Seeing a big brand like Coca-Cola or a giant company like Unilever in the news for doing something innovative on social media can be intimidating, since few of us have budgets like theirs to leverage. That said, there’s always a lesson to be learned from big brands that are testing the waters and this week we found a handful of interesting examples. What’s more, recent research (highlighted below) shows that people want brands to treat them like friends, which means no matter the size of your budget, spending time to get to know your audience goes a long way – and that’s something we can all get behind!
YouTube
AdAge: How Unilever Tapped ‘I Want That Hair’ Moments by Aggregating Blogger Videos
This article shines the spotlight on how a smart brand identified a trend (hair care how-to videos on YouTube) and built a search function around it to insert itself into the conversation. More than 50 million views later, Unilever has tapped into an incredible audience and built strong brand awareness..
Adweek: Wendy’s is Making Snapchat-Like Mobile Ads on Facebook
Whether you’re exploring mobile ads on Facebook, playing around with Snapchat, or just looking for an innovative way to tell your brand’s story, give this article a quick read. Wendy’s is using innovative tactics to tell their quality story, highlight ingredients with beautiful imagery and engage customers – lessons we could all learn from!
Wall Street Journal: Why CNN is Launching its New Web Video Brand Great Big Story on Facebook First
Great Big Story – CNN’s new venture focused on feel-good video content – is focusing on Facebook where video is on the rise and built-in audiences are inspired to share. This article focuses on Great Big Story’s Facebook strategy and provides great food for thought for any brand looking to up its engagement game.
Snapchat
Fast Company: How Coca-Cola Cracked Snapchat
Coca-Cola has proven yet again the importance of tailoring content to the audience. While earlier this year Snapchat found that 60-70 percent of users stopped watching ads on the app in just three seconds, Coca-Cola spiked its completion rate for 10 second spots by 54 percent with improved content..
Engagement
Adweek: Brands Should Treat Consumers as Friends, Not Age Groups [INFOGRAPHIC]
New research reveals that 63 percent of people wish brands treated them like a friend instead of a consumer. What does this mean for you? Forget tackling your audiences based on demographics such as age alone… Get to know them more intimately and you’ll achieve stronger brand loyalty. Fascinating insights in this infographic!
New Stories on The GFM Blog This Week:
GFM’s Storytellers Share Their Favorite Stories
In a Crisis, Make Friends With Legal Counsel
Best and Worst NBA Rebrands of 2015
A Seven-Step Social Media Strategy for Startups
