OUGD503 Collaborative Practice - Research: Social Media Campaigns

OUGD503 - Studio Brief 2/Collaborative Practice 

Research: Social Media Campaigns

The term social media covers a vast range of outputs, from the standard Facebook and twitter to emerging networks for corporations such as instagram, snapchat and google hangouts. from my research I found that one-third of 25-34 year olds agree they're really interested in new technology, so feel there are no restrictions when it comes to the method of communicating with the audience via social media. I researched a range of innovative social media campaigns from 2015 to get an insight into how brands/corporations are utilising these media outlets to promote their brand. 

Burberry Snapchat 

Burberry's brilliant marketing strategy was being crafted around an innate human nature -- curiosity. While most brands work hard to keep away from spilling spoilers on social media, Burberry took the opposite attack and got a whole lot of praise for it.The fashionable company took to the digital world and happily shared their entire spring and summer line on Snapchat a day before the London Fashion Week launch. 

Just when I was getting in trouble for wanting to spoil a book, Burberry was strikin' gold spoiling their London Fashion Week runway gems using the hashtag #LFW. Sure enough, the unexpected and influential social media marketing campaign generated buzz among the all-important Millennial audience, setting them apart as innovators beyond being a fashion titan.

Snapchat is one of the newest forms of social media, initially creating extremely personal connections with one another. The platform has since developed to include live stories which range from cultural outlooks, sporting events and for the right price sponsored content by brands. Burberry innovatively utilised this personal connection snapchat offers allowing a sneak peak at their new collection which worked well in drip feeding curiosity to the audience.

Expedia Instagram

The travel industry and visual imagery go hand in hand. With over 400 million active Instagram users, Expedia launched a contest campaign on the social media platform and enjoyed much success.  Hosting contests on social media is a great marketing strategy to generate massive amounts of user-generated content. Expedia ran a contest on Instagram offering a trip to Rio de Janeiro using lovely pictures to pique the interest of Instagrammers. The social media campaign did not disappoint. The travel photos evoked excitement and a sense of adventure leading to the campaign's whopping 999 score in engagement on Unmetric's platform.

We all secretly pride ourselves on our instagram photos, especially when travelling. The travel giants expedia harnessed this desire to share our holiday snaps, giving people a reason to post selfish shots of their glamorous holidays, using a simple hash tag allows the competition to grow and reach a huge audience, with the the winner being given a free holiday which is way worth the exposure Expedia received from the campaign. 

Before I Die

Before I die is a participatory public art project that took a life of its own and garnered quite a bit of attention this year from its humble beginnings on creator Candy Chang's project on the shabby wall of an abandoned house in New Orleans. After losing a dear loved one, Chang took to art to restore her perspective and find consolation with the help of her neighbors. Covering the dilapidated house with chalkboard paint, Chang stenciled in the line "Before I die I want to _______" and left some chalk for passers by. Before long, the wall was filled with responses, garnering global attention almost instantaneously with shared images. 

This year, 1000 Before I Die walls have now been created in over 70 countries, including Iraq, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa. This influential campaign broke the taboo of contemplating death and discussing it in social media. It is a celebration of life that makes us all stop and think about the things that really matter to us. 

I liked this example as it demonstrates how social media campaigns don't have to be digital. This art project stemmed from a physical art installation in New Orleans, The response was huge with the hashtag taking off wit images and contributions. The emotive nature of the campaign made people internally validate their own bucket list and creates a compassionate connection with the campaign that makes it rememberable and successful. 

These social media campaigns are all unique in their own right but all stem from a desire to communicate and exchange information with others, The bold innovative use of technology will appeal to the 25-35 year old target audience and with the right concept would be a great way to define GAP as a new authority in denim for this demographic.