Double Day Marketing: The strategic battle day for marketers

In 2009, a Chinese online sales giant shook the entire e-Commerce industry with the world’s first-ever November 11 (11.11) Single’s Day event, the antithetic equivalence to Valentine’s Day. Encouraging single men and women to celebrate their day and indulge in end-of-the-year shopping, the all-day online sales campaign became one of the highest-grossing marketing phenomena in China and one of the most impressive marketing maneuvers of all time.

Fast forward to today, the ‘Single’s Day’ campaign has grown in popularity and has been adopted by the e-Commerce industry across the globe. Taking advantage of the catchy numerical pattern of the date '11.11', marketers, brands, and e-Commerce platforms have expanded the original annual, one-day online sales event into 'Double Day' special campaigns for every double day of each month, such as ‘3.3’, 4.4’, and on to ’12.12’.

However, the extension of the annual campaign into monthly Doubly Day events can put a strain on the marketing budget for other campaigns. Hence, the growing question among marketers: "Is the benefit of participating in the Double Day event worth the significant dent in the overall marketing budget?" This article provides insights into the advantages and disadvantages of launching a Double Day campaign, and some expert advice to help marketers succeed in this worldwide marketing trend.

The benefits of Double Day marketing

Organizing a campaign that lasts a day at a cost of a significant chunk in the online marketing budget may not sound like effective management of time and resources. However, a successful Double Day campaign can give marketers an edge in the overall market competition, and the following are some of the reasons why.

The limitless power of social media
A strong marketing strategy combined with the power of social media creates a perfect wave that can significantly increase brand awareness, impression, and share of voice.
Improve sales potential
Participating in a Double Day event has proven to be an effective strategy in increasing the brand's market share and sales potential.
A drastic increase in consumer spending
Statistical data on consumer behavior and social media users in Thailand indicates that consumer spending tends to skyrocket during Double Day campaigns, followed by a decrease in sales immediately after the end of each campaign. The distinctive difference in the sales volumes between the two periods implies the consumers' anticipation, preference, and willingness to buy products during the special, one-day event.

The three main advantages listed above should reaffirm to marketers that the extra strain in the marketing budget should not hinder marketers from participating in a Double Day campaign. The benefits are likely to be worth the investment.

Factors marketers should consider before competing in the Double Day arena

Although the potential payoffs of Double Day marketing are vast, researchers should do their due diligence to research and consider the possible risks before jumping on the bandwagon. Listed below are some risk factors for marketers to consider.

The shift in consumer behavior
The combination of Double Day marketing and the current consumer behavior results in a perfect wave that can drive record-breaking sales revenue in a single day and leaves a relatively slow market immediately after the proverbial tide recedes. Therefore, the most lucrative option for brands and marketers is to not miss out on the wave of opportunity in the first place.

However, what goes up must come down, and what follows after the wave of the campaign recedes is the inevitable drop in sales. As the popularity of Double Day events rises, so does consumers’ anticipation and expectation which are focused solely on a single day of the entire month. This shift in consumer behavior puts additional pressure on marketers to formulate effective strategies and rollout attractive deals and promotions as incentives to motivate consumers’ purchase decisions throughout the remaining days of the month.
Double Day campaigns come with higher media spending
Due to the rise in demand for social media advertisement and the marked increase in post boosting during Double Day campaigns, media costs have been reported to rise sharply during the respective time periods. Consequentially, brands and marketers are forced to increase their media spending for the limited supply of target audiences in the digital space.

Called ‘audience bidding’, the term describes the competition between multiple parties, in this case, brands or marketers, for the right to use a ‘keyword’ commonly associated and preferred by a shared target group on a social media platform. The bidding for the priority of a target audience with desired traits or consumer behavior desirable to the bidder determines the price tag of ad space and the cost of boosted posts. In short, the higher the demand for a particular target group at a given time, the higher the media cost.

To illustrate, the Chinese New Year (aka. Lunar New Year) is the golden season for fruit merchants and suppliers in Thailand. In the age of online marketing, businesses rely on social media platforms to advertise their products. Many invest their budgets on post boosting or other forms of interest-based advertising using keywords such as 'oranges', 'fruits', or 'lucky fruits' that attract a particular target audience –potential consumers who celebrate Lunar New Year. The high demand for these keywords drives the bidding price, resulting in a higher media cost for social media advertisements involving these keywords. Hence, the competition and cost for advertising in the digital space for fruit sellers during the auspicious season increase astronomically.

The two key marketing elements for a successful Double Day campaign

Now that brands and marketers are aware of the benefits and possible challenges of Double Day marketing, the natural question to follow is what marketing strategy to deploy for maximum campaign results and with minimum investment.

Attractive deals and promotions
Aside from allocating a portion of the budget for media spending, marketers should also dedicate another portion to craft an attractive promotional plan for the Double Day campaign, including but not limited to product discounts, ‘buy more, save more’ deals, and product giveaways. Deals and promotions make products more attractive to consumers and the target audience and, as a result, increase the brand’s share of voice.
Engaging content
In addition to attractive deals and promotions, strong content marketing that engages the brand’s target audience is equally essential to the success of a Double Day campaign. Engaging content is a powerful tool for creating brand awareness, increasing impressions, and driving sales. A heavily-financed marketing strategy with an attractive promotional plan but no brand or product awareness is, to paraphrase the famous quote, "like a tree falling in a forest with no one to hear it." Therefore, powerful content that engages the audience's attention at the get-go plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of any Double Day marketing strategy, attracting and converting the brand's target audience into actual customers and helping brands achieve other marketing objectives.

The two key marketing elements combined with smart media spending can determine the success of a Double Day campaign that promises high ROI (Return of Investment) and an overall cost-effective investment despite the event's high market competition.

Gain an edge in the Double Day arena with influencer marketing

While competitors are focused on online advertising and promotional offers, a brand that can bring something creative and unique to the table gains an edge in the market competition. The same is especially true for Double Day campaigns, where a significantly higher number of players compete in the same market for the attention of the same target groups.

Influencer marketing can provide marketers the extra edge in the competition, helping brands and their products to stand out and increasing brand awareness and share of voice. Influencers are known for their ability to connect brands with their target audiences. Their ability to create review content that provides followers with insightful information and personal experiences with a wide range of products makes them highly effective in helping brands influence consumers' purchase decisions and driving sales. As such, influencers can be viewed as both effective media and powerful marketing tools.

Allocating a part of the marketing budget to integrate influencer marketing into a Double Day campaign promises to be well worth the investment. As one of today's most effective marketing tools, influencers act as an amplifier that, in conjunction with the more traditional marketing tools (post boosting, attractive promotional plan, and ad bidding), effectively helps brands reach and strengthen consumer-brand relationships and increase sales revenue.

After exploring the advantages and possible risks of participating in Double Day campaigns, it becomes apparent that the single-day event provides marketers with a distinct opportunity to promote brand awareness, brand recognition, and generate a high return of investment (ROI). As such, Double Day events remain as worthy of an investment as any other marketing campaign. After all, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

As the leading expert in influencer marketing, Tellscore can help brands and marketers effectively leverage influencer marketing to create brand awareness, promote consumer-brand relationships, and drive sales as part of a Double Day marketing strategy. For more information, visit https://th.tellscore.com/en or call 02 160 5020.