The Drum’s social media govt Amy Houston speaks to Ed Jones, digital technique lead at British Olympic Association, about Team GB’s social technique throughout Tokyo 2020 and what brands can learn from the marketing campaign.The Olympic torch was extinguished final Sunday as Tokyo waved ‘sayonara’ to 1 of the most hotly-anticipated Games in latest instances. After a one-year delay, the Olympics marked an thrilling couple of weeks in the post-lockdown calendar, however with many rules nonetheless in place, the occasion did really feel a little bit bit uncommon. With accessibility restrictions and a scarcity of crowds, many athletes took to social media to present viewers at dwelling a glimpse at life in the Olympic Village and perception into their expertise, subsequently changing into the on-line stars of #Tokyo2020.
The official TikTok account of Team GB has amassed 239k followers and over 2m likes, whereas its Twitter account boasts near 1 million followers. “Engage followers and encourage new ones to be the best-supported crew,” Jones tells me about their total social technique. Building an engaged viewers is significant to brands on social media, and it’s not one thing that occurs in a single day.Being constant along with your storytelling and listening to your viewers’s needs and wishes is so necessary. Having a “clear imaginative and prescient” in order that communication doesn’t appear disingenuous to your neighborhood and placing concentrate on the place you should have “best influence” are two nice suggestions Jones shares with me.Community lies at the coronary heart of social, and high quality actually does come earlier than amount. People have gravitated in the direction of the athletes’ private social accounts as a result of they’re trustworthy, uncooked and infrequently humorous mementos of their time in Tokyo. Brands that can undertake this degree of relatability will all the time come out on high.Australian Olympic diver Sam Fricker has been one of the breakout sports activities stars on social this summer time, with 1.2 million followers on TikTok. His each day movies showcase every part from his exercise regimes and meals in the Olympic Village to doing his laundry, which have surpassed 44m likes. Being artistic and having enjoyable are such necessary elements of social media advertising and marketing, and based on Jones there “have been some surprising moments of humor which have actually captured the creativeness” throughout the Games.Team GB has additionally relied on the personalities of its athletes to drum up pleasure on-line, however Jones additionally famous that “in the case of Games time, we construct pleasure by sharing how followers are getting behind the crew”. Planning particular campaigns for this all through the 12 months is useful. One method that Team GB made followers really feel included was via its #AssistIsWhatMakesUs, which connects to its long-running ‘This Is What Makes Us’ marketing campaign to “have a good time the multitude of methods followers have been getting behind the crew”.Online communities can typically really feel like households in a bizarre method, and if you wish to market merchandise there, or generate model consciousness, then it’s a good suggestion to showcase endorsements from your viewers. Include them in your social technique at each level – individuals begin to lose curiosity if all comms are a bit narcissistic. Always assess what’s working utilizing social listening instruments and chat it via with the wider crew. “We report and interrogate our efficiency to ensure we perceive what works, what doesn’t, and the way we can enhance efficiency over time,” Jones affirms.Working in social typically means being barely overwhelmed at the sheer quantity of channels and updates consistently being thrown your method. For many brands, the ‘holy trinity’ has been Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and this has been no totally different for Team GB as that’s the place they attain the “core fanbase”, however a brand new wave of sports activities followers signifies that “TikTok and Snap have gotten more and more necessary as they allow us to speak to the subsequent era”. Moving with the instances is necessary, and it’s what retains social thrilling. Test issues out however don’t deviate from your values an excessive amount of, and if it’s not working then cease.Planning your content material prematurely can really feel like a complete luxurious for social groups, however let’s face it – it hardly ever goes that method. An enormous half of this job is being reactive, particularly when overlaying one thing as unpredictable as the Olympics. “Our plans have been effectively established for a while,” Jones tells me. “But there’s all the time a requirement to reply to alternatives in the second, and that’s all the time one thing we glance to do and has been most evident in the tone we’ve adopted to replicate the temper of our athletes and our followers again dwelling via copy.”There have been a couple of memorable campaigns on social from Tokyo 2020, and the fundamental takeaways that brands ought to incorporate into their very own technique are: be genuine, know your viewers, and have a transparent imaginative and prescient.Which second stood out to you? Join in the dialog utilizing #TheDrumSocial
