How to write a case study that will still be newsworthy in 3 years
Those who know media say that, besides extreme exceptions, news stories and case studies only stay around for 10 days. After 10 days, the public loses interest and a new angle or development must be found for the same topic or case study to be newsworthy. But why then, are we still hearing about Bragster's guerrilla marketing case study from 2008? And how can we write our own case study to last just as long?
The case study was one-of-a-kind. 10 000 was given away to the London public, by the Internet entrepreneur Mr Bertrand Bodson. This was done by a 3m tall image of Mr Bodson's MasterCard, projected onto two buildings in London. We're still hearing about this case study because a campaign like this had never been done before. What part of your case study is one-of-a-kind?
The case study linked traditional and revolutionary advertising techniques. Projecting your credit card onto a building is a distinctive way to transmit a message. But the projection also featured a link to Mr Bodson's website (Bragster.com), where anyone could make telephone and online purchases using his credit card. This case study successfully linked Internet marketing with guerrilla marketing. How does your case study experiment with techniques?
The case study was popular with the public. Before the projection, Mr Bodson placed clues on the website as to where the two projections would be. The clues created hype that was picked up by social media, meaning the campaign was greatly anticipated before it had even begun. The case study had great public appeal. How can you boost the appeal of your case study?
The case study had a positive message. Of course, there was a marketing bottom line, but this campaign was bigger than that. Mr Bodson claims "with all the doom and gloom, we wanted to bring a little Christmas cheer." What positive message does your case study have?
When we consider what makes a case study unique, popular, and relevant, it becomes a lot more effective. Not every campaign is as newsworthy as Bragster's, but for a case study to be at all memorable, we must bring out its most important aspects. Be concise and relevant.
The case study was one-of-a-kind. 10 000 was given away to the London public, by the Internet entrepreneur Mr Bertrand Bodson. This was done by a 3m tall image of Mr Bodson's MasterCard, projected onto two buildings in London. We're still hearing about this case study because a campaign like this had never been done before. What part of your case study is one-of-a-kind?
The case study linked traditional and revolutionary advertising techniques. Projecting your credit card onto a building is a distinctive way to transmit a message. But the projection also featured a link to Mr Bodson's website (Bragster.com), where anyone could make telephone and online purchases using his credit card. This case study successfully linked Internet marketing with guerrilla marketing. How does your case study experiment with techniques?
The case study was popular with the public. Before the projection, Mr Bodson placed clues on the website as to where the two projections would be. The clues created hype that was picked up by social media, meaning the campaign was greatly anticipated before it had even begun. The case study had great public appeal. How can you boost the appeal of your case study?
The case study had a positive message. Of course, there was a marketing bottom line, but this campaign was bigger than that. Mr Bodson claims "with all the doom and gloom, we wanted to bring a little Christmas cheer." What positive message does your case study have?
When we consider what makes a case study unique, popular, and relevant, it becomes a lot more effective. Not every campaign is as newsworthy as Bragster's, but for a case study to be at all memorable, we must bring out its most important aspects. Be concise and relevant.
About the Author:
This article was written by Emma Rose Smith of TXT2GET, a leading SMS marketing company operating from the US, NZ and Australia. For more ideas on how to write a memorable case study, visit TXT2GET's free online case study database or the case studies page of the TXT2GET blog.