How do you break through all the noise on social media sites? Here are 14 creative, timely and, in some cases, crazy, examples of how organizations achieved social media success.
What makes a social media campaign successful in 2014? It’s often about seizing the moment on Twitter (Arby’s). It can help to use emerging social media networks such as Snapchat in clever ways (Audi). You could drop someone off in Istanbul with no way to get home (Skype) or surprise customers with Christmas gifts (WestJet).
The following slides highlight 14 of the best social media marketing campaigns we’ve seen since we published our last roundup in August 2013: “12 Buzz-Worthy Social Media Success Stories.” None of our expert judges were involved in the campaigns; the judges simply expressed admiration for their creativity and effectiveness. (Note: Don’t miss the final slide, which features our Social Media Campaign of the Year.)
Skype Rerouted
In November 2013, Skype dropped travel blogger Mike Corey off in Istanbul with no bags, no plane ticket home and no idea where he was going next. During the 15-day, five-country Skype Rerouted adventure, Corey only had access to Skype and Twitter, which were used to provide clues about his next adventure. The campaign “showed the power of a business stepping out of its usual comfort zone and interacting on a personal level with users,” says Erin Walsh, director of PR for Boost Software Inc. “Skype was a dying brand, and this put them back on the map with everyday users and gave them a reputation for being more than a corporate IM tool.”
Affordable Care Act: #GetCovered
Image by YouTube.com
The Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act had a famously bumpy start, but what its #GetCovered campaign achieved was “nothing short of a miracle,” says Rachel Everett, CEO of Viderity Inc. The campaign sought to encourage 26-to-35-year-olds, as well as older adults, to sign up for Obamacare. It succeeded in part by “giving real people a voice” on the HHS.gov site and making that content easy to share on social media sites. #GetCovered boosted enrollment among Millennials and incorporated an Obama appearance on the comic Web series Funny or Die, which increased traffic to the healthcare.gov site by 40 percent, according to Everett.
Heineken’s ‘Crack the U.S. Open’
Heineken staged an elaborate Instagram campaign tied to its U.S. Open sponsorship. The campaign used Instagram’s grid feature to “create a massive picture that serves as a photo scavenger hunt that is orchestrated through mobile and social media,” according to Mobile Marketer. “No one had used Instagram this way before,” says Viderity’s Everett. About 1,500 people participated in the contest, and Heineken’s Instagram followers increased by 20 percent, Everett says. “That’s not massive impact, but considering the brand audience, the event draw and the channel, it’s not bad. They got noticed in a place where it’s hard to get attention.”
Make-A-Wish Foundation’s ‘Batkid’
Image by YouTube.com
A memorable Make-A-Wish Foundation project occurred on Nov. 15, 2013, in San Francisco, thousands of volunteers, city officials and businesses worked to turn San Fran into “Gotham City,” so it could be “saved” by five-year-old cancer survivor Miles Scott — who became “Batkid”. The stunt resulted in huge media exposure. There were 406,960 related tweets that day, and more than 21,683 photos were posted on Instagram and Twitter. Make-A-Wish “accomplished something huge,” says Chris Martin, social media strategist for FletcherPR, and its Batkid campaign “got people to love them even more.” People were inspired by Batkid’s courage and wanted to “share in the communal endorphin rush,” says Steven Z. Ehrlich, global vice president, client development, TMP Worldwide.
HBO’s Girls on Snapchat
To help promote the upcoming season of its hit show Girls, HBO posted daily updates on Snapchat using the social network’s “Stories” feature to highlight behind-the-scenes video and images. “These 10 second-or-less photos/videos were a great platform to reach out and engage Girls viewers on a personal level,” says Kim Kenney, PR and administrative associate, The Buzz Agency. “It was an effective cross promotion of the brand and the social-media platform.” Since the campaign ran in January 2014, multiple brands have used Snapchat to engage with their customers/fans. “Sending videos/photos directly to audiences’ phones offers the best targeted advertising for free,” Kenney says.
Social Media Campaign of the Year: WestJet Christmas Miracle
Image by YouTube.com
Airline WestJet asked some travelers what they wanted for Christmas. Then, while the passengers were airborne, WestJet shoppers raced to buy and wrap the requested items, which were delivered to recipients via the destination airport’s baggage carousel. The campaign’s YouTube video received more than 36 million views, won a Shorty award, and gave WestJet the kind of “good will that money can’t buy.” (Forbes) The campaign “gets my vote for a truly successful campaign in every way,” says Randstad Sourceright‘s Stroud. “For sheer ambition, it’s hard to beat,” says Viderity Inc’s Everett. “It was an amazing, stunt-based campaign,” adds Tania Yuki, founder and CEO of Shareablee.
