From Tasting Lay's to Giveaways, the Success is in the Stats

Social media holds immense power when it comes to brand recognition and brand loyalty. When big brands like Nike and Sephora interact with their fans on a personal level, their credibility increases. Below are five social media campaigns that hit the mark. Lay’s “Do Us a Flavor” – Facebook The “Do Us a Flavor” Facebook competition asked fans to submit a new Lay’s flavor. Ideas such as a beer-battered onion-ring and churro gained popularity early in the competition. After the contest ended, the top three flavors became readily available in stores for people to purchase. During the duration of the application, fans were asked for their email address and were offered $1 off their next chip purchase. This contest reached nearly 740,000 users. AMC Giveaways – Pinterest Users had to follow the AMC Pinboard on Pinterest to stay up to date on the latest AMC contests. When they saw a prize they wanted to win, they could click on the image which directed them to a landing page that collects the contestant’s basic information and preferences. Fans won if their name was drawn for the prize they entered for.Prizes ranged from movie posters to an autographed director’s chair. But who are we kidding, the real winner was AMC with the success and exposure they garnered. Vera Bradley Style Share – Instagram and Pinterest This Pinterest contest asked people to post as many Instagram photos carrying their favorite Vera Bradley bag. By submitting a photo and including the #VBStyleShare hashtag when posting images to Instagram, fans were entered into the contest. Although the contest only lasted 4-5 days, at the end 10 winners received a free Vera Bradley wristlet. Though figures aren’t available for how many followers the contest garnered, this contest was great for all who were involved. Contestants and bystanders could follow the hashtag and get their own fashion ideas and Vera Bradley staff could view the photos and get ideas about how consumers were pairing their products with other fashions. Sephora's "15 Days of Beauty Thrills" - Facebook Sephora leveraged some of its beauty partners (Urban Decay, Pantone Universe, Make Up For Ever, etc.) to supply "thrills" for the Sephora Facebook community. These thrills included a $5,000 shopping spree at Sephora, a Fiat decked out with a Gucci interior, a trip to Paris and much more. Sephora also launched a Facebook contest where fans were able to learn more about the new thrills the night before they launched, and were able to enter to win thrills every day on Sephora.com. Ultimately this increased “Likes” on each page as well as drove traffic to Sephora.com. Nike “#MakeItCount in 2012” Campaign – Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook Nike encourage fans to use their brand name and brand messaging to motivate people to “make it count” in the year of 2012. Fitness and health were the two main components fans were to convey. The competition was launched in January, right around New Year’s resolution time. 11 athletes from three countries promoted the competition and got the ball rolling, leading by example. This competition was successful because it was to-the-point, relevant, and easily shareable. Furthermore, the messaging and images were engaging and highly motivational.