Starting Microsoft conversations with new audiences
A brand connecting with their audience on social media is nothing new, but we often don’t consider the fact that certain products and certain networks just don’t really mix until, well…until we see an example that just doesn’t hit the mark.
Reddit is notorious for being one of those social audiences that brands struggle to connect with. At over 200 Million monthly users divided into subreddits (and sometimes extremely specific interest groups – pictures of monks looking at beer, anyone?), the advertising value is clear; however, a mixture of the unfiltered content and the bare-bones user-generated culture of Reddit can make advertising campaigns stick out like a sore thumb. On top of this, reddit users have fun putting brands’ feet to the fire – in fact, there’s a whole subreddit dedicated to poking fun at brands’ attempts to be ‘hip’ (actually I mean woke, or lit, right?) with the predominantly Millennial audience on the site. (If you haven’t checked it out, it’s a must).
This past Christmas, we set out to bridge the gap between none other than our client Microsoft and not only Reddit’s PC enthusiast audience, but also the broader consumer base on Pinterest, another network Microsoft had only thus dipped its toes into. Microsoft’s goal was to promote its OEM partner devices through a lighthearted and good-natured campaign on both these networks, in order to prove out (or put to bed) their efficacy as hardware-promotions platforms.
The structure of the campaign was simple: thank Windows device users for a great 2016 through an exciting contest tied around an outstanding gaming PC. We’d build buzz and bring together PC and gaming fans in an end-of-the-year community promotion, all while highlighting the new features that make Windows 10 the best OS for gamers and non-gamers alike. Partnering with MAINGEAR and Razer, Microsoft and Fuel secured a gorgeous rig for the sweepstakes, and took to Reddit to promote the campaign. Once again, the tone was to be considered carefully, but we ultimately went with the earnest approach: coming clean on Reddit as a combination of agency professionals, brand representatives and product creators joining forces for a Christmas blowout for the fans.
We ran some simple ads on a few of Reddit’s top PC-enthusiast boards, and invited users to toss us real questions and comments, all while driving to the sweepstakes entry pages. Once the initial reddit thread has picked up steam, we scheduled an ‘ask me anything’ session, where fans could talk directly to Microsoft, Razer and MAINGEAR executives about the future of the industry, product recommendation, and, of course, their grievances. Both our panel of partners and the PC audience soon began to gel with a mixture of humor and sincerity (click picture to see it larger).
Meanwhile on Pinterest: the wildly popular pinning platform is very well optimized for displaying products and attracting the consumers who purchase them; however, its reputation is not one of a heavy tech crowd. As a first step in understanding Pinterest as a sales channel, we sought to discover whether there was an audience for device sales, and would this audience engage with Windows-focused content? Luckily, the answer was a resounding ‘yes’. Microsoft boards were filled with a spirited ’10 Days of Windows’ campaign, highlighting all the new and useful features that make Windows 10 the fastest, most easy to use Windows yet. Each pin tells a visual story paired with a new feature to highlight to new and prospective Windows 10 users. Each factoid was paired with a featured device, and pins were linked directly back to the product info and purchase pages, for viewers to learn more (and ideally, fill up their stocking with some crispy new devices).
Every member of the team of partner brands further extended the content organically through their own social channels, looping Twitter and Facebook into the mix too.
Results
With a crew of both brand and agency people participating in real-time, open, self-aware and earnest discussion with fans, the right tone was stricken early, which allowed the organic growth we were hoping for to take place. Through a mixture of sweepstakes and earnest conversation by means of ‘ask me anything’ posts, we endeared Microsoft Windows 10 to the PC Gaming and Enthusiast community, while garnering requests to return and participate more with their hundreds of thousands of PC-friendly users. The results proved that there is a continued hunger for authentic brand experiences among consumers – in their own communities and in their own languages, mind you – but welcome nonetheless.
When brands learn that platforms like reddit are as powerful a tool as any (if they can understand nuanced conversational marketing), then they can achieve positive mindshare at a remarkable scale. Conversely, If they try to shoehorn their old tactics the effect is equal on the other spectrum. That said, After ten straight days communicating with fans, we were able to drive:
-Generated over 20 million views within the core audience of PC Enthusiasts – all within a small test budget.
-15 thousand clicks and 4.7 million impressions from Pinterest.
-Overwhelmingly positive feedback directly from real PC users.
-Over 20 Thousand contest entries to win a stunning gaming PC from major OEM partner Razer.
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