Wrangler is a true American heritage brand with a rich history of appealing to the western wear culture. With such an established brand and audience, Wrangler turned to The Social Element with a challenge that so many established brands face - how can we stay true to our passionate audience, while also attracting a new, wider audience? We knew that the best way to do this was to harness the power of social media, but in a very carefully considered, strategic way.
We set out to leverage TikTok to connect with consumers who may not have considered Wrangler before, while also creating moments to surprise and delight existing fans of the brand. This involved crafting a strategy that combined reactive engagement (tagged and untagged mentions) with proactive engagement, where Wrangler could be a part of bigger social conversations, even when not directly mentioned.
Our aim was to expand Wrangler’s reach beyond the western consumer and show that the brand is for all adventure-seeking jeans-wearers. To achieve this, the campaign focused on developing a persona-specific engagement strategy, fostering relationships with a diverse group of TikTok creators, and consistently interacting with the audience.
By accomplishing these objectives, the campaign aimed to position Wrangler as a dynamic and relevant brand in the evolving landscape of social media, demonstrating its ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences while maintaining its core identity.
Bringing the partnership between Wrangler and The Social Element to life required a comprehensive plan of action, diligent execution, and a focus on key features to achieve the desired outcomes.
The plan began with extensive research to understand Wrangler's target audience and identify opportunities for growth. We recognized the potential of social media platforms, particularly TikTok, to reach demographics beyond Wrangler's traditional consumer base. Our approach combined reactive and proactive engagement strategies, leveraging tagged and untagged moments to interact with existing fans while also finding other strategically aligned social conversations where the brand could be a part of, to grow their audience.
Execution involved close collaboration with Wrangler's team, ensuring alignment with the brand's voice and values. We crafted a persona-specific engagement strategy, tailoring content and interactions to resonate with Wrangler's audience while staying relevant in the fast-paced world of social media. Key features of our approach included consistent community engagement, fostering relationships with TikTok creators, and strategic use of hashtags to amplify visibility.
Despite our meticulous planning, we encountered several challenges along the way. One significant hurdle was the need to balance Wrangler's heritage as a western jeans brand with our goal of inclusion and expansion. This required careful navigation to ensure that new initiatives didn't alienate Wrangler's existing fanbase. Additionally, TikTok's ever-evolving landscape presented ongoing challenges in staying ahead of trends and algorithm changes.
To overcome these challenges, we remained agile and adaptable, continuously monitoring performance metrics and adjusting our approach as needed. We leveraged data insights to refine our content strategy, optimizing engagement and maximizing reach. Building strong relationships with TikTok creators proved invaluable, providing access to new audiences and enhancing Wrangler's brand presence on the platform.
Ultimately, our unique approach set us apart by prioritizing authenticity and genuine connection. By staying true to Wrangler's heritage while embracing innovation, we successfully modernized the brand's image and expanded its reach to new audiences. Our ability to overcome challenges and deliver tangible results, including significant growth in TikTok followers and engagement metrics, showcased the effectiveness of our strategy. In doing so, we demonstrated our commitment to driving meaningful impact for Wrangler and establishing The Social Element as a leader in social media marketing.
The results of our campaign surpassed our team's objectives, proving the success of our efforts in modernizing Wrangler's brand image and expanding its audience reach while maintaining engagement with its existing customer base. We achieved a remarkable 319.6% increase in TikTok followers, from 10.2K to 42.8K exceeding our initial goals and indicating our effectiveness in attracting new audiences.
Our focus on engagement metrics, such as the recognition score, further validated our success, with an 89% recognition score* in June 2023 reflecting active engagement with Wrangler's content and fostering strong brand loyalty. Additionally, substantial growth in conversation volume for relevant hashtags, including a 110% increase for #Wranglers and a 126.9% increase for #WranglerJeans, demonstrated heightened visibility and conversation around the brand on TikTok.
In summary, our campaign's results not only met but exceeded our objectives, showcasing our ability to modernize Wrangler's brand identity, expand its audience reach, and maintain engagement with its existing fanbase. Through significant growth in TikTok followers, high levels of engagement, and increased visibility on the platform, we consider our efforts a resounding success, delivering tangible results and driving meaningful impact for Wrangler.
*Amount of proactive engagement comments we post compared to the amount of likes/replies those comments get from creators and the TikTok community. High recognition score means we're finding the right moments of connection.
