Let's face it. With so much content being produced everyday, it's hard for any brand to stand out from all the noise on social media. Tack on the holiday season filled with promotions, gift ideas and deals galore and it's a tough feat to make any kind of splash right now. You have to work hard to get noticed.
Today as I was scrolling through my Twitter timeline there was a brand that actually caught my attention: @Oreo with their #DeckTheBalls campaign:
The content made me stop in my tracks. I can be conservative when it comes to protecting a brand online, so it made me cringe a bit. Oh, Oreo. This is such a brave and bold move with a hashtag that Twitter users can hijack in a heartbeat.
After digging deeper into the campaign though, I like what I see. The move is risky for the brand, but in the end, I think it's going to be a win. Here are four reasons why:
No. 1- They own it.
I imagine there was a lot of internal vetting when the concept and hashtag were pitched. But as I mentioned earlier, it is hard to stand out from the noise this time of the year. Oreo is a cookie brand. They should be able to have a little fun, right? The humor in this campaign helps Oreo stand out from the crowd, and my guess is the reward is greater than the risk.
One of the biggest keys to success for Oreo with the #DeckTheBalls campaign is that once they said yes, they went all in. Oreo is not just promoting a hashtag and walking away. They have plenty of assets to help carry the conversation from adedicated Tumblr site to stellar Vines.
If you are going to take a risk like this on social, make sure you are setup for success. Don't create a campaign and walk away. Own it and make no apologies, just like Oreo.
No. 2- It's on brand.
If you've never had an Oreo truffle ball, then you are missing out. In all seriousness, the campaign is on brand and hilariously fitting for the season: Oreo balls do make a great holiday favor, party gift or thank you.
#DeckTheBalls works well before it isn't a stretch. It's a perfect promotion of their product, making this a brilliant marketing play.
No. 3- They have content galore.
A good social media strategy / campaign starts with a content strategy. It's about how you tell your story online. If Oreo didn't have content to add context, this could have been a disaster. Thankfully, they have created plenty of content to share with their audience to spread #DeckTheBalls cheer:
As you can see from above, the content is not only funny, but it is also useful (recipes) and engaging. All three are key to creating content people want to share.
Let the #DeckTheBalls campaign be a reminder, that in the end, good content always wins.
No. 4- The campaign promotes UGC.
I'm a big believer in user-generated content. A brand can't carry the weight of a campaign alone; it has to rely on its consumers to help expand reach. Because this campaign inspires cooking and recipes, it lends itself to some really great user-generated content (along with a great hashtag to rally around):
This is always a good rule to live by: Get your fans and influences involved when you can. You'll reap an even bigger reward in the end.
So there you have it, four social media takeaways from Oreo's #DeckTheBalls campaign: own your campaign, keep it on brand, create good content and leverage your fans.
What do you think of the Oreo's campaign? I would love to hear your thoughts, so share them below.