Icreon offered the service of optimizing Social Media to enhance their reach and enable them to feel the pulse of the public by opening a gateway to bi-directional communication.
acebook
witter
- Created a Twitter account and are providing daily updates.
- Linked FB Fan Page with the Twitter account.
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Manage content on the NGC YouTube page. Any videos uploaded here are shard on FB & Twitter.
Integrating Social Media on the Website
- Implemented the live feed from facebook on the website of NGC (www.natgeotv.co.in)
- Integrated the social plugins for sharing information/news/videos on Facebook/Twitter/Youtube etc.
- Integrated the meebo tool bar onto the website.
Value Added Services
The main reason behind the huge success of SMO is heavy user involvement. In order to push the social media campaign further, Icreon suggested to promote special events and activities for NGC like Earth Day Special (22nd April) and Premiere of Flight of the Hawkz to increase interaction with the target groups.
Earth Day Special (22nd April)
NGC, on the occasion of Earth Day, had a special show airing on the channel dedicated to the oceans of the world. To encourage viewers’ participation and turn them from a mere observer to a partner in “Earth Day” celebrations, we undertook the following activities:
Facebook
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Designed and ran Nat Geo Green Ambassador caption contest for which we created wallpapers based on the theme of Saving Earth. To make the contest viral, we ran the contest for a week, and asked each participant to post their captions as comments. In addition, they were made and given the Green Ambassador virtual badge. NGC goodies were sent to 15 winners.
- Created a custom/landing page for FB, which had information about the airing of the show on the channel; tips on reducing carbon emission; link to the microsite, the videos and the Nat Geo Green Ambassador caption contest.
Website
- Created flash banners
- Designed and developed a microsite for earth day with elements like tips section on reducing carbon emission; wallpapers; videos etc. (www.natgeotv.co.in/earthday)
- Ran Take a Pledge contest in which the users were asked to take a pledge. With every pledge the user takes, they earn a Nat Geo Green Ambassador badge. They can also earn more badges by inviting their friends to take a pledge. For every 10 invitations, the user wins 1 more badge. Top 5 people with max badges will be invited to the Green Conclave to be held in July 2010.
Miscellaneous
- Mailers: Designed and developed mailers for fans/viewers of NGC and also for their internal communication purposes.
- Videos were uploaded on youtube and the link was posted on FB Twitter
Results
Over 100 fans across India participated in the contest and more than 300 fans posted comments with over 700 interactions. During the period, NGC was able to get 2000 more fans within a week, when the contest was running. This was tremendous considering the fact that more than 3000 fans were added during the whole month of April.
The contest also turned viral with many fans posting their Badges as their status updates on FB. In addition, in that week over 1500 fans interacted with NGC and there were more than 12000 FB fan page views.
Flight of the Hawkz (FOTH)
FOTH is an adventure reality series which started on May 10th 2010. In order to promote the show on social networking platforms, Icreon sought for exclusive content to be premiered on Facebook. NGC provided the 1st episode to be premiered and from there on take the show forward. To help NGC’s show become popular we undertook the following activities:
Website
- Designed floaters for the website to attract users’ attention.
- Created flash based banners for the website.
Mailers
- Designed and developed 3 types of mailers to promote the show. These were then sent to the fans/viewers.
Facebook
- Created 2 custom/landing pages, for both the exclusive premier and for the general show.
- Did daily wall postings about the premiere of the show
- Created an event which presented the description of the show and its special airing on facebook
- Encouraged fans to comment and share on the wall postings which helped in making the promotion viral.
- Aired the show on 8th May on FB, 2 days prior to the TV premiere.
Results
During the period of promotion (5 days) more than 800 fans joined NGC fan page. In addition, it received more than 250 likes and 80 comments for the show. For mailers, we were able to achieve an average click rate of 7.30%. In addition, the premiere show on Facebook was seen by more than 1000 fans all over the country.
Reminder Application
As an extra initiative, Icreon created a Facebook Reminder & Schedule Application for NGC. The application allows users to browse through the TV schedule for the coming month and set reminders for their favorite programs. These can be shared with friends and family members as well. Further, this application will be extended to disseminate information about various contest and polls being run by NGC.
The concept has been replicated for the Fox History & Entertainment Channel. In addition, it has been appreciated by other clients as well, including NGC (Abu Dhabi), who have shown interest in adopting it for their viewers.
Summary
Since we took over the Social Media campaign for NGC in Dec’09, the fan base has grown more than 10 times, in a short period of 6 months, i.e., from 650 to more than 12,000 and still increasing at a rapid rate. The whole operation required dedicated team of professionals and includes conceptualizing the strategy based on which we design microsites, mailers, flash banners, wallpapers, lading pages and run contests, etc.
The campaigns not only helped NGC in reaching the viewers easily, but also feel the pulse at the ground level. In addition, it helped them cut down their online marketing costs. With the campaign being a success, Icreon has been roped in to become their Social Media Managers and drive the campaign around the shows and activities undertaken by them.
With the viewership of more than 100 million in various countries around the world and in varied time zones, NGC enjoys a loyal fan following that only few can achieve. Over the years, NGC has built a strong TV and web presence. Now, they were looking at utilising the potential of social media and enable it to act as an extension to their web and TV presence without hampering the current website traffic. 
