fbpx

social media

Unexpected Partnerships on Social Media Pay off for Luxury Brands

Imagine this scenario: You’re scrolling down your Instagram feed, when you suddenly see a partnership announcement between your favorite brand and a brand you’ve never heard of. Out of curiosity, you click through to the other brand’s Instagram profile and realize that this brand has similar style or values to the brand you love. Instant follow!

In an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace, we see brands from different industries coming together to create incredible campaigns, and moving beyond traditional strategies. In fact, some of the most iconic brand collaborations have been the result of unexpected partnerships.

Partnerships have quickly become one of the most popular strategies used to promote a business and increase brand equity. Research from advisory company Forrester shows that with 75% of world trade flowing indirectly, channels, partnerships and alliances have become increasingly important.

Let’s take a closer look at three of our favorite recent pairings and learn what made these collaborations so successful.

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur x Melinda Looi

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur and Melinda Looi partnership instagram post

The luxurious 5-star Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur and Malaysian fashion designer Melinda Looi teamed up for an exclusive collaboration of the iconic Mid-Autumn Festival.

The partnership between the two brands featured a collection of porcelain gift boxes containing the hotel’s original mooncakes. Instead of the usual mooncake box, the gift box featured a packaging design depicting ‘The Great Gambit’ including a cutting-edge chess set and rabbit-shaped tote bag as a reminder of the Jade Rabbit from Mid-Autumn folklore.

This collaboration’s exclusive mid-autumn series was created with the dual benefit of being reusable and serving as a classic home décor. Undoubtedly, what makes this partnership special is the fact that both brands created a more creative and striking contact with their audience during the celebration, through the fusion of products that characterize them. In addition, they created a product with so much detail, turning something as ephemeral as mooncakes into an experience that can last as long as its owner cares for it.

SMEG x Dolce & Gabbana

SMEG and Dolce & Gabbana partnership Instagram post

A partnership that is still alive even after more than 3 years of its beginning. The collaboration between luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana and home appliance company SMEG began with the creation of hand-painted refrigerators for the ‘Salone del Mobile’ furniture fair in Milan.

What started as a launch of 100 FAB28 edition refrigerators is now a full line of small appliances under the name ‘Sicily Is My Love’, and highlights each brand’s specialty in audacious and design-forward products that maintain a high level of functionality.

Pairing SMEG, known for high quality appliances, and Dolce & Gabbana, known for instantly identifiable Italian design, was an effortless way to appeal to two design-savvy, luxury customer bases. Not only is the appliance industry a highly competitive market, both brands manage to reinvent a commonplace product into an enticing experience.

Dean Davidson x BK Beauty

Dean Davidson and BK Beauty partnership Instagram post

Digital beauty brand BK Beauty and Canadian jewelry designer Dean Davidson came together in a Valentine’s Day-themed partnership that radiates love. Offered as a gift with a purchase from the Dean Davidson Cranberry Quartz collection, BK Beauty offered a free lipstick and lip liner to the first 50 orders.

The partnership between an established brand like Dean Davidson, a celebrity favorite, and BK Beauty, an emerging indie beauty brand, is an advantageous collaboration for both brands. Not only do these brands share established relationships with influencers on YouTube, but the audiences of these creators, whether from fashion or beauty, have very similar demographics.

These unexpected brand partnerships can take place between brands of any size, and happen in many creative ways. Although the most common partnerships involve product collaboration, brands are beginning to explore other ways to attract new audiences through content collaborations, giveaways, sponsored newsletters, Instagram Story takeovers, and many more creative ideas.

Companies that successfully execute these types of partnerships use data to inform their decisions and are open to taking calculated risks. With so many indie brands, startups, and DTC brands launching every week, it’s important for brands to align with companies that share similar values in addition to similar audience demographics.

A successful brand collaboration requires that:

  • The end result creates value for both the audience and the brands involved.
  • The objectives of the brands involved, although not identical, are complementary.
  • The strategy is created based on clear metrics and balanced management.

When attracting authentic and profitable brand partnerships for your company, be sure to keep the examples above in mind, and at ultraviolet we look forward to continuing to see and share these winning cross-marketing ideas with you.

Do’s and Don’ts of celebrating the holidays on social media — inspired by Chanel’s *luxury* advent calendar

By now you’ve probably heard about the Chanel Advent Calendar viral reveals on TikTok that seemingly resulted in Chanel deleting their account. What started as a well-intentioned unboxing video turned into disappointment and confusion for TikToker @eliseharmon as she opened door after door on the $825 Chanel Advent Calendar. The calendar contained stickers, temporary tattoos, some mini beauty products, and only a few full size items. Viewers were shocked and immediately began commenting and tagging Chanel. After allegedly initially blocking @eliseharmon, the situation spiraled to the point where Chanel removed its account from TikTok entirely. 

So, what went wrong? And how did it go so wrong so fast? Was it because customers associate Advent Calendars with value and expect to receive higher value items than the price they paid? Or was it Chanel’s hefty price tag that led to lofty expectations? Regardless, Chanel released a very non-statement statement: “We are sorry that this calendar may have disappointed some people.” 

The legacy luxury brand didn’t just disappoint instead of delight, they lost the opportunity to connect with the next generation of consumers, an audience that seeks transparency and authenticity. An opportunity that was quickly scooped up by Jo Malone, who quickly gifted Elise Harmon a £325 Jo Malone Advent Calendar featuring travel-sized products, accompanied by a handwritten note from the brand. Which was seen by the TikTokers 250,000 new followers.

Advent Calendar photo

Jo Malone is a brilliant example of how, despite the failed expectations and unexpected surprises of 2021, some creative campaigns have managed to pleasantly surprise and delight—and resonate with consumers. Whether capturing the collective moment we are now living in, or focusing on what’s to come, some brands have managed to create holiday campaigns that truly brought joy to their audiences instead of adding to holiday noise.

Be inspired by these winning 2021 holiday campaigns to add some emotion and connection to your own marketing creations—or use it as a guide to continue reshaping your business approach for 2022.

Coca-Cola: Chimney | Real Magic

Like every year, the arrival of Santa was a feature of the 2021 Coca-Cola Christmas campaign. However, instead of centering on the iconic man in a red suit that we all expect, the advert is a short film built around a small boy and addresses a world that needs community.

It tells the story of a boy who, upon moving into an apartment with his mother, realizes that Santa Claus cannot visit his fireplace-less new home. He constructs a fireplace out of boxes, string lights, and tape, bringing all the neighbors together as the winding cardboard chimney climbs up the building until it is topped with a Coca-Cola box (of course). The tenants use the chimney to invite a lonely neighbor to join them for the holiday. The words “Christmas is magic when we share it” appear on the screen as the neighbors all gather for a holiday feast and close out the ad.

The “Real Magic” campaign also includes a partnership with the Cameo app to offer consumers the opportunity to request a personalized video greeting from Santa. By ordering a personalized video from Santa, fans of the brands can “spread the magic” among family and friends.

Why do we like it?

Santa Claus is iconic in Coca-Cola Christmas campaigns. But in this ad, we never see him. Instead the brand celebrates togetherness, prioritizing the emotional appeal of a boy whose imagination and holiday spirit inspire a community’s goodwill and create a moment of shared magic. However, with the Cameo partnership, it’s clear the brand did not forget what has characterized their Christmas for years: Santa.

Boots: Bags of Joy

The UK-based health and beauty retailer launched its 2021 “Bags of Joy” campaign, featuring “Doctor Who” star Jenna Coleman as Joy. Boots sees Christmas as all about Joy: The joy of being with friends, the joy of connecting with each other, the joy of giving the perfect gift.

At the beginning of the advert, Joy picks up a bag by her Nan with the note “This is what Christmas feels like.” Joy soon realizes that the bag is full of endless presents, thousands of products, all available at Boots. The magic bag helps Joy to make Christmas special for all of her friends and family, as she surprises them by pulling out the perfect gift, right when it’s needed most—warm winter hats for a snowy ride, an instant camera for capturing memories, and endless bubbles, because, well, kids love bubbles. The ad concludes with Joy giving Nan a bottle of her signature perfume, tagged with “This is what love smells like.”

Why do we like it?

After not launching a Christmas-themed campaign in 2020, the brand returned to Christmas advertising by focusing on the happiness of spending time together after a long year+ of not being able to do that. Capturing the joy of togetherness is one part of the campaign, but the bag  at the center serves a metaphor for Boots itself. It aims to inspire people to fill their shopping bags with some of the thousands of gift options available at Boots.

With a reach of over 18 million adults, the unified end-to-end “Bags of Joy” campaign featured activations across TV, online, radio, digital out of home, print, PR, social and in-store. Boots also used intelligent geo-location to target its digital out of home and drive people in-store, as well as personalization elements in its creative. Boots may have skipped a year, but they are back in a big way.

Sports Direct: Go All Out 

In a campaign that inspires people to “go all out” this Christmas, the UK brand Sports Direct positions themselves as the perfect destination for sports and fitness gifts this holiday season.

This high-energy, star-studded ad stars iconic soccer player Jack Grealish, US Open winner Emma Raducanu, grime artist Big Narstie, and more. The ad opens with the campaign’s stars slumped in front of their TVs. But the falling snow reminds them that ‘tis the season to Go All Out. One-by-one, they lace up, zip up, and head outside, gladly trading their lazy TV viewing for an epic all-star snowball fight.

Sports Direct also partnered with TikTok to create the #SportsDirectNaughtyList challenge, where users can test whether they are “naughty, narstie, or nice” and enter for a chance to win £2000.

Why do we like it?

Sports Direct is only in their second year of launching a Christmas campaign, and this epic entry captures and celebrates their brand purpose: championing the legend in everyone. While the ad hopes to inspire Brits to get up off the sofa, go outside, and play—even when the weather seems to be working against them, the real magic of this entry is how they themselves are doing what they are encouraging Brits to do: be ambitious, step out of your comfort zone and make it your best season yet.

The £6 million campaign debuted on TV, OOH, social media, and in-store. With its TikTok partnership, the campaign has a timely and integrated communication plan to encourage its fans from their television screens to their smartphones to go all out.

MAKE IT A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER 

Whether you’re a classic like Coca-Cola, back in the game after some time off like Boots, or an upstart like Sports Direct, knowing how to engage with consumers, especially the Gen Z market, will get you far. Otherwise, be ready to be savaged on social media. 

And aside from the smartness of marketing approach, it’s just plain fun to again see brands focusing on the magic and joy of this hustley, bustley holiday season.

Get carried away with the fun of the holidays, spread your special brand of magic far and wide, sprinkle on heavy doses of kindness, and have a holly, jolly happy holidays!

The Top 10 lightbulb moments from Hubspot’s 2021 INBOUND Marketing Conference

For the second straight year, Hubspot’s annual conference was virtual and…

Of course. We couldn’t miss it. 

INBOUND is a three day, in-person conference that brings together inbound marketing professionals from across the world. The conference includes informative sessions, activities, debates and HubSpot product updates. 

This year, sessions covered the full range of industry touchpoints, from content marketing, social media and email marketing to sales enablement and customer service topics designed to provide marketers with the latest, best-practices to bring back into the office and translate into even greater client success. 

And, as always, there were inspiration, provocative luminaries owning the stage and captivating our imaginations – like Afiya Addison, Spike Lee and Oprah Winfrey (Do we stan them all? Oh yeah we do!)  

As we all get set for the deep dive into 2022 planning, we want to share 10 of our most WOW takeaways from INBOUND 2021, along with some suggestions for how to turn that knowledge into action.

SEO Is now user centered

Presenter: Tony Verre, VP eCommerce, The Integer Group

Session: Killer SEO Strategies Through Product Design Methodology 

In his presentation, Killer SEO Strategies Through Product Design Methodology, Tony Verre, VP eCommerce, The Integer Group, highlighted the importance of focusing our content on the needs and pain points of our users – first and foremost – and not a particular word or phrase we think we need to ‘rank for’.

Today, more than ever, it’s important to provide a fast and intuitive experience to help users to accomplish their goals. Google’s latest round of algorithmic updates has further evolved the focus of SEO work from packing our content with keywords (and key-phrases) to a more holistic view of search intent, emphasizing context to provide more relevant answers to more complex queries. Therefore, the content we share must answer real questions and solve the needs and pain points of our audiences with clarity, providing expert and trustworthy information.

Google’s SEO practices and algorithms are constantly evolving. Therefore, it is extremely important to stay up-to-date with these changes and assume them strategically. Learn more about SEO practices here.

TIP: Consider your searcher’s needs. What kinds of information are your target personas searching on Google? Reveal their needs for inspiration, problem-solving information, and their ultimate goals – and you’ll have better insights to inform your SEO language. 

SEO is about holistic content

Video is the present of content marketing

Presenter: Tyler Lessard, Chief Video Strategist, Vidyard

Session: How to Maximize Video in Sales

As the world goes all in on digital experiences, video content marketing is becoming increasingly popular for B2C and B2B companies.

By 2022, an estimated 82% of all online traffic will be video content.

However, there are still some barriers that limit a company’s ability to produce video content. One of the most pervasive speed bumps is the assumption that video production is expensive. Tyler Lessard, Chief Video Strategist at Vidyard, pushed back against this limiting assumption (and demystified several other, limiting ideas) in his presentation, How to Maximize Video In Sales. Filled with practical, applicable tips and resources for budding video content creators, he also made us more aware of the importance of being intentional when it comes to creating videos.

This session encouraged marketers to experiment with videos as a new way to continue evolving and connecting with customers. Here are few tactics he shared with the HubSpot audience:

  • Write a storyboard that helps you organize your ideas.
  • Draw attention to the most important takeaway within the first 3 seconds. 
  • Address the problem and the need in the first 5 seconds.
  • Design under the assumption that your video will be viewed on a mobile device.
  • Use text to highlight key messages.

TIP:  Start where you are. Use what you have & never forget to close with a clear call to action.

Think of connections not channels

Presenter: Chris Savage, Founder, CEO, Wistia & Colin Dinnie, Customer Happiness, Wistia

Session: Content Marketing Clash – Video v. Podcasting for Engagement

I am pretty sure we’ve all heard this, but like all great things, it bears repeating…

THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE AND HOW YOU WANT TO CONNECT WITH THEM BEFORE YOU BEGIN WRITING/DESIGNING YOUR CONTENT.

With so many communication channels and the growing number of tools that each one offers, the process of choosing which platform and/or tool is the best choice for communicating your message has become more complex. There’s nothing more frustrating than spending hours creating content to “stay active” on our different platforms we use, without clear insight into whether our audience is even getting the message.

The most important goal of our online, social media experiences is creating an authentic, helpful and welcoming connection with our audiences, and to do that, we MUST be intentional about what we’re communicating and how on which channels 

TIP: Include your customer voice into your channels. You could begin creating videos that share customer experiences, and offering Frequently Asked Questions, with answers by existing clients.

Upgrade your old content

Presenter: Courtney Sembler, Sr. Manager, HubSpot Academy & Steve Cornwell, Founder, CEO, Northpass

Session: Customer Education: A Must Have For Growth

Yes, you could keep writing and producing more content, but let’s be honest … it’s hard work. 

Don’t get me wrong … we need to create new content. It is the way to keep our audience informed of what is happening in the moment and create new ways of communicating your message. It’s also necessary that search engines continue to recognize your brand as authoritative and trustworthy, essential to the algorithms to serve up your content at the top of search. 

However, revisiting old content and updating it with new images, pull quotes from key partners and influencers, and updated stats, is a good way to take advantage of the value of your content. Refreshing, or evergreening, current content with updates with links to newer resources, improves the accuracy of your content, and therefore increases your SEO. You can also ask newly quoted or linked sources to share your content with their audiences – increasing your online authority and reach.

TIP: Make sure you have share buttons on the page. It’s a fact that posts with share buttons make content 7 times more shareable than content without them.

Email marketing is not death

Presenter: Jay Schwedelson, Founder & CEO, SubjectLine.com, Worldata

Session: Email Myths Busted. What’s Really Working.

The global email marketing market share (say that 10x fast!) was valued at $7.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to increase to $17.9 billion by 2027.

A survey done by Statista in 2020 showed that for every U.S. dollar spent on email marketing, there was a return of $36 U.S. dollars. In industries like retail, ecommerce, and consumer goods sector, ROI was higher, with a $45 U.S. dollars return per dollar spent. 

While it might be considered old fashioned, email marketing is not dead. In fact, with so much changing about the social media landscape, email is enjoying a resurgence in popularity as a top tactic for digital marketers trying to make sure they’re reaching and engaging audiences. 

However, the email marketing landscape is evolving and Jay Schwedelson, Founder & CEO, SubjectLine.com, Worldata, explained it very clearly in his presentation Email Myths Busted. What’s really working. 

For instance, Jay Schwedelson believes that people are less impressed (and moved to take action) based on the word-smithing creativity in writing subject lines, and in many cases, this is not the reason why your emails are opened. Instead, the use of  characters () {} *, emojis, fake mistakes (oops, look what I did …), comparisons (podcast vs. video) and dots (I need …, I have a big question for you …) are the subject line tactics that can really increase your open rate.

Of course getting someone to open the email is the first, most important step in success with email marketing, but Schwedelson reminded the audience that the content of your email, the address from where it is sent, and the time it is sent, also matters. 

TIP: Add a theme and graphic design to your email subject line and test the change in open rates. 

Customer education is a must have for growth

Presenter: Courtney Sembler, Sr. Manager, HubSpot Academy & Steve Cornwell, Founder, CEO, Northpass

Session: Customer Education: A Must Have For Growth

While inbound marketing attracts potential customers, customer education helps to engage those who find you and are looking for good reasons to become customers.

In today’s hyper-competitive market, information is an extremely important asset. Sharing practical knowledge with current and future customers is one way to encourage better engagement with your brand and convert the curious into users of your product or service.

TIP: Think big about opportunities to educate your community – newbies and advocates alike. These can include: certifications as a way to increase product adoption, virtual webinars, live product launch training, brochures, and FAQs. Make the focus of your customer education strategy finding the best ways to make life easier and more productive.  

Become a trusted voice

Presenter: Marcus Sheridan, Author, Professional Speaker, IMPACT

Session: Trusted Content: 7 Steps to Becoming the Most Trusted Voice in Your Space

Building trust. It doesn’t sound like an easy thing to do – and it shouldn’t be. 

Building trust with potential customers – and proving that trust was well earned with current customers – is a daily task, measured in both small actions and big decisions. When we ask customers or potential customers to invest with us, we should have earned their trust and they should be excited to engage with us and our products or services.

When it comes to customer trust, both the quantity and quality of our actions and interactions are important. Every action counts. Each action should feel personal  and reassure the prospect or customer that they can expect consistency and responsiveness from us at every touchpoint.

To make your audience feel comfortable is it important to:

–       Show yourself as you are

–       Show them that you are not biased in your content 

–       Be unafraid to address any negatives, if necessary

At the end of the day, there is a human looking for real connection behind every buying decision.  

Success depends on trust in the marketplace

TIP:  Show your audience you care about them.

The CRM is heart of your business

Presenter: Adriano Brito, Sr. Business System Analyst, Rock Content & João Dobbin, Sr. Manager, Business Operations, Rock

Session: How Using a Full CRM Enables Teams and Drives Revenue Growth 

Many of us think ‘software program’ when we hear this acronym, which stands for Customer Relationship Management. And it’s true. CRMs are indeed software tools, but they’re so much more.  

An effective CRM depends on not just fancy coding, it’s tied to a set of strategies and processes that manage your company’s interactions with customers and prospects.

When we have a good customer relationship management strategy, we have access to information about customers, potential customers and suppliers. Therefore, we can identify weak points to improve processes, sell more and build customer loyalty with a long-lasting lifecycle.

TIP: Review your CRM strategy from time to time. Review your goals and define which methods best suit them.

The effectiveness of a strategy will depend on your creativity and creative

Presenter: Carly Potock, Co-Founder, CEO, Canvas+Co & Charlene Tassinari, Co-Founder, CEO, Canvas+Co

Session: Creativity Thrives in Constraint: How Successful Brands Create Video Content 

Just as you read it. No tricks or magic acts. The effectiveness of any strategy depends on how we leverage creative components, including visual and audio assets. 

It is a fact that nearly 50% of any campaign’s effectiveness is driven by creative. However, spectacular creative that attracts attention in a big way won’t deliver success all by itself. Rather, leveraging this ‘wow-factor’ creative while presenting a solution to a real pain point – as part of a deeply satisfying user experience – that’s what drives real campaign success.

TIP: Look for an experience that can be improved in your product/service. Solve it creatively, and don’t forget to address your audience’s pain points.

Community led companies are the future

Presenter: Shana Sumers, Head of DI&B, Community Programs, HubSpot

Session: Community Building With Customers

Modern customers want you to build a relationship. They want to feel that you are investing in their personal success and that your goals are aligned with their goals.

The task of establishing traction and growing a brand community can seem exhausting – especially on today’s crowded social media stage. However, customers are better informed than ever -and have higher expectations. Chief among these higher expectations is the idea that companies should care about more than just generating profits. 

The reality that customers see themselves reflected in a brand, and are invited into a brand-hosted space to learn and grow together –  is no longer something considered as ‘added value’ in a brand’s offer, but a must.

Chief community office will be important

TIP: Provide valuable experiences. 

The bottom line: the future of digital marketing success belongs to those who strive to improve their relationship with their audiences and adapt to changes.

Companies that see change as an opportunity for innovation are the ones that will chart the way for the future of marketing. INBOUND 2021 left us with a lot of valuable information and takeaways that we are already putting into action.

Meanwhile, the ultraviolet team is here to provide you the most up-to-date marketing techniques to maximize your investment. Contact us and let’s start working on your 2022 marketing plan for growth. 

How To Approach Social Media When Crisis Shakes the Community

Something happens. A natural disaster. A violent crime. An event that triggers intense feelings, possibly fear, anger, dread, sadness, despair. This event and the subsequent firestorm of news coverage forces us out of our comfort zone and demands that we re-examine our understanding of ‘how the world works’. 

This ‘something’ shakes us, our community – or our country – to its core. 

In the United States, we have been living through these ‘somethings’ consistently, for nearly a year. Beginning with the quarantine orders thanks to COVID19, into the summer where millions took to the streets to protest systemic racism, even into 2021 when on January 6, we sat in front of our televisions and phones, battered by images of people violently storming our nation’s capitol building – these are times of crisis when many of us feel compelled to say something – do something.

Many go right to social media and share their thoughts, feelings and recommendations to everyone and anyone in their audience. 

Should we? Should you?

Just as it was during the summer when coast-to-coast protests were commanding our attention, those of us who are active on social media – both personally and for our businesses and brands – are responsible for making decisions about if and how to respond. ultraviolet works with clients and colleagues from around the world at times like this to help figure out the right response – even if that response is to quietly wait and give others the space to speak and be recognized, first.

ultraviolet digital media strategist, Taylor Hori, has developed some consideration points for those of us who do not identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) to consider if we decide to engage on social media when diversity, equality and inclusion issues are the flashpoint for conflict.

Do this:

  • Craft your messages around unity.
  • More than words – share your actions. What are you/is your company doing to change or how you value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
    • Example: DEI education for staff, plans to work with more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) non-profits offering direct support to these communities, etc.
    • If your company has photos of your staff/board on your website, double check that they reflect these values so your statements reflect your reality and aren’t seen as simply performative.
  • Share the resources you’re providing to staff to learn more, process what’s going on, etc. 
  • Stick to the facts over emotion.
    • Example: “This is an interruption to the democratic process and the smooth transition of power,” v.s. “These people are terrorists threatening to destroy our democracy.” 

Do NOT:

  • Pronounce judgement – “This is wrong.” “This is the right way to handle this.” 
    • Example: “Violence is wrong” may elicit disagreement  from some who believe violence is a response to violence that has been served. Over the summer, much of the rhetoric framing conversations about the protests-turned-riots at BLM events was that we cannot condemn the response (in this case riots, looting, arson) of an unheard population. An argument could be made that condemning the violence at the Capitol while not condemning the violence from the summer could be hypocritical. 
  • Express surprise/shock. While the event can be shocking, our message should not be one of being “shocked” because the Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities have known that violence has always been possible and lived it first-hand. Expressing shock at this time ignores what these communities have been communicating (though often ignored) for decades. 
  • Do not make sweeping statements like, “This is not America”.  For the same reasoning as we shouldn’t hang our message on our “surprise/shock”. Though civil unrest is uncomfortable, including marches and rallies pushing back against systemic racism, this is America for BIPOC and to say “this is not America” just means it’s not your America.  

If you want to make a stronger statement:

  • Avoid centering yourself unless you are making tangible changes to your business model to be more inclusive or understand our implicit biases (i.e. Taking a DEI course, committing to a strategy to develop content and partner with more BIPOC, making donations to non-profits that center Black lives and are led by Black leaders, etc.)
    • For example: “I’m outraged” or “I’m saddened” can be seen as centering yourself in the narrative, ie: being merely performative. 
  • If you do decide to pass judgement, make sure you can defend your points and – succinctly – explain the nuance of what makes the context and impact of one crisis different from another; for instance, the BLM riots v.s. the Capitol riots. 
    • Be explicit about differences in reasons/motives, police/military response, who instigated the violence, etc, and why these differences matter to you/your company. This may require some research to prepare and make well-informed, authentic statements.

Ultimately, the decision to respond (or not) to a crisis using your social media platforms is a serious one, and no one should feel pressure to engage without thoughtful consideration. 

If you want to talk more about this or anything else related to  your messaging, feel free to reach out: julia@ultravioletagency.com

Feature photo by Tom Mossholder, courtesy of Unsplash

Pinterest is Her Jam: A Q&A with Kyla Herbes of House of Hipsters

The role of a digital marketing agency is to stay one step ahead—knowing and understanding new social trends and platforms. Although Pinterest was created nearly a decade ago, brands, bloggers and designers are still learning how they can benefit from using the platform in their marketing. And today, it’s more relevant than ever. 

As a visual search engine, many qualities set Pinterest apart from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even the latest and greatest, TikTok. These same qualities can help grow website traffic through your Pinterest page. At the 2020 Design Influencers Conference, the ultraviolet team got to meet and speak with Kyla Herbes of House of Hipsters, a home decor and lifestyle blog, that has become a top interior design resource. There Kyla gave a super insightful presentation featuring her best practices for marketing on Pinterest. If you weren’t able to catch Kyla’s presentation, don’t worry—we have helpful hints and pointers straight from her on how you can tell your story on Pinterest today. 

Let’s jump in!

uv: How has Pinterest impacted your brand?

kh: Pinterest has pretty much touched every part of my business. Not only is it one of my biggest traffic drivers, but Pinterest, the business itself, found me on Pinterest. 

They reached out in an email asking if I was interested in doing some graphic design work. At first I thought I was being “punked” by a friend and deleted it. My husband said, “maybe you should take another look at that email”. I wound up working freelance for a few years, creating promoted pins for Pinterest’s brand partners. That experience really taught me how to market my own brand. 

Pinterest also collaborated with me on their Pintervention with BravoTV. One lucky winner received a bedroom makeover designed by me. Also, I spoke about best practices at In The Making, Pinterest’s first conference for creators. 

uv: How do you use Pinterest differently from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? How do your audiences differ on each?

kh: Unlike the other platforms, Pinterest is not used socially. When you think about it, how many times have you commented on a pin? In that rare occurrence you did comment, did you receive a response? Probably not. Pinterest is a place for discovery. A place to share and find inspiration for yourself. I pin and save content that is primarily not owned by me. 

When it comes to Facebook, I’m sharing links I think my community will find interesting and content I’ve published on my blog. Instagram is primarily my interior design work or vintage pieces that were purchased from my brick and mortar in Barrington, IL. Every once in a while, I will feature or regram a space I love (with proper credit of course). 

I love Facebook and Instagram because that is where I can converse with my little HOH community directly. That doesn’t happen on Pinterest. 

I’m not very active on Twitter. I found it quite entertaining the night Sharknado first aired and I’ll check it during the MTV Awards for snarky tweets, but for the most part, Twitter is not my jam. 

uv: Why is putting the content from your blogs on Pinterest important?

kh: If you don’t pin your content, who will? The first thing you should do after pressing publish on a blog post is pin it. Share it everywhere. I’ll admit, it took me a couple years to figure that concept out. I thought it was a bit narcissistic to pin my own work. But it’s really just another form of sharing, discovering and helping. 

That concept is key. Channel the word helpfulness to create a soft sell on your brand. Add a little call to action in the description or text overlay to lead that user back to your blog. You’d be amazed what adding, “for more info click over to…” will do to add traffic to your site. 

uv: Why do you think it’s necessary to share other people’s content on your Pinterest?

kh: You do not want to scream, “follow me” on Pinterest. Pinners are using the platform to discover ideas, not you. Again, channel helpfulness. 

uv: Spill about Pinterest group boards. Are they effective for you?

kh: When you pin to a group board, you are sharing your content with the group board owner’s followers. It’s a whole new audience and reach. 

Can’t find a group board? Create your own and invite other like-minded pinners to join. If you’re a brand and you know interior designers and content creators out there that use your products in their designs, invite them to your group board. If you’re a blogger, invite your blogger friends to share their content. 

See how you’re channeling the word helpfulness without really trying to sell anything? It’s kinda magical. 

See Kyla’s skills & style for yourself on her Pinterest.

uv: Why are keywords important when you are naming your account, boards, and pins?

kh: You really have to think of Pinterest as a search engine. By adding keywords your content is becoming searchable. Make it easy for pinners to find you. 

uv: Why is resharing older pins no longer a best practice?

kh: Repinning is not necessarily bad practice, but pinning new content is highly encouraged. If you think of it from Pinterest’s perspective, they want to have the latest and greatest ideas and trends searchable on their platform. They don’t want the same pins from 2015 pinned and repinned again. Pinterest wants to stay current.

uv: What is your advice to a brand/designer who is not using Pinterest?

kh: What are you waiting for? Get on it now and start pinning for your business. It’s not too late. If you don’t have time, find someone like me who does social media consulting as a business. I do everything from setting up your account properly to keywording to creating pins and maintaining your Pinterest account. I’ll even sit down and just teach you the basics if you’re feeling overwhelmed but still want to do it yourself. 

Pinterest is a powerful marketing platform that brands are just starting to figure out. Get on it and start pinning.

Pinterest allows brands to have fun and get creative. It can also help them elevate their brand visibility and bring traffic to their site.

Now that you’ve heard from a Pinterest pro, what’s holding you back from starting your own page?

New call-to-action

When Words and Pics Alone Don’t Cut It: Our ❤️ For Video Marketing

Every brand needs a video marketing strategy. It’s 2020: Video isn’t just one piece of your overall marketing plan, it should be a central part of every outreach and every campaign. Video has become increasingly important on every platform and channel, but it’s especially dominating social media. According to a recent HubSpot report, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are among the top platforms where consumers are watching videos.

We love video—the impact it has, the way it can tell a story. Which is why we knew when we wanted to tell the world about our home base, Bell Works, words alone weren’t going to cut it.

Designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen, Bell Labs was once THE place to work—the Google of its day. But for years the biggest corporate building in central NJ sat empty. By the time of its acquisition in 2013 the public had just about forgotten it existed.

As the building transitioned from the abandoned Bell Labs into the thriving Bell Works, our challenge was this: find a compelling way to show the exciting transformation that was happening behind all the mirrored glass. Together with Silver Style Pictures, another Bell Works tenant, we conceived, crafted and promoted a series of thirty second films for web and social all built around the question: What do you do #AtWork?

Michael Altino of Silver Style Pictures in front of the iconic Bell Works building and water tower.

“We came up with three examples and filmed them to help pitch the idea,” said Michael Altino, director/writer/producer at Silver Style Pictures. “And we went in and showed the three videos, because we didn’t think they would fully understand it otherwise.”

That’s right, video is so powerful that having video examples helped us get the go-ahead to do this campaign.

“If we didn’t have the videos, they would have never gone for it,” said Altino. “We don’t normally make videos to go pitch an idea that could just get shut down, but since we were here, it made sense. And it was worth it because they ended up really liking it.”

All told, we made 25 videos— one a week! — and the #AtWork campaign grew the Bell Works’ social accounts by 42 percent in six months. We quickly surpassed 500,000 unique views, which is impressive but not a surprise since videos are consumers’ favorite type of content to see from a brand on social media. Research shows that quality matters: people want entertaining, funny, and informative content. Which is why it was important for the #AtWork campaign to feature the right mix of people. Just like with any other part of your strategy, authenticity is key.

“We started by reaching out to other tenants and people we knew, and seeing what they were doing,” said Altino. “We didn’t want them to have to do fake stuff, so it was all like ‘Let’s ask Domenic and Paul, who play ping pong during meetings’, and that’s how that one came up. We saw them play and just sent them an email.”

These shoots were fast and fun—and with one going live every week, that helped get everyone involved. Plus, we tried to be mindful of everyone’s time, which Altino has an important counterpoint to:

“I always like to remind people who are anxious to get back to their desks, this is work, too. You are working. Don’t feel bad that you’re missing a couple of emails. The company needs this and you’re helping.”

And these videos definitely helped Bell Works. Thanks to the impact of this campaign, Bell Works’ social influence continues to rise, attracting tenants with over 80 percent of the 2 million square foot building leased.

Photo by Silver Style Pictures

The success of the #AtWork campaign shows why we’re so smitten with video—as storytellers we understand that there are times when a video is the perfect fit for the message. Would words and photos have been able to capture the beauty and scale of the building? Maybe. And the same goes for telling the stories of the people who help make Bell Works such an amazing place. But we knew showing, not telling, would make the most impact.

“Usually the days before the shoot is all the technical stuff that no one sees, lights, equipment, scheduling, set up,” said Altino. “But when you get down to it, for the #AtWork series, we kept things small on purpose. I’m big into show don’t tell, and we just showed the people here, enjoying the space.”

#AtWork is just one example of why you don’t need an all-star cast and crew to make an impactful marketing video today. Dollar Shave Club started with a viral video and is now a billion-dollar brand. You don’t need to be a billion dollar corporation with a massive budget and endless resources to make great branded videos. You just need an idea and a camera.

“Sometimes people don’t see how they can use video, how to tell the right story,” said Altino. “For some people, imagining it is tough. But I could sit in a room with any sort of business and say ‘Here are some ideas for you on how to use photos or video.’”

In 2019, users spent a weekly average of six hours and 48 minutes watching videos online, and that number is just going to continue to climb.

Let us help you connect with and build your audience through video.