Jaguar Facebook Page using Tagkast
Jaguar USA leveraged social advertising platform Tagkast to create 387,793 impressions with a reach of 293,672 users on social media for a BritWeek Downton Abbey party that it had sponsored.
Attendants were photographed mingling or in front of Jaguar models using Tagkast-equipped tablets, which were then branded by the automaker, tagged by the participants and instantly streamed on Facebook and Twitter. Following the event, Jaguar received analytics to understand the return on investment from the event and get insight on demographics of their customers and fans.
“The technology behind Tagkast is what makes a Tagkast photographer more effective than a regular photographer,” said Sean Strother, cofounder of Tagkast, Chicago.
“Because sharing is instant with Tagkast, we get over 60 percent of people to post photos to Facebook and Twitter at the time of engagement,” he said.
“Other methods don’t work as well. If a regular photographer is taking pictures and encouraging people to retrieve their photo post-event, over 90 percent of people will never share it to social media.”
Virtual gathering
During the BritWeek Downton Abbey party, Tagkast photographers took photos that were branded and tagged by the subjects. The branding consisted of a banner at the bottom of the photo that says, “BritWeek Celebrates Downton Abbey” with a Jaguar USA symbol in the right corner.
Jaguar Facebook post using Tagkast
Friends of event attendants are able to immediately interact with Tagkast photos since they are posted to social media without delay and include appropriate tags. Normally, photos get lost in brand albums because they lack precise tags.
Similarly, attendants are more likely to react with enthusiasm because the event is still fresh in their minds and they receive more recognition. This, in turn, can create stronger brand connections and promote repeat engagement.
The event generated 684 photos that resulted in 1,860 likes, 58 shares, 168 comments. The photo album received 3,980 comments, 260 shares and 71 comments.
“To understand why the impressions are so valuable you first have to understand how photos have completely changed online marketing,” Mr. Strother said.
“For most brands, their traditional digital efforts don’t work into today’s redefined digital world,” he said. “If you’re a brand and you want to engage people, build awareness and push people down the purchase funnel online, you have to get your brand into these visual networks.
“This is what we accomplished for Jaguar. What makes it incredibly valuable is that the media is consumer generated and shared with friends making each photo an authentic brand endorsement.”
Entering the conversation
Jaguar Land Rover USA consistently finds new ways to engage and honor fans on social media.
For instance, Jaguar Land Rover is inviting fans to follow global brand ambassador Ben Saunders as he embarks on an 1,800-mile, four-month expedition from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole on foot.
“The Scott Expedition,” if successful, will be the world’s longest unsupported polar journey in history and aligns with Land Rover’s projected image of rugged trailblazing. Investments in ambassadors can yield high returns when they engage in enterprises that reinforce core brand values (see story).
Also, Jaguar Land Rover North America celebrated reaching 1 million Facebook likes with a video that features employees sharing stories and expressing gratitude, while Bentley Motors is engraving the names of 25,000 fans on its factory wall in Crewe, England.
Although the approaches taken by the automakers represent different attitudes, the driving force behind both initiatives is fundamentally the same. Bentley and Jaguar understand that a dedicated and active social media audience helps to improve brand image and attract more fans (see story).
And while Jaguar has shown an ability to create original content, it is shrewd to partner with companies that specialize in social media.
“Tagkast provides an incredible opportunity for luxury brands to encourage consumers to share their brand experiences at events,” Mr. Strother said
“By using Tagkast to generate organic visual messages that are shared with friends, luxury brands can achieve a level of authenticity that they wouldn’t be able to with their own efforts,” he said.
“By linking photos back to product pages, they can now turn their events into ecommerce opportunities.”
Final take
Joe McCarthy, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York