From Vines that will blow your mind to a “talking about
this” percentage on Facebook that most social media marketers only dream of, Chobani is finding great ways to get people talking about its brand, thereby earning media and creating
advocates– the holy grail of social. And
here’s why:
1. Chobani puts the
story at the center
At Chobani, everything begins with its product and its story.
Its tagline around “#tastereal” captures the brand in a hashtag, and everything
it does goes back to that. From its design and branding to the ingredients of
the product, the message of being “real” is obvious and it is fueling its
success as a storyteller.
2. Chobani’s owned
channels are cohesive and updated frequently and with a purpose
Chobani’s owned channels, including a blog, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and YouTube, drive home the
“real” message, and reinforce everything the brand stands for. The brand’s
voice across social media is cohesive, has wide appeal and makes you want more,
follow it on other channels and come back every day. It found a great balance
of using all of its platforms to tell its story and it doesn’t use any two
platforms in the same way.
3. The brand’s authentic
content elicits an emotion (mostly smiles and salivation)
My partners and I talk a lot about the creating shareable,
snackable and spreadable content (puns intended in this case) and Chobani is
doing just that. The content fueling its owned channels is as authentic as it
gets. It is original, on message, timely, quirky, and always looks delicious, yet
easy to make. When it isn’t posting gorgeous visuals created by the brand or Vines that rival video animation, its featuring
user-generated content, including a
full section on Chobani.com featuring images using the #tastereal hashtag.
Talk about showing fans the love.
4. Chobani has an
ongoing two-way dialog with fans and followers
On July 21, out of the 50 tweets Chobani published, 84% of
them were @replies. Much of the two-way dialogue with the brand is sparked by
the content they create, but it also comes naturally from the community, and
the community managers at the brand don’t miss a beat. Their replies on Twitter
show the brand’s personality and reach a diverse group of followers that love
to hear from the brand.
5. Experiences with
the brand are not limited to online only
Next time you are in New York, get to the Chobani store in
SoHo. It combines everything they do well online and puts a face, texture, and
taste to the brand. Walk in you’re cordially addressed by one of the employees,
handed a menu featuring fresh ingredients and Chobani mixtures. Any questions
you have are answered as if you are the most important person to the brand, at
that moment. The result for me was the below image, a delicious mixture of
low-fat Chobani, peanut butter, peanuts, concord grape jelly and fresh grape.
Chobani’s earned media strategy starts with a great story.
Spend the time crafting that story, and think about how it comes to life – both
online and off. The extra time you spend in this phase will open up the doors
for amazing content creation, partnerships, dialogue with consumers and growth
opportunities.
Disclosure – In April
of 2013, Chobani sent me free product to review for my personal blog, FitCity. The #tastereal spoon, featured above, was
included in that mailer.
