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Some really big brands are also maximizing social media campaigns to gain business.
Although investing in Social Media campaigns can be a great way for a business to grow, these campaigns are not always as successful as businesses hope it will be. In fact, in some cases, such a campaign can do more harm than good.
With that being said, here are some of the characteristics of successful social media campaigns.
Ikea
When Ikea decided to open a new store in Malmo, Sweden, they used ‘Facebook Showroom.’ The store manager posted pictures of the new showrooms, and whoever tagged these items first won them. The participants created awareness amongst their Facebook Friends and it went viral. This campaign was such a great success because consumers got to engage with actual merchandize.Smirnoff
In 2006 the Diageo-owned vodka brand, Smirnoff, promoted their Raw Tea Drink with a viral rap parody music video. The video featured preppy white guys. The Web video directed to Smirnoff’s Web site. Along with this video, there were also some supplementary billboards and radio ads.
Evian
They created an ad and placed it on Youtube. Today it is most viewed online ad in history (according to The Guinness Book of World Records). The ad featured computer-generated babies on roller skate breakdancing and backflipping. It received sixty million views and fifty-four thousand comments.
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Vitaminwater
This beverage decided to make their campaign interactive. They created a Facebook page that doubled as the brand’s official website. Then they gave they their fans on Facebook an opportunity to create their own flavors of Glaceau Vitaminwater. They gave $5, 000 to the one who created the winning flavor.
They were committed to getting the brand’s name out there. They also promoted their social component through TV and online ads. These are all components that made their efforts successful.
The Blair Witch Project
Considered to be the best-ever media campaign, ‘The Blair Witch Product’ is one of the first viral marketing efforts. The marketers were able to generate a big buzz for this horror flick, although they were working on a small budget.
They used Web sites and message boards to provoke interest in the movie. This was done way before its release in the Summer of 1999. There were fake newspaper clippings about the disappearance of the movie’s main characters, and police photos of their missing car were posted.
The film reportedly made more than $29 million in its first week of wide release. To date, it has presumably generated about $249 million worldwide.
Social Media creates the opportunity for customers and clients to interact with brands. This can help give owners an idea of what their needs are and they can respond accordingly. This is one of the benefits of Social Media in general.
With the successful social media campaigns mentioned above, it is clear that social media marketing needs to be part of your marketing plan.
Leandre de BruynAbout the Guest Author:
Leandre de Bruyn works for the Digital Marketing company based in Cape Town, South Africa - Karma Digital Media.