Now that Facebook is up to 800 million active users, (confess already, you just logged in and checked your Facebook, didn't you?) it really does make sense for magazines to use it for promotional purposes. Glamour did just that with its September 2011 issue: the print magazine was integrated with Facebook using the new Social SnapTag technology.
A Social SnapTag is similar to a QR code, but users do not need a QR scanner or smartphone to interact. In Glamour, the SnapTags redirect users to sweepstakes entries, exclusive celebrity interviews and invitations to Glamour sponsored events, if they “liked” the publication or brand. Twenty-five advertisers took part and the publication hosted 20 of its own editorial tags for a total of 45.
So, did it work? Heck yes. The promo generated over 500,000 impressions and increased Glamour’s number of Facebook fans by 50,000.
The creative services director for Glamour told Audience Development:
“The idea was to drive as many likes as possible for advertisers. If you hovered your phone over a Lancome ad and liked them with your phone, you could then be eligible to win a trip or eye-make up for a year--the consumer would always get something back.
“It was like a scavenger hunt where readers would look for the [SnapTag/Facebook] logo throughout the issue and it was distinct. Not only could you download it and scan it, but if you didn’t have a smartphone you could take a picture of it and text it. We wanted it to work with as many phones as possible.”
Glamour also plans to unveil a “shopable” issue in March, where Facebook users will have the ability to like brands and purchase goods directly from the magazine with their cell phones, and be given incentives to do so.
Glamour also plans to unveil a “shopable” issue in March, where Facebook users will have the ability to like brands and purchase goods directly from the magazine with their cell phones, and be given incentives to do so.
--- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence
