In this post we will take a look at some top social media campaigns that are increasing engagement in exciting ways.
It’s that time of week where we turn our gaze to some of the successful social media campaigns of recent weeks and to those that have just launched. All have come up with attractive ways of engaging an audience and keeping their interest, including offering prized-based incentives to encourage participation.
As is becoming quite clear now, many brands are using strong visual elements grab attention and increase social media engagement. One of the highlights of the news section is an imaginative project to promote a book that roped in some of its fictional characters.
Promoting a Cool Caribbean Destination
You might think that Saint Lucia, one of the beautiful Windward Islands in the Caribbean Sea wouldn’t need any marketing help, but with today’s global financial climate it’s all marketing hands on deck. To publicize the island nation as an idyllic vacation spot, tourist officials there have launched the ‘Touching the Top’ social media campaign.
The name reflects the Pitons, the iconic twin peaks. Islanders and visitors are being encouraged to take photos of themselves ‘touching’ the peaks in any way their imaginations can conceive, and then sharing the images via social media with the tag #saintluciarocks.
“Like the National Flag and the Saint Lucia Parrot, the Pitons are etched into the social fabric of our nation,” commented Director of Tourism Louis Lewis. Numerous prizes will be given away to visitors including a trip to Saint Lucia. The social media campaign will run until December 31st, 2014.
Fall Foliage Photos Get Social
Staying with social media and tourism, and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is kicking off a social media project to promote the area’s countryside. Each week, one of the photos submitted to the “Fall Photo of the Week” campaign on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook will be selected and used to promote fall tourism.
That honour will earn the photograph’s owner a t -shirt. The campaign runs from September 22nd to the end of November, and at its conclusion the person whose photo has received the most votes and likes will be awarded a NY gift bag. The hashtag for the social media initiative is “#NYLovesFall”.
Governor Cuomo said: “By amplifying this year’s foliage report with social media, more people will see what New York has to offer and I have no doubt that they will want to experience it for themselves.”
Fashion Week Fun
A tried and tested strategy to garner some social media love is to tie in your brand with a significant event that you know your audience is into. Although, it’s not just enough to create an association, you must offer some value added content as well.
While New York Fashion Week was taking place on numerous catwalks in the Big Apple, American Express held its own fashion week on social media. The financial services corporation asked prominent fashion bloggers for their fall fashion advice. Their ideas and looks were turned into sketches by Paper Fashion’s Katie Rodgers and these were shared on AmEx’s social media channels.
“Social media is not only a powerful medium, it’s an extremely visual one, so this idea naturally lent itself to it,” said AmEx social media communications VP Mona Hamouly. “We wanted to showcase artist Katie Rodgers’ beautiful sketches in a way that people could very easily engage with and share.”
One of the aims of the digital campaign was to hear from everyday consumers and to give them a voice alongside all the leading fashion contributors whose thoughts and words occupy the leading magazines and TV and radio channels.
News
Here we take a look at some of the key stories that have been grabbing attention in social media circles.
Fictional Characters Go Social to Promote Book Launch
To promote her latest novel, ‘Of River and Raynn’, young adult author Rebecca Ethington embarked on a 3-month social media campaign where fans could visit the social media sites of the book’s main protagonists River and Raynn. They could friend them on Facebook, read their journals and watch live action videos.
In so doing, they were able to learn a lot about the lives of the fictional characters before diving into the pages of the book. The campaign was a smart way to build a loyal following and create consumer demand, weeks ahead of the publication date. It created a great sense of anticipation about what was to come.
The social media posts and journal entries are continuing, even though the book is now on the shelves. They are contributing to a parallel storyline.
“I always hear about how my readers feel engulfed in my novels. I wanted to bring that to life in another way. I wanted to surround them by words, and characters, and experiences that would bring the novel’s world to life.” said Rebecca Ethington.
Virgin Mobile Boosts Sales through Social Activities
Among the social elements were the donation of a free meal to the homeless for every meal picture posted on social with the hashtag #mealforameal. The campaign did a lot of good for a worthwhile charitable cause while at the same time boosting Virgin Mobile’s sales, although the company wouldn’t release its sales figures.
Nonetheless tying in with charitable initiatives can be a neat marketing move, whether in the offline or online world. It can create a win-win scenario for all involved – company, consumer and charity.
The campaign launched with a hilarious video featuring Jane Lynch of Glee fame. She is seen taking an affectionate swipe at the social media activities that many people perform such as sharing photos of their food, using emotions and sharing relatively mundane news such as “I’m in the park”.
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