By Megan Powers, guest blogger (@meganpowers)
Photos are awesome. And they’re even more awesome when they’re shared. Seriously–how much time would people spend on Facebook if there were no photos?! If you couldn’t regularly see your friends’ new babies or silly pet videos? Really, puppy, baby, monkey was turned into a (albeit really ODD) SB commercial this year because those are the top visuals on the Interwebs.
But we can’t forget the selfie, can we? Apparently more than a million selfies are taken each and every day! I found great difficulty with the word for a long time… As someone who began taking at least one “self-portrait” with a friend on every roll of film since I got my Kodak 110 camera in sixth grade, I felt like I had invented it (at least the act of doing it). I also travel alone quite a bit, so I have taken many self-portraits (nee, selfies) over the years.
On a sidenote, there’s some disagreement over who “invented” it, but this article seems to have the story fairly well dialed-in of who coined the term (not the act of doing it).
It’s Not Going Away
Now it’s impossible to avoid the word or the fact that selfies are the hottest type of photo taken these days! When I learned Catch the Moment Interactive (CTMi) created a tool called Activ8 Plus™, I thought it was brilliant! I’ve worked in the events industry for more than 13 years, so I know having the chance for attendees to easily get a branded photo without any special equipment is something planners would love to take advantage of.
Here’s how it works:
- Take a selfie.
- Text it to the number provided.
- A link is then texted back to you where you can pick up your selfie BRANDED — ready to be distributed on all social channels!
Game Changer
This is a game-changer not just for event planners, but also for marketing/ad agencies tasked with uniquely branding products and destinations for their clients. Stand out from the crowd with this very cool tool.
Picture this:
- The city you live in or your favorite destination has a Activ8 Plus™ promotion where visitors are encouraged to visit different places around the city where there’s an *actual spot* where they’re supposed to take selfies & post them to Instagram or Twitter… to win prizes or tickets to local attractions.
- Your favorite cosmetic brand has a promotion where you can win the opportunity to be featured in an ad campaign… The brand gets worldwide exposure at a very low cost, and the consumer gets the chance to be noticed!
No Brainer
What an incredibly easy way to amplify your brand or event — using the selfie. It’s something everyone is already doing anyway. Your audience will become brand evangelists, marketing your events for you, while getting increased personal visibility themselves, in addition to the opportunity to win stuff.
With NO additional equipment or new app needed? Yes, yes, yes.
New technology pops up each and every day, which is stellar. What’s even more stellar is when you can use a new tool that’s super easy, and adds value, without purchasing any gear.
Check it Out
If you want to see how it works, text a selfie to 54248 & include #demo, and get a sample branded pic back via text! Experience how easy it is, and then add Activ8 Plus™ to your social media strategy or a brand launch strategy.
We’re all looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, and this is a very cool way to do that easily. Catch the Moments of your audience with the beloved selfie.