Marketing strategies have shifted, grown, and developed greatly over the course of history. From DeBeer’s age old “Diamonds are Forever” campaign in the early 1900’s and the Lucky Strike ads which had everyone picking up a bad habit in the 60’s, to the modern day “Just Do It” Slogan that defines Nike, we’ve seen a lot over the years. The channels of communication for marketers has changed over time as well. The game changed for marketers again and again, challenging them to come up with new and innovative ways to promote their products and services as the technologies and trends changed over time. In today’s world the internet reigns supreme, and marketers have quickly adopted web advertising as a part of any self-respecting ad campaign. Social Media is the most important aspect of this. A campaign that doesn’t have a #hashtag, YouTube video, or searchable Facebook content, may as well not exist at all.
The companies that are realizing, embracing, and integrating social media into their campaigns are the ones who are seeing the most success. Many modern brands are doing a great job of combining social media with their marketing strategies, but one in particular really stands out.
GoPro makes the world’s most versatile cameras. 1
They can be taken anywhere from the depths of the ocean to outer-space and everywhere in between; and trust me, they have been. But what sets GoPro apart from it’s competition (it’s not the only durable camera brand out there), is their approach to user-generated content marketing.
GoPro’s YouTube Channel boasts some epic videos of people bringing you along for the ride as they jump out of planes, swim with sharks, climb mountains, and ski through the alps. There’s even an eagle soaring around with a GoPro strapped to it’s back. They run a “photo of the day” feature which can easily be found on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. In 2011 the company made more than twice as much as it’s previous year, while their marketing expenditures remained shockingly low.2
This was after the introduction of the #GoPro hashtag, which encouraged consumers to upload their best photos and videos, and allowed the company to search through them and create the coolest TV commercials on the web today. Over 6,000 pictures and videos are uploaded to social media with this hashtag every day. 3
Lessons for Others
User generated content (UGC) not only keeps marketing costs to a minimum, but has the added bonus of building a strong relationship between the brand and its audience. It goes hand in hand with customer engagement; another crucial aspect to successful marketing. GoPro consumers feel more involved with the brand as a whole because their own creativity and experiences are shining through and moving the brand forward. Building and maintaining consumer relationships are becoming paramount; especially in today’s market which has no shortage of brands to choose from in every product/service category.
Using social media channels to connect with your consumers is absolutely necessary today. Finding ways to engage with them, whether it be through content sharing, seeking feedback, promoting contests, or another, engagement is most easily and importantly achieved through social media networks. Give your audience something to be excited about! Maybe your product won’t have them diving off cliffs or exploring caves, but making them want to communicate and share with you over social media, you’re building lasting relationships that will benefit your business.
Organization:
GoPro
Industry:
Camera Retail
Name of Organization Contact:
N/A
Authored by: Naomi Lai
If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.
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