Mediagistic Interview with ACHR News: How HVAC Contractors Can Generate a Buzz Like Barbie

Mediagistic’s Digital Strategy Manager, Chris Swere, and Social Media Strategist, Gianna Finazzo, were recently interviewed by ACHR News about how HVAC contractors can enhance their own brands and generate buzz about their companies using strategies from this summer’s mega-hit movie, Barbie.

In their discussion with business development editor Hannah Belloli, Gianna and Chris shared their expert insights on how the movie’s marketing approach was filled with calculated risks involving a breadcrumb strategy, storytelling, consistent messaging, partnerships, and an overall investment in their brand. They also spoke about how these same tactics could be applied to an HVAC marketing campaign.

Here are a few excerpts:

• “The Barbie movie was very outside the box with their branding,” said Chris Swere, digital marketing department manager at Mediagistic. “HVAC contractors can use similar strategies.” These include applying a breadcrumb strategy themselves when adding a new service, building partnerships with industry influencers, promoting special offers, and more.
• “Barbie’s overflowing of pink, no matter where you saw it — a collaboration, video, display, whatever it may be — just having that consistent messaging resonates for that brand recognition, which HVACR contractors can definitely apply,” said Swere.
• “Over time, it just builds equity, which led to the success of Barbie,” said Swere. For HVAC contractors, a significant brand investment could, long-term, lead to lower cost per acquisition, potentially improved SEO for more searches, and more leads overall, he said.
• “They used the nostalgia that many adults felt for the Barbie brand, and not only was this reflected in the products that were released as part of their brand collaborations, but in their overall marketing campaign tone as well,” said Gianna Finazzo, social media strategist with the inbound marketing team at Mediagistic.
• “By tapping into your audience’s fond memories, you can create an emotional connection with your brand, and then boost your customer loyalty,” said Finazzo. “For social media marketing, you can start small by just coming up with a Facebook post that poses a question in the caption … and asking your audience to chime in in the comments generates engagement.”
• Part of Barbie’s success with these collaborations was the lead time it provided. Long before the movie was released, Barbie’s marketing team was already at work with various brands creating Barbie-themed lines. “I remember walking through the mall with my daughter and everywhere you looked at, before the movie launched, they were collaborating with everything … and people were actually having conversations about that,” said Swere.
• Not only was nostalgia reflected in the overall marketing tone, Finazzo said, but also in the products released as part of brand collaborations with Barbie. Over 100 different brands have partnered and collaborated with Barbie, releasing their own Barbie-themed lines of shoes, ice cream, luggage, accessories, Airbnbs, and more.
• “One of the most successful things that this Barbie marketing campaign did was expand its targeting from children, which is the standard demographic we think of when we think of Barbie, to adults,” Finazzo said.
• “In HVAC, we identify key segments within our target market, and we create customized marketing campaigns that cater to those needs and preferences and behaviors,” Finazzo continued. “And through that personalized approach, we’re able to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time. So by broadening that target audience, you can potentially reach a larger market that you maybe weren’t reaching before.”

Read the full article on ACHR News.