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How to #BreakTheInternet this Oscars

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Last year Samsung struck social media gold when it sponsored Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres, who put out a tweet that went insanely viral.Other brands that made a mark tweeting on the back of this big event included the likes of Lipton Tea, Olay, Pepsi and others. This year, while we've been actively monitoring the #Oscar2015 hashtag, the tweets so far seem somewhat lackluster. (With the exception of Dove which has been actively pushing its #SpeakBeautiful agenda.)Take a look at the tweets that have gone out:https://twitter.com/OlayUS/status/569653384015261696https://twitter.com/revlon/status/569669024482795520https://twitter.com/TiffanyAndCo/status/569661505177853952We speak to social media experts on how to make the most of such a global broadcast event.1. Predict and planIan McKee, CEO of Vocanic says that there are two main areas where brands can focus on in order to generate some discussions around the Oscars: Predictions and quick response. Predicting winners is a big part of the experience, and creating a space for a brand’s followers to express their thoughts can go a long way.For example, says McKee, a Facebook Event page can be a good environment to nurture conversation. This is especially true for entertainment, FMCG, and fashion brands in particular as it leads to room for thoughtful brand plugs during the course of the event.Kelvin Koo, head of digital of Publicis added that for events such as the Oscars, brands need to decide beforehand with the agencies the possible opportunities for it to enter into the conversation. With the nominees for the various categories in hand, it is not difficult to prepare a different tweet and visual for every possible outcome so that the brand can pull the trigger when it moment arises.2. Active listeningHowever, any good marketer knows surprise opportunities do occur.For such “reactive” real-time strategy, brands and agencies need to have discussions beforehand on the boundaries and possible angles they are comfortable in exploring.After that, says Koo, it is all about the creative spark between the agency and the client as they listen in on where the conversations are going and make decisions on the fly.“In a real time marketing scenario, things escalate pretty fast. Hence both client and agency need to have enough trust in each other to take risks.”McKee added that active listening has a big part to play in such global events as it is impossible to know beforehand what will blow out of proportion and catch the attention of people on Twitter and Facebook. Brands need to be ready to jump in at the right time.While active response is indeed crucial in a real time marketing strategy, it doesn’t mean that brands simply sit around and wait for bombs to drop.Ryan Skelton, executive creative director of Lowe Proffero Tokyo says that because so few brands are prepared to be purely reactive, a good strategy is to collect video links, interviews and pictures of the films and actors a company wants to be associated with.3. Remain authentic and know your audienceDerek Tan, head of social marketing at IPG Mediabrands, World Markets Asia added that using the brand as the channel to entertain audiences and engage them through emotive content is a must. However, this has to go alongside the fact that every tweet sent out by the brand stays true to its voice.Take for example the Southeast Asia region, says Tan. It is diverse, and knowing the nuances of both language and cultural implications helps. An understanding of the prevalent pop culture and what audiences are talking about will help brands to tune into conversations and to tap into the energy to tell their brand stories.“Don't fake interest in something just to steal eyeballs - have an authority at the keyboard or your tweets will either disappear into the ether or attract the wrong kind of attention,” adds Skelton.

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