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Category : MAKING A RUCKUS

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Case Study: Social Contesting – Husqvarna Father’s Day

Ruckus worked with Husqvarna to unlock the bond between father and son in a genuine way and encourage user generated content.

How do you unlock the bond between father and son in a genuine way and encourage user generated content? Over the course of three weeks ruckus digital developed a deep, tactical approach for Husqvarna to leverage strategic partnerships and generate high user engagement with meaningful user generated content.

Ruckus developed a social contest based around father’s day for both Canadian and U.S. markets. Looking at audience insights, we identified that the “father-son” bond held important and sentimental value to our fans. We wanted our fans to share this connection with us without forcing them to do so.

We developed weekly content, in partnership with both U.S. and Canadian teams as well as partners such as the Timber Kings who are well respected and recognized by the target audience. We spoke less about the value of the product, but instead the importance of fatherly advice and the bond that performing tasks together can form between two people. Users shared their fatherly advice, which was then highlighted on the Husqvarna Canada Facebook page.

Instead of simply asking fans for submissions we wanted to be in a conversation with them. To learn what advice they value most and what makes their relationships with their father special. The feedback from fans highlighted the importance of focusing on fatherly lessons and life values and for promoting the best ones on the page post contest. 

Results:

on 18/09/2015

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Case Study: Social Amplification – MGD SoundClash

This summer we helped MGD create authentic content and cater to a community that was quick to shy away from any content that is overly commercial or branded.

After a dramatic brand relaunch in Canada, and reconnecting with its global roots to EDM (Electronic Dance Music) Miller Genuine Draft was looking to solidify their connection to the scene. With the launch of their global DJ competition – SoundClash – in Canada, MGD was hoping to create more awareness with the DJ community and strengthen their place as the premium beer for nightlife.

Our focus was on creating content that not only promoted the brand but felt authentic to a community that would quickly shy away from overly commercial or branded efforts. Our challenge was doubled with the strict guidelines and restrictions around marketing alcohol.

We worked closely with MGD partners (INK Entertainment and EDM Canada) to develop engaging content both leading up to the event and on-site activations. We featured DJ submissions across our channels in an effort to shine a spotlight on up-and-comers and generate competition within their community.  We also engaged with influencers in the scene to add authenticity to the competition. We also chronicled the competition by serving up a ton of real-time content and profiles of the winners.

With a simple straightforward approach of including the community and supporting the scene with rich, engaging and authentic content we were able to make 2015’s SoundClash a huge success.

Results:

on 18/09/2015

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This week’s ruckus makers (June 22 – 26)

This week’s ruckus makers (June 22 – 26)

  • Skittles are auctioning off some items and they’re using “likes” as currency.  
  • A Luxury hotel is using user Instagram photos as promotional material as opposed to staged photography. And it’s working. 

  • We’ve launched our first newsletter this week. Learn about what’s been happening in the industry and what kind of ruckus we’ve been causing by signing up. 
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Look who’s talking: 3 keys to a great community manager

You’re hearing a good deal about content lately, and for good reason. If you’re not supplying your social audience with engaging, relevant content on a regular basis there’s little point to even having an online community.

 

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You’re hearing a good deal about content lately, and for good reason. If you’re not supplying your social audience with engaging, relevant content on a regular basis there’s little point to even having an online community. But something that’s often overlooked in the process is who’s posting your content and how they’re managing those communities.

A good community manager is equal parts actor, parent, and party host. They don’t just post and schedule content (at least not the good ones) — they incite conversations, recognize and reward loyalty, and create an inclusive experience that fans and followers look forward to returning to.

And so with that in mind, here are few questions to as when selecting a great community manager.

1. Can they act? Do they have the voice?

The best community managers embody the spirit and qualities of the brands they represent. They have to be relatable, knowledgeable and sound authentic. But what if your key audience is made up of moms in the 40’s or millennials fresh out of school? What then? Do you go out and hire someone in that age group to manage your social feeds? Great in theory, but not always achievable. So you’ll need someone who can accurately play the part and keep conversations feeling genuine. If your community manager knows their stuff, and is immersed in the brand, they should be able to act relatable no matter who your audience is.

Plus, conversations and attitudes can be different from channel to channel. Your community manager needs to be nimble and have the right tone and approach whether responding on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

2. Can they host a killer party?

Seth Godin sometimes equates social communities to parties — successful brands just happen to be throwing the best ones. That party analogy is pretty accurate when you break it down: a good party host anticipates their guest’s needs, keeps the music playing and is generally on top of things, keeping everyone happy. The same goes for your community manager; they should be quickly answering questions, responding to posts and facilitating a dialogue with just about every person that takes the time to post on your page.

3. Are they nurturing?

Of all the traits your community manager should have, this might be the toughest to find. I sometimes equate social media participation to a high school dance. People are nervous, no one wants to be first and you’re left with a lot of people mingling around the periphery and not doing much. It takes time before people feel comfortable, so having someone who can make them feel welcome and included is huge. That means instigating and nurturing the conversation where there might not be one. It also means keeping a watchful eye on the conversations and making sure everyone feels included (don’t feed the trolls).

Of course there are other keys to a successful community manager (big personality, general excitement for the brand) but these should kick start the search or help you gut-check whether you’re focused on the right things. Social feeds are high-touch areas where customers and fans get to interact with your brand, so selecting the right person to act as an ambassador is integral.

Social media management and community building are key services Ruckus offers. Give us a shout. 

Posted by
Gary Edgar
on 09/04/2014

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We’re looking for a Senior Social Strategist

Join the growing team at ruckus – we’re hiring for a social strategist. Let us know if you have what it takes.

Are you tired of clunky, awkward social media content that seems to speak to no one at all? Ever thought you could do better? Here’s your chance to prove it. At ruckus, we help brands tell a better story on their social channels. Our dedicated teams are built for today’s evolved story telling – real-time natives with PR know-how and big creative ideas that work in the real-time world of social media. And here’s your chance to be a part of that team.

As the social media landscape matures, brands and clients are looking for more detailed and results-driven digital activations. The social media world has evolved beyond the channels like Facebook and Twitter – it’s now what you’re saying not just where you’re saying it. This is the rationale behind ruckus: to work with brands to find their stories and develop them into rich, engaging content across owned and paid channels. 

What’s the gig:

ruckus is looking for a Senior Social Strategist to join our growing team.  Reporting to the Managing Director, this position will combine amazing creativity with storytelling, analytics measurement and community management.  You will develop content and social strategies backed up with research and insights, not happenstance.  The role collaborates closely with the firm’s lines of business and practices.

How you can help us grow:

  • You’re a digital native – you understand, not only how the channels work – but also how brands can use them as a successful marketing tool. 
  • You also recognize and appreciate the need to be timely and strategic with social engagement, knowing when to jump into a conversation and when to sit it out.
  • You understand the pace, tools, venues, conferences and platforms available to develop and share our points of view, creating engagement and relationships with our target audience.
  • You can take your readers on a journey through creative narratives that explain business value in a simple way. You have killer instincts when it comes to integrating both digital and tangible assets to unfold these stories. Whether you are crafting for a client, business or creative audience, your stories engage and dazzle.
  • You are a magnet and your colleagues/client’s will love collaborating with you. You are able to work across a diverse group of peers, practitioners and executive leaders to capture and translate ideas into thought leadership that fuels the demand generation engine.
  • Developing content for the right industry is part of your DNA – you know how to construct and share stories in a way that grabs industry influencer’s attention.  Keeping your fingers on the pulse of the marketplace energizes you as you think about how to syndicate the firm’s thought leadership.
  • You’re excited to grow a business from the ground up.
  • You will work seamlessly with our PR partner APEX to coordinate communications and extend reach.

What you bring to the table:

  • Can translate the expertise of multiple disciplines (e.g. human factors, brand, product, service design, business strategy, engineering, etc.) into client and marketplace relevance.
  • Fluency in digital, web and emerging technology.
  • Strong writing and copy editing skills, grounded in a marketing context. When applying, please include examples of work that showcase your creative and business writing and digital portfolio.
  • Well versed in the language and needs of a robust marketing organization (agency experience an asset).
  • Strong creative mind-set with a passion for design, innovation and technology; share original and new ideas.
  • A fundamental knowledge of paid social and digital tools (Facebook and Twitter ad platforms).
  • Communicate exceptionally through words, pictures and stories and sell an idea/concept into a client
  • Bachelor’s degree and 5 – 7+ years of experience in a marketing, publishing and writing function.
  • Understand the mechanics of communication and public relations.
  • Ability to thrive in and manage ambiguity; curious, emphatic and energetic.

Not required but really helpful:

  • Intimate knowledge and use of social channels (all of them)
  • Google Ad Words and SEO/SEM
  • Analytics and Metrics (Google, Sysomos, etc.)
  • Knowledge of Photoshop, In Design, Adobe suite of products
  • HTML and CSS
  • Video production skills

 We want to meet great people who are interested in working in a start-up environment where culture matters and curiosity is valued. 

Send your resume/info on your ruckus making habits to: gary@ruckusdigital.ca

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WTR – what the ruckus on Vine

Did you ever wonder what the appeal of six-second video loops is? Who are pro-viners? This and more in our next installment of WTR (what the ruckus) on Vine.

Once again, ruckus digital brings you another installment of WTR (what the ruckus). For this one, we’re talking about Vine and how brands can benefit from strategic partnerships with the community. We break down how Vine got started, what exactly is the appeal of six-second video loops and what the introduction of Twitter video means to Vine’s future. As always, we have stats, examples and brand recommendations on whether or not Vine can help you achieve your business goals. 

Posted by
Serge Leshchuk
on 06/05/2015

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ruckus launches Seventh Generation and Polysporin®

This spring we’ve been very busy launching social strategies for Seventh Generation and Polysporin® – both focused on reaching the Canadian mom on social media.

With Seventh Generation, ruckus has been helping to craft a uniquely Canadian story for the eco-friendly brand, managing both their Twitter and Facebook accounts and building relationships with Canadian influencers and stakeholders. 

For Polysporin, ruckus launched a new Facebook page for the brand earlier this year with the objective of growing their Quebec audience and creating engaging content for the Quebec market. 

Keep an eye out for even more new and exciting projects and campaigns as we move through 2015.

Posted by
Serge Leshchuk
on 04/06/2015

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Unlocking Live Streaming

2015 is quickly becoming the year of the video. But what does the emergence of live streaming mean for your brand?

When Meerkat launched at SXSW, it caused a stir. Part of it was Twitter’s quick response (locking out the app), but it also granted users access to live, in the moment events as they were happening. Unlike Snapchat, it wasn’t a backdated story, it was the ‘now’ that Meerkat capitalized on. Fast forward a month later to Twitter launching Periscope, its own streaming app, and you begin to understand their decision to lock out Meerkat.

While video has been a part of social infrastructure, livestreaming has lagged behind until now. It was more the domain of sports broadcast and live news (both online and on traditional) and niche audiences such as gamers with Twitch.tv. But with mobile, the expectation is instant access and publishers are responding.

Recent stats demonstrate that live streaming isn’t just gaining popularity, it’s beating out VOD options. A 2013 survey in the U.S. reported that viewers watch 40 minutes of live video versus about 3 minutes of VOD on a per-play basis. 

So, how do you take advantage of these new live streaming options?

  • Identify the need: Do you absolutely need to livestream? Yes, it pays to be aware of new tools as they enter the market, however, you shouldn’t simply use something because it’s new. As with anything, start in reverse and identify your business goals, then work back to determine whether live streaming can help you meet them.
  • Be in the moment: The true value of livestreaming derives from granting somebody access to a unique moment in time and space, a piece of content that is only available then and there. If it’s just an overproduced ad/stunt that you’re able to replicate later, it holds little value in live streaming. Perfect examples would be conferences, fashion shows or sporting events. Yes you can read about that later, but half the value comes from experiencing it “first hand”.
  • Build in value: This applies to all social content, but more so to new platforms. There are multiple ways to consume content and you have to provide your viewers with the reason to consume yours (besides buying your product). Maybe they get a backstage view of a concert, or receive useful tips as the broadcast happens.
  • Plan for a granular audience: With multiple apps that provide similar services, it is important to understand that you will not have access to a mass audience right away. What you gain however, are very specific and defined demographics of early adapters and younger audiences. This is not to say that more people won’t start using Periscope or Meerkat, it’s more about being patient until they do and building brand equity with smaller, granular audiences in the meantime.
  • Mind the ecosystem : Nothing should live outside of its original ecosystem and your livestreaming strategy should tie seamlessly to what you’re doing across other channels. (Basic example: if you hold a social giveaway for concert tickets, live stream the concert experience to offer additional value to social followers).

As with Snapchat, Pinterest and other platforms not named Twitter or Facebook, live streaming apps and strategies come down to fit. The truth is, some events/brands will be more suited for it than others. With the NFL announcing that it will have the 2015 Draft up on Periscope, the league identified that one of the main appeals for sports fans is the “live” factor and it offers additional value through the app. Other examples included exclusive model reveals at the recent auto show events.

Overall, don’t think of live streaming as the next great thing to revolutionize your social or digital strategy, but rather as another pillar that can help you support the way you deliver content to your audience and the value your audiences receives from it.

Posted by
Serge Leshchuk
on 30/04/2015

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The Myth of Real Time Marketing

Real time marketing is the latest buzz term – but in reality it’s just interruption marketing.

We just can’t help ourselves. No matter how many times people tell us they hate being bombarded by advertisement after advertisement, we continue to do it. Interruption marketing.

Social media and digital marketing was supposed to be the end of it. The masses had spoken and these new channels were supposed to open up the dialogue and create an organic way for brands to talk to their potential customers. Cut to present day where we get crap like this:

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Now we can’t have an event (Grammy’s Super Bowl, the Olympics) without some kind of horrible, shoehorned product placement with absolutely no relevance to what people are watching/participating in. I blame Oreo, who did something intersting and timely and fun. 

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However, because one brand was clever and took advantage of a shared moment – we now have to put up with terrible tweets and Facebook posts that make almost no sense (Pharrell’s hat anyone?). This isn’t ‘Real Time Marketing’ – it’s just another form of interruption marketing – like every other forgettable bit of ad copy.

This isn’t informative.
This doesn’t help me buy.
It’s certainly not conversational.

You see the stats every day – people are tuning out  ads and following less brands online. Can you blame them? We promised them a dialogue and when we earned their trust immediately started selling to them. Like I said, we just can’t help ourselves.

Let’s be better. Let’s create content that helps consumers and informs them. Optimize it the right way and make it easy to find, so that when they’re ready to engage and move forward, so are you. Forget real time marketing and focus on anytime marketing. A far more fruitful and cost effective way to do business.

Posted by
Gary Edgar
on 10/02/2014

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Dispatches From Austin – Day 5

Our last day of the SXSW interactive festival. An amazing lineup of speakers to close out things out including George Takei, Biz Stone and the story behind TOMS shoes.

We know – we’re a few days late (blame that last winter storm) but we had to deliver our wrap up of the final day of SXSW Interactive.

Day 5 was bittersweet as we got a stellar lineup of talks on the final day of the conference’s interactive portion.

Up first was Yu Kai Chou, talking about how to create a successful framework for gamification. An early pioneer of gamification, Chou demonstrated ways of incorporating gaming theories and practices into business models – helping to sustain engagement with consumers or internal employees.

Chou also presented some compelling stats on who the “typical” gamers are and definitely broadened people’s ideas of who’s playing games (whether that’s console, PC or mobile). In fact, consider that 68% of gamers are over 18 years old, and 47% are women (there are more adult women gamers than under 18 males).

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Our next two sessions were different takes on Internet communities with George Takei talking about developing his massive fan base and mobilizing them for social causes. Takei’s take on community building was pretty simple – don’t ask your community to do something right away. Build trust; build a relationship before you want them to follow through on something. This is true whether you’re asking them to sign a petition or buy your product.

Biz Stone (founder of Twitter and Jelly) picked up on the idea of social good when he talked about the effect tools like Twitter have had on our culture in the past few years. Stone’s take is that people are generally good and that when given the right tools – they’ll do good things.

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Our final session for SXSW may have been the most compelling and uplifting of the entire conference. Our last session was with Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS shoes. Mycoskie walked through how he founded the company and the factors that lead him to creating the one-to-one model TOMS is so famous for. He also delved into the unique marketing angle the company has taken – by forgoing traditional ads, etc., and creating brand evangelists who actually work with TOMS to deliver shoes to impoverished countries. Inspirational to say the least.

I’m sure we’ll have more thoughts in the coming weeks, filtering out of our packed SXSW schedule. There were some big thinkers delivering fascinating, new takes on where digital culture is going and we’re happy to have been there to hear it first hand.

Can’t wait to head back next year.

Posted by
Gary Edgar
on 14/03/2014

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