From the 27 shortlisted cases of the Golden Investment Awards, we observed these three major social marketing trends:

The annual Golden Investment Awards officially kicked off today. This year, more than 558 companies and 3,117 works participated in the evaluation of the Golden Investment Awards. However, the gold award winning rate continued to drop from last year's lowest point of 2.5% to below 2%, setting a new historical low.

In addition, according to SocialBeta's observation, this year's Golden Investment Awards also has some differences in the award settings. For example, the “Social Media Marketing ” category, which has existed since 2012, was quietly renamed “ Social Marketing” this year.

The marketing trend reflected behind the name change of this category's award is worth pondering.

According to the official statement of the Golden Investment Awards, "social marketing" refers to " marketing cases that make comprehensive use of social platforms." Looking at the 27 cases shortlisted for this category, many brands, in addition to Weibo, WeChat and mainstream video platforms, have also carried out in-depth cooperation with super platforms such as Alibaba and Tencent in data insights, advertising and e-commerce resources. Knowledge-based question-and-answer platforms such as Zhihu, live-streaming platforms , and some vertical media (such as Haohaozhu) have also won the favor of many brands, demonstrating great marketing value in influencing audiences from different circles.

Let’s take a look at the three marketing trends that SocialBeta has summarized from the 27 finalists in the “Social Marketing” category of the Golden Investment Awards:

1. “WeChat and Weibo Marketing ” is Evolving into “All Social Media Platform Marketing”

SocialBeta special author and Tesla social media manager @寻空 once pointed out in the article "Dual Microblog Operations Are at the End of the Road, and All Social Platform Marketing is Right" that in the era of mobile Internet , the strategy of sticking to "dual microblog operations" is very limited in terms of coverage, content format and circle communication. In this context, "full social platform marketing" has become an essential strategy for brands to engage in social marketing under the new social media situation.

If you have been following the China Social Media Landscape Map released by CIC every year since 2008, a notable trend is the sharp increase in the number of various media platforms, moving towards a more integrated, vertical and diversified trend.

Overview of China's Social Media Landscape in 2008-2009

Overview of China's Social Media Landscape in 2017

On the other hand, super platforms like Alibaba and Tencent, which have unique ecological environments, have also integrated functions such as brand communication, user communication, sales and after-sales, and fully cover the digital lives of Chinese consumers.

We can also see from the shortlisted cases for "social marketing" how brands can connect social and e-commerce links based on the ecological environment and data characteristics of super platforms, which is crucial for spreading voice, interaction and ultimate sales conversion .

1. Open up the link between social communication and e-commerce conversion

With 100 days to go before the opening of the Rio Olympics, P&G China kicked off its Rio Olympics marketing with a global short advertising film "Strong" (Thank you, Mom).

Subsequently, in addition to hot posters and offline activities , P&G also teamed up with Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com to launch in-depth integrated marketing cooperation:

We communicated and interacted with consumers through Juhuasuan's "Olympic Interview" live broadcast and Taobao mobile AR games ; and jointly launched the "Thank You, Mom, I Understand How Great You Are" Olympic event with JD.com, allowing people to cheer for the Olympic athletes while paying tribute to the heroic mothers behind the scenes.

At the same time, with the help of potential consumer portraits screened out by the big data of the "Jingteng Project" platform, P&G selects WeChat Moments ads , mobile QQ information flow and other advertising forms for personalized delivery based on different user attributes.

P&G's Rio Olympic marketing also covers social media voice, e-commerce traffic, on-site marketing and full media coverage, achieving communication for all its product categories. This is also what is commendable about its innovation in Olympic marketing.

2. Online and offline scenarios are linked

In the context of "full social platform marketing", another thing worth paying attention to is how to link online and offline scenarios. Faced with the pain point that most people know Sogou products but are unaware that Sogou also has many other functions such as searching WeChat , Zhihu, and pictures, Sogou officially launched its annual brand promotion campaign "If you are not satisfied with just knowing, try Sogou" in nearly 30 cities across the country last year.

In addition to online communication forms mainly based on social questions, Sogou also presents different search content in scenarios such as airports, bus stations, and elevators, hoping to increase users' awareness of product usage scenarios.

For questions of interest, users can quickly get the answer to the question by simply scanning the QR code on the video and poster advertisements.

During the Rio Olympics, Master Kong also went to Rio to open a noodle restaurant, providing free Chinese food to volunteers and athletes, while establishing a subtle emotional resonance with consumers.

With this method, Master Kong has linked offline scenarios with online ones, making consumers willing to share on social media spontaneously.

2. It is crucial to trigger the topic of social network

If a brand wants to make its communication concept reach more audiences, the two ways it can use are nothing more than "borrowing topics" and "creating its own topics".

During festivals or major events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, we always see major brands engaging in creative and promotional wars.

Faced with the increasingly fierce battle for audience "attention" on social media, how can brands stand out without the support of popular IPs or big-name stars?

1. Combine brand philosophy with social issues

Combining brand concepts with social issues (or public welfare topics) that people care about may be a way out.

OLAY found that new mothers who have just given birth generally lack self-confidence, and there is a lack of care and encouragement for this group in society.

Therefore, based on this insight, this year OLAY released a touching video on the three major video websites Youku, Tencent Video and iQiyi on Mother's Day , an important marketing node, calling on the public to pay attention to the issue of new mothers.

OLAY also used this opportunity to resonate emotionally with young mothers, winning more attention and discussion for the brand among young consumers. The new brand concept of "no fear of age" was also well disseminated through this marketing campaign.

In the end, OLAY's sales on Tmall ranked first in the entire online beauty category, which can be said to be a double harvest of "word of mouth" and "sales".

2. Create your own topic and make it a "big news" that goes viral

With short preparation time and tight budget, how can a brand carry out its marketing campaign? The event marketing case shortlisted for Tencent WiFi Manager may give us some inspiration.

On the eve of April Fools' Day , Tencent WiFi Manager teamed up with relevant technology accounts on Facebook to release a "big news" in advance. It is reported that Tencent WiFi Manager is working with NASA and CNSA to build a satellite WiFi plan, and global WiFi will be connected.

Subsequently, well-known technology and financial websites such as Leifeng.com, Sina , 36Kr, and NetEase reprinted this news to warm up the topic.

Zhihu has also become a platform for Tencent WiFi Manager to reach professional audiences. A large number of Zhihu "tech experts" gathered under the topic "Is it possible to achieve global coverage of satellite WiFi?" to analyze the feasibility of Tencent's WiFi satellite. The truth becomes even more confusing.

Finally, the suspense was officially revealed on April Fool's Day. Tencent WiFi Manager's product features such as "full coverage, one-click connection" have also been widely spread and attracted attention with the help of this series of suspense.

"There is 100 million in Alipay " is also a shortlisted case that is particularly good at "creating a topic". The seemingly ordinary instant discount activity, with the help of clever design of products and communication mechanisms, successfully triggered users to take screenshots and share spontaneously.

3. KOLs are more segmented and communication levels are more diverse

From the 27 shortlisted cases, we found another interesting phenomenon: KOL has become the standard for brand social marketing. Although this may sound a bit old-fashioned, we can see that KOLs themselves have become more diverse, reflecting different values ​​for brands.

Celebrities, internet celebrities , comedians, or vertical or regional KOLs can all exert influence in different marketing campaigns, helping brands penetrate into various circles of people in stages according to specific communication goals.

1. Celebrity endorsements, with the help of powerful IP, to achieve wide-area dissemination

The popularity of the costume drama "Eternal Love" has continued to increase people's attention to this IP drama. Estee Lauder seized the opportunity and personally selected "Qingqiu God" Yang Mi to make a different approach to KOL operations.

First, it was announced that Yang Mi would serve as the spokesperson for the Asia-Pacific region, thus establishing a connection between the brand and the spokesperson outside of the screen.

Immediately afterwards, Weibo Fashion Vertical Channel and Estee Lauder officially launched the Ten Miles of Peach Blossom Makeup Imitation Competition. The topic #十里桃花妆# carries a super IP on Weibo to accurately reach target users ; at the same time, it cooperates with the Weibo official account matrix to form a large number of effective interactions on the periphery.

2. Use vertical media and regional KOLs to achieve precise reach

In addition to celebrity endorsements, vertical media, professional field and regional KOLs, these seemingly "niche" influencers are gradually becoming the key choices that brand owners will consider when cooperating.

Since 2014, Nippon Paint has incorporated its brand spirit of "refreshing your life" into the program "Dream Home Renovation" through its exclusive sponsorship.

In 2016, Nippon Paint took its collaboration with Dream Home Renovation a step further and established a deeper emotional connection. The original intention of the program, "Helping ordinary people realize their life dreams", attracted the participation of many professionals from home and abroad. iColor designer Wang Pingzhong and renowned architectural designer Aoyama Shuhei have joined the team.

In order to more closely integrate the brand and reality show content, Nippon Paint also created a core user experience area called "Nippon Paint Dream Refresh Center - 720° Panoramic Experience New Home".

On this platform, users can look through photos of their homes before renovation, and view each renovated home in a 720° panoramic view, comparing the refreshing effects before and after the renovation.

At the same time, Nippon Paint also selected 31 regional public accounts covering first-tier to third-tier cities, including the vertical media "Haohaozhu" and local trendy life, Baimi Life Jinan, Chongqing Yanzi, etc., to launch the campaign to attract traffic for the 720° panoramic H5.

Conclusion

Based on the above three observations, in the context of "full social platform marketing", how to find the right creative entry point, integrate the resources at hand, and then use the power of the platform and big data to trigger topics will become a new challenge facing brands.

Interestingly, judging from the number of cases shortlisted by agencies, Shiqu Interactive, which excels in social mobile, has become the company with the most shortlisted cases in the "social marketing" category with 4 cases. The above-mentioned cases of Sogou, OLAY and Tencent WiFi Manager all come from him. If marketers still understand "social marketing" as simply chasing hot topics and competing for creativity in posters or H5s, they are probably out of date.