Social Media Case Study: How American Express India Increased 5X its Page Engagement

Brand Name

American Express India

Agency Name

Digiqom

Introduction

Taste Festival, held between 22nd and 24th March, 2013, attracted food lovers and enthusiasts from all over the world. Taste Festival is regarded as the world's greatest food festival, and marked its entry in India in association with American Express.

With Taste of Mumbai, American Express Cardholders were accorded a premium experience at the festival with access to the American Express VIP Lounge, complimentary drinks, close connect with the chefs and priority entry.

Objectives

• To create awareness about the brand's association with the event.
• To drive brand perception and brand empathy.

Execution

Facebook was used extensively to drive awareness, initiate a buzz and highlight the American Express Partnership. The card holders were allied to the association with special updates on the American Express India Facebook page.

The card holders were given a number of perks, some of which included, an opportunity to meet the chefs, receiving a full schedule of all the events as well as pertinent information on the participating restaurants. A 3-day contest was also organized on the Facebook wall, wherein winners were given special passes to experience the Taste festival in style.

The online buzz and excitement spilled over onto the event venue where the chefs and patrons appreciated the American Express experience, while the offline experience that the winners and card holders encountered were captured and shared via pictures and videos on Facebook.

In a unique attempt to create an online-offline sync, a renowned food blogger was engaged, who would keep up a live stream of updates on Facebook, in the form of pictures and videos, to apprise non attendees about the event.

With chef Interviews, celebrity spotting, chats with winners, images of the food, to the experiences sharing by contest winners, the card members were aligned to the American Express association with special updates on the American Express India Facebook page.

Results

Clearly, the coverage resonated well with the Amex online audience as results show. The week long engagement took the viral reach of the American Express Facebook page from 7,433 to 15,754 and showed a 5X increase in page engagement, reaching 38,000 people.