Who doesn’t love bunnies? Ibis Hotels recently launched an adorable–and highly effective campaign–featuring several bunnies frolicking in a top-shelf London hotel room. Highlighting their new luxury beds, the campaign (and the furry stars) became a viral sensation.
There’s just one small problem. They might not have been ready on all social channels for the success.
Viewers were encouraged to tweet after watching the commercial using the hashtag #ibisbunnies. Of course, loving the commercial, I sent my compliments. When I saw a response from @IbisHotelsUK, I laughed when I saw the tweet below. It seemed clever, fun, and engaging–until I realized it was an auto-message triggered by use of the hashtag.
Though this is not a earth-shattering social media faux pas, I was surprised that such an innovative campaign lacked an effective social media follow-up on Twitter. (There were limited comments on their Facebook page as well). Ibis had a brilliant opportunity to engage further with customers on a different channel, but so far has failed to capitalize and convert them to longtime brand advocates and customers.
Of course, I am still a major fan of the campaign, and I’ll book an Ibis Hotel when I’m in Europe because of their cleverness. In the defense of Ibis, the social media response may have been too large for the corporate offices to handle and required automation until the company was properly staffed. Fortunately, the Twitter auto-response is cute and keeps in a similar lighthearted tone as the commercial itself.
Hopefully, Ibis quickly take advantage of the amazing opportunity to connect with new and existing customers online because social businesses, whether B2B or B2C, must constantly work at keeping people engaged. It’s no longer enough to simply attract employees or customers and hope they will continue logging onto an intranet or buying your product. Business must provide relevant content within a relevant context for employees and consumers.
Ibis Hotels clearly knows how to tap into the emotional responses of their audience, and I hope it becomes a hoppy case study in social media marketing and social business savvy. I look forward to seeing if Ibis Hotels have an even more adorable (and comprehensive) social media follow up with their next campaign.
Are you ready for social media success in your company?
