The Spreadability Factor

I listened to a superb podcast recently provided by Anna Farmery of www.theengagingbrand.com. She interviewed a couple of marketeers from the States (Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller) and chatted about a concept they call “gravitational marketing”. Basically, they had an issue with many businesses failing to target a specific audience and as a result effectively firing off marketing material somewhere into the universe in the hope that they accidentally hit a star!

They refer to the term “gravitational” as they believe good marketing should pull consumers deep into the heart of a business (e.g. with metaphorical gravity).

One point they made, that struck me as something that is often overlooked, is the importance of making your brand “spreadable” – e.g. making it possible for your brand to be passed on. An example they gave was of a restaurant which had a series of theme nights. The nights were a huge success – costumes, sounds, lavish food etc… As customers left they were given a memento of their evening. The guys made the simple point that the restaurant should have asked the guests at the end of the evening for the names of 2 – 4 of their friends. The restaurant would then be able to send their friends a discount voucher and mention who wanted them to be sent one.

A simple process like this would ensure that after every event the brand is spreading. Also, to receive a recommendation from a friend is naturally 10 times more powerful than an impersonal mail out.

What could you do (or have you already done) to make your brand “spreadable”?