity of wavelength can lead a customer in but more is
the sense of being wronged or feeling cheated when it is revealed to be a
gimmick.
Product placement is often a variation
of stealth marketing where the personality and traits of the characters are
carefully chosen before having them endorse the product in the course of the
movie or episode. This forms a subtle
subliminal connect with the audience who feel the need to acquire those
products. The subliminal context is that
using those products will imbue the consumer with the traits of that particular
character.
Spreading
exaggerated or misleading statements and opinions or targeting oblivious people
psychologically through subliminal or reinforcement techniques are unethical
aspects of stealth marketing that many marketers indulge in. They view it often
as damage control or a perfectly normal phenomenon, but anything that violates
rational thinking or free will cannot be termed ethical. On the other hand, stealth marketing also
offers opportunities to engage customers dynamically and play on their ego or
induce a feel good factor into the equation that leaves them with a slight sense of elation.
For more you could visit http://meghnasinha.wordpress.com/
