QLIK
Becoming a hot prospect on
the analytics meat market ■
BREAKING THE DATA MARKETING MOLD TO SCORE AWARENESS & ENGAGEMENT
Data is a busy space. Even if you’ve got a stellar product, how do you get people to notice it—especially when everyone is pitching the same benefits the same way? (“Data into insights,” anyone?) Answer: You stop marketing like a B2B company and start selling yourself like the sexy, one-of-a-kind catch you are.
Qlik wanted to drive awareness of their analytics and integration platform with something bold and unexpected. “Make us nervous,” they said. So, we turned to another crowded, competitive landscape—the singles scene—as inspiration, likening the hunt for the right data partner to the search for that perfect hunk or hottie. Risqué without getting too risky, this multi-channel campaign touted Qlik’s unique benefits in a fun way, grabbing the attention of prospects looking for a long-term relationship.
SCOPE
- CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT
- OOH
- VIDEO
- SOCIAL
- DIRECT MAIL
- MEDIA STRATEGY
- INSIGHTS & ANALYTICS
OPENING UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH DATA
As more and more of the big guys get into data—your Googles, your Salesforces, your Microsofts—they pitch businesses on the idea of these holistic platforms: A one-stop shop for all things data. What they AREN’T talking about, though, is the data lock-in that may one day go hand-in-hand. Once they’ve got your data, if a platform decides to become a more possessive partner, you eventually might not be able to work with other companies’ tools and capabilities.
Qlik is one of the last truly open, agnostic data platforms left, keeping your data in your hands, so you can use it exactly how, where, and when you want—including third-party tools. This started to spark some ideas. Every business has a relationship with data—but often it’s strained or complicated or controlling. There are benefits to a more open relationship with your data—and a better caliber of data partner.
RAISING QLIK’S (DATING) PROFILE
Building on the idea of data relationships, of wanting to find the right long-term partner, we came up with the creative framework of a data-based dating app: Data Dater. Using the familiar structure and rhythms of apps like Tinder–swiping, innuendo-filled profiles, cheesy pick-up lines—we’d highlight the fact that, yes, just like dating, it’s a dense playing field out there in data. (Often full of some real duds.) But, your perfect match is out there, ready to give you the features, benefits, and, most importantly, the open relationship you need.
HITTING THE SCENE WITH A FULL CHARM OFFENSIVE
Working across a variety of channels—including OOH, social, video, and a prominent print and digital partnership with the Fortune 500—we used the various touchpoints of the dating experience to show the many ways Qlik’s open, exploration-focused platform makes them the ideal, life-changing partner for you and your data. Designed to stand out in a sea of similar-looking marketing materials—are we sick of looking at bar charts yet?—faux profiles and chats used flirty imagery and playful double entendre that still spoke directly to data and what makes Qlik different. Different dating profiles were targeted to different audiences—because you wouldn’t try to seduce a CIO the same way as a CDO, right?
IN THE FORTUNE 500 PRINT ISSUE…
Insights ■
Marketing is like dating—there’s lots of competition, but the cream rises.
Once we came up with the dating connection, we couldn’t stop seeing it—and what a good parallel it is for so much of what we do. Most businesses are working in a crowded market, vying for a limited amount of attention against many (seemingly) similar candidates. The secret is to find that thing that really sets you apart—not just what YOU think is great about yourself, but what matters to who you’re trying to connect with—and then putting yourself out there in a way that quickly grabs attention.
Risqué is OK—if you’re still sending the right message.
As we all know, B2B marketing has a bad reputation for being bland. But it doesn’t have to be. Audiences are as bored of boring marketing as we are—they’re ready for something shocking, funny, even a little scandalous. But, it’s not about being racy for its own sake—we aren’t 90s GoDaddy ads. Wit and charm and surprise are powerful tools only if they’re still strongly connected to a powerful message that will resonate with audiences. It all starts with the story—the right tone just gives it that extra oomph to grab attention and stick in people’s minds.
Good ads borrow—great ads steal. (We stole this line.)
Telling a complicated story is, well, complicated. Cribbing from shared experiences and familiar narrative frameworks like dating apps can be a useful shortcut for quickly connecting with audiences and telling your story in a way people already understand. Sometimes even the limited toolset of a particular framework can be a blessing: You’d think we’d eventually run out of data-related innuendos, but they provide a strong focal point—one area to keep mining, that keeps the campaign aligned and moving in the same direction.
