♔ SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [GB_V34.0]

The big picture?  Agencies are increasingly incorporating tech talent into the creative process and building tech expertise inside and outside client relationships in order to produce integrated campaigns that effectively use social media, apps, mobile and viral video.


Hasbro, the board game maker, developed an app that turns your social network into one big Facebook-powered game of 'Guess Who?' - Video 

Miracle Whip – ‘Haters Gonna Hate’ Campaign embraces peoples polarizing reactions to generate buzz and pique interest taking the unusual route of offering an online forum to consumers who both love and hate the product - Video 

Organic brands Stonyfield Farm and Honest Tea are teaming up for a contest that encourages fans to submit videos about why organics are important to them - JustDrinkOrganic.com

Nissan's Accidental Test Drive - Car dealers have to get extremely creative these days to get people to take the all-important test-drive - even if that means accidentally blocking them in – Video

Search for places nearby using Google Maps, monitor your driving efficiency or even update your Facebook and Twitter status. MINI USA demonstrate their advanced integration between physical and digital worlds with ‘Connected’ - making it one with the MINI's hi-res cockpit display – Video


Absolut Vodka's campaign, "The Stoop Life Movement," has been honored with PRWeek's "Consumer Launch Campaign of the Year Award."  The campaign featured Brooklyn blogger outreach, fans' personal stoop stories, and local partnerships to drive engagement - PRWeek 

Test-drive a BMW X3 smashing across your favourite (and least favourite) websites. Browser-based game developed by (MDC's) Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners and Dotglu - Website 

Starbucks and MTV are using ‘Instagram’ (a photo sharing mobile application) to offer fans exclusive behind-the-scene views (that can be easily shared across the social space) - 360 Digital Influence 

Volkswagen (Australia's) 'Boot Tetris' Campaign took over shopping centers and 71 VW dealerships across Australia engaging more then 17,000 people (and exceeding sales targets by 25%) – Video 

Tipp-Ex's video (highly viral and interactive with 16,014,627 views) video plays off of your expectations of YouTube's functionality – Video 

EA SPORTS is using a new Facebook app that gives fans an exclusive view of the Augusta National golf course to promote their new video game - Facebook 

H&R Block, Comcast, Southwest Airlines, Zappos, and Whole Foods Market were among the top ten companies named in Time Magazine's  ‘140 Best Twitter Feeds’ - TIME 

The successful PEDIGREE Adoption Drive for Dogs features Facebook Ads and PR activities and has led to the donation of more than 1.2 million bowls of food to shelters across the U.S. Read the Case Study 

In the spirit of April Fools, Molson Coors announced the sophomoric ‘tongue koozie’ by partnering with a Canadian lifestyle blogger - Casie Stewart 

Major League Baseball has named Mike O'Hara as their official Social Media Ambassador to run the new MLB ‘Fan Cave’ and manage all of the league's social media correspondence - MLB.com 

MATTEL goes guerrilla and wows with disruptive creative billboards – More

Winners and runner-ups from BtoB Magazine's second annual Social Media Marketing Awards are open to public voting for the "People's Choice Award." The finalists include EMC, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Firehouse.com, LexisNexis, and Omni Hotels & Resorts - BtoB Magazine 

InterContinental Hotels Group shares how IHG used online communities to jumpstart its global social media programs - Vimeo 

Many companies offer discounts and deals on Facebook, but Expedia is giving away $1 million in prizes (including five trips that cost more than $100,000) - More 

Getting an extreme “social” makeover, the SKITTLES home page has been converted to a twitter search - targeted to the word #skittles from any twitter post – Website 

Ford, CBS, PepsiCo, Best Buy, and Procter & Gamble are all using social media to keep fans interested and engaged in their brand - Fast Company Design 

3LiveShop (by B-Reel) allows you and the sales person to see and talk to each other while the sales person demonstrates products and services to you (just like on a video conference – only better.) – Video

TOYOTA Prius turns its hand to real-time record breaking. Over two days - March 30th and 31^st, 2011 - Toyota Prius attempted to break 200 World Records - Video

Director Chris Milk's Interview at the Creativity and Technology Conference CaT (London 2010) talks about the evolution of Storytelling using digital tools - Video 

DDB° Paris created a billboard for TROPICANA completely powered by oranges.  Electricity is generated by attaching 2,500 oranges to wood fitted with zinc and copper spikes - Video 

PLAYTEX Sport’s ‘Unstoppable Moves’ (UGC) Campaign (by Social Control) encourages users to upload their best moves, make a video mash-up and view submissions on their YouTube Channel. For this effort they donate $5 to the Women’s Sports Foundation – More 

The Customer Service Happiness Manifesto by John O’Nolan – Article 

Coca-Cola brand Fanta's Chase 3D Projection Mapping (by Ogilvy) stunt at Dubai Mall definitely gets your attention – Video 

♔ Nissan's Accidental Test Drive

Perhaps more than any other brand category, the consumer purchase route in the automotive industry relies on pre-purchase trials. While this is understandable as the test drive is a lengthy process, and with so many marquees on offer, this presents another layer of competition for motor companies.  Although the Nissan Patrol had undergone several developments leading to a more sophisticated and luxurious design, the basic outside design had remained largely unchanged. Nissan needed to get potential drivers to experience the interior changes for themselves.

Recognising that drivers often prefer specific types of vehicle, Arabian Automobiles (the exclusive Nissan distributor in Dubai) chose to target drivers of competitor SUV models. But instead of wasting time trying to persuade otherwise loyal drivers to book a test drive with a different brand, Arabian Automobiles chose to take the test drive to the drivers - and force them to take part.

On different days at different car parks, Nissan Patrols blocked other SUVs in their bays by parking behind them. When drivers returned to their vehicles, they discovered a note on their windscreen encouraging them to move the Nissan Patrol behind them.

Once they were inside the Patrol and had started the vehicle, a CD automatically played a special message that apologised for the inconvenience, explained the new features of the Patrol and encouraged the driver to sign up for a real test drive. At the end of the message, drivers were invited to collect a CD from the central console that contained brochures and videos of the Patrol in action.  Since this took place in car parks, Arabian Automobiles needed police permissions, a filming permit, and of a new Patrol vehicle for the participant to use.

Results

After the mini test drive, Nissan invited drivers to sign up for a longer test experience. On average, 7 out of 10 respondents opted for a full test drive, including drivers of Toyotas, Jeeps and Range Rovers.  Two drivers failed to "get" the stunt. One woman who called the police and one angry man beeped the horn for 10 red-faced minutes.  Nissan plan to repeat the stunt over more weekends, and Arabian Automobiles have adopted this technique as part of the 2011 Patrol marketing plan.  The campaign was by TBWA/RAAD.