So Interactive digital creative agency on the up and up

So Interactive digital creative agency celebrates its entry into the New Year on the wings of some of its most accelerated achievements.

"Looking back on our company landscape, the year 2013 will be historically marked as one of So Interactive's most exciting years of growth," says Darren Mansour, So Interactive digital director. "We grew our office space, our team and our client base in one year, all of which resulted in an overflow of innovative ideas and winning strategies," says Mansour.

So Interactive won its share of a number of popular South African Brands: Bandito's, Zappa Sambuca, Po10cy, Strawberry Lips, Kiss Party Shooter, Saints Wine, Tall Horse, McNab's and Fintech to name but a few. The year saw the digitally versed team in the throws of high-end, strategic online reputation management, exciting app creations and Facebook advertising campaigns that grew fan bases and strengthened digital brand capital.

With a reported average increase in growth of 10 brand communities, by 2000 percent, So Interactive proved that customising its client's objectives made business sense. And Bandito's was no exception.

So Interactive pulled an ace from its sleeve with the launch of the engaging Bandito's Mex It Up app. This saw a horde of wannabe Mexicans uploading their "selfies", with the addition of Sombreros, Mexican wrestler masks and moustaches. Entrants could choose to style their look with habanero, jalapeño and/or guadala gunpowder themes, all strategically tying in with the delicious Banditos hot sauces. This resulted in an astounding increase in Bandito's social brand exposure.

"We laid the foundation for the client's digital presence and created a solid online community, built around key products, brand touch points and recipes," says Mansour.

Ocean Basket is another case in point, being a loyal client of So Interactive since 2009. In September last year, Ocean Basket reportedly took a risk on a digital-only marketing campaign with So Interactive and grew their in-store sales on year previous, by 14% during their 18th Birthday campaign. The 18th Birthday campaign lasted a mere seven days, pulling in 12,000 new Facebook fans, with a 50% increase in site traffic and achieving a 25% digital conversion rate.

"It was the most successful digital to retail campaign in the history of our company. By strategically using the best mix of social media and digital channels we were able to assist Ocean Basket to sell more product, whilst simultaneously strengthening the loyalty of their customers and fans," says Mansour.

So Interactive prides itself on stepping up to the plate with unrivalled results that deliver a return on investment. 2013 also witnessed So Interactive unveiling the now, fast- growing, South African born LOVEFOOD!Blog. With a new client brief for digital creation and identity, Mansour rallied the So Talent to produce a foodie blog that captured a fun and pure lifestyle identity. And they did. Within a few weeks, LOVEFOOD!Blog was born with its own logo, website and interactive DNA.

Since its inception in 2007, So Interactive has infiltrated the digital playground with a flourishing reputation as one of South Africa's client-centric, reliable and stable digital creative agencies, delivering time and time again on digital service excellence.

"Our job is not to create campaigns based on the latest trends; our job is to create campaigns that serve our client's primary purpose; to convert the consumer into a brand advocate who is a loyal member of the tribe. So long as we are achieving that, we are cultivating success," ends Mansour.

For greater exploration of your 2014 digital campaign calendar, contact the So Interactive Digital Creative Agency on (011) 450 0077/81 or visit the blog site www.sointeractive.co.za/blog/ for more info.