Welcome back for week three in our “Learn From the Pros” Blog Series! This series is designed to promote the sharing of information across our customer base so that we can all learn from each other as we navigate the various ways Social Marketing can be leveraged for brand success.
This week we’re chatting with Rebecca Brown from J. Walter Thompson. We’ve been working with Rebecca and her team since 2014 and are excited to share her thoughts on how contests & sweepstakes have helped JWT achieve their clients’ brand objectives. Rebecca brings terrific experience to the table, so we hope you enjoy!
Votigo: How long have you been with J. Walter Thompson?
Rebecca: About a year and a half.
Votigo: What is your role there? How did you get started in Marketing?
Rebecca: I’m the VP of Social Media and Content. Prior to this role, I founded a company called Bunch that produced events and content for hipster parents. I spun it into a content and social media consultancy that specialized in marketing to influencer parents. Then I sold it to a social media agency.
Votigo: What are your biggest goals & initiatives for J. Walter Thompson’s clients in 2017?
Rebecca: We are growing our influencer practice, optimizing our proprietary approach to surfacing consumer insights via social listening and using JWT Storymap (our strategic process for leveraging hotspots in internet culture to bring brands to life within social) to make awesome things happen across all of our client’s businesses.
Votigo: How often do you run contests or sweepstakes currently? What is the strategy behind your chosen frequency? And what platforms do you run them on?
Rebecca: We run contests and sweepstakes when it makes the idea better. It’s not about frequency, it’s about relevance and fit. And it’s super important that the contest does more than drive short term trial. It has to build equity for the brand. We’ll run campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the Web and Mobile.
Votigo: Can you share your thoughts on these social platforms in regards to your business? Do you tend to engage with one more than the others? Why?
Rebecca: It’s not so much that we engage with one more than the other. Rather it’s that different platforms have different etiquettes. So we use the platform that makes the most sense for the idea or we tailor the content to the customs and social graces of the platform.
Votigo: Is there a type of campaign that you would like to run but haven’t yet? Why not?
Rebecca: We’d love to make a scripted web series. We’re also keen to use AI to design extremely valuable customer care experiences that are also delightful. Pretty sure we’ll do both of these things in 2017.
Votigo: What solution do you use for your contests & sweepstakes? Do you prefer a full-service offering or a self-service platform?
Rebecca: We like to have the option of either a full-service or self-service option, or a hybrid of the two when it comes to working with Votigo. Depends on the idea and the budget.
Votigo: What piece of advice would you share with someone who is just starting out with social contests & sweepstakes?
Rebecca: Make sure it builds the brand!
Votigo: What are your favorite blogs or books on Marketing or your other interests?
Rebecca: I read from my feed which is a healthy mix of the usual suspects (TechCrunch, HBR, VentureBeat) rounded with a little Teen Vogue (they are crushing it) and some embarrassing celeb gossip sites. Plus The Skimm and Latest.is.
Thanks for participating in “Learn From the Pros”, Rebecca!
-The Votigo Team
