Turkcell Takes To Twitter

Today, it is no longer a question if companies use social media to promote their product/service/campaign, but rather how they are going to do it — and above all, if they can do it well. Earlier this spring, leading Turkish mobile communications company Turkcell looked to promote new smartphones bundled with a mobile Internet package. The company needed to hone in on where they could best reach their target market for the campaign to be a success. Turks are only third in the world for hours spent online each month, so Turkcell wanted to attract these heavy Internet users – who distinctly avoid online advertising – in a unique and engaging way. The verdict? A live, time-sensitive competition through Twitter.

What Turkcell Did

Turkcell created a campaign that combined the use of Twitter and live video streaming. As seen above, the video showcased the smartphones packed in festive gift boxes and covered in colorful post-its. Turkcell prompted its Twitter users to ‘unpack the box’ by tweeting what was written on the post-its by using the hashtag #turkcelltweet. Users unfold one post-it each time they tweet to uncover the gift underneath, but are unaware of the total number of post-its, prompting them to tweet more as an incentive to win.

The competition ran live for 3 hours a day for a total of 7 days. Along the way, users could also participate in games such as Pictionary, Trivia and word puzzles to win minutes and other mobile data perks. The final challenge of #turkcelltweet was for users to try to get a celebrity to re-tweet the message, which would ultimately win them a new smartphone.

Impressions

For a campaign that ran for only a week, the impressions Turkcell made were impressive:

• Generated 56,734 tweets tagged with #turkcelltweet; the hashtag was a trending topic in Turkey for the entire duration
• Reached 3.6 million people among 35 million Internet users in Turkey
• Celebrity re-tweets by Turkish musicians and singers Sertab Erener, Nil Karaibrahimgil and Ozan Doğulu
• @Turkcell now has over 94,000 followers
• Named one of the 15 best Twitter marketing campaigns — ever!

A Social Media Success

Traditional forms of online advertising now have less reach than ever before (bye bye, banner ads) and Turkcell really took a leap forward in the future of social media advertising through this innovative campaign. You may be wondering (as I was): did the campaign ultimately translate into increased company sales? Turkcell had cut its 2011 sales target in April after a 21% fall in first-quarter net profit. Second quarter results, however, following the #turkcelltweet campaign fared differently. Turkcell’s subscriber base has grown substantially, and the company expects continued growth and momentum throughout the remainder of the year.

Overall, Turkcell’s Twitter campaign garnered increased awareness for the company as a whole. Turkcell accurately identified that their target audience is very actively engaged in social media, and their interactive approach engaged these Internet heavy users in simple yet creative new ways online. The final step in having to engage a celebrity re-tweet in the process was a smart tactic that enabled Turkcell to extend the campaign’s awarness even further. I vote this campaign a true social media success and can’t wait to see how other brands around the world will continue to use the power of Twitter in innovative ways.