I scream, you scream…Overdrive screams for ice cream? Not exactly, but here at Overdrive we used our social media skills and power on Twitter over the past few days to get the attention of the Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream truck after hearing they were heading to Boston. So, were our tweeting skills as strong as our ice cream eating skills?
I think the answer is clear. When we first learned that the Ben and Jerry’s truck was back in action on their summer 2011 Scoop Truck Tour, we immediately turned to Twitter to reach out to the ice cream specialists. Our trending topic #SocialIce grabbed the attention of the Ben and Jerry’s truck, as well as people surrounding the Overdrive office. We have some serious ice cream lovers and Twitter enthusiasts here at Overdrive, and passing up the invitation to this crowd source was not an option to our agency.
Besides from persuading Ben and Jerry’s to deliver our staff delicious, free ice cream, how else did social media prove it’s awesomeness in this case? It yet again was able to help customers interact with a favorite brand, and simultaneously give that brand another opportunity to prove why their customers should love them. As social media continues to grow, businesses have been able to see how social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are great for advertising. Brands want to be where their customers are, and social media is a great place to reach out and make that initial connection. The Ben and Jerry’s brand was smart to realize the opportunity they had to encourage their fans by providing a real sense of reward through the giveaway of their product. Overdrive, as a follower on Twitter of Ben and Jerry’s, was able to experience a real personal reaction from one of our favorite brands.
Not only was Ben and Jerry’s able to please their existing fans, but they were also able to gain new ones. Individually, not all of us here at Overdrive were aware of the brand on Twitter, but we immediately followed after we saw how responsive they were to our agency. We were thrilled that after Overdrive followed Ben and Jerry’s, they followed us right back. It is nice to see that their brand showed interest in our employees, and we owed them big thanks on Twitter after they left from their visit! This engagement allowed followers of the official Overdrive twitter page to see Ben and Jerry’s willingness to connect with their fans, and our positive relationships with other brands. It was great that there was a sense of open, responsive communication between Overdrive and Ben and Jerry’s, which should be the goal of all brands that use Twitter to connect with their fans…and because free ice cream was involved!
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