6 typologies of hashtags and their strategic use

1. 6 typologies of
hashtags

2. #1 slogan hashtags

3. Slogan hashtags
Key characteristics:
• Support the brand slogan drawing to one
distinctive feature/aspect of the product
• Hashtag designed to tap into daily ‘Twitter
moments’ when consumers share their
thoughts during product consumption
• High brand equity

4. Berroca - #MeonAGoodDay
• Brand slogan ‘Me, but on a really
good day’ adapted to
#MeOnAGoodDay
• This hashtag enables consumers to
use the brand to create their selfidentities and communicate their
selves to others [E.g. Belk, 1988,
Fournier, 1998]

5. Seasonal hashtags
Gillette - #bestamocanget
M&S - #magicandsparkle
•Hashtag supporting Movember
campaign
• Reinforcing Christmas slogan
used in TV advertising

6. #2 co-creation hashtags

7. Co-creation hashtags
Key characteristics:
• Consumers value the empowerment offered
by co-creation, which is greatly facilitated by
the Internet (e.g. Fuller et al., 2010)

8. GreyGoose #FlyBeyond

9. #3 UGChashtags
campaigns

10. UGC hashtags
Key characteristics:
• Participation is often incentivized
• Drivers of content creation on Twitter tend to
be intrinsic motivations and/or image-related
motivations.(Toubia& Stephen, 2013)

11. 50 Shades of Millicano - #50ShadesofMillicano
• Intrinsic motivation: users receive a
direct benefit from posting content
on the social network
• Users derive more intrinsic utility
from broadcasting content as the size
of his or her audience increases
(Toubia& Stephen, 2013)

12. Selfridges
• Image-related motivation whereby users are
motivated to create UGC by the perceptions of
others such as status or prestige seeking
(Toubia& Stephen, 2013).

13. #4 Campaign hashtags

14. Campaign hashtags
Key characteristics:
• Often integrated with TV advertising
• Consumers talk about ads online;
hashtagsallow to contextualize conversations
and marketers can track additional reach
• Hierarchy of effects (e.g. Lavidge& Steiner) virtual engagement a new step in the process?

15. Three Mobile – #danceponydance
• February 2013 – arguably the first
ad containing a hashtagin the UK
• Advertising appeals: humour,
surprise
• 200K social mentions; bursts of
engagement (i.e. not sustained)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekr05T9Iaio

16. Weetabix - #takethebiscuit
• April 2013 – Integrated campaign:TV,
social and sales promotions.
• Mechanics: Snap a picture of the ad to
collect a free biscuit from Boots the next
day
•Hashtagnot unique and online buzz
remains low (c. 50 mentions)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZlB7iKuRVHc

17. John Lewis - #bearandhare
• December 2013 – Integrated campaign:TV, in-store
digital
• Social/Hashtagengagement maintained via character
Twitter accounts for the bare and the hare
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqWig2WARb0

18. Phones 4 U - #projectupgrade
• First UK campaign to use Facebook for social engagement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8bXFTHPK_0&feature=c4-overview&list=UU25QbTq58EYBGf2_PDTqzFQ

19. #5 Social currency
hashtags

20. Social currency hashtags
Key characteristics:
• Action – Reward model; non-monetary
incentivisation
• Campaign mechanics allow sustained
engagement

21. Lady gaga - #IHeartPop

22. CBS Outdoors - #lookforlonger
• Users used the #lookforlongerhashtag on
Twitter to solve clues
• 7,375 mentions show sustained engagement

23. BA - #RacethePlane

24. #6 Passive hashtags

25. Passive hashtags
Key characteristics:
• Hashtag included in ads but sometimes lack
clear purpose
• Arguably lower levels of engagement

26. Harley Street Hair Clinic #dontworrymrcameron

27. Tweets used as reviews
#Bridget Jones Mad about the boy #bridgetjones
Book of Mormon - #lovemormon

28. Ministry of Sound - #mosmoment

29. Campaign types
TV campaigns
• #danceponydance: Tweet, create a pony
• #bareandhear: Tweet, engage with characters on Twitter
• #takethebiscuit: take a picture, sampling
• #projectupgrade: Awareness, data capture
OOH campaigns
• #IHeartPop: Tweet to reveal album cover
• #lookforlonger: Tweet to find clues
• #lovemormon/#bridgetjones: Tweets
used as reviews
• #dontworrymrcameron: humour appeal
Digital campaigns
• #bestamocanget: Engagement
• #50ShadesofMillicano: Engagement,
competition
• #flybeyond: co-creation

30. References
• Belk, R. W (1988), Possessions and the extended self,
Journal of Consumer Research, 15 (September), pp. 139168
• Fournier, S. (1998), Consumers and their Brands:
Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research,
Journal of Consumer Research, 24 (March), pp. 343-353
• Füller, J., Mühlbacher, H., Matzler, K., Jawecki, G (2010),
Consumer empowerment through Internet co-creation,
Journal of Management Information Systems, 26 (3), pp.
71-102
• Toubia, O., Stephen, A. T., (2013) Intrinsic vs. Image-Related
Utility in Social Media: Why Do People Contribute Content
to Twitter?, Marketing Science, 32 (3), pp. 368–392

31. Images credit
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Slogan hashtags: http://blog.frozenlemons.com/?p=840
Co-creation hashtags: http://www.greenbookblog.org/2013/11/06/power-ofcrowd-is-in-co-creation-not-crowdsourcing/
UGC hashtags:
http://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/1824234195_e6b913c563_z-1.png
Campaign hashtags: http://dryicons.com/free-graphics/preview/tv-set/
Social Currency hashtags: http://www.thesaleslion.com/form-social-mediacurrency-booster-economy/y:
Passive hashtags:
http://beautifulalternative.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/dsc_0553.jpg