AD TECH -- Nov 30 -- Once Sony Electronics Inc. learned that women make the household purchasing decisions on electronics 53% of the time, they decided it was time for a marketing makeover. They unearthed a list of fresh hand-raisers. Here are the four steps they took: #1 - Partnerships with Web communities. They were interested in [email opt-ins] more than direct revenue because Sony sells most of our products through retail. Sony wanted to build awareness. They penned a cobranding deal with iVillage. #2 - Developed elearning micro-site. iVillage's team developed a micro-site and monthlong courses, including "Wireless Home Theater," "Introduction to Digital Entertainment," "Shooting Great Home Videos" and "Scrapbook Your Way to Keepsake Albums." Regular mention was also used in iVillage's email campaigns and prominent placement of an orange-colored signup box in the right center of the landing page. #3 - Community-based merchandising. Once viewers joined the program, they received up to seven email messages in the course's duration i.e. to let them know about a lesson getting posted at the site. Instructors regularly interacted with the participants on message boards, answering questions and exchanging ideas. #4 - Analytics and email. Sony has been combining email clickthrough data, site traffic and survey findings to enrich their understanding of the new customer file. The partnership succeeded as a customer acquisition tool and as a brand awareness driver. Of the women who enrolled, 15% said they made a purchase due to the experience while 33% said the course increased their likelihood to buy an item. There was a very healthy viral effect, too: 91% of the enrollers recommended the program to a friend.
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