Specifications
SparkReel is a white-label platform that powers video and photo engagement for brands. It integrates with websites, blogs, Facebook pages, or any other digital property.
Features include turnkey contests, influencer identification, and the ability to easily find, filter, and showcase on-brand videos and photos from YouTube, Instagram, Vine, and Twitter. The platform simplifies the rights and licensing process as well.
Analytics include campaign-specific metrics and social media data insights.
Cost
Annual licenses range from $15,000 to $50,000
User
Tammy Kotula, PR and promotions manager for Apartments.com, has been using SparkReel for about a year.
How do you use it?
SparkReel did the heavy lifting for us in terms of building the platform to put on our website. Then they gave us a few lines of code to get our reel implemented.
The platform is very customizable. You tell SparkReel what you want to do, and they come up with different options to achieve your goals.
When we’re ready to launch a sweepstakes we give our account representative the creative for the reel, which includes an image for the header and a little copy. If we want to change text in the header or in the overall reel we can do that ourselves inside the administration tab on SparkReel.com.
I also use the administration tab to approve entry content, pull entry images into the featured space within the header, and see what content is being viewed the most and which entry platforms are driving most entries.
Customer service is great. If I have any problem I call or email our SparkReel representative. They’re quick to respond, and technical issues are fixed almost immediately.
How does it serve your business needs?
Accumulating user-generated content is a priority for us. SparkReel is great for helping us easily collect consumer content and create brand awareness.
For the last five years, we’ve run a successful national “Roommate of the Year” contest that asked consumers to submit a short video describing what makes them a great roommate. The grand prize is $10,000 and a free rent for a year. It has gotten a lot of top-tier national media coverage and buzz.
Last year, we noticed media interest was waning, participation had dropped a bit, and the video entries were shorter than in previous years. We were looking for ways to retool the idea and lower the barrier to entry to increase participation. We also wanted a solution that would allow people to enter from a variety of platforms and that could house everything in one place.
In addition to allowing people to enter directly through the SparkReel app, we could create a hashtag so SparkReel could pull entries in from Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Vine, and other social channels. It’s really easy from our perspective and exactly what we were looking for.
How does it integrate with your existing infrastructure from an IT standpoint?
We worked with SparkReel to build our reel, and then we integrated it onto our website though a code they gave us.
What are the main benefits?
The ability to pull content from a variety of sources into a central location. It’s very customizable and works very quickly. Customer service is excellent. They’re always looking for customer suggestions for making the product better and more useful and have great ideas for helping us meet our goals.
What would you like to see improved/added?
There are a few minor things. Currently there’s no real-time stamp on submitted entries that you can see in the administration tab. SparkReel plans to add this feature.
While SparkReel offers many ways for to submit content, text message isn’t one of them. It would be nice to get entries via text message.
The main competitors?
Chute and Olapic.
This article first appeared on PRWeek.com
