How Brands Like Microsoft Use Parties to Build Brands

NO PLACE

LIKE HOME

This October, Microsoft is spreading word of the release of Windows 7 with several thousand parties hosted across the globe by employees and everyday people in their own homes. Each host receives a special Signature Edition of Windows 7 Ultimate to keep, as well as a party pack of supplies for guests.

Home parties are growing in favor, providing marketers with a far-reaching network of qualified hosts who invite family, friends and neighbors to experience brands in a personal setting.

In addition to the Microsoft events, Irvington, NY-based experiential marketing agency House Party has staged parties for Royal Caribbean, Fisher-Price, Sargento, Domino’s, Xbox, Ziploc, Ford, Werther’s, Turner Broadcasting and others. Campaigns can range in size from 1,000 to 100,000 parties, each averaging 3.5 to four hours. The average cost is between $200,000 and $250,000, but can run into the millions depending on the number of parties.

To recruit hosts, House Party taps the brand’s consumer database as well as its own database of several hundred thousand potential hosts.

KITTY KOLDING, CEO OF HOUSE PARTY, SHARES THE FIVE STAGES IN PLANNING THE EVENTS.

1. Planning and Prep (2-6 weeks)

   This is the time to identify the party theme, entertainment and activities, such as contests or sweepstakes, product trial, demos or sampling. Items for party packs, delivered one week prior to the events, are identified and sourced. A discussion about whether a co-sponsor makes sense happens too. Success metrics and a time line for the events are developed. The event microsite is launched and communications are created to recruit hosts.

2. Recruiting Hosts (2-3 weeks)

   Over the next weeks, the client specs six to 18 demographic and psychographic requirements for hosts and attendees. House Party adds additional host predictors, such as the ability to drive viral awareness of their parties. The hosts must be highly social, good at throwing parties and have a wide circle of friends and family who like to attend their soirees. Then, a proprietary weighted scoring model is created by House Party to match hosts with the stated criteria. A promotional plan is developed by both House Party and the client to reach out to potential hosts. Communications include newsletters, e-mails to customer lists, direct mail, statement stuffers, in-store promotions and bloggers. The messages drive potential hosts to a landing page — live for two to three weeks — that describes the party and how to qualify as a host. (Potential hosts, typically tens of thousands, must complete a customized online questionnaire.) A client meeting is held to identify the hosts to activate.

3. Getting Ready (3-4 weeks)

   The hosts are notified. They pick a theme, customize their party, invite friends, upload photos and stay looped into the national party page. Party packs are shipped.

4. Party Time!

   All parties happen on the same day or weekend.

5. Post Event (2-3 weeks)

   Once the parties end, the focus turns to continuing interaction with attendees to motivate post-event brand awareness via coupon redemptions, Web site visits or test drives. A post-event survey is fielded and a word-of-mouth path is documented. Highly engaged guests are converted to viral agents for the brand.
   — PATRICIA ODELL

LAND-LOCKED CRUISE

Who says you have to ride the high seas to experience a cruise? Cruise line Royal Caribbean International and the Cruise Planners affiliate of American Express Travel Services gave more than 14,000 veteran cruise consumers a taste of shipboard travel at home in August through 1,000 parties planned and executed by House Party. ■ About 1,000 Royal Caribbean customers were recruited to host “Cruisitude” parties in their homes for friends they would like to persuade to take a cruise of their own this season. ■ Hosts downloaded suggested cruise menus along with recipes for shipboard cocktails, signs, games, a karaoke version of “I’ve Got a New Cruisitude,” and even a PR kit with suggestions on how to draw the attention of local media to a “Cruisitude” house party. ■ Both hosts and guests received exclusive gifts, offers and discounts for booking cruises through Cruise Planners within a set booking window and for sailings that take place before March 31, 2010. Both groups were also invited to visit a Cruise Planners Web site and make one entry into a contest to receive a free seven-day Royal Caribbean cruise from Cruise Planners.
— BRIAN QUINTON

Got an events tip to share? Contact Patricia Odell at [email protected]