Q & A with Tom Edwards, VP of Digital Strategy & Innovation
How can brand s leverage the selfie for marketing purposes?
The selfie and other forms of user-generated content can be key elements to extend a campaign. Whether it’s a form of submission for a promotion or recognizing a fan of the brand , tapping into a natural behavior and aligning it with the persona of the brand creates deeper engagement opportunities.
What are some of the best case examples to date?
We recently incorporated selfie’s tied to college football with our #BeTheFan campaign for AT&T. We had Eric Stonestreet announce challenges weekly for users to submit their UGC to the #BeTheFan hashtag showing their fand om.
Will the selfie increase in popularity in 2014?
As with most digital fads, they will continue to evolve. The selfie will remain, but expect more emphasis on short-form video in 2014.
What should marketers keep in mind when leveraging the selfie?
Depending on how the content will be used, understand ing individual brand s’ legal requirements for terms use and waivers should be a key consideration. With the introduction of direct messaging with Instagram and other curation platforms offering closed loop communication to get user approval, it is becoming even easier to incorporate UGC.
