8 Brands that successfully Trendjacked the #10YearChallenge
Just over a month ago, every Social Media platform known to man and woman was ablaze with the hashtag #10YearChallenge.
From Twitter and Facebook, to LinkedIn and Instagram, friends, family and colleagues all over the world were posting two images, typically of themselves, 10 years apart showing how they had grown and talking about what had changed in that timeframe.
While the more cynical amongst us were convinced it was a rouse by Facebook to test out / improve their facial recognition software, many more were happy to take it at face value - a bit of fun! That goes for brands, too.
The #10YearChallenge trend spike. Image: Google Trends.
What is Trendjacking?
Trendjacking, is exactly as the name suggests. A brand simply taps in to a subject that is starting to gain traction online to amplify a message or raise brand awareness with prospective clients/customers who may otherwise not have known they exist.
Why is it relevant?
When it comes to branding, a brand is more than just a logo. Branding is everything about how a company interacts with its employees and its customers from onboarding to exit meetings; from how the first phone call is answered to the support offered post-purchase.
In isolation, Trendjacking isn’t going to earn your company millions of dollars, but as part of a wider Social Media Marketing strategy, it can be incredibly powerful; adding a face and personality to an otherwise faceless organisation.
What are the Upsides of Trendjacking?
Those brands who get it right see levels of engagement (beyond vanity metrics) that Marketers can normally only dream of.
Amongst others, the main upsides are:
Expanded reach
Humanises the business
Creates a level of relatability
What are the downsides of Trendjacking?
You can have too much of a good thing. If a brand jumps on board every time a trend starts on Social Media, it will soon become boring, expected. Worse, you will start to lose existing fans and alienate prospects before they’ve learned anything more about you.
Trendjacking is also notoriously difficult. For example, FinTech Unicorn Revolut recently tried their hand at “You ok, hun?” and it blew up rather spectacularly for them.
Content has to be timely and the message relevant to your audience. Moreover, Trendjacking is notoriously hard to plan and allocate resource/budget for.
The #10YearChallenge Brands
So, who took full advantage of Trendjacking the hashtag to bolster their brand? Here are a few of our favourites. We also have comments from the brands themselves as to why they took part and what they got from it - it may just inspire your Social Media activity!
The Red Arrows
RAF Red Arrows on Twitter for the #10YearChallenge.
The RAF Red Arrows are renowned the world over for their incredible aerobatic skill and specialist training that enables them to perform death defying maneuvers just a few feet apart from each other.
Just having their name on the bill at airshows draws thousands of people to come and watch them in the air.
Despite their months of training and days in the cockpit the Red Arrow displays last just a few minutes.
By tapping in to trending topics on Social Media, they are able to stay front-of-mind and relevant with their audience while they aren’t in the air.
Dein Handy
The #10YearChallenge went viral from Honduras to Hong Kong. No, really!
Dein Handy, an online Mobile Phone store based in Germany took the opportunity to extend their reach (for free).
Trendjacking trends on Social Media allows every brand to be seen by new audiences that may not otherwise know that they exist, simply through sharing a lighthearted look at how things used to be with the Nokia 3310.
Although, as you will see, some brands we’ve included have a much more serious message.
MSi US
MSi then and now. #10YearChallenge on Instagram.
World-leading gaming brand, MSi again combined nostalgia with their brand message. Besides, who doesn’t love Lego?
Back in 2009 MSi were considerably smaller and have seen incredible growth since then (as demonstrated by the fact they could hire a Lego artist (yes, it’s a thing)) to build the MSi dragon in their office.
Trendjacking the #10YearChallenge, MSi are demonstrating they know their audience, they have been around (so are trustworthy) and that they, like their target demographics, love to have fun. It’s not always easy to be so relatable in business!
Valtteri Bottas
Team Valtteri Bottas were keen to show his racing pedigree by posting two images of podium finishes side-by-side, a decade apart.
Like many businesses, Sportsmen and women face a daily battle to stay amongst the top players and ahead of the competition in their respective field.
Valtteri and his team deserve to celebrate such a long racing career through Social Media - longevity builds trust and demonstrates relatability with his fan base!
Let’s be honest, there aren’t many people reading this article that wouldn’t love to be paid to drive a fast car and be rewarded with an oversized bottle of bubbles!
Valtteri Bottas Trendjacking the #10YearChallenge on Twitter.
Avanade
The Avanade Trendjacking #10YearChallenge on LinkedIn.
With our CEO having once worked there, we may have a little bias, but we had to include Professional Services and Consultancy giant, Avanade.
Here’s what Global Lead & Group Manager at Avanade’s Social Media Center of Excellence Tony Obregon had to say:
"Given Avanade’s recent rebranding, we couldn’t help but take advantage of this social media challenge to emphasize the enormous changes we’ve made at Avanade over the last decade.
“The best part -- we’re seeing variations of Avanade’s #10YearChallenge that identify other positive attributes from our company’s business evolution."
eToro
Omer Sadeh, Social Media Team leader at eToro explains why they (and others) should do more with their Social Media:
“The world has already changed and is packed with everything we can dream of.
“There's one thing that is still missing: a personal relationship with your customer.
We believe social media is a key way for us to intimately engage with our community, which currently numbers more than 10 million registered users.
eToro Trendjacking the #10YearChallenge on Twitter
“[Trendjacking] the #10YearChallenge trend (one of many) not only increases our clients' trust in the eToro brand, but also engages with them within their "comfort zone" and builds the personal relationship we are striving for.
“eToro is a social investment network that was founded with the vision of opening up the global markets for everyone, to trade and invest in a simple and transparent way. Since we are a social trading networks, we do our best work in social media.”
The Dinosaur Project
The Dinosaur Challenge post on Instagram.
While many participants were laughing at their old hairstyle or reminiscing about days gone by, The Dinosaur Project took the opportunity to make a statement that would doubtless cut through the white noise and tell the world about their objective of helping endangered animals and they certainly did that with their #10YearChallenge post!
UN Women
UN Women took things up to a level new level and proved that you can bring attention to serious issues with a little humour.
The #10YearChallenge coincided with the Oscars ceremony and they decided to take full advantage of the opportunity to amplify their message.
Here’s what Head of Social Media for UN Women Beatrice Frey had to say about taking part:
“We try to tap into trending conversations as much as possible in order to reach new audiences around the topics of women’s rights and gender equality.
The @UN_Women #10YearChallenge post on Twitter.
“The #10YearChallenge coinciding with the Oscar nominations provided us with the opportunity to tap into both. On top of that, we know the power of humour on social media, and as a UN agency with a serious mandate and global responsibilities, we rarely get to be funny in our online engagement.
“In this case, our humourous messaging worked and triggered strong conversations – possibly precisely because it was unexpected coming from UN Women.”
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