Social Media is the most popular topic among top digital brands and influencers according to a recently published report on digital marketing. The study that analysed tweets and blogs in the digital marketing space showed that a whopping 27% of the overall topic share of voice went to social media. It was followed, not very closely, by content marketing at 12%.
Merely stating the need for a robust digital marketing strategy for brands under represents the extent of its importance. This is demonstrated by how brands, whether B2B or B2C, are allocating bigger budgets to digital marketing. In fact, digital marketing budgets are predicted to grow 12% in the coming year while the budget for traditional advertising is expected to fall 2%.
But how important is it to have a data-informed digital marketing strategy guide your brand’s overall marketing plan?
Quoting Evan Dunn, Digital Marketing Practice Lead at Transform, “Today’s marketing, whether online or off, must be a scientific art (or an artistic science, either one). It can no longer be gut-driven, dominated by creative, and powered by trendy jargon. Measurement, analytics, statistics, quantification, optimization – these are the stuff of proven strategies.”
We bring you 11 brands that have built digital marketing strategies that reflect a keen understanding of how their target audience has evolved.
Domino’s
Ordering your favorite pizza is as easy as logging into its app on your smartphone. You’d think it was impossible to make that experience any simpler.
Except, Domino’s recently launched their Facebook Messenger chatbot that makes the process of ordering your favorite pizza even easier. All you need to do is type “pizza” or send the popular pizza emoji to the chatbot, christened ‘Dom’, on Facebook messenger and it helps you place an order. Dom is currently only available in UK and Ireland but they plan on making it available in other geographies soon.
Louis Vuitton
Luxury brands have to toe the line between being mysteriously alluring but at the same time, appear achievable and within reach. Quoting Duke Greenhill, CEO of Greenhill+Partners, “Luxury brands must embrace the fact that their primary products are actually elusive and ephemeral feelings, and that their physical products are mere mediums through which consumers achieve those feelings.”
Louis Vuitton does a stupendous job of disseminating its unique character to their audience through traditional and digital media. They were one of the first luxury brands to develop an active presence on Snapchat. They recently used the visual messaging platform to provide a first-of-its-kind live coverage of their professional sailing event in New York. The event gave Snapchatters real time updates of the race through live story streaming and also let them contribute to the story by submitting their own pictures and footage.
The final product was a short video stream that incorporated aspects of owned and user-generated footage and was made available on their page for 24 hours.
When Netflix handed binge-power to its audience, it reflected a deep understanding of what people were looking for. Their strategy changed the traditional linear television experience forever and even alienated major networks. But for their 75 million (and counting) subscribers world over, this was just what the doctor ordered.
Content across their social handles displays this understanding of the audience. #NetflixAndChill took social media by storm when it was introduced and since then, has led to some crazy memes and gifs. Netflix was quick to catch up to the trend with their own version of the meme that they posted on Twitter.
Netflix and chill? No, really. pic.twitter.com/ezcZ7V0peN
With bespoke automobiles that reflect facets of their buyer’s personality, Bentley takes customized luxury to another level. When such commitment to the customer is part of your legacy, how could Bentley not be part of the digital revolution? And if their recent campaigns are anything to go by, Bentley figures right on top in a list of digital marketing greats.
The latest campaign to wow us and marketers across the globe was “Look Closer” that introduced the new Bentley Mulsanne through a first-ever, one of a kind car photograph that was captured using NASA’s space exploration technology. The picture is made up of 53 billion pixels and is 4,425 times larger than a regular smartphone image.
Read more about the campaign here.
With enviable presence across popular social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest GE is one of the few B2B brands on this list. They’re even active on less-explored networks like Snapchat or Tumblr (and even have a page on Wattpad ?). What stands out across their digital properties is the continued focus on the tenets of innovation and technology, two aspects that are so integral to GE as a brand.
One of their most striking endeavours on social is the Tumblr page titled, “6SecondScience”. The page that started off as a science experiment encourages users to create and upload 6 second science experiments on Vine and share it on the Tumblr page and Twitter using the hashtag “#6SecondScience”.
Their digital efforts across industries and platforms are encapsulated on the GE Reports page on the website. The portal has content around their latest innovations, debates and commentary on topics of national and global significance and showcases detailed reports about GE as a brand.
What stands out across GE’s digital marketing campaigns is their commitment to constant innovation and how that vision seeps into every piece of content they produce- be it a report, an image or a social media post.
With a well laid website that eliminates clutter, ASOS is one of the e-commerce retailers that has understood the inner workings of the shopaholic’s mind.
Whether you want to browse through established brands, check out independent labels and vintage boutiques or want to know the latest from the world of fashion, they’ve got it all. ASOS urges you to dig deeper on their website. And isn’t that what the online retail game is all about? Each section subliminally coaxes you to move to the next because of the way it is presented.
In fact, they recently decided to increase marketing investment on content and social media because of how digital is working for them. The e-commerce site states that the number of active consumers they reach with their content crossed 10 million in February this year. The increased focus on digital is also marked by the fact that 50% of their orders are placed on mobiles.
With a cumulative fan following of over 17 million across social networks, a particularly successful campaign is #AsSeenOnMe that is extremely popular on Instagram.
ASOS has always had their digital marketing game on point but the added focus on content is targeted at further differentiating themselves from their competition.
With online and offline presence that outweighs that commanded by any of its competitors, Lego is more than just a brand that does content well. The simplicity with which they innovatively weave content, digital and traditional, around their products is what distinguishes their digital marketing strategy from the others.
Each product line has a mini-universe of its own that relies heavily on content. Whether it’s their best-selling videogame franchise, Lego Marvel’s Avengers or the original blocky Lego character fighting aliens in outer space- each microsite is replete with storylines, videos and pictures associated with its characters.
One of the key differentiators of Lego’s digital marketing strategy lies in their partnerships with other brands that further accentuate their offering. An exceptionally inspiring partnership was the Lego Belkin campaign that encouraged users to submit phone case designs using Lego blocks.
Spreading a positive body image has been the central theme for Dove’s digital marketing campaigns. Their campaigns across traditional and digital platforms reflect their commitment towards promoting a less judgemental and more confident world, especially for women.
Most of their campaigns have been associated with a cause, but the initiative that stands out across them all is the Dove Self Esteem project which provides exhaustive content for those championing to build a healthier world. With topics that range from self-esteem and body image to coping with bullying, there’s a world of advice for anyone who wants to help.
If you’re thinking about luxury brands that are acing digital, it wouldn’t take too long to spot a Burberry campaign in the mix. There are too many to quote that have been innovative, inspirational and downright mind-blowingly executed.
The Art of Trench project presented a virtual runway to fashion influencers way before influencer marketing was taking over the world. Burberry Kisses allowed a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Google combining the real and virtual to enable users to send kisses across the globe. They also happened to be the first brand to make use of Snapchat’s Discover feature. Burberry is definitely one of the few luxury brands that has discovered the power of digital.
Net-a-Porter
When Natalie Massanet launched Net-a- Porter in early 2000, it was the first of its kind. Over the last decade or so, Net-a-Porter has evolved to become a premier destination for the fashion-savvy customer with an eye for the latest trends. Their digital campaigns have always been a step ahead of everyone else.
The Net Set App, launched in early 2015, urged shoppers to have an offline experience on an online platform. Shoppers on the app can browse through the latest trends and collections from top brands, follow top fashion influencers, and even gauge your shopping preferences based on the kind of images you upload. Another innovative digital step was their digital magazine, Porter, that allowed readers to directly purchase products they’d like to own. Why go through the hassle of finding a brick-and-mortar or online store to buy a dress you saw in the latest edition of Vogue when you can place a request for it right from the magazine?
All you need is the Net-a-Porter app and the digital magazine. It’s a virtual catalogue of sorts and everything you see can be purchased with the swipe of a finger.
Gary Vee
It felt fitting to end this list with a true-blue social influencer who has evolved into a larger-than-life phenomenon of sorts. Gary Vee who popularized the ‘hustle’ is no stranger to social media success. His videos, Snapchat stories, podcasts, and countless interviews have inspired countless youngsters to find their own voice and own it.
Don’t ever waver from who YOU are … REGARDLESS of what the market is doing or what others are paying attention too
Posted by Gary Vaynerchuk on Tuesday, December 20, 2016
A constant theme that runs through his content is the need to be genuine and consistent- and he leads by example. His presence across social is pervasive and he experiments with media and formats that work for his target demographic.
The success of a digital marketing campaign depends on identifying the right trends, capitalising on them at the right time, and constantly measuring progress to discern what works for your audience. EpicTrack enables brands and agencies to spot trends, build, and track campaigns across their own properties, relevant competition and the industry as a whole.