Chocolate milk in the summer
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 6:47 am
The question is not 'how do I reach them?' the question is 'how do I engage them?'
For brands and organizations, social media seem to open a door to a world where they can easily and selectively reach large groups of young people. They are magical online environments where young people do all kinds of exciting things and that offer organizations all kinds of new opportunities. But is this really the case? Danah Boyd already showed in 2010 with her book Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: kids living and learning with new media (aff.) that young people do little differently online than they did offline before. The environments are new, the behavior looks new, but it stems from the same timeless motivations. Often with the dominant motivation being the pursuit of social connection and confirmation.
Young people themselves do not ask brands to suddenly be fully present on 'their' social media. After all, they are there to connect with friends. Your added value as a brand must therefore be brought by you. That is the challenge in the use of social media. Within these online environments, it is not only about reaching young people, it is about actual interaction and connection with the target group.
Three examples
Attractive brands understand what young people are looking for on social media and then involve young people in shaping and telling their message and story. That is exactly what young people expect online: that organizations are open to interaction and that they entice them to interact. Brands that embrace interaction and peer-to-peer strategies when using social media and also take into account the various goals for which young people use specific platforms, connect better and are more successful. Brands that have done this successfully in recent years include Chocomel with its WhatsApp challenge, Fanta with its #fantaplay campaign on Snapchat and Instagram and Walibi around the launch of their new roller coaster.
2. Fanta Play
3. Walibi Holland: introduction of a new roller coaster
Theme park Walibi Holland introduced a new roller korean phone number whatsapp coaster, Lost Gravity. The challenge was to load the Lost Gravity story and feeling to the target group in the run-up to the opening of the new roller coaster. This was done with WALISNAPS : Walibi's Snapchat channel where followers were the first to get exclusive sneak peeks of the new ride.
The temporary visibility of the content gave a sense of exclusivity, revelation and mystery. This makes Walisnaps a perfect fit for the entertainment brand Walibi Holland and the target group of teenagers and young adults. With 16,000 active fans, Walisnaps became Walibi's most active social channel. In addition, 5,400 entries were received on the Snapchat activations and there was a spin-off of more than 500,000 reactions, shares and video views of Walisnaps-related content on Walibi's other social channels.
These parties approach social media primarily as 'social' and only then determine its meaning and value as a channel. For a more successful media deployment, we all need to start thinking more in this social way.
For brands and organizations, social media seem to open a door to a world where they can easily and selectively reach large groups of young people. They are magical online environments where young people do all kinds of exciting things and that offer organizations all kinds of new opportunities. But is this really the case? Danah Boyd already showed in 2010 with her book Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: kids living and learning with new media (aff.) that young people do little differently online than they did offline before. The environments are new, the behavior looks new, but it stems from the same timeless motivations. Often with the dominant motivation being the pursuit of social connection and confirmation.
Young people themselves do not ask brands to suddenly be fully present on 'their' social media. After all, they are there to connect with friends. Your added value as a brand must therefore be brought by you. That is the challenge in the use of social media. Within these online environments, it is not only about reaching young people, it is about actual interaction and connection with the target group.
Three examples
Attractive brands understand what young people are looking for on social media and then involve young people in shaping and telling their message and story. That is exactly what young people expect online: that organizations are open to interaction and that they entice them to interact. Brands that embrace interaction and peer-to-peer strategies when using social media and also take into account the various goals for which young people use specific platforms, connect better and are more successful. Brands that have done this successfully in recent years include Chocomel with its WhatsApp challenge, Fanta with its #fantaplay campaign on Snapchat and Instagram and Walibi around the launch of their new roller coaster.
2. Fanta Play
3. Walibi Holland: introduction of a new roller coaster
Theme park Walibi Holland introduced a new roller korean phone number whatsapp coaster, Lost Gravity. The challenge was to load the Lost Gravity story and feeling to the target group in the run-up to the opening of the new roller coaster. This was done with WALISNAPS : Walibi's Snapchat channel where followers were the first to get exclusive sneak peeks of the new ride.
The temporary visibility of the content gave a sense of exclusivity, revelation and mystery. This makes Walisnaps a perfect fit for the entertainment brand Walibi Holland and the target group of teenagers and young adults. With 16,000 active fans, Walisnaps became Walibi's most active social channel. In addition, 5,400 entries were received on the Snapchat activations and there was a spin-off of more than 500,000 reactions, shares and video views of Walisnaps-related content on Walibi's other social channels.
These parties approach social media primarily as 'social' and only then determine its meaning and value as a channel. For a more successful media deployment, we all need to start thinking more in this social way.