When brands get social media engagement right

I really enjoy seeing posts online from brands that show they are current, on trend, and in tune with what’s going on around them.

Recently the #WooliesWaterChallenge was trending for days. What impressed me about this thread was a) how quickly Woolworths reacted to the trend b) the foresight the brand had to quickly engage the gentlemen behind the trend.

Nando's is known for their tongue-in-cheek personality and wit and is consistent with keeping on top of trends. The below posts show a more “human” side to the brand and not just a company with smart marketers coming up with witty campaigns.

Their responses below were on target with their brand communication but also came across as how other people were responding when congratulating the recent achievements of DJ Arch Jnr and AKA. Nandos referring to AKA as “Di Molti Tsalented Nomber One Superstar from South Africa” is a prime example of a brand being in tune with popular culture.

Being a relatable brand

Gone are the days where a brand's online communication needs to be about “selling”. Brands need to show that they are relatable which in turn conveys the message that maybe they do indeed know what their customers want.

Woolies water challenge: What makes social media content go viral?

Hlumelo Ndoni  29 Mar 2019

Brand relatability can easily be achieved by engaging in current and/or trending topics, replying to messages, and getting into conversations that sometimes have nothing to do with you directly, but by humanising the brand you can always find a way to fit into the conversation.

Audi got the “fit into the conversation” component right when they recently commented on a post about the worse pronunciation of your name. The post had nothing to do with Audi or cars, but their comment made them come across as relatable and cool. They owned a good part of that thread because a lot of people admitted that they didn’t know how to pronounce Audi and went on to ask Audi other questions related directly to their brand which they, in turn, responded to.

Odi. https://t.co/V2TcFcJQHG

— Audi South Africa (@audisouthafrica) March 25, 2019

We've beeeeen at it for 7 years in a row. #FNBae loading...#DropsMic pic.twitter.com/Xa6FMXankW

— FNB South Africa (@FNBSA) March 29, 2019

�� Thank you for the Love, we the coolest bank because we got the coolest customers like yourself.����

— Standard Bank SA (@StandardBankZA) March 29, 2019

Krone MCC gifted media personality Luthando “Loot Love” Sosha two personalised bottles “Hip” and "Hop”. Their engagement with her was in the “real world” in the form of something tangible. The personalisation showed that the brand is in tune with pop culture and the gift was meaningful enough for Loot Love to post on her social media.

View this post on Instagram

Surely Hip&Hop are the coolest?!!! ��How you gon’ be this young and get such dope deliveries? We keeping these til their 21. ����Aaaaaargh, this is so dope! Mad mad love to my @kronemcc family. This is special.

A post shared by Luthando LOOTLOVE™ Shosha (@lootlove2) on Feb 22, 2019 at 7:21am PST