Hike, the popular messaging app among youngsters has exhibited an integrated content marketing approach exploring content avenues across paid, owned and earned media.
Social Samosa shares an account of No Formality Hike's Content Marketing Game
Feature-Centric Ads
The Brand is using the 'No Formality' Communication theme to highlight the unique features the app offers over existing messaging apps.
Hike recently released a new ad spot, which is third in the series of 'No Formality' campaign. The spot covers a conversation between a dad and his son, who requests the later to not hesitate and invite his friends for her sister's marriage function. The young chap, asks his dad not to worry unnecessarily about sending cards when he has Hike, where he can invite thousands of his friends. The ad ends with a startled expression on his dad. The communication aims to highlight that one can add up to 1000 members in a Group at Hike.
Citing the tiring and troublesome issue of splitting the previous night's bill. Hike also introduced their 'Bill Split' feature in Groups. The brand released an ad with a group of young friends to show the ease and the utility of this feature.
Tired of being the “accountant” in your gang? Check out Bill Split on Hike Groups today- the #NoFormality way to split any group expense with your friends! https://t.co/HOQAN2MrPd
In an attempt to connect better with the youth, the brand launched personalized sticker packs for over 500 colleges in India last year in September.
Apart from the video assets that constitute the No Formality series, Hike engaged with the audiences on Social Media with GIF's and interactive content that laid the foundation for the launch of No Formality
The 'No Formality' campaign kicked off during Diwali this year. Unlike, other brands which usually harp on 'home-coming' as a theme during the festive time, Hike decided to give it a twist. The storyline started with a young boy traveling back home and it captures his nostalgic journey, but on reaching there, he finds that his uber cool parents are not at home and they urge their son also to avoid any kind of formality and instead party and have fun. The campaign marked a way of celebrating traditions without formality.
The video has till now clocked more than 22 million views on the brand's YouTube channel.
Gift from Dadaji
The 'Gift from Dadaji' ad also released during the festive month of October last year, took a hilarious tonality to highlight the fun relationship between a grandpa and his grandson.
In order to take the No Formality theme ahead, the brand launched Hike’s special Diwali Blue Packets, the beautifully designed envelopes which one could use to insert money and send to your friends. The objective of this was to highlight that how tired we get of receiving the same son papri, dry fruits, and your own last year’s glass bowls as gifts this Diwali. So to break the cycle of formality, the brand came up with special Diwali Blue Packets. With a product level integration to support the whole idea of No Formality, the brand literally pushed the envelope.
What happens when three strangers, who have nothing in common, become flatmates? What happens when one of them thinks that he’s been paying all the bills? Will things get awkward or will there be #NoFormality? Watch the first part of Strangers to Mates to find out. @hikeapppic.twitter.com/XkWjzepBhP
The content tie-ups extended to youth-centric publishers like ScoopWhoop, POPxO wherein the brand invested on articles and interesting GIFs to engage with their audiences on the premise of No Formality
Hike has also explored collaboration with trendy movie releases this year keeping No Formality at the center of all communication, all the movie tie-ups were backed with exclusive stickers and Face Filters for all the movie buffs.
With the Integrated Content Marketing approach that revolves around the theme of No Formality, Hike Messenger has managed to gain the right amount of attention from the Youth. The product level integrations (Bill Split, Group Size, Customized Stickers) keeping consumer insight at the core have also added to the popularity of this homegrown messaging app. The choice of platforms to extend the No Formality idea has also played well for the brand so far, it would be interesting to see if the brand is able to tie this content marketing exercise to real value in terms of app downloads or payment transactions on the app.
What are your thoughts on Hike's Content Marketing Game? Drop your thoughts in comments or write to us at team@socialsamosa.com
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