Since the potential of the online space started to become apparent more than a decade ago, businesses of all shapes and sizes have actively tried to create viral social advertising campaigns. Why? Because we have seen countless examples of businesses unlocking one of the primary benefits of social media: the ability for anyone to connect with a large audience.
As social audiences have grown, platforms have pivoted towards a pay-to-play model and the cost of running effective advertising campaigns has increased. As the notion of securing virality for free is virtually relegated to the past, the idea of success has become rather more nuanced.
Let’s look at a selection of effective social media campaigns in more detail and examine some of the takeaways all businesses can learn from their success.
ASOS: The Dress
When a customer posted a screenshot of a less than pleasant interaction with a Tinder connection and a screenshot of herself wearing the dress her match had insulted, clothing retailer ASOS was quick to pick up on it. In response, they added the customer’s photograph to the product page on its website and shared a Twitter post that instructed people to ‘swipe right to see who had the last laugh’ in a humorous reference to the Tinder platform.
Many social media campaigns are created after months of planning and extensive discussion, however, if your social team really understands the values of your brand, they are often best placed to act independently and utilise reactive social media marketing to the advantage of your business.
National Geographic: Your Shot
An excellent example of a social campaign that centred user-generated content, National Geographic invited its audience to submit photographs of man-made structures, nature or animals. From these submissions, National Geographic selected 12 each week and posted them to its Instagram feed.
In addition to helping National Geographic curate its feed, this campaign successfully encouraged audience members to collaborate with the brand and, in turn, helped to forge a feeling of community and mutual respect.
World Wildlife Fund: #EndangeredEmoji
When the World Wildlife Fund realised that many of the emojis represented species that were on the endangered list, it asked its audience to Tweet their favourite animal emoji using a dedicated hashtag and encouraged them to donate £0.10 for every Tweet they posted. More than one million people Tweeted using the dedicated hashtag and the World Wildlife Fund increased its Twitter following by more than 200,000.
As the WWF made it simple for people to get involved and kept donation requests small, it successfully encouraged a significant number of people to share the message. Meaningful campaigns often deliver the most successful results, particularly when they align so seamlessly with the ethos and purpose of the brand. Importantly, they can also be lighthearted in tone and still effectively convey the intended message.
Dettol India: #HandWashChallenge
TikTok is a relatively new player on the social media scene but it is quickly attracting a large and highly engaged user base. To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, Dettol India shared a hand washing challenge on TikTok, featuring an original song and branded video filter.
This campaign proved that it is possible to adopt a humorous approach to communicating a serious message. Also, as it is fair to say that the original song isn’t exactly a masterpiece, it also demonstrates that brands shouldn’t avoid creating their own original content because this is precisely what helps this campaign to stand out and make an impact.
Social media can be a cost-effective way to promote your business to a wide audience. It is important to note, however, that social media platforms are now ultra-competitive spaces and standing out for the right reasons can be tricky. It is therefore imperative that your company has a team of experienced digital professionals. If you need some support here, why not get in touch with our knowledgeable team here at Clifford Associates today?
