The Best Post roundup for May: lessons from Heinz, Lush, Asda and more

A lesson from Heinz in having fun and reaping the rewards

For the second time this year, Heinz has stolen the spotlight with another out of the box marketing campaign. Not strictly social, the brand chose to jump on the ‘snubbed by the Oscars’ bandwagon and create an IMDb page listing all the film appearances their products have ‘starred in’. With some big surprises in the Oscars’ shortlist and cinemas beginning to re-open, the campaign was launched with perfect timing and a creative execution that has won them plenty of coverage and engagement, particularly on LinkedIn.

Innovative and fresh approaches to marketing earn brands significant industry recognition. Being recognised by marketing leaders and agencies helps brands showcase how they do things differently. Coupled with their Weetabix stunt from the beginning of the year, it's clear to see that Heinz is moving in a fun direction and is quickly becoming recognised as a brand that is witty, energetic and entertaining

How can you replicate this technique?

Marketing campaigns have become a social talking point in their own right. Heinz is doing an increasingly great job at being recognised for their approach, so don’t be afraid to swim outside your own lane and cause a social splash.

A lesson from Lush on placing your ethos at the heart of your content

This week’s best post comes from Lush - a much-loved brand in the midst of re-opening their overhauled Oxford Street store. The flagship store has been beautifully refitted and offers as tactile and sensory of an experience as you would expect from the handmade cosmetics specialists. Definitely worth shouting about!

Lush has long taken an alternative approach to their social media with the chain taking the often unpopular choice of empowering each store to run its own channels. They favour an organic approach and even without centralised execution, local stores do a fantastic and personal job of engaging an army of loyal shoppers.

As the doors flew open on the revamped Oxford Street store and the familiar waft of lusciously scented cosmetics drifted from Lush’s doors, the brands 120,000 Instagram followers were quick to respond. Lush Oxford Street showed off its new product ranges and stunning fit out, focusing on product detail and fittings showing off the experience shoppers can expect when they next visit. Rather than focusing on product alone, Lush detailed how its fittings are manufactured and sourced as well as highlighting their suppliers buying procedures.

Lush's content radiates the sustainable and ethical values that flow through the brand, from operations to packaging and in-store marketing. Providing this visibility gives Lush's customers extra confidence in the brand's ethos and yet another reason to visit . .  as if the bath bomb selection isn't enough!

How can you replicate this technique?

Taking a localised approach with central support and guidance for consistency will allow you to maintain a coherent brand identity and communicate shared commercial and business culture priorities.

At the same time the approach creates space to deliver a bespoke, local and personal approach to customer service and your physical store experiences with community focused social media that demonstrates shared passions with your customers.

 

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A post shared by LUSH Oxford Street (@lushoxfordstreet)

A lesson from Asda on us why its important to show that your people matter

Throughout the lockdowns, supermarkets regularly took to social media to keep shoppers in the loop with the latest opening times and panic buying measures. But it was the front line staff that captured the public's attention.

Supermarkets were receiving hundreds of social media thank yous for front line staff that went the extra mile. We’ve seen plenty of those stories be re-shared by the chains themselves.

This instance from ASDA shows how a security guard took it upon himself to help a young customer in distress. ASDA found out about it on social media, and since posted the story themselves which has earned over 50,000 engagements. 

It’s easy to prioritise your new lines, your trade priorities  and your central marketing teams’ messages. But at the heart of your business are your retail front line staff. These are the people closest to your customers on the ground and offer a local connection to your customers and the communities you do business. Demonstrate care and pride for your staff. Your people matter, make sure the world knows that.

How can you replicate this technique?

If you’re an indie business, make sure you introduce the people behind the shop window or tell your own story. If you’ve got a great team ready to welcome customers back, let people know. And if you know someone’s gone above and beyond, public recognition via social media is a great way to show the world what your team are capable of, and let your team know they are valued.

A lesson from Foot Asylum in hijacking the news cycle

Amongst the news of lockdown restrictions easing, late April saw the controversial announcement and almost immediate disbanding of a new European Super League comprised of teams including six English Premier League Football clubs. Immediate outrage spread like wildfire across social media and sports clothing retailer Foot Asylum were quick to create relevant content off the back of it. They shunned the Super League and instead focused on the upcoming (and inclusive) UEFA European Football Championship.

This was a simple post that piggybacked the news cycle. It was lighthearted, inoffensive and clearly relevant to the Foot Asylum customer base. Having their finger on the pulse earned Foot Asylum over 13,000 engagements in less than 24 hours. Score!

How can you replicate this technique?

Now that retail has re-opened and people across the UK look forward to the Summer with some optimism, brands can afford to engage their customers not just with their product and offering, but with content that shows shared excitement with their customers' passion points. Keep an eye on the news cycle for topical, timely and engaging conversations and don't be afraid to put your own spin on it.

A lesson from Missguided in why sharing is caring on social media

This week’s best post comes from fashion brand Missguided.

To coincide with Scotland re-opening its retail, we took a look at how fashion brands were engaging their followers to rally support for the shops re-opening their doors after months of enforced closures.

Missguided has a fast fashion savvy customer base, but it’s not just clothing the fash-pack love. Their Instagram post showed a great understanding of their customers and the experiences they'd missed, such as a trip to the local nail salon. The post reminded their followers that salons were re-opening and encouraged them to tag in their favourite nail salons and technicians.

The post earned over 36,000 engagements and as well as being relevant to their social audience, it also did a great job of shining a light on other, much smaller, businesses from a different industry that would benefit massively from the engagement. This type of post is a great example of creating content that is both relevant to your customers' interests and lends a freshly polished hand to local High Street businesses. If you can help others, then you should. We're all in this together.

How can you replicate this technique?

Your social content should engage audiences with information that is relevant to them. So if you are a clothing business and the salons are re-open for nails, brows, hair and everything in between, or the pubs are re-open for the ladies or lads that lunch, don’t be afraid to shine a light on the other businesses in your place and share the love.

Engage your audience by asking them to tag in the other businesses they are most looking forward to visiting and enjoy seeing your own engagement grow, as well as paying it forward. Sharing is caring after all.