As the General Election has played out, there have been some strong campaigns running on Twitter during April, with some brands not afraid to get involved in the political fray. Plenty also took the opportunity to join in the #EdBallsDay fun while others focused their efforts elsewhere.
This month we have had campaigns from soft drink and FMCG brands, as well as film studios, betting, finance and sportswear brands among others.
- Paddy Power Politics
@pppolitics embraced the election battle this past month as it created some movie-themed Tweets around the #BBCDebate. It had Ed Miliband as Rocky Balboa while David Cameron and Nick Clegg were the wolves of Wall Street.
- 2. #EdBallsDay
The 28th of April has become a fixture on the UK Twitter calendar as the nation celebrates #EdBallsDay – remembering the moment when Labour politician @edballsmp accidentally Tweeted his own name. This year saw brands including @innocent, @SpotifyCares, @JustEatUK and @ThreeUK getting involved, as well as this from @pizzahutuk:
- @Emps_NewClothes
Continuing the political theme, Russell Brand has been promoting his new film, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” which looks at the world in light of the 2008 economic crisis. Along with selling tickets for the live Q&A broadcast across 200 cinemas in the UK, @Emps_NewClothes worked with Twitter to utilize website cards, videos, Vine and Periscope before during and after the premiere.
- 4. Buxton Water
For some, the big focus in April was not the campaign trail, but the streets of the capital as 36,000 runners competed in the London Marathon. This year’s sponsor, @buxtonwater, shared a wealth of content on Twitter including a #withyoualltheway Promoted Video, Tweets throughout the day and this Tweet highlighting how the Canada Water underground station was renamed on the day of the run:
- Gillette UK
@GilletteUK tapped into the huge conversation around “The Avengers: Age of Ultron,” one of April’s biggest movie releases. It imagined what might happen if razors were constructed using Avengers technology.
- Bet Victor
From the streets of London to Las Vegas for the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight. @BetVictor visualised the clash on its Tweet Tumble microsite and urged Twitter users to Tweet for their favoured fighter to land a punch.
- New Balance Football
The brand launched its #BlackoutSquad campaign that offered Twitter users the chance to be treated like a @NBFootball pro player for the rest of the year. Entrants stood to win exclusive gear all season and the opportunity to try boots before they hit the shelves.
- Warburtons
Echoing The Expendables movie, @Warburtons had a big push for its new TV ad featuring franchise star Sylvester Stallone. It ran a Promoted Trend using a Video Card and followed it up with a competition for users to come up with the best movie poster tagline.
- Magnum
A really nice idea and use of Configuration Format card from @MagnumUK. It offered Twitter users the chance to build their perfect London experience.
- 10. Virgin Money
It’s a skateboarding tortoise. Thank you @VirginMoney. No more needs to be said.
