A PR campaign that has it all

Those who know me know that I am a woman with an engine as a heart. I am passionate about everything that transports: bikes, trucks, planes, boats, and of course motorcycles. I keep up-to-date with almost everything in communication campaigns within the transportation industry.

Source by meh.ro

Today I bring attention to a PR campaign that has impressed me over the years, not only because of the message it portrays, but also by how well thought out and developed it is. The campaign has received more than 10 international awards, including 2 gold awards at the Cannes Lions Film Festival of Creativity 2014. It also doubled the production of units and sales of the latest edition of the promoted product, and earned about 40 million media worldwide.

How did they do it? Let’s look at what I believe to be one campaign that has it all: information, persuasion, and memory.

Source by blog.bbt4vw.com

In September of 2013, after 63 years of production, Volkswagen announced the discontinuation of one of their star products. The body of the “VW Kombi”, a mystical German mark van that was produced in Brazil, did not meet the new security requirements for airbags and ABS established by the Brazilian government.

Source by theinspirationroom.com

Timely
The timing was perfect. A personified flagship product would say goodbye to her followers, and the brand wanted to do it in style. Volkswagen announced they would produce 6000 units of a special edition that would terminate the career of this vehicle.

The Message
Before leaving, the Volkswagen Kombi had one last wish: to thank those who had developed a relationship with her and gave her so much affection over the years, making her one of the most endearing vans of all time. In a mature and tender voice, Kombi recalled her stories from her lifetime and reported to have written a “will” to those who gave her the most love.

Source by unfinishedman.com

The emotion with which the message was transmitted touched the hearts of even the most hardhearted of people. This was a clever strategy to achieve a unique connection with the followers of the brand.

The Strategy
The concept was to create the first campaign that ‘unlaunched’ a car that was a true legend in the automotive industry; and to engage the people. This was achieved by storytelling, and interacting live with the people through digital channels.

Source by www.advertolog.com

Volkswagen invited people to visit their website so they could check out the ‘Kombi Last Edition’ model, and send purchase intentions. People were also invited to share stories of their experiences with the Kombi.

The Kombi-Last-Wishes strategy was immediately successful. Large numbers of stories were submitted, and used to create the ‘Kombi’s Will’ advertisement. The strategy involved interacting with those who already knew the vehicle, as well as those who intended to acquire the latest edition model. Online sources, including a website and social media, as well as traditional media channels, were perfect for carrying the message of the brand.

Source by www.advertolog.com

During the campaign created by BBDO Brazil, “Kombi Last Wishes” compiled a series of stories with those who had developed a relationship with her over the years. This was an essential element for connecting with the public.

Source by oman-collective-intelligence.com

In conclusion, Kombi-Last-Wishes was a campaign that gave a deserved farewell to a product whose importance goes beyond the brand. A vehicle marked by generations of people that is part of the pantheon of the global automotive industry. The Kombi-Last-Wishes campaign certainly made its mark in the industry’s worldwide PR and marketing standing.

Please leave your comments about what you feel about this multi-awarded campaign in the section below.

If you haven’t connected with me on social media yet, check me out on Twitter and Google+.

Other articles:
Sex plus Cars, a successful formula.
A bus stop heated by a tweet.

4 ways of Giving Thanks to your followers.

This week millions of Canadians will be spending time with their families and friends enjoying a turkey and celebrating Thanksgiving.

Our followers became our friends and family when they clicked the Follow button. They are with us everyday—reading, sharing our content and making our products and services more profitable. Appreciation is one thing that really motivates them, so even a simple “thank you” can go a long way.

This week I have prepared a list of 4 effective ways to give thanks your follower.

1- Say THANK YOU. “Thank you” can be an incredibly powerful pair of words, especially if the person you are thanking really needs to hear them, or is not expecting them.

If you are a company or an individual and someone tweets your content, it is good practice to acknowledge their tweet and show your appreciation through a re-tweet, along with a message. It is hard work, but building a relationship involves personal interaction.

Thank you @DigiShopfront

Avoid saying “Thanks for following me. Looking forward to reading your tweets!” This has been overused and can be misunderstood. Add something unique that creates meaningful content. Give meaning to your Thanks!

2- Follow them back. Are you one of those individuals who thinks that following lots of people reflects poorly on your online presence?

Social Media has changed. Our followers know about this digital world; they know their own value and they know we need them.

Show them you are interested in maintaining the relationship. You already have them—don´t lose them.

 Source: @tenminph

 2-Give gifts. Everyone loves gifts, and your followers are not an exception. Giving thanks with a special gift will make them feel special. Promotional office products or product samples from your company are very much appreciated by your fans.

 Source @LifeLearninc

3- Read their posts and engage with them about a shared interest. Genuine interactions are a good way to say thank you and show that we care.

Sources: @BigMommaSoul @CarolynPogo

4- Be Encouraging. Know your followers—read them and you will find that important things happens in their lives everyday. Genuine gestures of compassion will create the loyalty from your followers that your brand needs.

Thanks to @MOSKALelectric @DaniGirlK

Social media is about building meaningful relationships to show to your audience that they are important. Consider these four steps while interacting with your followers and it´s downhill from there!

Do you have any other “thanks giving” tips to add? Please share them in the comments below!

Source: Century 21 Bradley Amanda and Jared Christiansen

 Thank you for reading, and if you haven’t connected with me on social media yet, check me out on Twitter and Google+.

If this is your first time reading my blog, I invite you to check out my other posts and comment on them.

10 Social Media Mistake to Avoid. 

Marketing is more than just Social Networking

8 steps to succeed In Digital Social Media

Mia

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No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. James Allen

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A very special Thank you to:

A. Steinberg Your help is priceless.

@UrvashiDM Ours chat on Friday meant a lot. Thank you very much.

@PRMM_UW Hermana, you are unique, and I love you.

@BenRogersWPG Your little gesture changed my day. Thanks

 

 

 

 

10 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid.

Internet is a transparent world, and whatever you do on it will last for ever.  Everything happens very fast and making mistakes is very easy. One mistake may be enough to destroy your life.

 

Mistakes are not a result of bad luck, and they can usually be prevented.

I have prepared for you a list of the 10 Top Social Media mistakes that every social media manager should avoid.

1- Think that social networks are free. Social Media is not free, its development involves allocating resources in the form of time and money.

Source: Worldly Strategies

2- A poor business strategy. Companies could create the best content online, but without a clear strategy, they may receive little or no commitment from their audience.

Having a strategy, developing a clear policy and planning a calendar of content with the end goals in mind.

Source: Ross Dawson

 

3- Using the wrong platform. Social networks are not all the same. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube each have a different audience and target.

Study each platform carefully and keep the soul of your message adapted to the possibilities of each social network so you can better approach your audience in each environment. (Read more in my last post Marketing is more that just Social Networking)

4- Having the wrong person in charge. Letting an inexperienced person manage your social networks is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.

Verify that your social media manager is trained and certificated in the field.

 Source Pen Trace

Social media is essential, as it expresses a company´s image. It should therefore be managed by a professional.

5- Not respond to comments. The main quality of social networks is the advantage of interaction with  your potential customers in real-time.

If you want to generate engagement, do not leave any comments unanswered.

What to do if the comments are negative?

Sources: @Simplify360

Do not attempt to delete comments without responding to them. Remember that what is written online remains forever.

Under no circumstances should you fight with your audience. Respond diplomatically, a virtue that is infinitely valued.

“Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness”. Otto von Bismarck

6- Always talk about your company. Do not talk all the time about yourself. “It’s not all about you – it’s about THEM – your community. Social media is a place to build relationships with your current and prospective customers” @memktgservices

Use the Social Media 80/20 Rule. 80% Interesting content about others and 20% Promotional content about your brand.

Source: @bearantes

 7– Lots of Information. Regulate the number of publications you post daily.

“When a brand posts twice a day, those posts only receive 57% of the likes and 78% of the comments per post. The drop-off continues as more posts are made in the day”. Kevan Lee 

Source Buffer Social

8- Not measure. “ROI is proof that your marketing efforts are working. Clients and supervisors need to know if you’re successful… and you do too” @WriteOnOnline.

Start by measuring the size and growth of community.

Source: Tweetimonials

“If you want to measure social media ROI, stop wasting your time doing software demos and attending webinars. Just figure out what you want to track, where you can track it, think about both current customers and new customers, and go do it.” – @jaybaer –

(Source: kcclaveria.com)

Klout, Hootsuite, Facebook Insights, Bit.ly, Social Crawlytics, Analytics SEO Software, Google Analytics or TradeDoubler, for example, allow you to analyze the effectiveness of your publications and optimize your online content strategy.

9- Ignore the competition. It is important to know what your competitors are doing.

Check their social networks, sign up for their newsletter, analyze what their consumers are saying and sharing, so you can know where they are failing and not make the same mistakes.

10- Refusing to comment on blogs. Many people think that commenting on blogs and other profiles, or retweeting, is a waste of time. However, this technique is very simple and effective at generating traffic on your website, fan page or profile.

Comment on blogs that have a similar target or where your potential customers could be.

Providing answers and posing questions is highly valued by the community of internet users. Start by leaving your comments in this blog, my followers, and I will appreciate it!

Managing social networks is not easy work, and good management requires more than knowing the tools of online platforms. (Read more in my post  8 steps to succeed in Digital Social Media).

Are you making those mistakes? Do you have other mistakes to add in this list? Let us know in the comments below and keep this list of what not to do on social media close to you. You will be surprised to see what good social network management can do for you and your company!

Mia.