The Good (And Mostly Bad) of Powerball Marketing

Let me say right up front I’m not a proponent of this type of marketing. The basic premise has been to tie consumer action on social media (Like, Comment and Share this post) to getting a share of the winnings. A couple of examples below are typical of the numerous such posts all over the internet prior to the bigger Powerball drawings.

So, what is the “good” aspect of this strategy? Well, those who posted these type of posts were being timely and taking advantage of the public hysteria surrounding the Powerball drawing. And, companies who used this strategy probably did get more exposure on social media than they typically do, which has some level of worth.

In my opinion, the “bad” aspects of this strategy are more substantial. Unless your business has some direct relation to the Powerball or perhaps related to money, then using the Powerball jackpot size as an angle to market isn’t applicable. For example, a safe company, an investment opportunity or even financial advisors have a legitimate angle for promoting themselves with the Powerball. Although, I doubt a financial professional would go that route.

So, for everyone outside the categories above, what does social media exposure via a Powerball post really get you? It may get you some likes, retweets and shares. I guess if you operate under the premise that any publicity is good publicity, then that’s great. Otherwise, you likely just gained some social media stats and not much more. Realistically, the people your brand was exposed to forgot about you as soon as the winning numbers were drawn.

Even worse, they may associate your brand with the characteristics of Powerball itself. Attributes like “get rich quick”, “greed” and “looking for the easy way” are not exactly what any brand wants to be known for. The insane lines of people waiting to get tickets or the frequently caustic effect that winning the lottery has on the people holding the winning ticket aren’t exactly positive mental pictures either.

Bottom line is using this type of angle is not promoting what you want your company to be known for. It’s not supporting your brand or creating any justifiable rationale for consumers to choose your company to do business with. It’s more likely that it’s actually distorting your brand in the mind of your target market who probably are not the people you’re gaining on social media.

All in all, is it that big a deal? No, it’s not. However, today the #1 truth of branding is you have to be authentic. Is Powerball supportive of your brand promise, positioning, messaging and identity? If you can’t answer yes, you’re not helping your business by jumping on the Powerball bandwagon.