Yesterday, Food Dive showed you what food brands should avoid to prevent becoming social media punchlines (or worse). Today, we're back to show you who knows how to get the right kind of attention on Facebook and Twitter when it matters the most.
Social media engagement requirements more than just advertising and promoted tweets. It means listening and reacting to events and conversations as they happen. Here are the five triumphs that Food Dive has named as our favorite food and beverage brand wins on social media so far this year:
5. BUDWEISER HOSTS HEARTWARMING HORSE-NAMING CONTEST
In its Super Bowl spot, Budweiser used a power formula of storytelling, social media and its iconic Clydesdale horses to pluck heartstrings across America. The commercial topped USA Today's Ad Meter poll and received 78% positive reactions across social media. Just watch it and try not to cry and drown your sorrow with a six-pack of Budweiser:
4. KRISPY KREME SPREADS WORD IN INDIA
At the start of 2013, Krispy Kreme was preparing for its expansion to India. The only problem? Not very many Indians knew about Krispy Kreme. Convinced the coveted youth demographic would buy their donuts if they just tried them, Krispy Kreme started with free donut giveaways at schools and malls. The donut-maker encouraged young Indians to follow the free donut-watch on its Facebook page and spread the word.
Capitalizing on the power of social media promotions, Krispy Kreme boosted its Facebook likes from a relatively paltry 3,000 to a much more formidable 21,000. If Krispy Kreme continues to properly leverage the power of social media, look for the brand's popularity to grow:
3. HEINEKEN SAVES VALENTINE'S DAY
Heineken doesn't normally take reservations. But on Valentine's Day, when desperate romantics realized they should have reserved a dinner table ahead of time, Heineken swooped in on Twitter to take their reservations. By using the hashtag #tweetforatable, Heineken reserved tables at unspecified "cool, man of the world"-type restaurants. While it's unknown how many people used the service, the gratefulness and general goodwill that permeated Heineken's Twitter account was there for all to see.
If you forget, she never will. Reply if you need a res for #ValentinesDay in a hurry. #tweetforatable #onlyafewleft twitpic.com/c2whu2
— Heineken_US (@Heineken_US) February 14, 2013
2. DORITOS CRASHES THE SUPER BOWL
Doritos didn't make a commercial for the Super Bowl. For the sixth year in a row, Doritos took a risky leap of faith and crowd-sourced its Super Bowl commercials. The contest, called "Crash the Super Bowl," encourags enthusiasts to submit their own Doritos commercial; Doritos selects five finalists, from which the two most watched are chosen to air during the Super Bowl. As a result, consumers engaged with the project, the five fan-made finalist videos garnered 100 million views and Doritos decision to move this year's contest from a microsite to Facebook was rewarded with twice as many viewers as last year's contest.
Doritos receive 79% positive reactions across social media platforms and was the most mentioned brand on social media during the game. While the entire operation wound up a resounding success, it belied Doritos' nerve to take the risk:
1. OREO WINS SUPER BOWL
After Jacoby Jones ran back a record-tying 108-yard kickoff return for touchdown to put his team up 28-6 in the second half, not a single soul in America believed the Baltimore Ravens would not win Super Bowl XLVII. But, then, with 100-some-odd million viewers tuned in, the Superdome's lights went out. As stadium officials scrambled to figure out what was going on and TV presenters desperately tried to hold onto the short-lived attention span of a bored live audience, the internet discovered something — the Ravens were not going to win the Super Bowl. Because Oreo already did:
Power out? No problem. twitter.com/Oreo/status/29…
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
Within 11 minutes of the blackout, Oreo tweeted out; by the morning after, this one tweet had received an estimated 26,000 retweets. Some even speculated Oreo's quick thinking was worth more than any 30-second, $4 million commercial. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win the Super Bowl.
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