Social Media Campaign Review: PUMA and Jabong use YouTube Annotations to Engage Users in #GearUpBuddy Campaign

Introduction

Very few campaigns use the interactive capabilities that YouTube annotations provide. However, the recent Gear Up Buddies campaign launched by Jabong.com in collaboration with PUMA, attempts to do that rather efficiently.

Using the combination of a brand ambassador, an interactive video, a cross platform contest and online shopping, we take a look at how Gear Up Buddy leverages its brand value.

Objective

To boost sales of PUMA gear and create a buzz around Jabong and PUMA across different online platforms.

Execution

Housed as a section on the Jabong website, the main portal of the campaign exists here.

There is a video and a couple of other interactive tools. Remember the annotations we talked about? Claimed to be the most annotated video in history with over 1,700 annotations, this video also gives users an option to know more about the particular fitness gear by clicking on it, and directing them to Jabong.com if they want to purchase the item.

The video features Chitrangda Singh with three 'fitness buddies'. These buddies are proficient in different domains of workout ranging from Crossfit, Running and Zumba. The duration of the video consists of you choosing which type of workout you want to watch. You choose your trainer and the PUMA gear that your trainer should be dressed in. When you change the attire of the your trainer through annotations, the video will jump to that very second of the workout, only with your trainer in a different exercise gear.

With the video, there is a constant ticker at the bottom showing the PUMA products featured in the video. Choose the product that you wish to buy and you are redirected to the product listing on Jabong.

The contest that is part of the campaign is the fight to be Chitrangda's fourth Gear Up Buddy. As you scroll down further, you come across a PUMA Fitness Board that tracks your fitness points. You earn points by sharing your fitness story/workout through tweets, stories, images, videos, or by shopping PUMA merchandise at Jabong. All tweets that go out, have #GearUpBuddy as a hangtag - this reiterates the identity of the campaign.

Jabong has paired the campaign with other promotional activities including a Google Hangout with Chitrangda Singh that answered a few fitness queries posed by people.

On Twitter, the brand's activities have worked well to boost the campaign. Jabong live tweeted the launch event of the campaign and conducted a short #GearUpWithChitrangda contest, giving out PUMA merchandise. Some of it worked, and some of it didn't.

Here is what worked:

Here is what didn't.

Jabong - the hashtag that the contest interface generates is #GearUpBuddy.

Positives

In terms of a well thought out campaign, the job is phenomenal. There is enough social media activity, interactivity, a celebrity face and a video produced with high production values. It uses the interactivity embedded in YouTube annotations rather interestingly.

Moreover, the fact that the entire campaign is in sync with PUMA's fitness merchandise and Jabong's online presence is what works best. Throughout the campaign, the user is able to purchase products at multiple points, thereby initiating the 'action' marketing is meant to. Taking into account the high scores on the fitness board at present, it looks like the campaign has initiated quite a lot of it.

Scope for Improvement

Despite the time and energy that has gone into the campaign, in terms of the buzz involved, there hasn't been much. The number of views on the video are low and a very low number of tweets have been posted. The prime reason seems to be the low visibility of the entire campaign.

Jabong could highlight it using a banner on the website, or as a Facebook cover. Mere Facebook posts and tweets are not driving traffic at present. Instead of making #GearUpWithChitrangda trend, it is #GearUpBuddy that they need to aim for. The brand needs to rethink their focus area.

Conclusion

Gear Up Buddy is a well crafted online campaign that extends to several social media platforms. It delves into interactivity and places marketing and promotion with actually selling their merchandise. With star value attached and the world's highest annotated YouTube video, almost everything seems to be in place. However, the campaign requires better visibility to drive the customer to the campaign - something that it truly deserves.