Barbecuing over an open flame is the oldest cooking method known to man. At Kingsford, we’re all about savoring the entire experience – the smoke, the sizzle, the family and friends…and the endless debate over the particulars. Since 2010, we’ve been regaling our Kingsford Facebook fans – from the rookies to the pitmasters – with topical memes, genuine conversations, best-in-class BBQ, pro techniques, and drool-worthy recipes that fill their bellies and keep them coming back for more. We may be over 100 years old, but don’t count us out! We’ve definitely got this Facebook thing down. You know that guy who barbecues in the snow and spends hours at a party lovingly manning the grill? That’s us. In real life and on Facebook. Grilling is truly a social experience, which is why Facebook is the perfect platform for our brand. We only have one rule in the Kingsford Fan Club: grub tastes better when it’s cooked over charcoal. Everything else is fair game, and our fans are certainly not shy when it comes to expressing their opinions. From tricked-out grills to homemade bacon, Kingsford fans love to share their epic grilling feats with us and with one another. Grilling up fun, fresh posts every day resulted in a 121% increase in our fan base (mostly organic) and a 365% increase in total interactions over the last year. In addition to our meaty content and in-the-know community manager, it’s our diehard fans that make Kingsford’s Facebook page the go-to place for getting the best advice about charcoal grilling. We challenge you to find another grilling or barbecue-related page that comes close. In June of 2012, the Kingsford team kicked off the grilling season with a bang. On the longest day of the year, we grilled for 887 consecutive minutes and invited our fans to join in on the fun in real time with suggestions for what we should grill next. In addition fans were able to submit their own photos using the #solsticekingsford hashtag on instagram, which was updated in real time over a Facebook tab. Over 200 lbs of charcoal, 10K new Facebook fans, and 223K impressions later, the Kingsford Summer Solstice campaign solidified its place in our yearly marketing plans. To combat a lull in grilling between the Fourth of July and Labor Day we launched the Long Live Summer Campaign, which included interactive content, weekly prizes and prize levels that unlocked via fan participation in a daily check in program. The more people checked in, more points were rewarded and more chances to in. Tapping into our fans passion for summer and grilling drove massive fan interaction and strong growth. During this period we gained over 95 million impressions and over 35k new fans, bringing us over the 100,000 fan mark for the first time. The barbecue lifestyle is about savoring the smells and flavors of slow cooked food while enjoying good times, good people and good drinks. We know we have created created a strong Facebook community that brings lifestyle to Facebook and digitally capture the grilling traditions that the brand and loyal fans celebrate.
