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Have you ever been impressed by the long lines at internet-famous restaurants? Believe it or not, there might be a not-so-glamorous factor behind the scenes: a professional, paid workforce known as the “atmosphere group.”
Frankly, this tactic is in a grey area, as it may incur fake impressions on customers and disrupt fair competition. Let’s explore some simple and legitimate ways to use your own atmosphere group.
Will pay for (over)reactions
I first heard of atmosphere groups last summer while watching a Chinese celebrity show featuring a competition among several well-known singers.
After a while, I couldn’t help but notice several people in the audience. Whenever the camera focused on their faces, they closed their eyes and moved their bodies with the rhythm. Some even suddenly burst into tears. Weren’t they reacting a little too much?
When I searched online, many people were questioning if these audience members could be performing. There wasn’t a clear conclusion. Nevertheless, I identified some solid cases where brands in China made use of paid shills to drum up more business.
When one user on Chinese social network Weibo wondered who the people using laptops at Starbucks were, it spurred so much discussion that Starbucks China decided to respond. The coffee chain posted on Weibo: “So we heard there’s a Starbucks atmosphere group? We will hire 30 more such people. The job requirements: 1) Visit the Starbucks store. 2) Sit down and connect to Wi-Fi. And 3) Post on WeChat that you’ve applied to the Starbucks atmosphere group.”
The brand’s involvement further stoked the social buzz, rewarding Starbucks China with extensive publicity and conversions.
Humans are social animals. The herd instinct drives us to follow what the rest of the group is talking about.
Real people are also not the only way to create an atmosphere group. Many esports companies use robotic “players” to retain real human users. My husband was recently hooked on a mobile game until he realized some of his “teammates” talking unnaturally: “They are so good at persuading you to top up more game credits!”
Deploy the fans you already have
Through experimenting on social media, I identified giveaways as an effective tactic to boost engagement. For brands that are just beginning to build their social presence, giveaways can help grow a follower base, likes, comments and shares in a short period of time.
It may sound disappointing for content marketers who believe in the big ideas. I used to be, too. But when weighing your content, ask yourself: What’s in it for potential consumers?
Giveaways are a good opportunity to instill a stronger motivation among your existing fans to advocate for your brand. As they already have some exposure to your products, there’s a higher chance they want to win a freebie by devoting some time and simple actions, such as tagging their friends and/or sharing the post. It will lead to other people outside of your follower circle seeing and reacting to the contest.
The power of influencers
Micro-influencers can be more effective in driving conversions than key opinion leaders (KOLs), especially for less expensive goods. Who would you seek advice from when choosing a brand of bubble tea? Most likely your classmates, friends and family.
I recently worked with a micro-influencer community for a user-generated content (UGC) campaign. We hired over 50 dancers with between 500 and 5,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok to set the stage and encourage their followers to jump onto the movement. It took a few weeks for the micro-influencers to start making waves, but participation rates climbed as they gained traction on social media.
Humans are social animals. The herd instinct drives us to follow what the rest of the group is talking about. The micro-influencers lead the crowd to your brand simply by being everyday people with real connections.
Building an organic atmosphere group
There’s no substitute for an engaged community of users. Among social contests, micro-influencers and communities, the last one is the hardest to leverage but gives the highest return if approached wisely.
People gather around common interests and passions. Provide them a space and a compelling reason to come there, and they will be willing to volunteer their time and energy to advocate for your cause.
Many successful WeChat accounts have fan chat groups where users can interact with the brand as well as initiate discussions. It’s a great social listening channel—if you’re willing to put in the time (and human resources) to moderate and respond to followers, who in turn will happily share what they love as well as their concerns.
That human touch is precious, but it requires constant effort to listen, engage and activate.
Do what’s right for your brand
An atmosphere group can be successful if you find the right people and put in the effort. Like the great David Ogilvy said, “Your role [as marketer] is to sell—don’t let anything distract you from the sole purpose of advertising.” If a small investment in paid engagement results in purchasing momentum, it’s worth it.
After all, the purpose of marketing is to create an illusion of desire, isn’t it?
