If the Hashtag Fits: 5 Examples of Hashtags that Worked
Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose #hashtag is the fairest of them all?
Due to the high volume of brands using campaign hashtags over the past several years, consumer interest and attention to them has quickly started to decline. The most effective hashtag campaigns either encourage participation in a contest or support a company’s “mission”. Below are five brands that broken through the clutter of social media to champion hashtag campaigns.
1. #MyCalvins — Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein wanted to re-establish its global position in the marketplace and #MyCalvins did just that. Launched in early 2014, the campaign has increased Calvin Klein’s social media followers by more than four million and it has generated 4.5 million interactions on social media as users are encouraged to share their Calvin Klein-clad selfies using the #MyCalvins hashtag. In just a year and a half, 175,000 photos have been posted using the hashtag. If Calvin Klein’s global presence was beginning to fade, thanks to #MyCalvins, it certainly isn’t anymore.
2. #GiveExtraGetExtra — Extra Gum
Extra’s #GiveExtraGetExtra campaign focuses on small moments that add up to something bigger. Using the disposable part of Extra’s product — the wrapper — as a medium to connect with consumers, Extra invites users to tag their photos of everyday moments with the same hashtag to be turned into art drawn onto a gum wrapper and displayed online. 1.3 billion impressions and 110 million views later, Extra gum has worked its way into people’s hearts and definitely isn’t leaving any time soon.
3. #OptOutside — R.E.I.
R.E.I.’s #OptOutside campaign stems from its ongoing devotion to the outdoors, giving consumers all the tools necessary to ‘opt outside’ and explore the outdoors. Over 150 businesses followed R.E.I.’s lead by closing their doors on Black Friday, hundreds of state parks opened their gates for free, and the campaign as a whole has earned 1.2 billion social impressions. Most importantly, it inspired 1.4 million people to spend Black Friday outdoors, successfully spreading R.E.I.’s passion for the outdoors.
4. #ShareACoke — Coca-Cola
In 2011, Coke celebrated its 125th birthday by launching #ShareACoke, a campaign that began in Australia before going global. Coca-Cola printed 150 of Australia’s most popular names directly onto the labels of Coke bottles. The campaign saw 12 million media impressions and increased young adult consumption by 7%, accomplishing the campaign’s objective of generating conversation around the brand and encouraging consumers to drink Coke again.
5. #TweetFromTheSeat — Charmin
Charmin’s #TweetFromTheSeat campaign takes advantage of the fact that 40% of young people ages 18–24 use social media in the bathroom to encourage users to tweet at Charmin using the hashtag when they are on the Porcelain Throne. Charmin’s humorous #TweetFromTheSeat campaign broke through the clutter of social to make something as unglamorous as toilet paper fun and with 71.6K followers and growing, it’s clearly doing the trick.
