In 2012 Furby returned to store shelves evolved with new features to make it even more interactive and expressive, including LCD eyes and a “mind of its own" that changes personality depending on how you play with it. As Furby had been updated to be an even more engaging and social toy, it needed to be promoted in today’s social space. We created a social media initiative to speak to consumers on platforms they use every day. A social voice unique to Furby was employed, designed in a way that takes into consideration platform nuances. This allowed us to speak to people in a natural, entertaining way, without being too promotional. The Furby campaign on social media achieved all objectives that were outlined at the outset. The objectives were: - Create destinations for highly dynamic, branded content - Build buzz and create advocates within the communitySocial media profiles launched on September 17th - the day after Furby hit store shelves, with the aim of building a community ahead of the busy holiday season. By December, our communities had gained over 450,000 fans across all networks. This growth gave Furby a platform to speak directly with their fanbase during the crucial holiday period. Almost 600 pieces of content were created in this time. Platforms included: Facebook – Main point of communication to the core market Twitter – Drive conversation and capitalize on hype of the new Furby launch Instagram – Launched with a smaller presence and supports other platforms with micro-content Pinterest – Provides informative and helpful content. Tumblr – Aimed at reaching first generation Furby owners. Buzzfeed – Specialized content aimed at creating a feeling of nostalgia. We used Facebook to engage with our core audience through tailored content. Content pillars included Product Features, Pop Culture, Timely Events, Holidays, Brand Messaging, and Recurring Content Series. Facebook served as a hub for Furby fans, and during this period we fielded over 25k individual engagements ranging from conversation about the product to responses to customer service inquiries. We used Facebook’s advertising platform to grow our community through acquisition ads. Sponsored posts and stories helped to drive awareness and engagement, and build buzz via word of mouth. Content for sponsored posts was chosen daily, based on a combination of engagement and virality, ensuring that only the highest quality content was boosted. Ad and post targeting allowed us to drive engagement by creating content relevant to different groups within our community. Key success metrics included: Over 600 pieces of micro-content created Over 40,000 social engagements Over 85MM impressions on both organic and paid content Average Facebook engagement rate of 8.26%. This is the percentage of fans who took action on our content out of all those exposed to it – this is more than 16X the industry average of 0.49%* An average of 77,000 people reached per Facebook post. Average Twitter engagement rate of 2.03%, and an average of 19,500 impressions per Tweet Over 11,000 Tumblr followers, and over 40 million impressions gained Social media played a key role in an integrated marketing campaign that helped make Furby become a big win for Hasbro in 2012, and hit overall business objectives. *Source: http://bit.ly/QSBPNw
