It Only Takes Two Things to be “In the Moment”

Being in the moment takes just two things: awareness and execution.

Awareness means recognizing a market-wide talk-about that can be capitalized on. Execution means capturing the spirit of the talk-about and spinning it in a way that cuts through clutter and acts like a sticky note attached to your brain.

So when I saw a beer named “Shady Brady” on the menu, it rang my “in the moment” bell.

Is Shady Brady among the greatest IPAs I’ve ever had? Who cares?

What Shady Brady is, is intriguing and so in the moment that that it was nearly impossible not to try.  It had the two basic ingredients of ITM: 1) awareness that the big game is a significant talk-about that could be capitalized on and 2) sticky-clever in both name (note that this is a New England style IPA) and logo design.

Dilly Dilly

Shady Brady resonated with me as in the moment for two reasons: it attached itself to a big, current talk-about and was was stickily-clever in doing so.

A recent Fast Company story featured “Dilly Dilly” creator W+K NY addressing – among other things – the power inherent in “being in the moment.”

Those times and places of guaranteed collective engagement that do still exist are extremely valuable. More than ever, they are cultural moments–real-time events that captivate and galvanize an audience. Small windows of time where people are collectively turned-on, tuned-in, open-minded, and socially active.

These moments are obviously valuable to marketers, yet very few use these moments to their full potential. Cultural moments (including major movie releases and sporting events), offer an environment tailor-made for impactful messaging, with the potential for amplification through social media and the 24-hour news cycle. It’s a missed opportunity–and a disservice to the audience–for a brand to show up with the same message that they show up with at most other times, and in most other places.

W+K NY goes on to note that there is “more impact per dollar spent” on “in the moment events” because of the strong emotional connection these communications foster.

A Programmer’s Translation

To me the programmer’s translation of “dollars spent” is listeners’ “time spent being engaged.”

Sure, Tom Brady and everything associated with this year’s “big game” are potentially galvanizing events. But I’ll wager there are multiple events in your market throughout the year that have the same galvanizing impact.

Each one is an opportunity for you to cash in.

But be forewarned: to “get your money’s worth” will require more than a token effort. As W+K NY observes:

“…just showing up with a “real-time” message and expecting a place in the conversation is of limited value. Orchestrating custom, thoughtful and thorough activations creates impact for your brand by creating value for people.”

Back to “in the moment…”

So back to “Shady Brady” and execution.

For fun, we posted the picture on the Facebook page of the station I was visiting with the copy “True or #FakeNews.”

As you might expect, it got a lot of instant reaction.

The over/under: it’s fun and smart to be in the moment.

Touchdown!

Want to share an “in the moment” story of you own? Leave a comment.

Want to talk about how “in the moment” can be a powerful weapon in your programming arsenal? Give a call, text or email.

Related: The Carpe Diem Power of Imaging

Shady Brady Photo Credit: Mike O’Malleuy

Football field photo credit:  Sandro Schuh