Big events have become the nirvana of marketers: The perfect target audience, the perfect setting, minds being to open to marketing messages.

Most marketers waste that opportunity with big billboards, crappy giveaways, fly-over planes - you name it. Heineken did it right: Coachella is an all-age event in the Southern California desert. They have gated beer gardens to ensure that the pre-21 crowd doesn’t get the promoter in trouble. In order to gain access to the beer garden, you need to go to various ID Checks to get your prized wristband. As you can see on the picture above, the white wristbands include the Heineken logo. So what, you might say.

Think about it: Every time when 21+ attendees think about alcoholic beverages they see the Heineken logo, they have to show it to security to become part of the drinking crowd. And the under 21 crowd who desires to be part of the beer garden crowd regards the Heineken wristband as a symbol for their desire.

Does it work? I don’t usually drink beer at home. Back home Sunday night, I was looking through the fridge to find a Heineken. Worked for me.

Traditional campaigns felt to people like politics to Iowans: They get bombarded with messages for a specific period of time, just to hear nothing and be completely forgotten once the campaign has ended.

This might have made sense in an analog world but it makes absolutely no sense in a digital world: The widget you created 2 years ago is still alive and well on many desktops. Your videos are scattered all over the digital landscape. Games. Banners. Emails. Everything you create in a digital world lives on. Forever.

The new marketing reality forces brands to rethink their campaign strategy: Media and/or Creative used to be the foundation of each campaign. Not anymore. Platforms are king. Platforms should be at the center of each and every campaign. They can be part of your own platform or dedicated platforms outside of your own brand platform, such as YouTube channels or Facebook groups. These platforms need to allow for adjustments, adaptations and improvements.

Just like the corporate site, brand platforms need constant nurturing and a strong commitment from brands. They are not mini sites that will become irrelevant once the campaign ends. Instead, their goal is to create a welcoming home and engage people 24/7 in a conversation.

Ask yourself: Who would you vote for? The candidate that throws a huge bash every 2 years, not to be seen again for another 730 days? Or would you choose the candidate that converses with you through your favorite channels (Email, Town hall meetings, Phone calls, etc) on an ongoing basis, always accessible, always ready to listen to your concerns? The ongoing dialogue and nuturement is what people are looking for. Or they will move on.