Top Social Media Case Studies of 2012

What were the most popular social media case studies in 2012?  Based on traffic, here are the top case studies we published in the last year, from social media fails to innovative, multi-platform campaigns:

  1. Toyota Under Fire for SuperBowl PromotionToyota Under Fire For #CamryEffect Twitter Spam Superbowl Promotion (Feb 6): Twitter users that were tweeting about the SuperBowl received unsolicited @ reply messages from Toyota inviting them to enter a contest for a 2012 Camry. User backlash was aimed at both Toyota and Twitter, which had verified multiple accounts used in the campaign (via LocalResponse technology). Both Toyota and Twitter learned an important lesson about social media campaigns that involve automated messaging, and LocalResponse no longer runs this type of campaign.
  2. Pinterest Tab on Facebook: Lowe’s Sees 32% Increase in Followers (Mar 19):  As Pinterest began to see serious growth, Lowe’s used its existing presence on Facebook to help drive traffic and fans to the newer, smaller social networking site.  Facebook fans were able to interact with Lowe’s on Pinterest without ever leaving Facebook’s platform; the results included a 32% increase in Pinterest followers for the brand, and follower gains of 60% for certain featured boards.  Note: this campaign can’t be replicated, since Facebook switched over to Timeline and eliminated Tabs a few months later.
  3. How Nike Stole Social Media GoldHow Nike Stole Social Media Gold From Olympic Sponsor Adidas (Aug 21): 2012 was dubbed the “Social Olympics” and both Nike and official sponsor Adidas planned extensive social media campaigns around the Games. While Adidas had presence on all official signage, Nike stole the show by outfitting hundreds of individual athletes, and using relevant messaging through commercials and the #findyourgreatness Twitter hashtag.
  4. Lessons From the #McDStories Promoted Trend Controversy (Jan 24): An interview with Rick Wion, McDonald’s Director of Social Media, looks at whether the #McDStories hashtag really spiraled out of control with negative backlash.  While the media was hyping the campaign as a “#McFail,” in reality only 2% of tweets about the brand that day were negative.  Still, Wion offers some great lessons for engaging on social media – even when things “don’t go as intended.”
  5. Burberry social media campaignSocial Media Marketing: Burberry Launches New Campaign on 10 Social Platforms (July 11): Luxury brand and “digital darling” Burberry launched its Autumn/Winter 2012 campaign on 6 social platforms in the US and 4 in China. The brand used specific platforms to showcase different parts of the collection – including shoppable video, behind-the-scenes photography, short films, and exclusive music.

What did you think were the most interesting case studies of 2012?

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