Although much of our work here in the MGH WOM department is centered on online word-of-mouth tactics, it is important not to lose sight of the value of engaging customers offline, even if the purpose of doing so is to drive them to online resources. Here is a great local example of a brand that relied upon word-of-mouth tactics to drive traffic online.

Bovine Unite - Maryland Lottery

In April of 2005, the Maryland Lottery launched an on-the-street guerilla campaign to introduce and promote a bovine-themed scratch-off lottery ticket. The campaign execution revolved around cows “terrorizing” humans all across Maryland. These “human tipping” assaults, as they were dubbed, had people dressed in cow costumes raiding malls, college campuses, and any other place where people gathered and handing out BovineUnite.com propaganda. This site had videos of the cows engaging in mischievous behavior, games, a blog which was written by the head cow ‘Millie’, and other interactive components to keep users on the site.

The campaign and anonymous nature of the bovine attacks sparked intrigued and interests among the public and media outlets alike, not only in Maryland, but nation-wide. The Bovine Blog received over 100,000 visits in April of 2005, and rumors were flying as to who was behind the campaign. The “Bovine Bucks” scratch off was released in a fury of buzz, thanks to the tactics of offline word-of-mouth.

Although the micro-site for this campaign is no longer active, you can still read Millie’s blog here.

5 Reasons to not forget about offline tactics

1)      Offline tactics allows you to reach an audience that may not be participating in social media online.

2)      Although online word-of-mouth is rapidly gaining in popularity, a recent study shows that 75% of word-of-mouth conversations are still occurring face-to-face.

3)      Looking offline gives your brand a chance to make an impact face-to-face with your customers.

4)      People often equate face-to-face interaction with a boost of credibility, trust, and have an increased likelihood to participate when physically engaged.

5)      Buzz created offline can lead to media coverage for your brand which in turn will re-iterate your message and create online traffic.