Social Buzz Awards judge Joseph Liu from Häagen-Dazs: truly great ideas should not be transferable to other brands
It’s been a week of ups and downs on social media, with less than a month to go until entries close for the Social Buzz Awards in association with iomart. The Drum catches up with Joseph Liu, senior brand manager for Häagen-Dazs global communications and strategy; one of the judges for the awards to discuss social engagement and what he is looking for in entries.
The awards, in conjunction with iomart Group, celebrate effectiveness in social media management., with 2012 winners including Paddy Power, Samsung and ASOS.
How can brands build loyalty via social communities?
Social communities are filled with people thirsty for more. More information, more inspiration, more connection. Brands have an opportunity to deepen their engagement among these communities by providing relevant content not typically available in other traditional media. This content can be more functional to include brand history, product detail, or even product development stories. However, the real power lies in relevant content that extends beyond product-based stories to inspire a certain lifestyle amongst people who consume a brand, to enables discussions, exchange, and idea amplification amongst like-minded individuals eager to share their passions.
How can brands use social engagement to create the same level of impact or brand awareness as traditional advertising?
Social engagement extends the life of a campaign far beyond paid media, which allows brands to access the “long-tail” of impact. Rather than simply generating reach across a few select mainstream media, social engagement has the potential to extend and deliver a greater collective impact and be ubiquitous across many disparate media including lesser known blogs, social networks, photo/video sharing sites, smaller online media channels, key influencers, and offline conversations.
What will you be looking for during Social Buzz judging?
I will be looking for an idea that seamlessly links a brand’s unique proposition with a campaignable social behaviour, one that’s a natural extension of the principles a brand already stands for. An inspirational idea that shifts behaviour in a way that can be easily amplified, but at the same time, an idea that’s not easily transferable to other brands, because by definition, truly ownable ideas shouldn’t be.
What has been the biggest change in social media so far this year?
I’ve been intrigued by the emergence of the short video format via Instagram and Vine. I think it could represent an interest shift in mobile media. Whilst text and static images are quite streamlined for consumer consumption, especially in a mobile environment, I do wonder if short video will become a more common format. At the very least, I think it represents an opportunity to inspire a whole new wave of creativity that requires capturing a viewer’s imagination within a few short seconds.
The Social Buzz Awards, which are sponsored by the iomart Group and Meltwater, are open for entries until 16 August. More details and entry information can be found on the Social Buzz website.