It’s almost that time of year again – time to tune in to the biggest and flashiest sporting event of the year…to watch the commercials. While the Super Bowl is a huge event for football fans, the commercials have become the not-so-secret star of the show, with almost 78% of viewers looking forward to the ads more than the game. Beyond the adorable puppies and over-the-top stunts, these famous and expensive ads have a lot to teach us about how to market home care.
When you sit down to watch the big game this year, pay close attention to the ads and how their strategies might help you better brand and market your agency. corecubed is expert at turning these strategies into results, with a super history of creating marketing campaigns and senior care ads that score big.
Marketing that Tells a Story
All great brands tell a compelling story about who they are, what they believe, and how their services make customers feel. Storytelling is a very successful way to capture an audience. Budweiser’s highly popular “Lost Dog” Super Bowl commercial tells the ongoing story of a Clydesdale horse and his best friend, a puppy. Below the surface level of extreme cuteness, the deeper story this commercial conveys is that Budweiser believes friendships are gold. Budweiser, as a brand, values and supports being a part of ongoing, time-tested relationships (and they are a beer company!) What happens when aging care providers put the same level of thought and storytelling into their brand and messages?
To be successful at attracting customers, senior care companies must tell stories that connect with the emotions of their consumer base. Family caregivers experience a wide range of emotions associated with their caregiving responsibilities, from denial and stress, to nostalgia and humor, and beyond. Understanding these varied emotions and creating messages that echo emotions back in an interesting and captivating way allow your messages to connect with consumers on a deeper level than just listing the services your company provides. At corecubed, we go beyond the basics to build better home care brands and immersive content campaigns that connect clients to your agency and move them to take action.
Marketing that Gets People Talking
The biggest effect of Super Bowl ads today is that they get people talking about brands. Whether the ad makes them laugh or cry, consumers love sharing favorite Super Bowl commercials with friends on Facebook, Twitter, and across social media. The most shared Super Bowl ad of all time was a 2011 Volkswagen commercial in which a tiny Darth Vader realized he could use the force on his parent’s new car. This ad tapped into so many important marketing facets – nostalgia for a beloved movie franchise, humor, and what we refer to as the “awww” factor: when you see something so wonderful you can’t help but say, “awww.” Today’s consumers love sharing things they find funny, nostalgic, and/or wonderful, which is why the VW ad was so successful in getting people talking about their brand.
When marketing home care, consider what types of images and messages your audience likes to share. Do they respond well to nostalgic images of favorite TV characters? Are they all about the “awww” factor, and love sharing adorable images of sweet older adults? Or is it humor that makes them hit the share button? The trick is to find what type of marketing gets your audience talking so they act as your own personal marketing megaphone.
Marketing with Humor and Heart
Brands that market during the Super Bowl are great at infusing marketing with both humor and heart, but if we could choose a favorite commercial for the Super Bowl of home care marketing it would be this ad by Professional Caretakers, a Dallas/Fort Worth area home care agency. The ad touches on several emotions, including the denial and disappointment that older adults can feel when their sons and daughters are not able to provide for all of their assistance needs, as well as the guilt and frustration that those daughters and sons can feel when they can’t be there for their parents all of the time. Yet it does all of this with a heaping helping of both humor and heart in just 30 seconds. This is a great example of a home care brand making a connection to the consumer.
Video is just one way to touch on these emotions with your marketing. At corecubed, we build brand platforms for home care agencies, and create all types of content that resonate with home care consumers. Then we spread that branding and content throughout all of an agency’s messaging platforms, from websites to enewsletters, blogs to social media, sales tools to print media, and more.
Lessons Learned
Ready to score a touchdown with your marketing campaign? Let’s review what we in the home care industry can take away from the marketing strategies behind the ever-popular Super Bowl ads:
- Know your audience.
- Know what messages and visuals they are most likely to connect with and share.
- Align what your company stands for with what your customers stand for.
- Tell a story that stirs them.
Building a strong brand and generating great content marketing is all about telling a story, stirring emotion, and getting people talking; it showcases what is unique about your business as well as how you can solve problems for your customers. It inspires your audience to take action. When it comes to marketing your agency using senior care ads, tapping into the right emotions can serve as an amplifier for your message.
Everyone wants to lift the trophy after the big game, but there will be only one champion. corecubed’s award-winning senior care marketing experts are the right teammates to help you craft a compelling brand story and make your company a big winner. Contact us today to take your brand to the next level!