India’s most memorable Twitter brand campaigns and brand voices in 2018

Twitter is a platform for creativity and innovation for brands and partners in India. In their quest to be more engaging and culturally relevant, brands in India put their best foot forward on Twitter in 2018 by taking advantage of the live, conversational and public nature of Twitter to change the dynamics of fan engagement and produce campaigns that awed audiences.

Across the globe, we’re collectively revisiting some of our favourite Twitter brands campaigns of 2018 across several categories.

In putting together this recap, a few key trends emerged that defined India’s most-memorable brands on Twitter this year:

1. Best Digital to Physical Activation - Comicstaan (@Comicstaan)

Description: For the launch of their stand-up comedy competitive series #Comicstaan, Amazon Prime Video (@PrimeVideoIN) wanted to reach out to audiences in the 25-35 age demographic with an affinity towards stand up comedy in India. Having witnessed the rise of some of the biggest Indian comedians on Twitter, Amazon Prime Video opted for Twitter as the platform for innovative fan engagement. Prime Video entered into an exclusive partnership with Twitter India to create an on-ground property #BlueCarpetScreening hosting a live Q&A with the cast of the show and curating a custom timeline experience on the Twitter platform. Personalised reminders were sent to all the leaned in viewers to watch the stream as the Top 100 influencers in the country received custom RSVP invites (Mic emoji) to join the conversation under one roof.

Hashtags used: #BlueCarpetScreening, #ComicstaanLIVE

Key Takeaway -  The power of the Twitter is best witnessed when the offline and online worlds come together. Prime Video’s focus to keep Twitter central to the launch of the show delivered both impact and influence right in the moment, as conversations around #ComicstaanLIVE flooded the timelines.

2. Best C-Suite Strategy - Anand Mahindra (@anandmahindra)  

Description: Mr. Anand Mahindra, Executive Chairman, Mahindra group is a role model for CEOs when it comes to #TwitterForLeaders in the country. He consistently uses Twitter to have a direct connection with consumers and is often seen asking questions, listening and engaging in thoughtful conversations on the platform. Whether it is about starting a movement to support the revival of an iconic music store or having a quick chat with Elon Musk or engaging in light-hearted conversations with fans, Mr. Mahindra has emerged a strong voice on the platform that connects with people across geographies.

Key Takeaway - Twitter is a platform where CEOs can engage directly with customers and personify the brands they represent. Mr. Mahindra is a leading example of how CEOs can Tweet thought starters and questions to engage their target audience.

3. Best use of Live-Streaming (video) - Motorola India (@motorolaindia)

Description:  Lenovo-owned Motorola partnered with Twitter India for a livestream experience of its much awaited moto g6 and g6 play launch in India. True to the product proposition of ‘designed with you in mind’, the launch event ‘#MotoShowtime’  promised 4 hours of non-stop entertainment by 6 artists to engage audience with varied interests – music, dance, art and technology. Successful in generating interest around the #motog6launch, Motorola received stellar results with over 370K views for the #MotoShowtime livestream. Cognizant of the fact that millions of smartphone enthusiasts use the platform to discover breaking news, Motorola chose to bring alive a custom live timeline experience on Twitter, reinforcing that it is the right place to launch a product.

Hashtag: #MotoShowtime

Key Takeaway -  Live is second nature to Twitter and live video has always been an area of interest for Motorola as the brand leverages the immediacy of the solution to connect with fans. The value of the Twitter audience is in their influence, their receptivity, and the results they can drive for brands. Motorola understands that and its focus on the audience directly resulted in heightened interest around the #MotoG6 launch, with the brand even enjoying organic discovery in the trends, moments and timeline section.

4. Best brand purpose - Uber India (@Uber_India)

Description: Early 2018, Uber globally realigned their brand identity and launched a purpose driven statement #MoveForward. India saw #BadhteChalein as the local rendition in country,  highlighting human interest stories to capture how Uber India has been enabling people to move forward and further create opportunities in life. Virat Kohli (@imVkohli), Uber India's brand ambassador launched the campaign on Twitter, few days prior to any other media going live. The conversation started first on Twitter. Since, the brand has been consistently building upon the umbrella promise through national initiatives such as #JerseyKnowsNoGender - where they encouraged the nation to support  the Indian women's cricket team at the ICC world cup or even city specific movements i.e. #LowerTheWindow - to move Delhi towards a breathable future. Their latest initiative #UberStar - a social recognition property for driver partners who go above and beyond their call of duty is a great example of the brand being invested in its purpose of #MoveForward.

Hashtags: #MoveForward, #BadhteChalein, #JerseyKnowsNoGender, #LowerTheWindow

Key Takeaway -  Purpose driven marketing travels on Twitter and Uber India has been able to leverage the unique combination of culture and conversation that exists on the platform to connect with their valuable audience and continues to #StartWithThem.

5. Best Launch Moment - Samsung Mobile India (@SamsungMobileIN)

Description: Samsung Mobile India partnered with Twitter India to launch #GalaxyNote9 in the country which made for a perfect launch moment that captured every stage of the user journey. Samsung built excitement towards the launch of #GalaxyNote9 through a global live stream reminder giving their fans on Twitter the opportunity to eventually witness the launch of #GalaxyNote9 in real-time.  On the day of the launch, Samsung drove positive sentiment, purchase intent and awareness regarding the launch by owning the first ad spot on Twitter timeline for 24 hours. Samsung drove constant engagement and conversations with the Conversational Card  and promoted video feature. Most importantly, Samsung sustained the momentum around the launch of the phone by taking this as an opportunity to highlight the different aspects and features of the phone to drive consideration.

Hashtags: #LoveForNote, #GalaxyNote9

Key Takeaway -  Headlines break and spread on Twitter. The mobile phone market is extremely crowded and brands are striving every day to break through the noise. Samsung Mobile India stands out in their ability to leverage Live, Conversational & Personalization as core pillars for its Note9 launch.
 

6. Best way to Fuel Fans - Mahindra Racing (@MahindraRacing)

Description: Mahindra Racing brought fans closer to the FIA Formula E series this year by launching #FanBoost on Twitter: a unique combination of converting conversations/votes to actual car performance on the track fueled by fans. Mahindra used Twitter to drive conversational CTA's with #FanBoost that gave fans a chance to give selected drivers a boost of 100KJ at each race. Only the Top three drivers with the most votes received the extra energy boost. Sports is happening on Twitter and Mahindra Racing tapped into the passion points of this live and receptive audience. #FanBoost as a property has existed for a couple of years - and each year Mahindra Racing is pushing the envelope of creativity on platform.

Hashtag: #FanBoost

Key Takeaway - Twitter is the go to app for live sporting action. There is nothing more powerful than starting a conversation on platform that can directly have a visible impact on ground - in this case an electric boost in the driver's car is a great hook for every leaned in racing enthusiast.