Best Real-Time Marketing Examples: Brands You Can Learn From
Marketers and SEO specialists have much in common. They are constantly checking to see which brand has the best and most effective promotional strategies.
After all, a brand that has managed to attract lots of attention and stay relevant over the years is definitely doing something right.
Still, there is one strategy that doesn’t usually get the attention it deserves. We’re talking about real time marketing. It might seem too straightforward at first. But the truth is, it’s much more nuanced than just jumping on every trend and challenge.
It’s easy to make costly mistakes, causing controversy and hurting your brand credibility. So, to avoid situations like this, we’ll share some of the best real time marketing examples in this post. We’ll also look at what tricks you can learn from them.
Contents
- What is real time marketing?
- Why is RTM marketing a thing?
- 8 real time marketing examples
- Consider these 4 things before implementing this tactic
- Conclusion
What is real time marketing?
Real-time marketing refers to the ability of a brand to react to and ride the wave of current events and trends.
Instead of taking months to plan your campaigns (which is often the case), you focus on what’s happening right here, right now. And then you launch a “spontaneous” campaign.
But wait a second. Before you rush off to check what’s trending on X so you can jump on it, there’s something you should know.
There are several things that make real time advertising different from being another noise on the internet. The fact is you need data to make the right calls.
Sure, you need data for any type of marketing, from paid ads to guest posting campaigns. But in this case, you need to collect real time stats and analyze them as quickly as possible — all in the context of current events and your brand. We’ll see how this works in just a bit.
Why is RTM marketing a thing?
Now that you know what real time marketing definition is, you may begin to wonder why it is even a thing. After all, there’s nothing wrong with planning months ahead for something as important as a new launch or marketing campaign.
But why stick to one approach when RTM can also result in big wins and more exposure?
We all know that marketing is hardly a set-in-stone path. Things change, and you need to adapt right along with them if you want good outcomes. RTM marketing is a big deal because it can help your business:
1. Reach your audiences directly and interact with them in real time.
Compare this to traditional marketing, where things are likely to change by the time you are launching that campaign. This is a big deal if your goal is to build better relationships with your audience.
2. Quickly tune in to what your customers really need and act to address these needs in real time.
People trust brands that respond timely because it feels like those companies are right there for them. That’s why realtime marketing improves brand credibility and trust.
3. Improve your brand reach more efficiently through various channels.
Users are more likely to engage and interact with your posts when they’re relevant. That’s why getting a “boost of organic promotion” is easier when you’re reacting to current events.
4. Create a sense of urgency that nudges your clients to take advantage of offers before the opportunity passes.
Things come and go, which can be a headache for marketers. But you can also turn it into an advantage with RTM.
5. Easily align your content to what your target customers actually want to see.
If there is something important happening that is relevant to your brand, you can reflect that in your copy. This will often result in more engagement and, ultimately, more conversions.
6. Make your customers feel your brand is in the loop with issues they care about.
In today’s world, it’s hard to stay away from things that happen. Even if you aren’t exactly vocal when it comes to news, your brand still has some positioning. And if you don’t react to something that is directly connected to your brand and your people, you might create some bad publicity for yourself.
8 real time marketing examples
Real time marketing comes with many great benefits but also some risks and challenges. So, before we get into tips and tricks, let’s see some excellent examples of brands that were able to pull it off.
Case 1: Heinz's "Ketchup Fraud"
What would you do if a video of people using a fake version of your product suddenly went viral? Well, you could take a leaf from the Heinz playbook.
Heinz has remained the gold standard for all things ketchup for years. When you say “ketchup,” most people instantly think of this brand, even though there are several options out there.
So, it was quite a controversy when people saw videos of restaurants refilling their Heinz bottles with some other ketchup.
Source: X
The company was not only losing money but customers' trust could be affected. After all, if people were buying the fakes, they would make negative comments online about their experience.
Source: Reddit
This would snowball. If it goes on long enough, people would no longer count on Heinz's reputation for consistent quality.
Source: X
So, what did the company do? They did what any truly iconic marketing brand would do — launched a new campaign, a couple of them to be exact.
For example, in Turkey, they created a campaign called “Is that Heinz.” It included a new label with a red stripe on the edge of the label that matched the exact color of their ketchup. This way, customers could spot the real from the fake.
Source: YouTube
This blew up with over 100k organic shares, 800k likes on YouTube, and more than 2k tweets. Oh, and the campaign was effective in combating the ketchup fraud — they reduced non-Heinz ketchup refills by 73% in Turkey.
That’s not all. They found a way to turn the tables around with the “Even when it’s not Heinz, it has to be Heinz.” The message was clear — Heinz is the preferred choice of customers.
Source: YouTube
They also launched the Heinz ketchup fraud campaign. They asked people to report offending restaurants. In return, they promised to send those places the real Heinz. They created a page on their website where people could easily make their reports.
Source: Heinz
This campaign won them tons of positive attention (up to 92%), their sales went up by 8%, and their engagement rates were as high as 128%. Besides, Heinz snagged new restaurants in 33 locations.
And guess what? 97% of customers could tell the real Heinz ketchup. This pushed street food restaurants to increase their use of the real thing by 24%.
TL;DR: By using real time marketing, Heinz successfully raised awareness. While clients learned that some diners tricked them, the brand was strengthened. And on top of it, restaurants were pressured to use the real stuff.
Either way, Heinz comes out the winner with higher sales volume, good PR, and more customer loyalty. Talk about turning a problem into a viral win!
Case 2: McDonald's "McDonnell's"
Quick question. What would you do if you wanted to launch a new product line using real time campaign management? How about trolling people? Well, let’s see what we can learn from McDonald’s “McDonell’s.”
While the second name might have seemed strange, the first probably didn’t. By now, McDonald's is a part of American culture. Given their huge success, we can definitely learn from them. So, what did they do?
Source: McDonald’s
In preparation for launching their new Chicken Big Mac in the US, they created a one-day restaurant named “McDonnell’s.” This dupe restaurant even had its own unique M logo.
Source: Instagram
The menu? The Chicken Sandwich and a few other crowd pleasers like fries, soft serve, etc.
Source: X
The twist? The audience would not know until later that McDonald’s was behind this with help from Chain. The company also introduced a brew commercial, live-streamed partnerships, a mini-game on Zyng, etc.
All of these activities perfectly synced up with the interests of their target audience. They were aimed at people who love live streams, dupe culture, and fun experiences.
Unsurprisingly, this created a huge hype around the anticipated Chicken Big Mac. People were thrilled to interact with the campaign.
Source: Instagram
The message was clear — only McDonald's can duplicate McDonald’s. By the time the company announced the limited-time offer of Chicken Big Mac, people jumped on it.
Even now, customers still tweet about wanting the Chicken Big Mac back.
Source: X
TL;DR: McDonald’s “McDonnell’s” real time content strategy proved that no one can recreate the real McDonald’s. Their meal is more than just food. It’s the experience that delights customers.
With this campaign, they managed to create a huge splash about their new product. One that still leaves people craving it now.
Case 3: Visit Oslo’s “Is It Even a City”
What do you know about Oslo, the European city? For ages, social media has been flooded with comments complaining that Oslo is a boring city. There are many examples like this one:
Source: X
And this:
Source: Reddit
If you were given the task of making your city an attractive destination, what would you do? One thing is for sure: most people would focus on the best features of their city. They would try to make it as appealing as possible. But not Oslo. That’s why you see their campaign on this list.
The “Is it even a city?” Oslo's tourism campaign takes a totally unexpected approach. Instead of touristy-style videos, you have a 31-year-old Oslo resident who complains about the city.
Source: YouTube
He does his best to tell you everything wrong with that place. Just right after announcing, “I wouldn’t come here.” In reality, though, this dry Nordic humor actually captures the beauty and charms of the city.
Complaints like being able to walk from one side of the city to another in 30 minutes; or not needing to queue to get into the gallery are exactly what attracts people. Especially those who are trying to get away from overcrowded locations.
Source: VisitOslo
Things being so available, people swimming in the middle of the city, and the fact that you can meet notable local figures easily? The more you listen to this, the more appealing the city becomes.
Suddenly, it sounds more and more charming, and you’re already buying a one-way flight ticket to Oslo. The video became a viral hit with nearly 20 million views. The satirical ad got tons of attention on media sites and socials.
Source: X
TL;DR: This Oslo realtime customer marketing strategy was pretty smart. It reframed what people thought of as negative and made it the unique appeal that audiences can both relate to and desire.
This is one of those examples where they’ve managed to turn something seemingly boring into something really likable.
Case 4: Aldi UK fun on socials
The supermarket Aldi has a pretty fun, sassy social media presence. One that really appeals to the younger demographics. They have mastered real time customer marketing with the sarcastic tone of their SM posts and their ability to jump on trends.
Source: X
Their socials are full of memes and funny reactions to what’s popular out there. Besides, they routinely take digs at their competitors, which makes them even more relatable. Here is one of those cases: their savage post about Tesco, which got over 2000 likes.
Source: X
Or this post about ASDA:
Source: X
You get the point.
But even more important is their ability to respond to comments on their posts in real time. This encourages more customers to interact with their content, and the engagement rates go up the roof.
Source: X
One example of how Aldi UK used real time marketing data was their reaction to lawsuits from Marks and Spencer. They turned social media into an effective tool for resolving conflict and also gaining tons of engagement.
While they had several similar cases, the latest one was about the caterpillar cake. M&S had the “Colin the Caterpillar” cake, while Aldi introduced “Cuthbert the Caterpillar.”
Source: Metro
Instead of keeping quiet about this or doing something else, Aldi UK started making fun of the whole situation on socials.
Source: X
As a result, they’ve reached a deal with M&S. But the hashtag #FreeCuthbert got so popular that people were constantly using it, making even more fun of the situation.
Source: X
Aldi even “arrested” Cuthbert in one of their commercials. People loved it when they noticed it.
Source: X
Not only did their #FreeCuthbert campaign win the hearts of clients, but according to some sources, it also pushed social media engagement up by 17,900%.
P.S.: You will need to ensure that your social media handle, description, branding, and other basic elements are on point before making any waves.
TL;DR: Aldi UK's relatable sense of humor and their real time campaigns helped make them popular among Gen Z. They get tons of engagement and love, even despite all the legal cases.
Case 5: Volkswagen Beetle’s "The Last Mile"
The Volkswagen Beetle is iconic — no one can deny that. Yet, in 2018, Volkswagen announced its decision to discontinue the model.
It would also herald a shift to newer electric-powered cars in line with its goals of zero-emission vehicles. If you were to make the call, how would you handle this?
The company chose to use animation. They made a special animated film that paid homage to the legacy of the Beetle car. A sort of goodbye to a well-known and beloved car model.
Source: Nexus Studios
As part of the campaign, people were encouraged to share their moments with Beetles on Facebook and other social platforms. They also recruited Bravo host Andy Cohen to handle this part of the campaign.
Source: Instagram
They chose one of the best channels for realtime customer marketing — social media. This allowed customers to engage with the posts as they liked, commented, shared, and even made their own publications.
Source: X
TL;DR: Instead of simply discontinuing their iconic Beetle, Volkswagen created a huge wave of nostalgia across social media.
Case 6: Blendtec's "Will It Blend?"
We are way past the question, “What is real-time marketing?” So, now, your focus is probably on how to apply all the tactics used in these example campaigns. We’ll get to our best practice in just a moment.
But for now, let’s check out one more brand that managed to reach millions of people with their campaign.
It began with Blendtec's $50 “Will it blend?” campaign. Even though Blendtec has been in the blender manufacturing market for a while, they were still relatively unknown.
This type of marketing struggle is not new in the manufacturing niche. But they knew they had to do something quick. So, the company launched a series of short videos that showed their blender being tested.
The test was simple: show the CEO attempting to blend various assortment of items using one of the blenders. We can hear you asking — what kind of items? Well, those ranged from golf balls and an iPhone to remote controls and even marbles.
Sounds fun, right?
Source: YouTube
The budget for this campaign? A whopping $50! It was a smashing success. In five days, their YouTube video got over 6 million views.
Why did it go viral so quickly? For one, people could relate to the surprise and humor of trying to blend odd things. Who doesn’t like to experiment? Another thing is that it gave their customers a glimpse or a behind-the-scenes look into the quality assurance process.
Not only did the videos get tons of shares and engagement, blogs and the news media picked it up. The company got loads of free brand mentions, all thanks to the clever use of real time marketing techniques.
Even though it’s been years since the video first ran, it is still referenced today as one of the best ads ever.
Source: X
TL;DR: Blendtec took the most unconventional approach to promoting their blender. With a small budget, they managed to achieve incredible success — all thanks to their creativity.
Case 7: Netflix’s the “Thing”
How would you react if you had a disembodied scarred hand crawling towards you on the street? Run away and then share the story on social media after you’ve gotten away safely?
For its hit series Wednesday, Netflix used this exact premise in its marketing campaigns. Their promotional video showed the “Thing” crawling on the streets of New York and recorded the real-life reactions of passersby.
Source: YouTube
Predictably, some people reacted with fear, while true fans found it funny. This video got over 43 million views and tons of engagement, becoming an instant viral sensation. It’s understandable since everyone loves a good prank. But Netflix was not done yet.
They took it to social media to make engaging posts about the show. Soon, fans were also sharing their opinions and excitement about it.
Source: X
TL;DR: Netflix went to the streets of NYC to capture reactions to the “Thing” passing by. As a result, they managed to promote their show Wednesday in a fun and cool way.
Case 8: YouTube’s yearly “Music Recap”
You already know that Spotify Wrapped gets a lot of love. Well, it didn’t take long for almost all music streaming platforms to join in on the fun. This is how we got the YouTube Music year-in reviews.
Source: YouTube
Like the other platforms, YouTube will give users a quick rundown of their total listening hours. But apart from that, they’ll show your main mood throughout the year, new tracks discovered, favorite artists, albums, podcasts, etc.
At first, this feature was tested with only some people seeing it. Yet, then, it generated lots of anticipation and excitement. This meant that it was only a matter of time before this feature became available globally.
Source: X
The hashtag #YouTubeMusicRecap became an instant trending tag on social media platforms. People shared their recaps across different SM channels and forums, including Reddit.
Source: Reddit
TL;DR: By recapping the year of music, YouTube managed to give people an amazing reason to share their experience on socials. As a result, YT received more exposure and made another step towards creating that loyalty and deeper relationship.
Consider these 4 things before implementing this tactic
Now, you are pretty much an RTM expert. You can comfortably give a lecture that goes beyond realtime marketing definition. What’s next? It’s time to learn about the factors you should consider when trying this strategy.
1. Make sure you have enough data
Data is essential in marketing. It’s going to be hard to plan an effective real time marketing strategy (or any strategy at all, for that matter) without solid data. We mentioned earlier that it goes beyond just jumping on new trends.
At any given time, there are tons of trends online, but not everything will be relevant or profitable. So, you need data to know which ones are.
This gives you an understanding of which topics your audience cares about. You align your content with those and score some of that sweet engagement. But how do you monitor these trends? This brings us to the next point.
2. Pick proper real time marketing tools
You need a good real time marketing tool, one that allows you to know when your brand is being mentioned. But even more importantly, it helps you understand what relevant topics are trending.
Some examples of such tools are Sprout Social, Brand24, Google Trends, etc. — basically, pretty much any social listening tool.
They are great for real-time analytics. Not only do they show you when your brand is the talk of the town, but they can also gauge reactions to your posts.
Plus, depending on the features available in the tool you choose, you can set it up to send you regular alerts. This serves to notify you when critical things happen in your industry.
3. Build a workflow for effective real time campaign management
To be able to successfully pull off a real time marketing campaign, you will need to have an effective workflow. One where the different teams involved can react fast to all types of events. This helps keep your campaigns relevant.
That means making sure that roles are clearly defined so everyone knows how they fit into the picture. Every marketer, writer, designer, project manager, etc., on your team has to understand their responsibilities.
That’s why, before you can truly leverage RTM, you need to have a flawless communication process in your company. The ultimate goal is that each team member can simultaneously keep up with different aspects of the tasks.
4. Consider using real time customer marketing
We can hear you going, hold on… customer marketing? Let’s explain this one. There is a difference between real time marketing and real time customer marketing. And you have to understand it:
- Real time marketing requires you to react quickly to a relevant trend before it moves on.
- Real time customer marketing, on the other hand, needs you to be able to use data to personalize your message to each individual client.
Basically, the first one is broad and focused on trends (like what Heinz did with their “Ketchup Fraud” campaign). The second is more personalized and concerned with tailored responses (e.g., a store is sending a discount code when someone abandons their cart).
With that said, even when using RTM, you also need to ensure that you prioritize personalization. This can, for example, be in your replies to the comment, which will be tailored to the specific user’s message.
Still, part of the challenges of realtime customer marketing is that you have to:
- Get the balance between personalization and being creepy.
- Ensure that all the data is safe — nothing scares people faster than a data breach.
- Make sure you are not violating any data privacy policies yourself as you are monitoring customers.
- Have a quick response team that can also adjust to the different customer profiles and needs instantly.
Throw in the fact that you also need to quickly figure out the best channels for realtime customer marketing. Every channel is great, but not every single one will work for your specific post or even niche.
For example, YouTube videos can work for one type of content. But an email or an SM post might be best for other types of information. You will have to look at the engagement data to know the ones your audience prefers.
Conclusion
At this point, you probably know enough to give the RTM a try or maybe even teach someone how to use this tactic. Feel free to use the tips shared in this post. Don’t be afraid to make a few mistakes at the beginning. It’s all part of the process.
As you engage with your customers in real time and share their interests, something truly wonderful happens — your bond with them begins to grow stronger. At the end of the day, real time marketing is really about building lasting relationships. Enjoy the journey.
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