In most years, an event’s campaign messaging relies on an element of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to drive registrations. For Dell Technologies World, it was a tactic that led to substantial registration increases over the years.
That strategy didn’t work in 2020, for obvious reasons.
Additionally, a creative visual approach proved to be challenging. Opus Creative typically relied on pictures of people enjoying previous events to help attendees visualize their experience. But that would not resonate for a digital event in the middle of a pandemic.
(Unsurprisingly, there were few archived photos of Dell Technologies World attendees from prior years properly socially distanced or wearing masks.)
These factors, combined with weak metrics at the beginning of the campaign, forced Opus Creative to approach creative elements differently.
“We sent our first newsletter in August, and it pretty much tanked,” said Lauren Featherstone, Senior Program Manager for Opus Creative. “The metrics were not good. So, we started looking into why, and we adjusted.”
In place of FOMO, Opus Creative turned to a calmer, more human approach. Instead of “everyone will be here,” it was “sit down with us.” Since virtual experiences are inherently more relaxed, language was adjusted to reflect that.
Visually, Opus Creative turned to animations rather than photos of attendees from prior years. Since social was an increased emphasis in the campaign, the goal was to “stop the scroll” – create engaging content that gives viewers pause.
Animations have always been a good visual disruptor – many of the 2019 campaign’s best assets were quirky and fun animated posts, typically involving obscure holidays like National Cookie Day – but in 2020, Opus Creative went all in.
“As we were switching to digital, we needed animations that reflected its digital nature,” Lauren said. “Animations emulated what the event experience would look like, helping viewers visualize what they would experience.”
How do you visualize a digital event that has never taken place before? Opus Creative created animations showing devices opening and capturing the viewer; a scroll-through of the dozens of breakout sessions; and clocks counting down to the big event.
The relatable visual approach was generally successful: By the end of the campaign, Opus Creative had produced 425 total assets, increased registrations from social media by 151% year-over-year, and were even re-tweeted by Michael Dell himself.
“We already knew animations created a good visual disruptor,” Lauren said. “The pandemic caused us to increase our creation and use of them.”
Read more in this Digital Event series: