Top 5 Ways Brands Are Using the Twitter Hashtag to Promote Products • Since its conception in 2007, the hashtag has played a key role in creative advertising throughout the UK social media channels, spreading from Twitter to almost all major social networks and even everyday conversation. Their searchable, clickable and measurable nature has proved to be a valuable asset for marketers. According to Buddy Media, tweets with hashtags receive 2x more engagement than those without – but it’s not just a case of simply throwing in a hashtag to make your campaign more ‘social’, brands need to be clear about its purpose and how they want audiences to interact with it for effective results. Below is a list of some of the best twitter social marketing campaigns used by multinational brands to promote their products and product launches. Dominos Pizza: Let’s Do Lunch Campaign
Each time someone tweeted the hashtag #letsdolunch to Domino’s Pizza, the price of a pepperoni pizza dropped. A total of 85,000 tweets were received, knocking down the price from £15.99 to £7.74. The simple and effective use of this hashtag helped achieve a direct action; as a result lunchtime sales saw an increase during the day the hashtag was used. In 2012, the brand reported a 14.6% uplift in full-year pre-tax profits to £43.6m, driven by a 43% leap in online sales aided by low-cost digital marketing.
Snickers: Eat a Snickers Luis Suarez
Snickers’ reactive tweet to Luis Suarez’s controversial World Cup bite is a great example of how brands are capitalising on trending topics, associating themselves with high talking moments to extend their reach. Snickers’ timely and clever reaction generated 15 million impressions, five thousand new Twitter followers in less than two days and led to their own hashtag, #EatASnickers, becoming one of the all time top 10 hashtags related to #LuisSuarez. Disney: Wreck It Ralph 8 Bit Takeover
To raise awareness for the launch of Disney’s film Wreck-It-Ralph, Fold7 created an 8-bit takeover of East London’s Brick Lane. We didn’t promote 8-Bit Lane or use Disney branding, and wanted the public to discover it for themselves. News of the pop-up spread fast via word of mouth but we also used a large hashtag we had tagged onsite. This authentic approach and not bombarding audiences with branded hashtags encouraged them to share their experiences without ever feeling pushed to. 1.25 million users came in contact with the hashtag within the first six hours of launch, firmly positioning Disney at the centre of the conversation. Philippine Department of Tourism: Its More Fun…
In 2012, the Philippine’s Department of Tourism developed a strikingly simple and human claim that would rally huge support from Filipinos; it was demonstrated through the hashtag #Itsmorefuninthephilippines. The campaign resonated well amongst Filipino audiences and the hashtag triggered an explosion of usergenerated branded content, which helped to build a positive association for the brand. The campaign line was mentioned once every minute on social media and campaign research showed high scores for likeability (92%), believability (87%), empathy (86%) and uniqueness (82%).
Pepsi: Live For Now
Pepsi’s global campaign ‘Live For Now’ uses the hashtag #LiveForNow as a way to unite all branded content which spans across TV, online, outdoor and radio. Pepsi Pulse, the brand’s Tumblr-like dashboard pulls in various content using the hashtag, creating cross-platform integration and consistent campaign storytelling. It’s evident that hashtags have the power to make a valuable impact in the social sphere and now more than ever brands are recognising the influence hashtags have on consumer behavior and a tool for creative advertising in the UK. Of course there are the obvious blunders to avoid; making sure the hashtag is user friendly and isn’t already owned, and it’s also important to note that hashtags perform differently across social channels. For example Facebook hashtags may not emulate the same impact as Twitter given the more private nature of Facebook profiles. But with careful thought and early involvement in the creative process, hashtags can really help brands take off. With social listening tools becoming more sophisticated, marketers can also take joy in proving the value of their hashtag campaigns with more confidence.