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Amol Ghemud Published: August 14, 2018
Summary
We present ten diverse social media case studies, showcasing innovative strategies that led to success across different industries and platforms. It highlights the importance of unique, first-time strategies in engaging with target audiences, leveraging social media’s power for brand promotion, customer engagement, and even charitable causes. Each case study illustrates the potential of social media in achieving significant outcomes, from increased brand awareness to customer acquisition and community building.
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When the number of active Facebook users, globally, go up to a 2 billion, anybody would start to take social media seriously. And, if you are in the top management of the marketing department of a company, you would definitely want to sit and take notice of the numbers.
As a marketing vice president, you would have already seen the shift in the markets from physical to virtual. The attention of a considerable number of your targeted demographic is available online, which is why social media marketing is one of the most important slices of your entire marketing mix pie.
As a marketing VP, case study on marketing and success stories of companies leveraging social media for various objectives should be an important read.
We have compiled a list of popular case studies. Here are 10 must-read social media case studies from various companies all across the globe, representing different industries.
1. Check-in and Get Rewarded
When you see someone on Facebook checking in to a restaurant, or a movie or somewhere for a vacation, you might think why do I need so much information about so many places and where they are. Scott Wise saw a commercial prospect in each of those check-ins. Being the CEO of A Pots & Pans Production, a company that runs seven restaurants in the USA, he always knew newspaper advertising days are gone.
He cashed in on the geo-location tagging feature of apps like Foursquare and Facebook. As a reward for loyalty to his customers who check in and spread brand awareness, he offers a 10% discount on lunch.
Not only do startups and emerging small business target audience through social media, but traditional big companies also need to increase their investments in social media marketing to stay in the game. Here is an interesting case study on marketing.
Gillette found out that advertising on YouTube was a far cheaper than TV. Reaching 1% of the target population through YouTube was 7.3 times less expensive than TV. The campaign was an overall success increasing brand and product awareness and also delivering the campaign message.
Social media marketing campaigns have been used for charitable purposes as well. Disney leveraged this aspect as part of their partnership with Make a Wish Foundation. In 2016, Disney first launched their Share Your Ears campaign in honor of Disneyland resorts’ 60th anniversary where they pledged to pay $5 for every photo uploaded on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter featuring Mickey Mouse ears and the hashtag #ShareYourEars.
The campaign was a tremendous success with Disney ultimately donating $2 million. The campaign was not only designed as a fundraiser but also for Disney as an enhancement to their brand engagement by touching the right chord on people’s emotions.
One of the most noteworthy social media case studies of 2017 was displayed by Comic Con India which recently did a massive promotion for their brand at virtually no cost. They tied up with Team Quroz and did a virtual search on enthusiastic profiles and fished out real comic fans.
A total of 57 people were chosen from this search who were rewarded with free passes and merchandise. In return, they acted as their media influencers who generated enough social media content to create a major hype across the nation for their event. Comic-Con received a total engagement exceeding 31k making their non-paid campaign a huge success.
Social media success stories can be found in B2B winners as well. American Express started a social site, AMEX OPEN, in 2007, dedicated to providing financial and business advice to small business owners.
Their open forum is a network of people interacting with industry experts and making it an idea-sharing platform. The unique page visits increased by 525% by 2008 making the strategy a successful one. Other B2B social media case studies also include HSBC’s similar forum The HSBC Business Network.
Talking about successful social media campaign case studies, here is a case study about social media. Lego, the Danish company making plastic brick toys, got people to believe that Lego toys were not just for kids. Their #FillTheGap contest in 2015 increased their brand engagement as people had to send images of filling empty spaces nearby with their Lego architecture.
The same year, Uber rode on the Game of Thrones wave pulling a promotional stunt cashing in on the mass hype around the popular TV show with their social media campaign #RideOfThrones bringing the infamous iron throne replica to fans who request it thereby increasing their brand awareness.
Most of us know the pain of not being able to go online at our workplace and in some corporate offices social media pages are banned on the internal servers. However, Best Buy, a large American electronics retailer, encourages their employees to be online always, which is a process of connecting with your customers 24/7.
They have different forums and communities on Facebook and Myspace which enable employees to share brand or store information anytime anywhere. Also, employees are free to use Twitter at all times giving live updates of store promotions.
One of the popular case studies on social media is this one. Dominos figured out that most of their customers prefer to stay online rather than call up and order a pizza, so they adapted to the digital world much faster than any other food brand. In May 2015, they made pizza delivery easier for U.S. customers with their tweet-a-pizza system.
Their target was the super busy younger customers who only needed to tweet a pizza emoticon for placing an order.
Marketing through blogs is an important digital marketing strategy. AmbiPur, a leading brand of air fresheners, organized a bloggers meetup in Chennai, India in 2013. The objective of the event was plain promotion through good writers. The bloggers were given a product experience and an interactive session of blogging.
They were encouraged to spread the event news on Twitter and Facebook thus promoting the brand.
One of the key reasons for businesses to be on social media is to create a relationship with their customers. Many a time brands have needed to fall back on social media platforms to communicate with consumers. Here is one such case study on social media marketing.
BreadTalk, a Singapore based food, and beverage corporation faced the brunt of the public in 2015 when they came out with a bread bun called “lee bu kai ni” which was intended to be a commemorative product in memory of the late prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
The idea was not well received, and the company had to issue a public apology through their Facebook page. Multinational corporation Dell made massive investments in this regard in 2014 and came out with their social media command center for which they trained 25000 employees who would address and interact with customers on social media.
The vital factor in all these social media marketing case studies is that all or most of them had cases where there was a first-time strategy or some innovative campaign involved. Social media is still a new playground for marketers. Hence as a marketing VP you might be facing quite of a risk, but success stories all around definitely pose to be learning if not an inspiration.
By engaging on social media, brands can develop trust with potential customers, partners, and talent/employees. This is especially true if others spread the word about your company’s name, products, or services.
2. How do I start a social media campaign idea?
We’ll go through every step-in detail so you can take advantage of one of the most influential and economical marketing initiatives a company can implement.
Define Your Social Media Campaign Goals,
Step 1: Determine Your Social Media Channels in
Step 2: and Plan Your Social Media Campaign Strategies
Step 3: Create a social media content calendar in step five after choosing the metrics you want to track
Step 4: Create Your Marketing Assets Using Free Online Tools
Step 6: Manage your campaign
Step 7: Use social media management tools to schedule your content
Step 8: Discover the latest social media scheduling tools
Step 9: Review the Findings
3. What is a social media case study?
In essence, a case study is a lengthy recommendation or review. Case studies frequently showcase a business’s accomplishments via a social media service or strategy. They show how your company’s products and services benefit customers in a particular circumstance.
4. How do you write a social case study?
Writing a Case Study Analysis:
Carefully Read and Analyze the Case.
Make notes, underline essential issues, and highlight pertinent information.
Simplify Your Research. Determine two to five critical issues.
Discover Needed Changes and Potential Solutions… – Pick the Best Solution.
5. How do you showcase a case study of social media marketing?
Guidelines for Writing Case Study Posts on social media
Headline. Use an exciting first statement to make your content stand out and draw readers in immediately.
A predicament or issue. Describe the business and the issue or circumstance it was facing.
Problem and Results…
Call to Action for the conclusion.
6. What successful social media marketing campaigns have businesses implemented?
A social media campaign is a planned marketing initiative that uses social media platforms to raise consumer awareness, interest, and loyalty toward a company, brand, product, or service.
Social media marketing initiatives include strategic planning, audience targeting, and measurable results.
Brands undertake social media marketing across a variety of platforms, including:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit
TikTok
7. How can companies use social media to reach their target market?
7 Strategies for Growing Your social media Following
Create genuine connections. Social media is used by people to connect with others.
Deliver customer service in real-time.
Increase brand recognition.
Disseminate pertinent educational content.
Take into account social media monitoring.
Promote word-of-mouth referrals.
Hold competitions to draw in leads.
8. What are some typical issues that firms run into when implementing a social media marketing strategy?
Five of the Biggest Challenges in Social Media Marketing
Lack of Connection Across Departments
Finding the appropriate platform.
Understanding the target audience.
Decreasing organic engagement.
Meeting consumer expectations.
9. How can businesses measure the success of their social media marketing campaigns?
Keep track of metrics regarding traffic volume, including the number of visitors, page views, and fans. Engagement metrics, such as the ratio of the overall number of fans on your page to the number of comments, liked posts, or favorited/shared tweets. Competitive position (evaluate your engagement numbers in comparison to those of your rivals)
10. How can businesses stay up-to-date with social media trends and strategies?
Follow popular digital newsletters, blogs, social media, and publications: Numerous bloggers regularly publish updates on the newest SEO and digital marketing developments. To keep up with any changes in the market, these specialists employ a variety of tracking software, inside sources, and industry relationships.
11. What are social media marketing campaign case study?
They’re in-depth reports showcasing successful social media campaigns, analyzing strategies, results, and insights for other businesses to learn from.
12.What is an example of a case study?
The blog you provided mentions 10 examples, like Domino’s “tweet-to-order” campaign or Disney’s #ShareYourEars charity drive.
13. What is a case study PDF?
It’s a downloadable format for a case study, often including detailed information and visuals not suitable for a webpage.
14. What are the 4 parts of a case study?
Situation: The challenge or problem faced by the company.
Action: The implemented social media campaign and its strategies.
Results: The achieved outcomes and metrics of the campaign.
Conclusion: The key takeaways and learnings from the case study.
Watch the Top 10 Social Media Case Studies That Marketing VPs Must Read
Social media is no longer an optional channel but a core pillar of a modern marketing strategy because it offers direct access to a vast, engaged audience where they spend significant time. The shift from physical to virtual markets means your brand’s visibility and relevance depend on mastering these platforms. A successful approach involves more than just presence; it requires a strategic integration of social channels to build community, drive engagement, and achieve measurable business goals. For example, brands like Disney and Gillette have shown that a well-executed campaign can touch emotional chords and deliver messages more effectively than traditional media. This digital-first mindset is critical for staying competitive. Discover how leading companies are structuring their marketing mix by examining the detailed case studies.
A truly successful social media objective moves beyond vanity metrics to achieve concrete business goals, such as enhancing brand engagement, driving sales, or supporting a cause. This focus is critical because it justifies marketing spend and demonstrates a clear return on investment to stakeholders. For instance, A Pots & Pans Production tied its objective directly to customer loyalty by offering a 10% discount for check-ins, a measurable action that increased foot traffic. Similarly, Disney's campaign had a clear fundraising goal of donating $2 million, which also amplified brand sentiment. Defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals ensures your social media efforts contribute directly to the bottom line. Explore the full article to see how different objectives were met in these real-world examples.
A YouTube campaign offers significant cost-efficiency and precise targeting compared to the broad-reach nature of traditional TV advertising. Gillette’s case study provides a powerful metric, finding that reaching 1% of its target population on YouTube was 7.3 times less expensive than achieving the same reach on television. When deciding, a marketing VP should weigh several factors:
Cost Per Reach: Digital platforms often provide a lower cost per impression and more granular control over ad spend.
Audience Targeting: YouTube allows for demographic, interest, and behavioral targeting that TV cannot match.
Measurability: Digital campaign performance is highly trackable, offering real-time data on views, clicks, and conversions.
The choice depends on whether the goal is mass awareness or targeted, cost-effective engagement. Learn more about how to balance your media spend by analyzing these complete case studies.
An organic micro-influencer campaign, like the one from Comic Con India, differs from paid partnerships by prioritizing authenticity over reach, resulting in higher engagement at virtually no cost. Unlike transactional relationships with macro-influencers, this model identifies genuine brand fans and empowers them. The key differences are:
Cost:Comic Con India's campaign was non-paid, offering free passes and merchandise instead of fees, making it highly cost-effective.
Authenticity: Content generated by true fans is perceived as more genuine, building greater trust with their networks. The 57 chosen influencers created a legitimate hype.
Engagement: Micro-influencers often have smaller but more dedicated followings, leading to higher engagement rates. Comic Con India saw total engagement exceed 31k.
While macro-influencers offer broad visibility, the organic approach builds a more passionate and loyal community around your brand. Dive into the details to understand how to build your own advocate program.
Disney’s #ShareYourEars campaign is a prime example of purpose-driven marketing that masterfully combined a charitable cause with brand interaction. By pledging to donate $5 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for every photo posted with Mickey Mouse ears and the specific hashtag, Disney created a powerful incentive for participation. This strategy was effective because it transformed passive audience members into active brand participants, generating a massive wave of positive user-generated content. The campaign ultimately led to a $2 million donation, showcasing a tangible commitment. This approach allowed Disney to enhance its brand image by aligning with a beloved cause and touching people’s emotions, proving that social media can be a powerful tool for both corporate social responsibility and marketing. Explore the full study to see how this emotional connection was forged.
American Express achieved remarkable B2B success by creating the AMEX OPEN social site, a platform dedicated to providing value rather than direct sales pitches. This strategy focused on building a community by offering financial and business advice from industry experts and fostering peer-to-peer idea sharing. By positioning itself as a resource instead of just a service provider, American Express built deep trust and loyalty with small business owners. The tangible result was a staggering 525% increase in unique page visits by 2008, a clear indicator of high engagement and perceived value. This case proves that B2B social media thrives when it prioritizes helping its audience solve their problems, which in turn builds a strong brand halo. To understand the framework behind this community-building success, read the full analysis.
A Pots & Pans Production demonstrated the power of lean, effective social media marketing by using the built-in geo-location tagging feature on Facebook. CEO Scott Wise recognized that each customer check-in at one of his seven restaurants was a form of free, word-of-mouth advertising that spread brand awareness across that user’s network. To encourage this behavior, he implemented a simple reward: customers who checked in received a 10% discount on their lunch. This strategy successfully gamified customer loyalty and transformed a routine social media action into a tangible benefit for both the customer and the business. This case proves that you do not need a massive budget or complex technology to execute a successful digital marketing initiative. The full article provides more examples of how simple features can yield significant results.
To replicate the success of A Pots & Pans Production, a marketing VP should follow a clear, stepwise plan to launch a geo-location rewards program. This approach turns customer visits into valuable social proof. The essential steps include:
Choose Your Platform: Focus on platforms with strong check-in features, like Facebook or Foursquare, where your target demographic is most active.
Define a Simple, Appealing Offer: Create a clear and immediate reward, such as a 10% discount, a free appetizer, or loyalty points, to incentivize check-ins.
Promote the Program In-Store: Use signage, table tents, and staff encouragement to make every customer aware of the opportunity.
Train Your Staff: Ensure your employees understand the promotion and can easily apply the discount or reward when a customer shows their check-in.
This strategy effectively mobilizes your existing customer base as brand advocates. See the full list of case studies for more low-cost, high-impact implementation plans.
An events marketing VP can replicate Comic Con India’s successful influencer strategy by focusing on identifying and rewarding genuine fans instead of paying for endorsements. This builds an authentic promotional engine. Here is a stepwise plan:
Conduct a Virtual Search: Use social listening tools and manual searches on platforms like Instagram and Twitter to find users who are already passionately posting about your event genre or past events. Look for enthusiasm, not just follower count.
Select and Vet Advocates: From your search, identify a core group of individuals, like the 57 chosen by Comic Con India, who represent your target audience.
Offer Exclusive, Non-Monetary Rewards: Reach out and offer them free passes, exclusive merchandise, or special access in exchange for sharing their experience.
This approach generated over 31k in engagement for Comic Con India and can create a powerful, authentic hype for your event. Dive deeper into the case studies to learn more about cultivating brand advocacy.
Gillette's success on YouTube signals a critical inflection point for marketing departments, implying that future budgets must be reallocated toward digital channels that offer superior targeting, measurability, and cost-efficiency. The fact that reaching their audience on YouTube was 7.3 times less expensive than on TV is a powerful data point that cannot be ignored. This trend suggests a future where:
Digital video will command a larger share of advertising budgets, often at the expense of linear television.
Data analytics will become even more central to media planning, as teams must prove ROI with granular metrics.
Content strategy will be tailored to specific platforms, recognizing what works on YouTube may not work on other channels.
Marketing leaders must now view their channel mix not as a static pie chart but as a dynamic portfolio to be adjusted based on performance data. Explore the full content to see how other industries are adapting to this new media landscape.
American Express solved the quintessential B2B social media problem by fundamentally shifting its strategy from self-promotion to genuine service. Instead of broadcasting corporate messages, they created the AMEX OPEN forum, a dedicated space where small business owners could find valuable financial advice and connect with peers and experts. This value-first approach directly addressed the needs of their audience, building a community around shared challenges and solutions. The result, a 525% increase in unique page visits, proved the model’s effectiveness. The key takeaway for other B2B brands is to stop selling and start helping. By becoming an indispensable resource, you earn trust, authority, and long-term customer loyalty that traditional advertising cannot buy. For more on how to apply this problem-solving mindset, read the complete analysis.
Disney overcame potential skepticism by designing its #ShareYourEars campaign around transparency, simplicity, and user participation. Instead of just announcing a donation, they created a clear, direct link between a user's action and the charitable outcome: one photo with the hashtag equaled a $5 donation. This participatory model made the audience feel like active partners in the cause, not just targets of a marketing message. Key elements that built trust included:
A specific, named partner: the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
A clear financial pledge that culminated in a $2 million donation.
An easy and fun call-to-action that encouraged widespread, authentic sharing.
This structure transformed the campaign from a corporate announcement into a collective movement, demonstrating that authenticity is built by empowering your community to be part of the good you are doing. Explore the full article for more insights into building trust through social campaigns.
Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.
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