At Facebook’s brand summit last week, marketing leaders from big Canadian brands spoke about how they use social media platforms in their campaigns.
The focus was on using Facebook and the company’s picture-sharing platform Instagram effectively. Many brands showed real campaign examples to prove how the two platforms helped reach marketing goals.
Since burger chain A&W started advertising on Instagram a few years ago, the brand has seen a 39-point lift in ad recall, and a 4-point lift in message association with quality ingredients. For two weeks in March 2015, Canadian Tire ran a video ad campaign on Instagram called “Shovel it Forward” and saw a 45-point lift in ad recall.
Here are some tips from the experts:
Follow the four rules of great creative
G. Andrew Mayer, the creative shop lead at Facebook, said it’s important to remember that great social media campaigns are simply great creative. They need to be memorable for one (or more) of the following reasons: humour, heart, being smart, or being so unique it jumps out and stands out.
Don’t stress about measurement
Rick Malhotra, the head of measurement at Facebook Canada, said, “What keeps me up at night is the ability to measure behaviour in an omni-channel world.” Most consumers have three digital devices, making measurement increasingly difficult.
Instead of stressing over measurement, he recommended marketers focus on the call to action. “With a well-designed call to action you can influence someone digitally to do something in real life,” Malhotra said.
Start top-down and collaborate to avoid chaos
Duncan Fulton, an executive officer and senior vice-president at Canadian Tire Corp. as well as the CMO at FGL Sports, said, “You have to prepare your organization as you begin the digital journey for chaos.”
There may be many unanswerable questions at the start of a social media campaign, which is why it should be introduced at the top levels of the organization then distilled downward. If it’s successful, it may send supply chains and organizational systems in flux because of increased product demand – which is when chaos may occur.
And, brands need agencies to help cut through the noise and reach consumers effectively. “You need to think of it as consumer engagement, not tech,” said Kristi Karens, the director of media and consumer engagement at Mondelez Canada.
Follow the three keys of Instagram
Dan Habashi, the head of brand development at Instagram, said regardless of industry, “if advertisers do a good job they do three things quite well [on Instagram]. They have a consistent point of view; they’re known for something. They have a well crafted point of view. And the last thing is be a transportive brand, take them somewhere. Have them experience your products.”
He said companies like Dior have a clear brand on Instagram; it’s very polished and consistent. And Destination B.C. is a strong example of a transportive brand, showing followers what they could experience if they travel to the province.
