A fail-safe method for realty marketing on social media

Up until social media came along, the cut and dried response to getting up close and personal with consumers for brands was activations. Bright emotions of an offline event multiplied with the reach and personalisation of a social media activity – a through and through social activation.

When a new mall comes up in a concrete jungle there is not much to speak about. To strike a difference, Ogilvy & Mather, Argentina decided to make consumers the face of their marketing, rather than a rancid mall centric advertising approach.

When Dot mall came up in Buenos Aires, O & M began an activation asking consumers to differentiate between mannequins and Dot shoppers (real life shoppers). For instance, Dot shoppers were real, emotional and connective, while, the mannequins felt more disconnected in their expression less and alien faced forms.

Extending the idea further, Dot shoppers were asked to submit their picture on the mall’s official page. The pictures that received maximum likes where then converted into ‘My-nnequins’.

My-nnequins were mannequins that had the facial structure of real time Dot shoppers. When revealed in the mall, overwhelmed shoppers snapped selfies with their lookalike mannequins and shared it online, setting social media ablaze.

More than 295,000 fans participated in this decision-making process, increasing Dot mall’s online presence. Further, more than 1000 shoppers ordered My-nnequins and over 50 of the top global brands dressed My-nnequins in their showrooms.

With activations holding a considerable share in marketing spends in India, adding a social media element will only further define the bang of the buck.