The impact of real world experience on social media campaigns

I know, you probably have heard enough about the Old Spice viral marketing campaign. It has consumed the marketing world and is all over the internet with over 100 videos touting the advantages of this old brand.
CR562PVEQHFSThe results to date have been quite underwhelming.  Sales have dropped by about 7% since the campaign's inception despite the unbelievable amount of exposure in all forms of social media and traditional media sources.

I won't try to analyze the campaign or identify the reasons for the failure to generate increased sales (this had to be the primary goal).  I'll leave this up to others.  But the campaign does highlight a few misconceptions about the ability of social media to convert awareness into sales success.

While working with clients and in discussions with other professionals, it is clear there is a growing belief that "owning" social media (Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc)  is a sufficient strategy for generating increased sales.  But as the Old Spice campaign highlights, it isn't enough.  There still needs to be a real world component - instore couponing, product trial program, purchase incentives that build on the exposure provided by the online communication.

This is especially true for a tangible product and old brand like Old Spice. It has name recognition but also lots of baggage - grandpa's after shave lotion, your dad's brand,or what you buy when you can't think of anything else.  Not exactly inspiring.

Along with the super awareness of generated, a key piece of the strategy has to be to get it into the consumer's hands.  Let him experience it first hand through samples distributed by direct mail, instore sampling, and trial offers.  This allows her to provide approval or reject the notion of the campaign.

And until an alternative delivery vehicle is discovered, this has to happen in the real world, not the virtual world.