Sony and Atkins Nutritionals show how to reach ad-adverse consumers through online Educational Marketing.

With so much being written about consumers’ aversion to ads and their increasing ability to avoid them, can we develop a form of marketing and advertising consumers truly want?

The answer is yes. Innovative companies like Sony and Atkins Nutritionals are doing just that with a new interactive strategy called Educational Marketing. Educational Marketing is rapidly emerging as a powerful tool that some of the world’s leading brands employ as part of their online marketing mix. Educational Marketing programs offer consumers free online educational resources -- often branded as a series of online courses -- on topics of great interest to them. Marketers showcase their products and deliver contextual calls-to-action within the educational experience, creating a permission-based and highly targeted way to interact with consumers.

New tactics like Educational Marketing are gaining in share of marketing spend because of a growing consumer advertising backlash. According to recent research by Forrester’s Marketing and Advertising group, between September 2002 and June 2004 consumer attitudes toward advertising have ‘nosedived.” The research states that only 7 percent of consumers believe companies tell the truth in ads, 21 percent don’t believe anything they see in ads, and 68 percent wish there were fewer ads in the media.

These negative attitudes are also driving ad-blocking behaviors. Consumers are endorsing national “do not” lists; and advances in PC ad blocking tools, DVRs and video-on-demand services are reducing consumer’s exposure to ads. (Source: Forrester “The Consumer Advertising Backlash Worsens” by Jim Nail -- January 2005)

Educational Marketing is poised to help companies reach an increasingly ad-weary public. It helps marketers build stronger, more valuable relationships with consumers by employing a non-intrusive method that connects consumers to brands in a highly contextual and value-to-the-consumer-based way. And it’s an approach being increasingly adopted by leading marketers.

One example is Sony’s recently launched Educational Marketing program, branded Sony 101. The site offers free online courses that help consumers sort through the ever-changing maze of products, technology and jargon. One of the more popular topics on the site is digital photography. Consumers love it because it teaches them valuable information on digital camera features and functions, as well as techniques on how to better take, share and print their digital photos. Sony benefits, too. The program establishes permission-based relationships with consumers and contextually promotes appropriate products and services within the educational content.

"Consumers today are generally overwhelmed by the sheer number of consumer electronics products and various technologies available to them," says Jack Halperin, senior vice president of Sony Electronics CRM & Web Marketing Services division. "Sony 101 classes offer an abundance of information in a non-threatening environment in which consumers can get comfortable with technology and in turn, make more informed purchasing decisions."

The net effect is a new way to use the online medium to reach, inspire and build loyalty with consumers within the context of their interests. And best of all, instead of viewing it as marketing and advertising, consumers see real value in becoming smarter buyers.

Atkins Nutritionals is another company using Educational Marketing to foster stronger, ongoing relationships with consumers and promote new products. Through Atkins University, available on Atkins.com, the company works to educate health- and weight-conscious people by providing them with means to easily learn about and follow the controlled-carb Atkins Nutritional Approach™ (ANA™). Consumers new to the Atkins approach take courses that dispel myths and cover the basics of the ANA lifestyle. Those more experienced with the ANA gain knowledge as well as encouragement and support from experts and peers on the course message boards.

“We are continually committed to providing deeper levels of advice, assistance and support to consumers who have chosen the Atkins Nutritional Approach,” says Matt Wiant, chief marketing officer for Atkins Nutritionals. “Atkins University is further evidence of that commitment. The vigorous response indicates this is a very popular service for Atkins.com users and we will work to expand these types of programs for the benefit of consumers.”

It’s clear that Educational Marketing is helping a broad spectrum of brands implement permission-based marketing programs that foster long-term, mutually profitable relationships with consumers. In a world where marketers are increasingly accountable for ROI on their spending, the results are compelling. Consider these aggregate results from a number of companies that use Educational Marketing programs as part of their overall marketing mix:

• 95 percent of consumers say they better understand the category after the experience
• 92 percent of consumers say they will use Educational Marketing resources again
• 85 percent of consumers say they are more likely to participate in the category and purchase as a result of the experience
• 83 percent of consumers think more highly of the brand that provides the service to them
• 62 percent of consumers say the experience prompted them to make more purchases than before
• 20 percent of consumers make a purchase directly as a result of what they’ve learned, with 60 percent of them making an offline purchase

Developing an effective interactive marketing and advertising strategy that delivers compelling results has challenged marketers since the online world first emerged. And in today’s world of the increasingly ad-averse consumer, it’s a challenge for marketing as a whole. Educational Marketing is a model that doesn't just meet that challenge. It's an evolutionary step that actively connects consumers with products through an engaging online experience, providing marketers a way to develop long-lasting, trust-based relationships that pay increasing dividends over time.

And that’s performance a marketer can brag about.

Dave Ellett is the Chairman and CEO of Powered, Inc., the company that develops and manages the Sony and Atkins programs mentioned in this article. Powered delivers solutions that help companies market and sell their products using customer education -- a strategy called Educational Marketing. The solution helps marketers create ongoing, permission-based relationships with end customers and generate awareness, drive revenue and build loyalty to products and brands.