In this day and age, it is not enough for brands to solely talk socially about their sponsorships when events are happening. It’s about creating cadence throughout the year, through digital and social. This can come in the form of year-long influencer partnerships, consistent surprise and delight campaigns, engraining fans into owned-brand channels, pushing out engaging content, and more.
With both the Oscars and Daytona 500 taking place this past weekend, I traversed the digital landscape in search of brands increasing their cadence prior to the big day. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to post frequently on the big day too.
The Academy Awards
And the Oscar for “brand pre-promotion in a digital way” goes to…Swarovski. This longtime Oscars sponsor has taken a yearly approach to promoting its sponsorship socially. While the brand could probably post more around this sponsorship each year (i.e., #TBTs, etc.), fans know there will be relevant content come February. It’s also drastically enhanced the graphics, videos, and messaging that accompany each post. Below is a look at the brand’s improved social look & feel, and how that’s already translating to increased fan engagement through better storytelling. We know they have the Oscars on-site presence with superstar actors/actresses, but now Swarovski is taking its talents to digital. As their digital presence grows, expect the brand to start utilizing influencers and other creative programming.
@Walmart Walmart took an interesting spin on Oscars’ social content, literally creating three stories based off #TheReceipt. These stories were collaborations with the likes of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Mark Forester, and Antoine Fuqua. They doubled as commercials & social posts, continually bringing Walmart messaging to the top of people’s minds during the broadcast. A tweet tagging @SethRogen and @EvanDGoldberg netted almost 2,000 engagements (Retweets + likes), which significantly surpasses Walmart’s typical engagement levels. From a social perspective, on a night where many brands succumbed to Oscars FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), Walmart hung in there and delivered an admirable performance. Below are some of the brand’s best Oscars moments.
DAYTONA 500
NASCAR kicked off its new premiere series entitlement sponsorship with Monster Energy in the biggest way possible at the 2017 Daytona 500. From real-time posts incorporating the Monster Energy brand, to post-race interviews with its winning driver Kurt Busch, and even Rob Gronkowski messaging (another Monster Energy athlete), it was a picture-perfect start to this long-term partnership. Surprisingly, @MonsterEnergy only tweeted once during the actual race, but on the other hand garnered millions of impressions from TV broadcast, and its athletes. Below are some of this weekend’s highlights.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Gorman
At MKTG, Dan helps strategize and execute sponsorships for a variety of sports & entertainment brand clients. Passionate about music & digital marketing, he’s worked on activations for Men’s Final Four, CMA Music Fest, and ACL Music Fest. Outside of the office, you can find @SportManDan playing guitar and basketball, or checking out the best emerging artists in concert. #TrustTheProcess & Go Cuse!