In 2010, there was a film that movie-goers couldn’t wait to see, and many were puzzled, enlightened, or plain freaked out by at the end of watching it. What there were no misconceptions about, however, is that this film had an excellent social media campaign surrounding its success. Inception was one of director Christopher Nolan’s top movies and earned a Best Picture nomination at the Golden Globes. The internet campaign that surrounded the movie is nothing to sneeze at, and the marketing team involved must be commended for their work. Warner Bros. didn’t just leave it to social media to get their fans talking and involved, but the brand advocacy campaign was also linked to a comic that the company created which could be found on Yahoo.
This comic gave more insight into the characters’ lives, and old picture restoration consumers ate it up, loving the possibility of learning more about characters they’d enjoyed watching onscreen. There was also a maze game that was designed with the movie in mind, that let fans jump right into the story with these characters, and determine what dream fate they could expect. In 2016, there are over 11 million fans who still follow news about the film, take in original content related to it, and enjoy more sneak peeks into its immersive backstory. By getting fans on board to enjoy and explore behind-the-scenes moments, production activities, the movie’s beloved and hated characters, and story overall, brand advocacy continues to be seen worldwide, as it’s still a film that many suggest as a watch to those that haven’t yet seen it.
6) Adidas and Athletes Adidas showed the world, its loyal and potential customers, and its athletes that it wasn’t about to leave anyone behind due to a little unpopularity. The company stepped up its brand advocacy campaign game with the Chinese Women’s Volleyball Team which they sponsor, as they sought to reclaim the team’s lost popularity. For a team that hadn’t been very prominent since the 80s, this wouldn’t be the easiest of tasks, but Adidas’ marketing team was up for the challenge. By utilizing one of the most popular social media campaigning methods out there today—viral videos, Adidas was able to shed light on the edgier side of the team’s game, gaining interest from old and new fans alike. Six viral videos were created for this task, and over 5.5 million people watched them, substantially raising awareness about the volleyball team.