Last week we had the privilege of working with on of our favourite teams at the Microsoft Ignite flagship conference in Orlando. Thirty-thousand attendees, five days and a whole lot of new technology to figure out - it was a ride but we rocked it!
One of our many missions in Orlando?
Custom etch swag on site using Glowforge laser printers for attendees that completed various levels of Microsoft certifications (hello Fresh, Exciting and Thoughtful Soul Marketing, is that you?) We worked together with multiple teams to determine and design three great pieces of swag that the attendees could customize with their own message, depending on which tasks they completed throughout the week.
The objective?
Encourage attendees to continue their learning and grow within some Microsoft's many programs. This was done by giving the attendees a postcard when they completed tasks such as emailing their future selves about programs and learning paths so they could sign up when they got back to the office, completing various modules on site or registering for their Microsoft Certification Exam and by completing their Microsoft Certification exam.
Here's how the prizing broke down;
Level One: A wood veneer sticker - in the shape of a retro cassette tape that attendees could add their name to. It read "___ Learning Mix Vol. 1"
Level Two: A vinyl phone stand that read "Next Stop" that attendees could customize with their own message, drawing, or image.
Level Three: A leather baggage tag that attendees could etch with their name and contact information.
With 30,000 people, how did we make this work?
On top of having dedicated areas to achieve these goals, we also involved multiple different Microsoft booths and teams that shared the same objective because team work makes the dream work, AmIRight?
We had tablets set up where folks could email themselves, we had a whole Certifications booth where they could learn more about getting certified and could book their exam on the spot and there were also exam rooms where they could actually take their free exam on site. Once they completed any of the tasks, they were given a postcard that stated what they had accomplished, they would bring that postcar over to the swag station where they would get congratulated with their very piece of laser etched swag.
The response?
INCREDIBLE. People love free things, but it turns out that people actually like being rewarded for their hard work and getting customised pieces even more. They liked the idea of it so much that people were completing more certifications just to collect all the options we were offering. The result? A record number of sign ups and exams completed.
People were asking for pictures with the Glowforge team so they could post about how incredible the experience was and how good they felt.
How does this tie back to New Moon Ideas and what we do?
This is Soul Marketing. We managed to take customers and turn them into fans and advocates for Microsoft Learn by simply saying "hey, we see you and you're doing amazing! You should be rewarded for that."
We've said it before and we will say it again.. MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS FEEL GOOD, THEY WILL REWARD YOU FOR IT! Word of mouth ALWAYS wins.
If you haven't heard about Glowforge yet, you're missing out on some pretty incredible technology.