Do you want to get to know an effective way to increase your brand recognition, reputation and improve sales results without spending a fortune on marketing activities? We have a solution for you.
More and more often, the key to success is to involve proper people who can help you engage your current clients and potential as well. In social media they are pretty easy to find. And what is more important they are willing to cooperate with companies which are able to invent some creative and unconventional ways of communication with their consumers. Who are these people? Obviously, bloggers and vloggers. The blogosphere is nowadays one of the most influential marketing communication channel as people tend to seek Internet users’ advice more willingly than expert’s. One blogger from the list of top 10 most influential Polish bloggers and vloggers reaches approximately to over 6 million people monthly. It is the impressive result comparing it to 38-million population of Poland and to Polish benchmarks. Thus it might be very tempting to take a chance of their power. A company which seized the opportunity and opted for a cooperation with Polish bloggers in their campaigns was Somersby – cider producer. The company involves dozens of bloggers in their marketing campaigns and their recent activities exceeded expectations.
Main results:
-Increased number of mentions about the brand
-Increased social media reach of contents about the brand
-More fans on the Fanpage
-More interactions with contents (likes, comments, shares)
-More positive brand image
-Sales increase
-Sales exceeded distribution plan
-Annual sales plan executed in four months
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An Easy Way to Enhance Sales: Somersby's Cooperation with bloggers - Case Study
1. An easy way to enhance sales:
Cooperation with bloggers
Case study
Powered by Somersby and Brand24
2. Case study
Cooperation with bloggers
How to improve sales results by engaging substantial bloggers
Report based on the Somersby marketing activities
01
3. Introduction
You do not need to invest a fortune in marketing activities to increase your brand recognition, reputation and
improve sales results. More and more often, the key to success is to involve proper people who can help you engage
your current clients and potential as well. In social media they are pretty easy to find. And what is more important
they are willing to cooperate with companies which are able to invent some creative and unconventional ways of
communication with their consumers. Who are these people? Obviously, bloggers and vloggers. The blogosphere is
nowadays one of the most influential marketing communication channel as people tend to seek Internet users’
advice more willingly than expert’s. One blogger from the list of top 10 most influential Polish bloggers and vloggers
reaches approximately to over 6 million people monthly. It is the impressive result comparing it to 38-million
population of Poland and to Polish benchmarks. Thus it might be very tempting to take a chance of their power. A
company which seized the opportunity and opted for a cooperation with Polish bloggers in their campaigns was
Somersby – cider producer. The company involved dozens of bloggers in their last marketing campaign and the result
exceeded expectations. After one month Somersby Blackberry became the bestselling beer in Poland, the annual
sales plans were accomplished in 3 months and the distribution plan surpassed the reality many a times. It has been
another year of such collaboration between the brand and bloggers. Now the blogosphere is Somersby’s fixed
marketing communication channel.
02
4. About the brand
Few words about Somersby
Flavored beer
Somersby
Brand of the Carllsber Group
Developed in 2008 (Denmark)
On the Polish market since
March 2012
Somersby is a brand of beer brewed by the Carlsberg Group, a Danish brewing company founded by J.C. Jacobson in
1847. While its flagship brand is Carlsberg Beer, the company brews over 500 local beers. As of 2001, the Carlsberg
Group is ranked as the fifth largest brewery group in the world. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, it is known
as “Probably the best beer in the world.” The Carlsberg Group’s Somersby was originally developed for the Danish
market in 2008, but since then it has been launched in more than 46 countries around the World. On the Polish
market it was introduced in March 2012.
03
5. About the brand
Few words about Somersby
04
Flavored beer
Somersby
Main characteristics
Alcohol by Volume
4.5%
Taste variants in Poland
Apple
Blackberry
Target group
Consumers aged 18-35 who are
open to new experiences, familiar
with pop culture, and like casual
meetings over an alcoholic drink.
6. Main assumptions of the campaigns
Main characteristics of marketing activities
05
Internet
as the main
communication channel
Bloggers
Main driving force of marketing
activities; wide discretion of
publications
9
$
Facebook
Platform which supports all
marketing activities; coordinated
with the campaigns
8. Introduction of Somersby Blackberry
How did the company advertise the new taste variant of Somersby?
1
Introduction to bloggers
and vloggers
Firstly, the participating
bloggers and influencers were
given personalized packages
with a lanyard, letter,
six bottles of Somersby beer
and some other gadgets from
Lord Somersby. What is
important, they were not given
any instructions concerning
the publication
2
Bloggers as the first
consumers
Bloggers and vloggers who
were the first to try the new
flavor of the beer they could
share opinions about
Somersby Blackberry. As
they had no tips how to do
it, the publications were very
diversified and reached to
wide audience.
3
Coordination with
Facebook
At the same time, media
agency ran activities on the
Facebook profile – Lord
Somersby.
4
Consumers become
brand ambassadors
Consumers published their
own contents on their social
media profiles on a huge
scale.
07
9. Who was behind the campaign
08
Kominek
Fenomem
PHD
Media
Direction
Kominek
Polish blogger who coordinated the
cooperation with bloggers and vloggers.
PHD Media Direction
Media agency that supported Facebook
activities etc.
Fenomem
The social media agency that supported
communication with bloggers and bloggers
The Carlsberg Group
The Carlsberg Group
t
The Carlsberg crew included Maciek Pichlak, Joanna Dmochowska and Janek Rudziński.
11. Introduction to bloggers and vloggers
10
Bloggers and vloggers were given a special
packages with some gadgets from Lord
Somersby
12. Introduction to bloggers and vloggers
11
The packages did not include any
instructions of how to publish contents
about Somersby.
13. Introduction to bloggers and vloggers
12
Altogether 69 bloggers and vloggers got
involved in the campaign. They shared
photos of packages on their blogs
15. Bloggers as first consumers
14
Fashion blogs
With a complete discretion bloggers were able to use their creativity
to adjust publications to their audience. In a result, plenty of offbeat
and valuable contents spread in social media.
16. Bloggers as first consumers
15
Lifestyle blogs
Thanks to the individual approach the product reached wider
audience.
17. Bloggers as first consumers
16
Beer blogs
Beer blogs also spared some time to create a content about
Somersby Blackberry.
18. Bloggers as first consumers
17
Food blogs
Food bloggers published recipes for making delicious treats which
included Somersby Blackberry or which went well with the beer.
19. Bloggers as first consumers
18
Competitions
Some bloggers came up with creative ideas for competitions with
attractive prizes. Kominek offered Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit to an author of
the best „Ode to Lord’, while Antyweb – PS Vita with FIFA 14 for a solution
how to relax after a hard day at work. Charlizemystery rewarded an author
of the best fashion creation inspired by new flavor variant of Somersby.
20. Bloggers as first consumers
19
Vloggers
Authors of „5 sposobów na…” („5 ways to…”) came up with five
creative usages for beer bottles. They designed i.e. a fancy desk lamp
and a bird-feeder.
22. Coordination with Facebook
21
Marketing activities on Facebook
All the bloggers activities were supported on Facebook profile of
Lord Somerby. Consumers could find shared contents from blogs,
amusing graphics of the beer with funny capitations. The activities on
Facebook generated an extra buzz and attracted new clients.
24. Consumers changed into brand ambassadors
23
Internet users’ response to the campaign
People loved the new variant of Somersby and the way of communication
with the company, so it did not take long to engage Internet users in
bilateral discussion.
25. Consumers become brand ambassadors
24
Internet users’ response to the campaign
Internet users eagerly published own contents about Somersby
Blackberry, including photos, videos and creative texts.
27. 26
Estimated number
of contents about
the brand
(including the
closed part of the
Internet):
3.26 thousand
contents
Estimated number
of contacts:
2.35 million
contacts
Estimated social
media reach:
1.32 million
people
Results
Social media reach (March 2014)
28. 27
Results
Media parameters – engagement (March 2014)
6,744
25,648
401
899
6,744
Total number of comments
25,648
Total number of likes
401
Total number of shares
899
Total number of mentions from
the Internet monitoring
29. 28
Results
Increase in the number of photos (February – May 2014)
Rapid rise in the number of photos
t
In March the number of mentions which included photos increased by 400% in relation to February and amounted to 302 contents. In the
next month it went up again to the level of 492 mentions. In relation to February, this number increased over 7 times and in relation to the
previous month by 63%.
30. 29
Results
Changes on Facebook Fanpage of Lord Somersby (February – May 2014)
Source: Sotrender
The number of engaged users rose by nearly 400%
t
Comparing periods before and after the start of new product communication, the number of engaged users (who interacted with contents
about Somersby, i.e. liked, commented, shared) increased nearly four times (391%).
31. 30
Results
Changes on Facebook Fanpage of Lord Somersby (February – May 2014)
Source: Sotrender
The speed of new fans increase doubled
t
Comparing periods before and after the start of new product communication, the speed of new fans increase doubled. Between 02-13-
2014 and 03-12-2014 Lord Somersby got 1,058 new fans on the Fanpage, while between 13th and 31st March the number of fans increased
by 2,593.
32. 5.30%
1.40%
26.20%
13.90%
68.40%
84.60%
Results
Sentiment structure
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
February March
Negative
Neutral
Positive
31
Distinct improvement of sentiment structure
t
Sentiment structure improved distinctly after the new product communication. The share of negative and neutral contents dropped while
the share of positive mentions increased substantially.
33. 32
Results – influence on sales
Business and sales results
Best-selling flavored beer after one month
t
One month after the new product introduction to the market Somersby Blackberry became
the best-selling beer in Poland.
Sales many times bigger than distribution plan
t
Even the company did not predict the sales volume which it exceeded the distribution plan
many times.
Annual sales plan executed in four months
t
Four months after the new product introduction the sales volume was bigger than it was
planned for the year 2014.
Some retailers lacked the product
t
The demand was so high that some retailers were out of Somersby Blackberry after few days.
35. #Friendsie campaign
Another idea to cooperate with bloggers and engage even more people
34
Characteristics of
#Friendsie campaign
Promotion of social lifestyle
People are encouraged to take photos with their
friends, relatives, family and tag them with
#friendsie #somersby.
Attractive prizes for creativity
Lord Somersby rewarded the most creative
authors with special packages which included
beers and some gadgets
Further cooperation with bloggers
The cooperation with bloggers was not over after
Somersby Blackberry introduction. The company still
has kept positive relations with them. Bloggers actively
promoted Friendsie campaign
36. Results
The number of mentions and estimated social media reach
35
23rd July
Beginning of the
campaign – people start
posting photos
Huge increase in the number of mentions and social media reach
t
The number of mentions about Somersby increased by 750% in relation to the period before the campaign. Between 23rd July and 12
August the Internet users generated more than 11 thousand contents, which reached to approximately 4.5 million people (850% more in
relation to the period before the campaign). The reach especially increased in the beginning of August thanks to some bloggers and
companies’ fanpages which published information about the Friendsie campaign.
37. Results
The number of photos
36
23rd July
Beginning of the
campaign – people start
posting photos
Huge increase in the number of photos
t
The number of photos which concerned the brand Somersby or its campaign increased 15 times. In the first three weeks of the campaign it
totaled 8.7 thousand pictures.
51. Summary
Results of cooperation with bloggers in a nutshell
50
Increased number of mentions
The Internet users have created more contents about
Somersby.
Increased social media reach
Contents about Somersby have reached to more and
more people.
More photos
The number of photos related to the brand increased 4
times after Somersby Blackberry introduction and 15
times after Friendsie campaign.
More fans on the official fanpage
The official fanpage gained few fans and the speed of the
increase doubled.
More interactions with contents
The number of interactions (likes, shares, comments)
with contents about Somersby increased 4 times.
Best-selling flavored beer
Somersby Blackberry became best-selling beer in one
month after launching to the market.
Sales increase
The actual sales volume was much bigger than planned
and expected. The annual sales plan was executed in four
months. The demand exceeded the supply at many
retailers.
Positive image
People positively evaluated the brand. The share of
positive contents have increased month by month.
52. We can enumerate many advantages of cooperation with bloggers. They are the natural elements in the word of
mouth marketing. It is crucial for Somersby to get recommendations not only from friends, but also from
bloggers, who can reach wider audience. The brand is then more consistent and naturally recommended to
friends and acquaintances.
What is more, we connect the blogosphere – we do not distinguish between more and less important bloggers.
Obviously, some of them have already become celebrities, but for Somersby each and every blogger is significant.
This approach build our credibility – the brand is trustworthy, the brand for me, the brand for everybody.
Engagement of smaller bloggers, who were involved in the huge action with bigger ones, causes a big buzz about
the brand. Especially smaller bloggers are more active. They often publish 3-4 publications, naturally making
people love the brand in social media.
On the other hand, we encountered also some challenges on our way of cooperation. We had to reassure that
each blogger published their contents at the same time – which was actually impossible. If a brand wants e.g.
everyone to find out about the new flavor at the same moment, this poses a challenge.
Secondly, results reporting is a very important element of reach broadening. Not everyone takes summaries into
consideration, but for us as the brand it was crucial.
Finally, reach which is generated by bloggers is smaller than traditional forms of ATL communication. We need to
cope with comparing reach results with cost of obtaining contacts.
51
JOANNA DMOCHOWSKA
Brand Manager
Marketing Department
Carlsberg Polska
53. 52
TOMEK TOMCZYK
Polish blogger
kominek.es
kominek.in
We did not have any unpleasant situations with other bloggers. Everything was clear and everyone knew what to
do. However, we went through immensity of work, hundreds of e-mails, dozens of phone calls and meetings, but
generally everything went smoothly since the beginning till the end.
When conducting such actions, not only reach, but also a blogger’s experience and charisma count. We did not
want bloggers that only presented themselves with a bottle of Somersby, but who would adjust the product to a
blog’s profile.
A crucial factor in blogger selection was how a blogger cooperated with brands. I am not fond of people who do
stuff routinely, fulfilling very precisely every point of an agreement, and who do not care about the success of a
campaign. We selected bloggers who shared responsibility for the effects of cooperating with brands, and also
those, who were creative. Many ideas were not mine, but included input from others. I spent many hours with
them, discussing the campaign’s strategy.
Another important element of recruitment was proper distribution of power. Except for several dozen less-known
bloggers, we had some leading ones, who lifted the action up and later advised those inexperienced bloggers.
When conducting a campaign with many bloggers, it is possible to save and draw in 40 average bloggers. And
then, count for the result, because altogether they have a long reach. This myth acts as a tunnel vision for
marketers, because, at the time of social media, the highest reach is not generated by Kominek or some
Prószyński on their blogs. It is generated by the Average Joe, who likes and shares the contents of other bloggers.
If you don’t include famous people in your campaign, charismatic bloggers, or the experienced in this business,
then forget about launching a successful campaign.
54. Conclusion
Why is it worth to engage bloggers and vloggers?
53
Bloggers have huge reach in social media
1
The most popular blogs are visited by millions of people
monthly, so it is a perfect place to promote you product
or service. However, smaller ones are also very useful as
their audience might be more homogenous, thus easier
to communicate with.
Bloggers are very influential
2
Nowadays people very often take knowledge and create
their views basing on other Internet users’ opinions.
Thus any recommendations, or reviews are much more
reliable and valuable than expert’s advice. People trust
their favorite bloggers and frequently follow their
advice.
Working with bloggers is fun
3
Examples presented in this report prove that bloggers
are creative people with good sense of humor.
Cooperation with them might be a funny experience.
Bloggers are great brand ambassadors
4
Bloggers willingly share their positive experiences with
others. Thus if they like your product or service they can
attract a lot of new clients who will become loyal and
devoted to a brand.
Bloggers can inspire you
5
Bloggers are very creative human beings. They often
might come up with great ideas that you might have
never think of.
55. 54
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56. Thank you for your attention!
Natalia Chrzanowska
55
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