2.12.20

How to Get the Most From Instagram for Your Brand

 Fearing to be left behind in the social media race, the vast majority of brands have ventured into social media space with little strategic thought or understanding of how to get the most out of their platforms. Many brands are using their pages as avenues to run short-term behaviour and reward activities which may harm brand value in the long term by teaching already loyal consumers to become sensitive to sales promotions (Kotler & Lee, 2008; Schultz & Block, 2012; Gambetti & Graffigna, 2010; Nelson-Field et al., 2012; Romaniuk, 2011).

How Brands Can Portray Authenticity on Instagram

1. Use ‘authentic’ cues

2. Personify the brand

3. Telling a lifestyle story

4. Using consumer-generated content

Summary: How to get the most from Instagram for your brand

5 Powerful Instagram Lessons

Virtual influencers are a growing trend now. Miquela and her creators are doing a fantastic job when it comes to developing storytelling and connecting to the audience. Marketers, influencers, and businesses have much to learn from her. From creating an excellent bio to selling a product, Miquela knows how to use her social media.
Image for post

Create a Good Bio

The bio is the first thing we see when we find a profile on Instagram. It is like the introduction of a text — it needs to make the user curious enough to scroll down and keep consuming your content. It’s the only opportunity to make an excellent first impression.

Image for post

  • What to write on the bio: She uses the bio to reinforce her values through the #BlackLivesMatter movement and to communicate that she supports @plus1org and @musicares.
  • The power of links: Miquela announces that her single, “Hard Feelings,” is out. She has a compelling call-to-action, followed by a link at the end that directs followers to platforms in which they can listen to the music.
  • Personality: “Change-seeking robot” demonstrates her uniqueness. She is a robot, and this makes her authentic. Miquela uses it to build her storytelling. She’s not a regular robot: she’s a robot on social media. At the same time, she’s not a typical influencer either, because she’s not human.

How to Sell

Miquela is not only a virtual influencer, but she is also a singer. Her account on Spotify has almost one million monthly listeners.

Repetition

The most substantial aspect of Miquela’s promotion is repetition.

  • Multiple posts: Since July 25, every single post on her feed references her song, “Hard Feelings.” That’s so far 22 pictures and videos, only on her feed.

Using multiple features

By promoting the song in different features, it’s simple to use the repetition strategy.

  • She uses multiple videos and pictures on the feed.
  • Her strategy includes both stories and story highlights.

Storytelling

Whenever Miquela releases a new single, she develops a story behind it.

Story Highlights

Let’s analyze Miquela’s story highlights:

Image for post

  • Titles: The titles of the highlights are in caps lock, which makes it easier to read. Besides, they are short — each of them in only one word since there’s little space there.
  • Music: All highlights refer to Miquela’s music. She heavily uses this feature to promote her work.
Image for post

  • Music: Miquela added her song to the “music” feature that’s available.
  • Icons: At the bottom, there’s the “swipe up” icon. This feature is a part of Miquela’s informal language, and this one is a clear call-to-action.

Adjust the Language to the Audience

This advice is as old as social media, but still overlooked by content producers: speak the audience’s language.

Captions

Miquela writes captions to every single post. She uses them to promote her sings — as seen before — and to connect with the audience.

Image for post

  • Emojis: She uses emojis at the end of the text.
  • Extended words: “Byyeeeee.”

Comments

The comments section is also essential for Miquela’s interaction with the audience. The picture below is a video in which she provides a sneak peek of her latest song, “Hard Feelings”:

Image for post
Miquela’s post on Instagram. Screenshot courtesy of the author.
  • Language: The style of the comment is remarkably similar to the caption. She maintains the same form of communication.
  • Emojis and abbreviations: Both elements present in the comment that make it informal.

Videos

Instead of long IGTV videos, Miquela focuses on short videos on her feed.

  • By making short videos, she gets the message across more directly.
  • Short videos are more engaging because they are faster to watch.
  • It keeps communication informal.

Other Features

Instagram is a platform with multiple features. Besides the ones mentioned previously, here’s how Miquela uses IGTV, location, and stories.

IGTV

IGTV is the least used feature in Miquela’s strategy.

  • Focus: Miquela uses most of Instagram features. The fact that she doesn’t use IGTV too much doesn’t matter, because she has plenty of good content for the other features, such as highlights and the feed.

Location

Miquela always uses exciting locations for the posts on her feed.

Stories

Stories are another Instagram feature that Miquela uses well. For the everyday stories, not the highlights, here are the different uses:

  • Reposting: Miquela often shares pictures from fans listening to her music.
  • Mixed content: both videos and pictures.

23.10.20

The Gun Violence History Book| Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence


Agency: FCB Chicago
Client: Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
Country: United States

For over a century, gun violence has been a deadly issue in the USA. One of the reasons for this problem is a loophole in the law.

FCB Chicago needed to create a campaign, with a small budget, that could gather support for Universal Background checks which would help close the loophole. There has been so much gun violence in America that if it was all captured in a book, it would probably stop a bullet. Introducing The Gun Violence History Book.









Dracula Billboard| BBC

Agency: Talon Outdoor

Client: BBC

Country: United Kingdom

With so many incarnations of the horror icon already out there on film and TV, BBC Creative wanted UK audiences to engage with the Dracula legend in a really surprising way. 
So it created a special build poster using light and shadow to bring the out of home campaign to life, like the count himself, as night fell. It engaged viewers online with a 10-second time lapse of the transformation at sunset, which drove the online conversation pointing viewers towards the show.











Never Standing Still | Hong Kong Ballet




Agency: Design Army

Client: Hong Kong Ballet

Country: Hong Kong

In 2018 a new artistic director took the helm at Hong Kong Ballet, facing dwindling membership, a city in turmoil, and perceptions that ballet was for the elite. After successfully rebranding in 2018, the goal for the Ballet’s 40th anniversary was to establish it as a national institution and reach new audiences.

The strategy was to blend traditional and pop culture to celebrate the Ballet’s heritage and innovative spirit. Design Army’s work helped increase subscriptions by 33%, and elevated Hong Kong Ballet’s position as a cultural institution nationally and one of the most vital ballets in the world.


Eyes Say More Than Words| Georgetown Optician




Agency: Design Army

Client: Georgetown Optician

Country: United States

Georgetown Optician is a purveyor of luxury eyewear with multiple retail locations in Washington, DC. The challenge was to create an integrated brand campaign to showcase its 2020 collection. The campaign includes in-store, online, in product and print, but the focal point is the film. 
Our world is louder than ever before, so Design Army imagined a place where eyes say more than words. They took visual cues from eccentric 1970s style, specifically high school yearbooks. Georgetown Optician has since been recognised as one of the most creative and innovative retail brands in global eyewear.






AirPods – Bounce | Apple



Agency: Apple / TBWA\Media Arts Lab / Apple / TBWA\Media Arts Lab\Apple / Framestore

Client: Apple

Country: United States




Bounce captures what it feels like to experience the extra burst of freedom provided by the even-more-wireless new AirPods. In the film, the whole environment of a city becomes a trampoline, turning a young man’s everyday commute into a wonderful musical experience.



Sound Images| Berlin Philharmonic



Agency: Scholz & Friends Berlin

Client: Berlin Philharmonic

Country: Germany


In 2019, the Berlin Philharmonic – one of the world’s leading orchestras – was looking for an eye-catching visual concept for its new concert season. Scholz & Friends put the focus on what fascinates people the most about the orchestra: its unique sound. 
With a metal plate and the laws of physics, the musicians are able to portray their exceptional sound. Making visible what could so far only be heard, the Sound Images became a unique visual concept for the entire season’s communication, lending visual fascination to the orchestra’s acoustic perfection.












The Long Fight / Gender Gap| The New York Times



Agency: Droga5 New York

Client: The New York Times

Country: United States


The New York Times has a history of providing unparalleled coverage on gender in sports. When 2019 saw female athletes fighting a public battle for equality, it used the US Open as a backdrop to demonstrate how its journalism has been there at every step. This film takes 50 years of archival headlines and shows how hard women had to fight to level the playing field. 
As the rally unfolds, each word brings viewers through the years. The sound design mimics the setbacks and breakthroughs, bringing you to the headlines of the present day. Online, readers got a deeper look into the featured article.



7 Skills for a Post-Pandemic Marketer

The impact of Covid-19 has had a significant impact across the board with the marketing and advertising industry in 2020, but there is hope...