The Wimbledon Social Brand-Wagon

charlie.cottrell

Ever since ‘that’ biscuit post dominated Superbowl social media, taking brands into real-time conversations has shot to the top of the ‘can we…’ client-request-list. So, as a home-ground sporting event with a home-grown talent eying victory, Wimbledon was always going to be a prime target for a bit of branded agile posting.

But just shouting ‘We’re here and we love tennis’ does not great real time marketing make.  So how do you create posts that your fans will ‘love’?

Don’t crowbar.
Tenuous links come across as clunky and confusing; Bisto isn’t a brand you’d associate with summer sport and their existential post performed less well than this picture of a hand mashing potatoes.

bisto

Don’t force your post to fit your campaign message.
This Foster’s post made me think less of a refreshing new lager and more of licking the sweaty body of a Scottish semi-finalist.

Foster's

Don’t overdo it.
Rolex were an official sponsor AND had the bonus that ‘Time’ is in tennis parlance. If they’d stopped there, their post would have been as elegant as their brand.

rolex

Do find a fresh angle.
Paddy Power is the poster-child for the cut-through brands can achieve when they have a clear point of view. Theirs was executed to perfection. They even had a hot-right-now music reference #soagile.

paddy power

Do show that you get your fans.
The Poke democratized the fist pump with an everyman ‘at-work’ angle. Foster’s somehow made it confusing.

Screen Shot 2013-07-18 at 15.08.31

Do have your post ready to go
Oreo taught us timing is everything.  Beats by Dre had a post live as the ball hit the net in the Murray v Djokovic match. The result was a 100% boost in likes and a 200% boost in shares.

Beats

Don’t underestimate the power of words.
We Are Social posted this on behalf of Bulmers as the final shot was played and netted over 750 post likes. Not bad for a copy-only update.

Bulmers

Do think about your brand story.
We also worked with Kleenex to create a brand-relevant post that was so flexible it worked if Murray lost, if he won, if he cried (why didn’t he cry??), if his mum cried, basically if anyone cried.

kleenex

Brilliant agile content starts with a brilliant content strategy. A clear point of view helps you identify the real-world opportunities that are appropriate to your brand. A defined tone of voice lets you leverage those opportunities through content that builds affinity and enhances the brand.