#BestOfTweets 2020: Brands that led the way on Twitter in India

The constraints of 2020 encouraged brands on Twitter to be more creative, more thoughtful and more personal than ever before. Let’s take a look at the brands and campaigns that warmed our hearts and left us wanting more. Here is Twitter India's #BestOfTweets for 2020:

Best brand for speaking out and standing up: Axis Bank

While nearly every industry was drastically impacted in 2020, the worst-hit were local vendors and small businesses, with many being forced to the brink. Axis Bank took up this important concern and asked people to #ReverseTheKhata, referencing the bond between customers and their corner shop through the maintenance of a ‘khata’. The campaign showed us different moments of the relationship between customers and small businesses, and the simple statement ‘Khate mein likh do’, urging people to reverse roles and support vendors who have always kept open lines of credit with their customers. The campaign used a clever and relatable insight, connecting with its audience in an authentic way making it the best brand for speaking out and standing up. 

Best #OnlyOnTwitter campaign: Netflix India 

We love to watch our favourite series and films on Netflix and look for the best recommendations, including on Twitter. Netflix India built on this insight and launched #NetflixMatchmaker. This innovation allowed a customised bank of emojis to serve fans a personalised experience on Twitter, helping them decide what to watch. So, how does it work? When someone tweets an emoji with the hashtag #NetflixMatchmaker, they are rewarded with a content recommendation tied to that specific emoji. For example, tweeting a gift emoji might send a recommendation for a holiday movie. Netflix knew there would be an ongoing demand for recommendations, so the hashtag pops up every weekend to help people match their mood to what they could enjoy watching on Netflix. This is why they had the best #OnlyOnTwitter campaign this year. 

Best brand that brought the stadium to the phone: Star Sports 

To make up for the lack of on-ground sports experiences Star Sports turned to Twitter to bring fans closer to all the sporting action, especially on two key occasions - the Indian Super League and the Indian Premier League.

During the Indian Super League’s #TrueLove campaign on Twitter, Star Sports invited football fans to send in Tweets with messages for their favourite footballers. At the trophy-lifting ceremony of what was a thrilling finale, these love-filled Tweets presented in a physical form as Twitter-confetti and were showered upon the winning team covering them with #TrueLove for this one-of-a-kind activation. 

For the Indian Premier League, Star Sports cued people in for the opening match through reminders on Twitter, activated by the Heart-To-Remind functionality. The brand also changed their Twitter username to ‘Star Sports at 7:30 PM’ to mark the time slot as the viewing time for the IPL. Their consistent usage of Twitter to connect fans to the games they love made Star Sports the brand that brought the stadium to the phone.

Best campaign celebrating fandom: Samsung India 

While launching the #GalaxyS20PlusBTS edition, Samsung India routed its campaign towards the massive BTS fandom on Twitter. The brand launched a custom BTS quiz to engage with the K-pop band’s ARMY on the service who could put their love to the test. This carefully targeted campaign not only reached its audience but also had them glued to their Twitter timelines through a series of Promoted Tweets with creatives featuring various members of the band. The BTS edition campaign was part of a sustained promotion plan for the S20+, with the global launch event achieving millions of views worldwide. Samsung India’s clever use of Twitter to connect with their consumers made it the campaign that best celebrated fans. 

Best brand connection to the couch: Amazon Prime Video

#Mirzapur2 hype on Twitter was real, evidenced by the many Tweets begging Prime Video for the second season. As the OTT service finally prepared to premier the series, it decided to count down to the launch along with eager fans, and host a watch party to (finally) answer everyone’s wishes and get people watching and Tweeting together. Through a carousel events page, the brand curated a timeline of all conversations around #Mirzapur2 and also rolled out exclusive content leading up to the big day. Following the watch party, the show’s characters engaged with the audience via a personality test likening people to their favourite series characters. Their thoughtful end-to-end integration and celebration of such a popular show earned them the title of best brand connecting all of us to our couches. 

Best brand for pivoting when it counts: Uber India 

At a time when everyone was being encouraged to stay put, a brand that is built on moving its customers responded sensitively. Playing off their slogan to #MoveForward, Uber India suggested we #MoveWhatMatters. The brand reinforced what we were hearing from public health authorities, asking people to stay home and stay safe, while their drivers continued to serve India’s essential workers. The brand also urged people to come out in support of their driver-partners who had been impacted by the pandemic and set up the Uber Care Driver Fund. In a time when people needed to be assured of their safety, Uber made it clear that it was their priority, earning them the title of the brand that pivoted when it counted.

Best virtual launch: Hyundai India 

Hyundai India launched its new TUCSON via a highly-produced (virtual) event called #TheNextDimension. So, how did they do it? First, Hyundai acquired an active viewership through the Heart-To-Remind functionality, which reminded people to tune-in for the launch. Next, it took over premium real estate on Twitter with a Promoted Trend and livestream to maximise visibility, and finally, they Tweeted highlight videos from the event which were injected into people’s timelines via Promoted Tweets making sure nobody missed the action. This campaign by Hyundai proved that launches can be as successful virtually. The live event recorded over 1 million views in the first 12 hours itself, making it a winner in the best virtual launch category.  

Best new brand on the block: CRED

The fintech startup CRED was all over our timelines this year in the best way. Launching its first-ever campaign with a series of videos, the brand made a strong impact. CRED picked up on a conversation trend and made it the hero of its campaign: nostalgia. The campaign brought together some of the most memorable voices from the 90s and early 00s including, Govinda, Bappi Lahiri and Madhuri Dixit Nene, Quote-Tweeting their Tweets with funny text, ensuring mentions of CRED on Twitter reached new highs. These combined strategies made CRED the best new brand on Twitter’s block. 

Best brand voice: Zomato

Restaurants may have been closed to visitors earlier this year, but delivery services like Zomato were indispensable. And because Zomato was in the thick of it, they knew just what to say to keep people on Twitter engaged. Keeping up with cultural moments and trends, Zomato stayed connected with its audience through conversations that were fun, light-hearted, and more often than not, hilarious. From being excited about a cricket match to being hangry, Zomato bantered with its audiences, replying and engaging with Tweets. In a voice fully of personality, the brand built its community by keeping us engaged making it the best brand voice on Twitter this year. 

Best brand Fleet: IndiGo

Since the test launch of Fleets in June, several brands have embraced it with content designed especially for the format. IndiGo stood out by engaging with its followers through consistent and coherent messaging via Fleets. Adhering to the needs of its patrons, the brand has been using the format to keep passengers informed about flight schedules and other real-time updates. Taking Fleets to new heights, IndiGo got the title of best brand Fleets!