Have you noticed a trend, where brands have increasingly started using hashtags in their communication strategy. Every wondered why & how? Here's a lowdown

#hashtag

Hashtags (#) have taken an altogether different meaning and usage since the time it was actually started or popularized by the microblogging website Twitter.

The word Hashtag (#)  was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2014 and if you see the actual definition, it says

“a word or phrase preceded by the hash sign (#) used on social media websites such as twitter to identify messages on a specific topic”

If we read the above definition, hash tags should only be used to catch or create a trend, a trend that people will take up to, a phrase that means something. But obviously, like any other popular thing on the internet, hashtags are quite abused specially with the onset of instagram where people have stopped using sentences and started using hashtags to communicate in few words.

It can get quite irksome to see #when #people #talk #like #this all the time on your news feed.

The point that I am getting at is that internet users in India are now slowly opening up to using hashtags in normal conversation. This gives an open window for brands to relate to these users, increase their ad recall and create a trend by associating every communication about their marketing campaign with a hashtag.

Slowly, as brands in all sectors start realizing the importance of taking the communication online, realizing that word of mouse spreads faster than word of mouth, marketing will be thought of with an “online first” strategy.

The fact that long form content advertising was the most striking feature of the best ad campaigns in 2014 and the fact that it worked made brands realize that you need to tell a story more than hard sell your product or service.

Every marketer is trying to address and crack the animal called “digital” and leveraging the fact that ads are made with an intention to not get them on TV only but also to heavily advertise on Facebook, Youtube and other social media platforms.

Brands also have slowly realized that a 360 degree marketing campaign does not limit itself to just Print, Radio, TV and OOH. Online is a big piece in today’s world as Internet users in India cross 350 million. Obviously, if you are taking things online as heavily as you are doing them offline why not marry the communication so that it registers in the consumer’s mind and amplify the effect to get more bang for your buck.

Also See: How MTS integrated their offline campaign with online

And what better way to do this than using hashtags as almost every social networking website has embraced its usage.

Now, I don’t know the strategy behind picking that perfect hashtag to associate your campaign with but I think there should be some basic parameters.

1. I as a consumer should relate to it. In the sense, it should be a part of my common lingo, that’s the easiest way that I’ll be able to catch on to it or will I be comfortable in propagating about it on social media.
2. It should be strongly associated with the theme of the marketing campaign and capture its essence.
3. It should be crisp and short for it to be used in other media given the character limits that marketers work with on the internet.
4. Beware of other brands hijacking your hashtag. Marketing is quite disruptive these days and it’s very easy to piggy back on someone else’s idea or marketing efforts. You’ll see a few examples on the Big Billion Day of Flipkart.

Let’s look at a few recent TV campaigns that used hashtags interchangeably with the taglines of their marketing campaigns.

1. #ChaloNiklo – Ola Cabs

Comments on #ChaloNiklo

1. I don’t know if I have ever used #ChaloNiklo in the context of calling a cab. It’s more of a dismissive usage for me when I want to get rid of someone.
2. This particular hashtag would be more of a push in marketing campaigns than people using it on their own
3. However, the recall will be easy because it’s catchy if not tactical. With multiple exposures and usage of #ChaloNiklo in almost every communication, I am expecting people to remember this campaign and associate it with Ola in the time to come specially when not a lot of cab service providers are so heavy on offline advertising.

#ChaloNiklo being used on twitter to amplify the campaign message. Obviously through a contest.

#ChaloNiklo in promotional SMS targeting.

“Now one more reason to #ChaloNiklo” just doesnt fit in. Sounds too forced.

2.#PickNowTaxi4Sure

Comments on #PickNow

1. I think it was a good strategy to make a hashtag out of their main call to action button on their app. It’s an easy recall.
2. Having said that, I don’t think I’ll be a brand ambassador of this campaign by promoting this particular hashtag on my own or talk about it on social media or even mention it offline.
3. #PickNow does relate to calling a cab service but it talks nothing about this particular campaign. Neither can I think of any campaign that can be extended on digital to increase it’s recall.

Trying to maintain recall by using the same hashtag in all other advertising media

3. #ItAllStarts – Nescafe

Comments on #ItAllStarts

1. Things that worked over here was that it was a beautiful ad to start with. People fell in love with the protagonist and hence it wasn’t difficult at all to catch on to the hashtag and start sharing it on social media.
2. It’s short and crisp and does somewhat manages to capture the essence of the entire campaign unlike a #ChaloNiklo when the campaign was more about using the cab when you’re in trouble or a #PickNow when the campaign was more about using the cab to save your friendship.
3. However, at the same time, it’s a little incomplete and vague. While we know we work with a certain bit of limitation when we think of hashtags but #ItAllStarts got lucky to be associated with a brilliant ad.

A perfect twitter contest. Perfectly contextual.

4. #BraveandBeautiful – Dabur Vatika

Comments on #BraveandBeautiful

1. A perfectly apt hashtag for the campaign.
2. A smart take on popular usage of the phrase “Bold and Beautiful”
3. Captures the crux of the entire campaign and extremely easy to use as you can see below

5. #MyntraEndofReasonSale – Myntra

Comments on #myntraendofreasonsale

1. Catchy because of “end of season” being read and used popularly
2. Good thinking to append the brand name or else it could have been hijacked easily by other ecommerce portals

What do we know? What have we learnt?

1. In the times to come, hashtags will be associated with almost every major TV campaign
2. With so many options and touch points available to reach your end consumer it becomes important to think hard before you zero in on any hashtag for your campaign
3. Don’t use hashtag as a hygiene factor, use it to work for you online and offline both

For all the consumers out there who have abused the use of hashtags in the last couple of years, #pleasewatch and #stop #using #hashtags #like #this