The Secret to a Perfect Social Media Campaign

I hope that anyone who is reading this is familiar with the huge Old Spice social media campaign that ended today. The campaign started when Old Spice aired a new, comical Super Bowl commercial featuring actor Isaiah Mustafa. The ad got tons of attention so Old Spice continued to make comedic commercials and post them on YouTube. All of a sudden, the “Old Spice Guy” started posting personal responses to Tweets and comments from fans two days ago. He answered questions that were Tweeted at him, he extended his gratitude to people who said he was handsome in YouTube comments, he answered completely random Yahoo Answers’ questions, and he even proposed for one of his followers on Twitter.

This little publicity stunt has a specific name, a social media campaign. Pepsi has one as well in the Pepsi Refresh Project, which is giving away $1 million in grants to projects that you submit and vote for. The Old Spice man definitely took the social media campaign to a new level. Using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and various other websites, Old Spice managed to attract over 61 million people to their YouTube ads. Isaiah Mustafa responded quickly to different followers on YouTube without ever shoving Old Spice products in the audience’s face. Each response was hilarious, the perfect  combination of Chuck-Norris-seriousness and off the wall answers that will make anyone laugh. One of the last responses was to the actor’s daughter, Hayley Mustafa.

A social media campaign combines all ports of social media to get attention and tons of hits. Successful social media campaigns get as many people involved on the internet as possible, either by posting direct YouTube videos or by hosting a contest conducted completely online. The point is for as many strangers to see your website (or product) as possible. Humor is a great way to get attention; it obviously worked for the Old Spice guy.

The tricky part is getting one started. You need a solid base of following if you want a significant response. Be active on sites that are relevant to your business or product and make connections within your line of work. Then try to monitor all likely forums where your line of business is relevant. While paying close attention to these websites or forums, comment (appropriately) to get some attention back to your website. At your website, there needs to be something that will really grab the attention of all the traffic coming its way. The Old Spice campaign had new videos popping up (some within minutes of the previous one). Pepsi has the promise of $1 million worth of grants.

It’s a long road to pulling off something as big as the Old Spice social media campaign, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. This campaign definitely makes me view Old Spice differently, and if I weren’t a girl, it would make me want to buy their products. Here is another informative article to help you pull off a social media campaign.

Thanks for the pictures, Social Media Bandwagon.