When I wrote about selfies last week, the general reaction was, “not again!” Are we becoming tired of this global trend? I think so. But are we nearing the end of it? Not yet. In fact, there is still an opportunity for a home run if you do it right!
If you do a search for the hashtag #selfie on Instagram, you will find over 102,000,000 photos. And for over the last 6 months or so, we have seen a couple of brands do it right. I particularly liked a few and I will break down the recipe for their success:
1. They do the unexpected
Have you heard about Felfies? These are farmer’s selfies.
Who? You heard it right. A farmer from Essex created a website to host the selfies that farmers took and it has become very popular. The entire industry has ridden on the popular trend to steal the limelight and share more about its unknown side to the world. Check it out here: http://farmingselfie.com/
Did you think that you must launch your selfie campaign on Instagram and start a hashtag #LookAtMySelfieIWantAttention?
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) shows you that you don’t need to. They may have paid SGAG to feature this challenge or their witty response to SGAG’s admin might have attracted their attention, but that does not matter.
Their “collaboration” with SGAG has reached many eyeballs, garnered lots of engagement, possibly propelled their brand to top of consumers’ minds as school holidays loom, and enhanced their brand reputation!
Of all people, who would expect a selfie from Darth Vader? #EnoughSaid
2. They go beyond their product
Every time I mention this marketing principle, the first brand that comes to my mind is Dove.
No other brand is more publicly known for a close association with an underlying social trend than Dove.
Dove is the gatekeeper of beauty. If someone dares to tell you that you are not beautiful, you think Dove. Because Dove has championed this cause for many years.
Viral campaigns for Dove have become a routine, so it was only a matter of time they rode on the selfie trend. Naturally, their strategy was to turn selfie from a vanity tool to a tool for inspiring confidence in oneself.
See their campaign here.
3. They ride on other trends
I have seen several great campaigns happen on Valentine’s. Instead of exploiting the occasion to dig into boyfriends’ pockets, the great campaigns focus on celebrating the meaning of Valentine’s.
One of this year’s winner is Axe. Their campaign this year purports to melt aggression with love, a very noble notion that is worthy of promoting on a loving occasion.
So go on and plan something this Mother’s Day! Encourage your fans and customers to take a selfie with their mom and tie in with your brand. You don’t have to include your product, just something about your brand that you have wanted to communicate!
P.S. I suggested this last week on my Facebook Page and one of my fans loved it. A client of hers will carry out the idea and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Conclusion
The selfie trend is a joint symptom of people’s wish for self-expression and their social need to be heard, seen, and acknowledged. Consumers’ innate social need for self-expression has been known for years and it is no news. Even as the selfie trend comes to an end later this year or the next, your marketing strategy and knowledge do not waver.
You have 2 choices: either to make use of new tools and information to improve the way you communicate your message to your target audience or risk losing to competitors who do.
Comments? Let me hear you below!
