Ten campaigns of 2011 raised the bar for social stream initiatives, by virtue of their unique adaptation to the social stream, specialized targeting, or creative approach. So study up on the cream of the crop, know what works, and prepare to innovate once again in 2012.
10. #GilletteJeterCard
Riding the fan response to an historic event
For New York Yankees star Derek Jeter’s anticipated 3,000th hit, Gillette made a big social push to harvest the fan response. Across Twitter, social apps, and Facebook, Gillette collected well-wishes and congratulations from fans around the world. Thousands of fans participated and passed along the #GilletteJeterCard message, and after Jeter finally connected bat to ball for the 3,000th time, Gillette presented him with a huge greeting card and $50,000 for Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation.
9. Vitaminwater Color Collection
Crowdsourced design from social stream users
Kickstarter, Etsy, and Threadless all broke out in 2011 by tapping into the hot trend of crowdsourced creative, which connects budding creative directors with eager markets halfway around the globe. Vitaminwater, a young brand pursuing a fashionable market, capitalized on the trend in an innovative way.
Vitaminwater invited young fashion designers from across the country to try for a chance at a jump start to their careers. Fashion designers were invited to submit a t-shirt design for Vitaminwater, for the chance to be sold alongside exclusive T-shirts designed by CFDA designers like Vena Cava and Rag & Bone. 140 Proof helped them reach Fashion Design Students and Shopping Influencers by targeting the followers of accounts like @CathyHorynNYT and @rag_bone.
8. Mercedes-Benz Tweet Rally
A social scavenger hunt
A contest campaign takes advantage of the inherent virality of Twitter and Facebook and accelerates buzz around a brand’s profile. Audience members can tweet a hashtag, retweet a message, or follow the brand to enter to win. It’s a surefire way to gain followers quickly.
Mercedes-Benz hosted their annual Tweet Rally for the 2011 US Open, an all-out push to attract tennis fans and luxury lovers (and showcase the new M Class in the meantime). Anyone who followed @MBUSA in the days leading up to the US Open could win tickets for the best seats at the tournament — delivered by Roger Federer. The Tweet Rally reached 1 million people across the social app ecosystem in the space of less than a week.
7. Sony Pictures Moneyball
A blockbuster movie launch driven by the social stream
Moneyball grossed a staggering $19.5 million its opening weekend and $104 worldwide so far, making it the #3 baseball movie of all time.
To wind up entertainment lovers, Sony Pictures and 140 Proof teamed up to reach Movie Fans, Connected Millennials, and Baseball Fans. Followers and friends of followers of accounts like @TMZ, @MLB, and @jimmyfallon saw the Moneyball message in their favorite social apps during the week-long run-up to the premiere.
6. UFC Personal Trainer Fitness Video Game Launch
Testable targeting and optimization
In 2011, THQ launched UFC Personal Trainer, a fitness game for Ultimate Fighting Championship fans and fitness buffs. Taking a page from Wii Fit, the cross-platform UFC Personal Trainer coaches and conditions aspirational fighters at home.
140 Proof targeted 3 distinct personas with separate sets of creative: Male Fitness Fans, Female Fitness Fans, and UFC Fans by reaching followers of top UFC fighter @UrijahFaber and The Biggest Loser trainer @JillianMichaels. The surprising result? Female fitness fans responded more strongly to the campaign than any other targeted persona.
5. Microsoft Office 365 Launch
Bringing the cloud to the social stream
When Microsoft was ready to unleash its new cloud offering Office 365 on the world, they turned to influencers in the social stream. Microsoft used 140 Proof’s interest graph targeting to reach Small Business Owners and Technology Influencers, who follow accounts like @FedEx and @cdixon.
Cloud computing services is one of the fastest growing segments for 140 Proof, as businesses race to outsource their architecture. 2012 will see bigger initiatives from all players around increasing cloud services adoption.
4. Glee “Sing the USA” by Chevrolet
Leveraging the combined power of Gleeks nationwide
Chevrolet went the extra mile in 2011 with nimble cross-media strategy, and to promote their new Cruze compact car, they went to bat with the fans of prime time TV hit Glee.
To support a TV collaboration that debuted at the Super Bowl, Chevrolet tapped the social stream to find the most fanatical Gleeks, who submitted their own versions of the classic Chevrolet song “See the USA.” 140 Proof helped Chevrolet target TV Fans and Glee Fans by reaching the audiences of accounts like @gleeonfox and @ConanOBrien.
3. Burger King Chicken Tenders
Connecting to busy moms via their smartphones
2011 for Burger King was a momentous year: agency upheavals, new menu launches, and mascot regicide all contributed to a frenetic marketing calendar.
Burger King was re-launching its famous Chicken Tenders, and they needed to reach busy moms — the top US purchaser of crispy, tender, chicken tidbits (averaging 200 tenders and/or nuggets per mom).*
140 Proof helped reach the millions of U.S. Moms and Family Decision Makers on their smartphone by targeting the followers of the 100 best family influencers in social, such as @thepioneerwoman and @Oprah.
2. AMC: The Walking Dead
Biting off a fresh social strategy
The AMC zombie TV series The Walking Dead debuted its second season to critical and fan acclaim in October, ravaging basic cable records and biting off a third season commitment from AMC. TargetCast and 140 Proof partnered to promote the show in the social stream, achieving performance twice the network average.
AMC and its agency of record, TargetCast, sought to target the 18-34 demographic to grow awareness around the season premiere. 140 Proof took the plan a step further, adding interest-based targeting to reach AMC fans, Zombie Thriller Fans, and Halloween Celebrants in the social stream by reaching the fans of accounts like zombie apocalypse blogger @manvszombies, @BreakingBad_AMC, and @DAVID_LYNCH.
1. Victoria’s Secret Gorgeous: Fall TV Continuity
Syncing Fall TV buys with social
Fall premiere week is a highly anticipated time for network TV, and likewise it’s an important time for advertisers. Victoria’s Secret was banking on the fall premieres of popular shows like Glee and Gossip Girl to find young, fashion-loving women to show its new Gorgeous fashion line.
To supplement the huge TV spend, Victoria’s Secret took advantage of social as a second screen and coordinated the social campaign timing with the TV spots, targeting fans of show-related accounts like Glee star @jennaushkowitz and Glee fan club @OMGlee_.
The social stream as second screen strategy delivered over 75,000 fans to Victoria’s Secret to check out the Gorgeous line.
Next: The Top Trends of 2012
2011 was a fantastic year for 140 Proof. We offer congratulations to all of our customers, and to everyone who’s pushing the envelope and innovating in the social stream. Look for most posts to come about the upcoming challenges and opportunities to innovate in 2012.
* Probably.
