During Superbowl XLVII in 2013, a massive power outage occurred in the stadium after Beyonce’s epic halftime show. This unforgettable moment led to an unforgettable tweet from Oreo.
Jumping at the chance to get their brand into the trending conversation, Oreo made a lasting impact on Twitter users and started a revolution of real-time marketing. This tweet was retweeted over 15,000 times, and when Oreo posted it on Facebook, it got over 20,000 likes. Out of all the ads shown on the biggest day of the year for ads, this simple tweet arguably had the biggest impact.
A kickstart to social media real-time marketing, this tweet launched a trend of responding to unexpected events that interrupt the nation. This well-executed kind of reaction didn’t occur naturally, however. Oreo had a social media team of 15 people to comment and respond to occurrences during the Super Bowl. This enabled them to quickly put together a graphic and message to send out to the world before the blackout became old news.
Although these events are usually unplanned, lots of planning to prepare to respond to real-time events must happen. Teams must prepare for action to be taken on real-time platforms, such as Twitter, during major events. What if those events can’t actually be planned for? That is where the next big real-time marketing execution comes in.
Fast-forward to September 2014. Apple customers were upset that their iPhone 6 Plus devices were bending. This posed an opportunity for brands to get in the conversation about this unthinkable occurrence, and KitKat was the first to get it right.
Surpassing Oreo’s success, the tweet not only gained KitKat thousands of followers, retweets, and favorites, it garnered national attention.
Now we have a social media trend that, if executed well, can bring incredible success to brands. Real-time social media marketing is tricky business, but our Houston advertising agency knows the recipe to give brands this edge.
After establishing the availability of graphic designers and copywriters, brands must monitor trends and pinpoint major trending events. The best type of event or idea is that which is unique, unexpected, or rare.
Next, brands must analyze its relevance to the trending topic. Does the event coincide with its overall branding and strategy? Can the topic be easily integrated into its marketing strategy to further develop the brand’s personality?
After these questions have been taken into consideration, brands must act quickly. The graphic design and copywriting teams must coordinate to effectively create an easily-digested and well-crafted message to post on the most advantageous platform.
Lastly, brands must track the initial success of the social media post and boost if it is doing well. The success of this process is dependent on the amount of time it takes for the marketing team to respond to trends.
Although opportunities like the Super Bowl Blackout are rare, brands can easily take advantage of real-time marketing on a smaller scale. Using trending topics on Twitter, brands can get involved in their audiences? conversations. It is difficult to find any brand on Twitter that hasn’t participated in at least one trending conversation, and this trend is experiencing continued growth.
Whether another #AlexFromTarget comes around or Kanye interrupts yet again, this advertising agency is ready for anything.
