A look at brands that aced Twitter in 2019

Here are the brands and the campaigns that used Twitter to connect with their audience in the evolving marketplace.

This year, brands across sectors rolled out innovative campaigns to keep up with current trends and connect with Twitter’s audiences.

As the year came to a close, we take a look at some of the best brands and how they stood out in their respective categories!

Best Purpose-Driven Brand: OnePlus India’s ‘Plant a Tree with #OxygenOS’ 

This year, brands took a stand on causes. OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) celebrated 1500 days of its operating system, #OxygenOS, the lifeline behind the smartphone brand, and tied the idea to an important cause. 

OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN) partnered with WWF (@WWFINDIA) and utilized Twitter’s ‘First View’, feature with a conversation card. This card prompted audiences to Tweet with #OxygenOS, encouraged by the promise that the brand would plant a tree for every Tweet. Each Tweet also initiated an auto-response that was the brand’s way of expressing gratitude towards those who engaged with the campaign.

The campaign was activated across key airports in India and showcased real-time Tweet counts, along with dynamic user appreciation Tweets. By the end of 13th September - the day of the campaign, 27,333 Tweets were recorded, with as many trees being planted by OnePlus India (@OnePlus_IN). The campaign resulted in a 15x rise in daily conversations for the brand, making OnePlus India’s(@OnePlus_IN) Oxygen campaign the Best Purpose Driven brand of the year on Twitter.

Best Connection to Culture: Uber India’s #LoveMovesForward

Following the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement that struck down #Article377, Twitter was buzzing with discussions about the LGBTQ+ community. Uber India (@Uber_India) started a movement #LoveMovesForward to encourage these conversations. The brand wanted to support the movement on a day that has always stood for love i.e. Valentine's Day. To honour that all love is true love, @Uber_India petitioned The Unicode Consortium (@unicode) - a non-profit organization that develops emojis, through Change.org India (@ChangeOrg_India) to create a unique ‘Pride Heart Emoji’ 

The pride emoji petition received 34,348 signatures, #LoveMovesForward received a 65% net positive sentiment increase. Through the campaign, @Uber_India aligned with a massive cultural revolution that stirred youth across India, winning the campaign this year’s Best Connection to Culture.

Best Pre-Launch Tease: Amazon Prime Video’ #TheFamilyMan

Amazon Prime Video (@PrimeVideIN) launched a campaign to announce their original show, #TheFamilyMan to drive anticipation towards the launch of the teaser. Two product propositions were utilized to create buzz. An automated solution was created which enabled people who engaged with a Tweet by Manoj Bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj), the lead actor, to unlock the show’s trailer before its release date. A customized emoji was designed based on the lead character who played the dual role of a family man and that of a spy. The unique emoji revealed the character’s second personality once the Twitter app was switched to Dark Mode.

The campaign resulted in 1.3 million video views and 17,000 opt-ins for reminders of the trailer launch, successfully conveying the message of the show while delivering strong results.

Best Product Launch: MG Motor India’s MG ZS EV with #ChangeWhatYouCan

Earlier in the year, Morris Garages (@MGMotorin) launched the brand in the Indian market positioning itself as a technology company rather than an ordinary automobile manufacturer.

Given the conversations and intrigue around electric vehicles in India, MG Motor India (@MGMotorin)  kicked-off a campaign with the message #ChangeWhatYouCan. The aim was to leverage discussions on Twitter to build their clout as a company for electric vehicles. While urging people to do their bit for the environment by opting for electric vehicles, the brand busted myths about electric vehicles through a string of media polls on the platform. This was followed by a series of videos that included an interview with Rajeev Chaba (@rajeev_chaba), the President and MD of MG Motor India (@MGMotorin), which broke on Twitter first and then went on TV.

The promoted trend #ChangeWhatYouCan received a 36% increase over the average trend impressions for the category. As a result, MG Motor India (@MGMotorin) dominated electronic vehicle conversations on Twitter this year. 

Also Read: Fundamental tips to master Twitter Video campaigns

Best Brand Launch: Kia Motors’ #GamesofInspirations

Kia Motors (@KiaMotorsIN) catapulted itself to the mainstream auto brands conversations on Twitter by bringing #ThePowerToSurprise to the platform. The brand leveraged its fictional characters of Meerkat (@Meerkat_Me) and Designer Johnny (@_DesignerJohnny) and waged a mock war between them to bring to people the #GamesofInspirations. The brand aimed focussed on its design and had fun while doing it, rewarding people for their creative engagement. To further popularise the brand, Kia (@KiaMotorsIN) got Tiger Shroff on board (@iTIGERSHROFF). As #TeamTiger and #TeamMeerkat built excitement on the platform for the launch, Kia (@KiaMotorsIN) kept the momentum alive by engaging other media partners in their folds. In addition to this, Kia Motors (@KiaMotorsIN) cemented its position as a master of topical moments as it kept conversations going around Engineer's day, Suits, Game of Thrones, Wonder Woman and the likes.

Best Short Form Content: Google India

Google India (@GoogleIndia) made the most out of the short-format video this year, owning Twitter video. The brand leveraged topical moments to its advantage by creating short videos and GIFs while keeping its product at the core of its communication. The videos were designed to keep the viewer engaged, and were also receptive to the brand’s message.

Best Brand Voice:  Durex India

Durex India (@DurexIndia) made the most of Twitter’s conversational nature with its own unique voice which suited their product - playful and flirtatious. Durex India (@DurexIndia) did this by participating in topical conversations through memes and Tweeting contextual images. The brand mastered the art of puns with innuendo that kept audiences constantly engaged, making the account a creative, unique follow.

Best Use of Live Streaming: Cisco India #YouMakePossible

This year, Cisco Systems India (@cisco_in) made the most of going live on Twitter. The feature gave the brand an opportunity to speak to its key audiences including BDMs, CTOs, CEOs at scale, keeping them updated with Cisco's latest technology and products. The success rate of the feature ensured a place in nearly every launch by the brand.

The live stream video of Cisco’s event, #CiscoConnectBangalore, which propagated the brand’s messaging of #YouMakePossible, garnered a record 51k video views, with an 18% video view rate in 1.5 hours only.

Best Use of Creators: Spotify India’s ‘There’s a playlist for that’

Spotify (@spotifyindia) launched in India as a music listening app with over 3 billion playlists this year. The brand wanted to establish the music’s connection with every expression or moment. Identifying moments from every-day lives, @spotifyindia designed playlists for various situations and told people, “There’s a Playlist for that”. The brand generated participation on the Twitter timeline by seeding situations and hyper-local interests to initiate conversations with audiences. They are also one of the Twitter brands also engaged with their target consumer base by participating in real-time and relatable exchanges as they happened in the moment.

@spotifyindia traveled across timelines as it looped in creators on the platform, connecting multiple moments and expressions to music, with a playlist for everything!