Party marketing is a clever idea that creates real direct marketing exposure through engaging, real-life interactions for everyone. Come Round, founded in 2010, focuses on selling products directly to people who live there and appreciate them or have the potential to enjoy them. The most successful approach is to market to individuals while they are at home with their friends, based on research by Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman. In real life, Come Round plans 500 events for a specific brand or product, each focused on a specific product. The best candidates are chosen from their database and invited to their peers for the specified date. The system generates invites for the events, and the next round winners win an opulent party package, which includes an instruction manual, decorations, and take-home items. Every item is meticulously created and constructed in close consultation with the brand’s target audience.
Sometimes a thought comes up that is so incredibly clever that it makes you wonder why it wasn’t thought of earlier. That idea is party marketing, which creates real marketing exposure through engaging, real-life interactions for everyone. A real win-win circumstance.
An exhaustive analysis of the value of tenacity, the role of influencers, and a record-breaking album. Everybody can find something to suit them.
Could you give a brief synopsis of Come Round and your own journey thus far?
Come Round launched its first campaign in 2010. It started when a few of us in the music industry were having trouble building direct ties with customers. A large segment of the entertainment business does not have this kind of connection. As an example, we could record an album, promote it, and send it to a store. The music is consumed and interactions with the fan are facilitated by the vendor.
That’s when a couple of us had an epiphany. We chose to look into word-of-mouth marketing more after reading about its efficacy and came to the conclusion that it was feasible to speak with customers directly. We could sell to them directly in their homes, cutting out the intermediary. This made it possible for us to achieve both the relationship goal and the secondary goal of encouraging sincere, real conversation about any product, no matter what kind it is.
It’s common known that recommendations from trustworthy friends and acquaintances work better than any other type of promotion. Consequently, we founded the business.
“Nothing beats a recommendation from a trusted friend.”
And specifically, how is this direct link formed?
This unique concept of party marketing is our own.
Come Round is based on selling a product directly to a person who lives there and either already appreciates it or has the potential to enjoy it.
The most successful approach would be to market to a person while they are at home with their friends, based on research by Nobel laureate psychologist Daniel Kahneman that suggests individuals are most responsive to marketing in a fun setting.
In real life, this would mean planning 500 events for a certain brand on a specific day. Every party is focused on the particular brand or product and happens simultaneously. We choose the best candidates from our database and ask them to extend an invitation to their peers for the specified date. Our system generates the invites so that we may stay informed about events and then have conversations with our friends. They need to have guests for the event in sufficient numbers, usually 10 per family, or the host plus 9 guests.
They go to the next round and win an opulent party package if they have added enough guests to the system. This comprises an instruction manual, decorations for the events, and take-home things to show off to family and friends while taking part, in addition to the product that is the campaign’s main emphasis. Every item is painstakingly created and constructed in close consultation with the customer. We will conclude by asking the guests final questions on the product, if they plan to buy it again, and other pertinent issues. To the best of my knowledge, no other organization in the world is involved in party marketing on a huge basis.
This is more than just a PR event or launch party. remarkably different. To achieve quantifiable marketing goals, this means planning hundreds of house parties at the same time. The pamphlet lists the fun activities that participants have committed to carrying out, such as creating genuine, non-sponsored content and sharing it with the appropriate hashtag. Anything we come up with as part of our creative process for organizing each campaign and fulfilling the goals and KPIs of each client, be it making a pop video for a song on an album or making a dessert adorned with a prop flag holding a brand. We have experience in every business, from fish fingers to records, dog food to vacuum cleaners.
Every campaign is unique, and we customize its creation to meet the unique needs and goals of the customer. For example, SPAR needed to draw attention to their delicious but often-overlooked barbecue menu, but they didn’t prioritize reviews because they didn’t have one on their website. On the other hand, they wanted real, succinct customer testimonials to be put up as posters in all of their stores. They received around 2,500 testimonies from Penzance to Inverness.
Despite the widespread misperception that it resembles a Tupperware party, it differs significantly in that no one is there to insist on buying the exact amount of Tupperware you want. Nobody should be in charge of controlling the celebrations there. We are able to obtain a far more genuine and enjoyable experience by assigning these duties to the campaign, merchandise, and party packs. The outcome is natural and free from force.
“A fun environment makes people most receptive to being marketed to.”
Jack Link professionally resized the image.
“We don’t need anyone there controlling the party…The output is natural and not forced.”
Professionally taken enlarged bird’s-eye fish finger sandwich image
You make things much simpler.
There is a significant amount of work required.
Proficiency is gained via working with perfect families in every nation. People who don’t meet our reliability and quality criteria for campaign output are added to a blacklist. On the other hand, those that we hope to work with in the future are added to a whitelist. We can always find the right home to be a part of our campaigns thanks to our technology and specially designed algorithms.
Every household’s quality is crucial to our business, and we are honored to be able to guarantee that quality to our clients. Three criteria are used to choose candidates: reliability, true influence, and demography. Candidates need to have all three traits in order to be chosen to take part in our campaigns, and we regularly succeed in this. That’s where our true worth lies. A book may be shipped by anybody, but its real worth lies in knowing to whom to send it.
Although it takes a lot of work, it is essential to the company’s success.
“Anyone can send a book out, but knowing who to send it to is where the value lies.”
It looks like you know a lot of different things. Was this only for the music industry?
I highly advise avoiding putting everything you own in one container. Even though it was first designed for music promotion, I anticipated that its benefits would be extensively utilized in many other sectors of the economy. Word-of-mouth advertising can and is successful in many industries.
Even though it was our original goal, we spent the first several years focusing on the music industry to establish ourselves and obtain expertise in the field. Considering that we had the most contacts there, it made sense. We started our first campaign for the Twilight movie soundtrack in 2010. The task was interesting, but we couldn’t complete it since we didn’t know where to start. We did not have a database, a procedure, or previous campaign experience, but these things do not mean that a campaign cannot be carried out. You might find it terrifying, but it is attainable. All you really need is a little self-confidence and a solid support network to help you along the way.
“Just because you haven’t done it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It might freak you out, but it can be done.”
Have you ever had a position in the marketing industry?
Not quite. I used to work for EMI as a music litigator, but I never thought of law as my true calling in life. Still, of all the legal fields I may practice in, the music business was the one I was most excited about, and this feeling was reinforced at the moment. Digital formats like downloads and streaming started to threaten conventional physical media (CD, cassette, vinyl) during this time of profound change. These changes inevitably brought hazards with them, most notably the possibility of illegal downloading, but they also offered a wealth of opportunities.
If becoming a lawyer wasn’t to your taste, how did you become one?
To become a solicitor, I needed to obtain a master’s degree in law after earning my bachelor’s degree in languages, which has always been one of my strongest suit.
I desperately wanted to work in the music business, so I sent letters of application for jobs to all the record labels at the time, but they all turned me down. I then sent my letter asking for work experience again, but they rejected it. When I told them I would provide the service for free, they instantly agreed. So, one of the first things that was realized was how crucial it was to be prepared to give almost everything in order to get momentum.
One of them put me in Business Affairs, which, in the music business, is the trendier name for the legal department.
Until that point, I was totally ignorant that the company had music attorneys. That’s when it dawned on me that I could combine my passion for working in the music industry with my legal background. I decided then and there that I would become an attorney for the music business.
These days, when I teach or counsel sixth formers, I usually tell them to figure out what it is that they really want to achieve, since having a goal in mind makes everything much easier to pursue. The hardest part is deciding what you want to do. However, once I chose Business Affairs, I persisted unceasingly until I was hired on as a full-time employee at EMI. Until I cleared the entrances and finished all three interviews, nothing could stop me.
My ability to choose my career did not happen by accident; rather, it was the result of my own hard work. You have to work to make sure that things happen. No one will call you, therefore you have to reach out to the offer you want. This work ethic also applies to managing a business; nothing occurs by accident.
“Be prepared to do anything for pretty much nothing in order to get going.”
“Once you know what you really want to do, you then have a target to chase.”
It seems like you have landed your dream job.
Even though I had a great experience at EMI, I never gave up on the nagging urge to pursue other chances and exercise my creative and entrepreneurial impulses. I used to wonder all the time why we weren’t using certain methods with our performers and recordings.
During that time, I got the amazing chance to work for a year in the New York office. Even though I had a great time, I came away from it a changed person who understood she needed more.
I also put together a compilation CD around this time, which is known to be an extremely difficult project to get permission for. Still, I was determined to make this happen, and after working on it for over a year, the album ‘Mashed’ was published and went straight to the top of the compilations list.
It strengthened my conviction that everything is possible, and that’s what made me decide to stop taking EMI. It gave me the self-assurance I needed to start Come Round.
“It fuelled that sense in me that anything is possible.”
The cover of Mashed’s album
Did you start the business enterprise yourself?
There were no how-to instructions on “how to set up a word-of-mouth marketing business,” but I knew what had to be done. I knew that in order to send things, I would need technology and some sort of fulfillment, but I had no prior expertise with any of these areas. My lack of experience in marketing did not stop me from moving forward.
The CTO was a delight to consult with on technology, and someone else I met via EMI ran a fulfillment-focused warehouse. They were my angels of protection until I was confident enough to leave them.
Twilight Usher warehouse containers resized
What were the biggest challenges you faced at first?
The first challenge was a lack of real-world client management and campaign execution experience. I liked to think that I was surrounded by wise people, but my wife was the one who gave me her deep insights.
Since there were no accessible paid influencers early on, things were somewhat simpler. We had conversations with regular members of the public. Occasionally, we came across a “superstar” who was just a blogger who posted stuff about their hobbies in their free time. Their reputable internet presence and genuineness made us happy to welcome them as a member. When we got in touch with those people again a few years later, they had grown into “influencers” and wanted to make money off of the same kind of material they had previously created for free. That was when we made the decision to stick with the sincere, underpaid, and very powerful people.
These are the values of integrity and honesty that guide how I run my whole company. We would never tell people what to write in their assessments; only honest and accurate criticism is permitted. I disagree with the idea of influencers, or “follower advertisers” as I like to refer to them, because neither of us would pay them.
Legitimate influence is produced by people who actually value the chocolate bar we have shipped to them instead than depending on money to show their support. Furthermore, it is imperative that the person raving about the chocolate bar knows the people to whom they are praising it.
A few years ago, every business wanted to get on the influencer bandwagon when it comes to fashion. Thankfully, a lot more businesses are starting to see it for what it really is. One good and very modern kind of paid advertising is paying people to post material for a huge number of anonymous followers; this should not be confused with brand advocacy and word-of-mouth promotion.
A suggestion that is given to a reliable person who knows you well gains a great deal of credibility. An “influencer” with hundreds of thousands of followers cannot possibly know every single person; as such, their recommendation is meaningless. There is no trust in the scenario since there is no direct link. Always place an emphasis on quality rather than quantity.
What guidance would you provide someone who was just starting out in business?
Both confidence and being around positive people are essential. Although I was not entirely confident, the encouragement of others around me motivated me to finish the parts I was not as familiar with.
Never give up on a dream you truly believe in. It was so easy to quit up. It’s fine to give up since it’s the simplest solution. Your ability to keep going when everyone else has given up is enough to set you apart from the masses. It’s true that you need to set yourself apart by having a little something more. My success in the workplace has solely come from setting myself out from the competitors.
You also need to talk about your business with passion. During my time at EMI, I saw enough frequencies to understand that without energy, one can only get as far as apathy. This becomes crucial if you plan to publicly represent the company: make sure the right people and personas are put in the right positions.
I believe that the reason the firm has survived is because of my keen cost-observing skills. Putting time and trust into a business is far more important. Being able to practice law with the privilege of certification gives me a safeguard. I’m sure that, deep down, even if I don’t think about it much, I know that if something went wrong, I could work in the legal sector.
“It is simple for anyone to give up; however, by persevering, you distinguish yourself simply by staying the course.”
“Investing time and confidence in a business is far more crucial than investing money.”
What are some possible downsides that people should be cautious about?
Avoid getting caught up in other people’s activities. You would like to know what other people are doing, but you don’t want to get too caught up in it. Rather of obsessing over every detail you see your rivals doing, view it as an invaluable teaching tool. Remain focused on your own goals and development; do not stray from them.
Continue your thrifty spending habits. Make sure you really need staff and office space before investing in them to create the appearance that you are a firm. You will unavoidably spend money on things you do not need, but try to spend it for the right reasons.
“You do want to see what others are doing, but you don’t want to be obsessed by it.”
“Don’t spend on an office or people just to make it feel like you have a business – make sure you actually need it.”
What annoyances you the most in business?
My biggest pet peeve is trying to explain the idea behind our work. It is not like any other kind of marketing. It is not that at all, as I have, hopefully, previously stated. Often, people will only hear a little part of the explanation before replying, “We are already collaborating with Instagrammers.” It irritates me greatly.
Given this, what, in your opinion, would help create a world that is more harmonious?
Rebranding influencers as “follower advertisers” is my preferred approach instead of doing away with them entirely. In that instance, I think it would be beneficial for Dave to suggest a new condiment to his friend George; it would be a true example of influencer marketing.
Let’s just talk about influencers using the correct language. They are just another paid advertising channel, and they get compensated similarly to a transportation company or television network.
“Leave the influencing to where it genuinely happens.”
Given all of the problems encountered, would you attempt the full project again?
I would do exactly the same action. I just met a bunch of friends who started an agency and needed some startup capital. They regret having to invest in the first place since it was quite upsetting to give up control and not be able to make the decisions they wanted to.
At Come Round, my coworkers and I make all of the choices, so we may change directions at any time. Because of the enormous benefit of being able to act quickly, I wouldn’t accept funding again unless the terms were acceptable.
“I wouldn’t go back and take investment unless it was under the right terms.”
What progressive goals do you have for Come Round?
The following countries are where we hope to grow and improve our present operations: Australia, Canada, France, and the UK. In order to effectively represent Come Round abroad, I have forged connections with people who are driven to develop and carry out campaigns. similar to the idea of a franchise.
Beyond unique party marketing strategies, our goal is to build a larger-scale reputation for sincere customer encounters. Apart from party marketing, we also send items straight to specific homes without the need to plan a party. Come Round ought to be the go-to agency when sincere conversations with real people are necessary.
In the future, our company will offer four core commercial services: party marketing, consumer insight surveys, astute sampling/product trials, and fan societies. The next natural step is to create fan clubs, since you have the ability to create and maintain enduring support, fervor, and advocacy. That is a huge opportunity that we do not want to pass up. I am really anticipating that service.
“We want be known more broadly for authentic consumer interactions.”
Professionally resized image of Taylor Swift
What new trends are you seeing, generally speaking?
Fan groups are the perfect vehicle for this transformation as I see businesses becoming less and less dependent on influencers and more and more drawn to more real people. We are running a fan club service, which is a novel idea, using cutting edge new technologies.
The traditional sampling procedure is being upset by our actions. Brands’ perceptions about influencers and the return on investment (ROI) from their campaigns are being disrupted by us. Our methodology goes against the traditional focus group practice, which sometimes entails offering members financial reward at the end of the session to entice them to participate.
“We are disrupting how brands view influencers and the ROI from those campaigns.”
This level of disturbance would inevitably result in some degree of unpredictability. How do you go about doing that?
I used to have horrible episodes as a young person, marked by very high and very low points. The best times are when you have customers and money pouring in; they are considerably more valuable than any job-related benefits. Conversely, the worst case scenario is when you have neither marketing nor customers; at that point, you start to worry about the end of the world. Now that I understand that terror is cyclical, I’ve learned how to control it. Knowing that fresh campaigns and clientele will inevitably come up gives me confidence.
My background and experience have sharpened my capacity to face ambiguity. The only thing you can do is struggle through it. Ignoring to do nothing and waiting for the phone to ring about the next campaign will not happen, therefore the uncertainty will continue. You have to do something about the situation. The uncertainty will soon pass if you focus on it with determination and make the required efforts, rather than trying to distract yourself from it.
“When you have clients and revenue coming in it’s way better than anything you get from being employed.”
“Don’t try and take your mind off uncertainty – you need to put your mind firmly on it.”
How do you go about making decisions?
There are several types of decisions. Leaving a job and starting a business are two significant life-altering decisions. About them, I wonder myself all the time if when I’m an old man I’ll look back and regret doing it or not. And then there are the everyday business decisions, which need a blend of research and gut feeling. I’ll do research to provide facts to back up my belief that we should be taking action in that specific area, based on my gut instinct.
“I always ask myself if I am going to regret doing this or regret not doing it.”
Do you ever think back on the decisions you’ve made in the past?
We specifically carry it out informally for specific initiatives. We frequently question if we exercised as much judgment as we should have at the moment. By the end of the campaign, one may reasonably determine whether a decision was proper. This is what has led us to believe that we should choose our partner firms and the ideals they support with greater discernment.
How can one stay up to date with the industry?
Having acknowledged our limits, I have made relationships on LinkedIn with people who have worked in fields in which we are now unaffiliated. These days, we have a lot of experts in several areas, which helps us to stay at the top of the industry overall.
We stay informed through trade magazines and journals. After finding three articles in a certain publication and discovering the relevant people and their contact details, my team and I will write an email. That missive’s content contains the unique formula. I was once told that the person receiving your email has no interest in your personal matters, thus they shouldn’t ever see the word “we” (e.g., “we do this, we do that”). We never do that; we’re always interested in them and their business. It’s all about them, not about us.
I keep things running well by getting together weekly for catch-ups with every team member. I make an effort to stay on top of the letters that are being sent out because it is imperative that I do. When important study is incorrectly concluded, it has always been a total waste of effort.
What has motivated you?
It is a family-oriented activity. At the age of 14, my father left school to start a very successful company. Having worked as a bike parts salesman at a motorcycle shop, he started his own business as a wholesaler, supplying the shops. After that, he started providing both outside and locally.
He is my motivation since he did this without any official instruction. He never just sat all day. When we were kids, we never did nothing except sit around. There was always something to be done, like digging a trench or building a fence, so I think I was born with a work ethic. We hope that our children now see that in us.
“I think that work ethic became instilled in me.”
Where do your best ideas come from?
My kids are really good at coming up with ideas and motivation. After seeing a commercial, they often tell me that we should partner with this or that product, and we often get really valuable leads as a consequence.
Unfortunately, I think about these things when the kids aren’t there, like when I’m taking a shower, walking the dog, or taking a car ride. getting online at BBC News. Out of curiosity, I plan to read it, but something catches my eye that makes me think of something else. Often when I read an article, I can’t help but think of an idea. It doesn’t have to be about business; anything that interests me would do.
“Quite often I can’t help but draw an idea out from an article as I’m reading” .
Which overarching plan acts as your direction guide?
It functions with sincerity and authenticity in terms of people, substance, opinions, and feedback. It is easier to be faithful to the overall goal when the phrases “real,” “genuine,” and “authentic” are used consistently. We are not going to follow the herd mindlessly.
The participation of sincere people who are truly excited about your product forms the basis of each of our four services. That is the motivation behind all of it.
A company has to stand out, but this is hard to do since it takes courage to be different and bold. In the short term, many enterprises may seem unusual, but this is only a gimmick. If it is to exceed that, it must function with a long-term goal in mind. When one’s vision incorporates all of their own principles, they have created something that will remain for generations.
“If you have a vision that embodies everything that you believe in, then you have created something that will last.”
Do you think having a strategy is essential?
When I started off, I didn’t have a business strategy. I just had a strong gut feeling that this would work.
It is now separate.
As a company, we have to determine the amount of money needed to pay our bills, thus we always keep track of how many campaigns are needed. We have formulated a plan about it.
We use Xero to create a P&L by campaign and have great accounting skills. Analyzing the effectiveness of specific campaigns, their corresponding profit margins, and pinpointing areas where expenses may be optimized by cutting or raising them as needed are all very illuminating. Analyzing each of those numbers is quite helpful. It helps us plan a project properly based on its expected size, scope, and income. We will decide which features to include or leave out in order to guarantee the project’s success and profitability.
My mobile device has a to-do list that is categorized and arranged by nation. Furthermore, we have developed plans for the order of events. It is quite well-structured and ordered. The entire staff uses a wide range of tools to keep an eye on every facet of the company.
“I had a very strong gut instinct that this would work.”
“Analysing our figures is really useful. It helps us to plan a project appropriately given the size, scope and revenue that we expect.”
For more information:
You can check ComeRound or contact me on LinkedIn
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