Social Media in your pocket!

Which do you think is the most engaging activity on mobiles?

a. Playing games    b. Social networking

I am sure 80% of us would answer “a. Playing games”, but that’s old news. Today the most engaging mobile activity is Social Networking. Well, if you think of it, it is a match made in heaven! Social networks were built on the notion of sharing. While updating statuses, sharing photos, revealing interests, we socialize and add to it the mobile editing and social apps, what more can one ask for? You can be omnipresently social and personally sophisticated! Let’s delve deeper into the social networking on mobile with a Dunkin’ Donuts example (Trust me, the scoop is as yummy as the donuts).

The other day i walked into a coffee shop to take away a sandwich and as i was waiting for my order it suddenly struck me what if i could surprise my friend (whose birthday i conveniently forgot last month) with a cake from this coffee shop. Then i thought what if i could gift her this coffee shop’s prepaid card and what if there was a mobile app for it (already dreaming of dollars thinking i had stumbled upon a billion dollar idea), only to realise that Dunkin Donuts has been a pro at it. Well, not just it, Dunkin’ Donuts has been a creator of many other successful digital marketing and advertising initiatives. Let’s discuss how my idea (wink wink) was used by Dunkin’ Donuts to launch a new Halloween campaign that drives engagement through Instagram and Twitter, as well as educates consumers about the company’s new mobile payments application.

As part of their Halloween campaign, Dunkin’ Donuts had rolled out new Halloween-themed mobile cards. The main aim of this campaign was to drive awareness for their first mobile payment and gifting app, they offered fans limited edition Mobile Dunkin’ Donuts cards that featured several unique Halloween themed designs. (Random fact: DD has 0.18m Twitter & 13K Instagram followers)

In August 2012, Dunkin’ Donuts entered the mobile payments arena with an iPhone and Android app that lets consumers pay for beverages, food and merchandise at the point-of-sale, but with this Halloween initiative, Dunkin’ Donuts is letting consumers purchase a mobile gift card in several new Halloween seasonal designs with spooky characters asking you to “Stay calm and drink coffee”.

Moreover, the coffee giant encouraged consumers to participate in the Halloween festivities by dressing up their cup for a chance to win a $100 Dunkin’ Donuts Card. Quite cleverly it engaged Instagram and Twitter for this competition, fans were encouraged to tweet @DunkinDonuts on Twitter or Instagram photos of their Dunkin’ Donuts cups cloaked in a creative Halloween costume, using the special hashtag #DresseDD. On Halloween day, the company shared the photos of five winners selected for their creativity and Halloween spirit.

This is indeed a very smart initiative by Dunkin’ Donuts. Approximately 50% of Social Media users are people using Social Media from their phone and a research says that people who use Social Media from their phone are twice as active online. This provides Dunkin’ Donuts with an engaged and active user base and what more would they want than their favourite coffee accepting mobile payment and gift exchanges. This whole initiative provides them an interactive and creative experience.

Scott Hudler, vice president of global consumer engagement at Dunkin’ Donuts says “We’re an exciting brand, and we think our guests who expect a little fun from us will really appreciate and enjoy the new Halloween designs as a way to celebrate the season.”   We sure do Mr. Hudler. Keep on the exciting work!