campaign

Local news hashtags

Using Local News Hashtags to Your Advantage

Anyone following this election has already become familiar with a few hashtags, namely #elxn42, #cdnpoli and #election2015. All organizations are vying for valuable space in that stream, but breaking through is a difficult task.

That’s why we recommend targeting local news hashtags to ensure your message is seen. For example, here in Ottawa we use #ottnews when talking about a local issue. Similar hashtags exist across the country and are important sources of information for the public and media alike, boosting your opportunity to attract media coverage.

This doesn’t work for everything, obviously. Big, national issues are not, by definition, local news. But don’t write off an issue too quickly. Try to find local angles and build those in. If you want to focus on health care, look at hospitals in the region and see if they’ve made any recent news. If you work for youth engagement, see if local post-secondary institutions have received public attention. Then alter your message on a national issue to be relevant to local level, and benefit from increased engagement with that audience.

Twibbon campaigns

Using Twibbons to Garner Online Support

One of the greatest social media tools over the past six years has been the Twibbon. Since its appearance in 2009, the Twibbon has played an enormous role in social media advocacy campaigns of all shapes and sizes. This election, expect to see an example of a Twibbon coming to a friend or family member near you!

Twibbons are, at their most basic, a visual graphic that appears across the profile photo of Facebook and Twitter users. Depending on the industry, that could range from #CdnAg to something like “I Voted for Health Care.”

While some critics have written off Twibbons as forms of “slacktivism,” they remain an important part of any communications effort. Particularly as the userbase of Facebook ages, Twibbons offer an exceptional opportunity to build awareness, engagement and encourage action among target audiences for all groups.
Plus, with some design and messaging work, Twibbons can be set up quickly and easily. Contact MediaStyle for more information.

Target audience

Spotlight on Influence Campaigns

An influence campaign during an election is only as strong as its messaging. In other words, content is king.

Too often, organizations rush to share content without considering their objectives and audience, therefore sending out a diluted message.

Before launching any sort of communications plan (be that one tweet or a full orchestrated campaign), an organization must establish three things: objectives of the campaign, target audiences and key messaging.

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Hootsuite logo mascot

May the Fourth Be With You: The Winners and Losers of Star Wars Day

Each year, the fourth of May provides an opportunity for creatives at agencies across the world to come up with the best Star Wars puns and shareable images they can. The unofficial Star Wars Day generates buzz and creates a rare opportunity to connect with fans of the series and the emerging “geeks are cool” crowd.

Even here in Ottawa, the carillon on Parliament Hill rang out a 15-minute concert themed around space, including a rendition of the Imperial March. (By the way, this would end up in the “fail” category – as the government, playing the music of Darth Vader’s squad may not be the best idea.)

Let’s look back at how some of the world’s biggest brands took advantage of the annual celebration, while celebrating the winners and mocking the losers.

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Carleton’s Anniversary Hashtag Gets a Makeover

Launching a hashtag to promote your brand often provides great potential to expand your reach, connect with fans, and use the power of the masses to help build up reputation. But as Ottawa’s Carleton University found out today, it also provides rife opportunity for subversion.

The school launched a new public awareness campaign this morning to celebrate its 75th anniversary, that follows the theme “Distinctly Carleton.”

As part of the launch, Carleton revealed a new website (as well as a special campaign page) and unveiled massive portraits of famous alumni like former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, writer Lynn Coady, journalist Nahlah Ayed, and Ravens basketball star Philip Scrubb, among others.

Part of the launch also included a hashtag campaign.

It didn’t take long for students and faculty to give the hashtag an entirely different meaning.

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Ice Bucket Challenges Around the World

In the streets of Hyderabad, a city in south India home to some six million people, journalist Manju Latha Kalanidhi pulled out his bucket.

Unlike hordes of Canadians, Americans, Brits, and others who have been filling their buckets with ice and water, Kalanidhi filled his with rice. After loading it up, he didn’t dump it over his head – instead, he donated it to the country’s poor and hungry population.

Dubbed the #RiceBucketChallenge, the spirit of giving is in the early stages of sweeping the nation. So far, the campaign’s Facebook page has received over 54,000 Likes.

India charity ALS

These four steps make up the #RiceBucketChallenge. a campaign starting up in India.

The team behind Thrill, a start-up dating app, took to the streets to participate, and their video gives a good example of what this new campaign is all about:

As reported by Reuters, other companies institutions are also trying to get more people involved. The Indian Institute of Management has already participated, while AirAsia India said that its senior management will complete the challenge next week. As more companies join on board and send out nominations for others to join, the hope is the campaign will continue to snowball.

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