As marketers, we’ve always known that positive word-of-mouth advertising is the holy grail of marketing excellence. Today, word-of-mouth hasn’t changed, only what we call it, and how the expectations are established.
Enter Peer Armies. If you haven’t heard of them, they are a new generation of consumers that are highly focused on peer-to-peer influence and making a difference by what they do. And these peer armies are propelling both new and established brands forward.
So what is a Peer Army and what is the expectation. First – consumers who love your products may still tout your awesomeness to all who will listen, but consumers, as a rule of new consumerism also believe in the “what’s in it for me” rule.
Peer Armies are about brand experiences and should not be confused with general peer influencers. As a brand you must develop a reason for your army to connect with new consumers and create connections. Your army needs a reason to feel engaged and empowered – like a regular army – why do they go to battle for you.
Awww…see what I did there – reminded you that you must answer the “what’s in it for me” question that your peer army cadets will have.
Today’s new consumers, especially millenials, are heavily engaged in technology, focused on lifestyle and community connections and yearning for new and unique experiences that allow them to try new things, build skills, share expertise and more. They are not passive engagers…they want to be included and mix things up.
What does that look like? Well early on, two decades ago – Red Bull showed us that it looked like little cars on the roads everywhere and extreme sporting events and off-beat competitions like the flugtag and the schlittentag.
Today brands like AirBnB, KLM, and Chevrolet are finding ways to help create peer-to-peer (P2P) networks that let their best fans connect with their new fans and build even bigger peer armies. AirBnB has created a tour guide program, KLM has layover with a local and in Brazil, Chevrolet let’s potential new owners connect with existing owners via WhatsApp to chat about what they like about their Chevrolet’s.
Building a peer army isn’t as hard as it sounds, but it does take work. But let’s be honest, all good marketing always does. First – start with you most loyal fans. Who are the people who already love your brand. How can they engage with your brand in a more meaningful way. What kind of rewards will they get for being an army member? It could be financial compensation, free product, new experiences, expertise and even the ability to give back.
Peer armies may not be for everyone. They take time to build, to foster and to manage. They are not self-sustaining. They need leadership and most importantly they need vision.
Because of vision and an early understanding of Peer Armies before it was even a trend – today Red Bull is more than an energy drink. It is a media brand. Red Bull has more than 45 million online fans. They sponsor athletes and events around the world and have a massive online content site that produces copious amounts of original content.
Remember that with all marketing ideas you must be authentic. You don’t just go out and replicate what someone else is doing for come up with a clever idea that has no connection to who you are or what you believe in. That is transparent and unsustainable and consumers see through it. Be who you are and figure out why you love your brand – chances are consumer will feel the same.
Written by Melinda Goodman
Managing Partner
Melinda@FullTiltMarketing.net
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