Neworld, Great relationships build great brands

This case study has been updated to include new sales data, you can find the update here.

The Client

Glenisk are Irelands leading producers of organic dairy products. The business is operated by the Cleary family of Killeigh, Co Offaly and is one of the feel good success stories of the economic recession. In 2010 sales growth hit a peak of 20% and Glenisk also entered Checkout Magazines Top 100 Grocery Brands, at number 79, for the very first time.

The company uses a number of marketing methods to communicate with customers but in the latter part of 2010, and into 2011, there was an increased focus on using Facebook to build brand awareness and encourage sampling.

Glenisk’s Tune Challenge

Glenisk’s Tune Challenge launched on Ray D’Arcy’s Today FM radio show in January 2011. The challenge was to find the soundtrack to the next Glenisk TV advert. Irish based musicians and music producers could submit compositions to the contest via a Facebook app on the Glenisk page. Not only would the  winner be featured, and credited, on the TV advert, but they would also win 2,500 Euros.

Stage 1: The Entries

The first stage of the app allowed fans to submit a piece of music and short biography. Once content was published to the app, other fans could listen and ‘like’ the entries. The contest received an impressive 650 entries, much more than was expected. The judges in the contest comprised of a representative from Glenisk, Today FM and the advertising industry. Their task was to whittle down the 650 entries to a shortlist of just 6 tracks.

Stage 2: Fan Favourite

The second stage of the app featured the shortlisted tracks synched with the TV advert so fans could see what the finished version would look like. While judges would select the eventual winner, fans could also vote on a ‘fan favourite’. Those who voted were rewarded with a coupon for a free Glenisk yoghurt to encourage sampling.

The tracks were displayed on this section of the app in the style of a leaderboard, based upon the amount of votes they had. Due to the overwhelming popularity of the contest, and extremely high quality entries, it was decided to extend the duration of this part of the contest in order to give the judges more time to choose the eventual winner.

Stage 3: The Winner

The winning track chosen by the judges, was revealed on Ray D’Arcy’s Today FM show on February 25th. The winning track by Twobit Melody is featured below. The advert is also one of the first television adverts to credit the songwriters and credit the Tune Challenge Facebook competition in the advert.

The Results

This campaign brought Glenisk into new territory, giving fans and customers a new way of interacting with the brand. The number of Facebook fans doubled during the contest, while the post campaign fan engagement levels have increased by almost five times. Posts made by the brand now enjoy greater exposure amongst fans as impressions, comments and likes have increased significantly when compared with the pre-promotion phase.

It was identified early that such contests would also attract new fans who may only join to support a friends entry. However, this was viewed as an opportunity for the brand to reach out to these new ‘fans’ through the use of coupons for a free yoghurt.

The campaign was a bold move on the part of Glenisk, but it has also been a resounding success as the brand continues to push its marketing strategy, creating engaging content and winning over new customers.