Microsoft Azure wanted to reach out to their millennial developer audience by giving out branded swag over Twitter. So, naturally, we challenged them to go a little deeper than mousepads with logos on them. We wanted to create an organic social campaign that would increase engagement and evoke an emotional response—inviting interaction, starting conversations, and putting the audience in the spotlight.
Developers seek content and conversation that tap into their work, their culture, their quirks. They passionately put in thousands of hours to create the digital world we inhabit, and we see that come to life through incredible world-changing apps and tech solutions. What we don't see? What fuels them.
At the deepest level, it's a love of technology—a love that likely got its start in the shag-carpeted, Red Vines–stocked rec rooms of yesteryear, with the first-generation gaming that creates an instant connection.
So we asked a simple question in a language, look, and feel they speak. What fuels their awesome?
#FuelMyAwesome launched with a series of animated awareness posts on Twitter, each with a unique design and playful voice. We hit the Twittersphere, asking devs what keeps them in the code zone. And the replies started pouring in. From Slim Jims to rubber ducks and, of course, internet cats, the responses gave us an up-close-and-personal glimpse of what lies behind the developer curtain.
Next, we began announcing winners to let them (and the Twittersphere) know something awesome was on the way. Since they didn't know what they were getting, we threw some teaser posts in the mix too.
Finally, we brought the campaign to life with our Packs of Awesome—custom '80s-inspired backpacks filled with pixelated awesomeness: laptop stickers, koozies, soda-can toppers, Bluetooth speakers, and T-shirts to help them continue their dev wizardry. And, to make it a real dialogue, we got them exactly what they told us fuels their awesome.
They spoke and we listened. #FuelMyAwesome started real conversations, making an authentic brand statement and connection. And from shock and amazement to pure brand love, the responses were awesome. We gained new fans—even non-devs—as well as shout-outs to Satya from high-profile influencers.
#FuelMyAwesome exceeded our submission goal by 290 percent. We increased organic engagement with more than 46,000 replies, retweets, likes, follows, and clicks, had a 99 percent positive rating, and netted 2.1 million views and more than 5.5 million impressions. For an organic Twitter campaign, we think that's pretty awesome.
