I wanted to do a very quick post on a recent event I attend at the King’s Plow Center in Atlanta. Ryan Leslie is an up and coming (and very talented) artist. I originally discovered him on Pandora, and when a friend of mine told me that both him and Melanie Fiona would be performing I HAD to attend.
The event was fantastic! Overall there was great food, drinks and entertainment. The demographic at the event were African-Americans in their late 20’s to early 40’s. It was a huge age gap and I was generally surprised that Lexus targeted such a young age range for their brand. But let’s focus on the positive for now. The location was fantastic! The event went off without a hitch and for their target audience, I believe they executed well in:
1. Creating a very open and urban atmosphere by selecting the Kings Plow Center. They had a red carpet at the entrance where attendees can snap pictures of themselves – excuse me, mainly girls who enjoy taking pictures of themselves greased up with their friends to only plaster on Facebook pages. (I write this jokingly because I have too many of said pictures my Facebook).
2. Serving up plenty of delicious hor d’oeuvres such as hamburger sliders and quiche – a taste of luxury and a dash of class but not overly bourgeois which could create an unrealistic atmosphere therefore disconnecting the audience with the Lexus brand by seeming inaccessible.
3. Another photo op. of girls and cars. What can I say, we like to take pictures!
4. Free Drinks (always a good thing).
5. Great Music. I also like the fact that they had plasma screens throughout the venue where you can see clips of the performing artist. It built up anticipation of the musical showcase.
I have to emphasize again that it was a well executed event, but I must say that I was not impressed by the collateral or gift bags given at the show.
Lets see…you have an event obviously targeted to young and up and coming black professionals but one thing is missing….continuing the conversation AFTER the event. It’s great that they included a coupon for a Lexus vehicle, but when I flipped through the brochure who did I see? Old white couples. Seriously every page had a white couple in their late 50’s. I will admit that at the very end of the brochure, literally the last page there is a picture of an older black couple in their late 60’s. In regards to continuing the converation with me there was no connection at all. I couldn’t tell you where my gift bag is now and if I wasn’t a marketer, I probably couldn’t recall who put on the event. I would have referred to it as ‘that concert with Ryan Leslie.’
I’m not picking on Lexus. I think the PR firm they hired, Golin Harris did an outstanding job. However after reading the brochure I was really discouraged. I thought to myself, “Okay maybe I can buy a Lexus when I’m in my 50’s. However, in order to really connect with someone like me, this is what I would have liked to see:
1. A brochure that cover young black professionals in their early 30’s, late 40’s and maybe and older black couple in the back of the brochure.
2. If they don’t have one already, a microsite which showcases the young, talented up and coming artist they have perform for the shows, with the Lexus branding throughout the site.
3. A Twitter hashtag that promotes tweeting from the events. Yes this requires some promotions prior to the event. Give us an incentive and we will do it – sometime even for free!
4. A Facebook fan page (I’m sure they have one) which promotes the events. Additionally Ryan Leslie should be cross promoting on his various social media platforms as well.
5. Publicize all of the above by adding a vanity url/link on the Plasma TVs.
*Hops off soap box and takes off marketing hat*
Has anyone had a similar experience as I had or actually attended the event? If so I would love to hear what you have to say. Am I being overly sensitive as a marketer or do you truly feel this way with some of the brands or companies that try to connect to you? I would love to hear your thoughts and examples!
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