#CommerceMonth: Resetting social media for social change

Wielopolski

Think of your fridge at home. How much of the food in there is completely fresh, unspoiled and likely to be eaten before its sell-by date, and how much is leftovers you’re packed with every intention of eating – but you know you won’t – or worse, already festering away, waiting to be tossed? Chances are, you have at least one dodgy food item that you’d never dream of photographing and tinkering with various filters to proudly promote as part of your personal brand on social media.

Glad and DDB South Africa turned this notion onto its head in creating a campaign in May last year titled “Instaglad”. It built awareness of this problem and demonstrated how Glad’s products can provide a simple solution to food wastage, as well as the power of leveraging social media in order to 'do good'.

Developed for Instagram, the campaign specifically targeted consumers who love food, from the everyday 'foodie' to world-renowned chefs and food critics like Bill Granger and Angel Betancourt, as well as the thousands of people who follow them. But the conversation doesn’t stop with the usual feed of likes and comments posted. Instead, DDB South Africa actually repurposed the Instagrammers’ photos, sending them back to the original photographer two days later with the addition of a Glad product wrap over the food shot. Here’s how:

Liam Wielopolski, award-winning chief creative officer at DDB South Africa, let us in on how the campaign idea come about.

He explains that the creative team was interested in exploring the use of Instagram as an advertising platform as very little has been done on it so far, and that the idea of co-generating a campaign around users’ food pics felt like a natural fit with the Glad brand, as its products are based around food wastage and keeping food from going bad.

Wielopolski adds that social media has grown to become one of the most influential advertising mediums available, because no other medium allows you to engage with the consumer on such a personal level.

It also has the ability to go viral overnight, thus reaching a massive audience that traditional media just can’t reach.

Another big plus is that the campaign promotes the Glad brand as a responsible one. There’s no doubt that sustainability is crucial when it comes to branding in 2016, as a vital aspect of marketing for the modern brand in this day and age where the more positive the perceptions and feelings are towards a brand, the higher the likelihood of identification and loyalty amongst consumers.

Here’s hoping for lots more in the realm of advertising for social change, doing business for good, and brands moving beyond mere product promotion to also make the world a better place.

PS: In case you’re searching for the campaign and getting frustrated with ‘can’t be found’ results, that's because Instagram removed it – leading to Glad’s response that it’s literally “the freshest campaign Instagram’s ever seen”.