09 Aug 5 Brands That Nailed It: Using Social to Bring BlogHer To Life
#BlogHer13 had more than 4,000 influencers in attendance excited to learn from other influencers. The sessions were popular, but not always the most engaging aspect of the conference. In fact, most of the action seemed to be in the expo center, where companies of all types and sizes set up interactive booths to engage their consumers socially.
With so many exhibits and so many attendees, how do you make sure your brand captures and holds the attention of consumers? Take note from these five brands that nailed their BlogHer ’13 sponsorships.
Samsung Mobile 
Samsung Mobile was one of the main sponsors and they knew exactly how to engage this group of social mavens. First they tapped into this group with a unique hashtag. By utilizing it, attendees could have their photos printed on the spot. They also had three different areas set up within the McCormick Center. As a Samsung Galaxy S4 owner; I couldn’t have been more excited. They capitalized on the sky-rocking mobile trend with their swag. Some of their awesome swag included: Samsung brand phone cases engraved with whatever your heart desired (minus NFL logos), Tablet pouch with a laser print of any image from your phone (My dog, Diego, is proudly displayed on mine), logoed head phone splitters and speakers. At a separate Samsung booth, you could swap your dying phone battery for a brand new one (I did it, twice). Additionally, you could enter for a chance to win a new tablet.
Verizon Wireless
Sitting next to Samsung Mobile was another on my top five list, Verizon Wireless. At the entrance to their booth there was a board that displayed times with product names next to them and at the top of the hour they hosted five-ten minute demonstrations for each. After the demonstrations were completed, attendees were instructed to use the hashtag, #verizontechtalk, along with a unique hashtag specific to one of the products and tweet about something they learned about that product. Participants were given a half hour to get as many tweets out as they could (each individual tweet counted as an entry) then a winner was randomly selected from those tweets. This is a great example of how to engage your audience in a meaningful way and a great lesson in how to use a simple sweepstakes for product education.
Universal Studios
Next up, Universal Studios. Two words. Optimus Prime. Getting people excited about their new 3D Transformers ride, Universal’s booth had branded gifts to hand out as well as Optimus Prime. When you turned the corner, standing over eight feet tall, was Optimus Prime. I might have reverted back to my middle school self for a moment when I first saw him; I may have squealed.
The social part of the booth included some words of wisdom from Optimus for all around, and then the Universal crew provided a hashtag to enter for a gift package if you took a photo with the leader of the Autobots and tweeted it using a hashtag unique to the theme park. Really, I needed zero incentive to have my photo taken with him.
Walgreens
Fourth on my list was Walgreens. The best social element was a green screen experience that tied into their photo lab with a coupon for 20 free prints once you allowed them to take your picture. The background options were endless and you never knew what background was selected for you, which might be why I appear not to be frightened of the dinosaur right behind me.
You could then tweet or Instagram the photo, which would enter you into a contest to have your photo shared on the Walgreens page. The winner of the contest was the photo with the most likes.
Trojan
Lastly, I can’t complete this summary without giving a shout out to Trojan. Last year at BlogHer, I remember them well as I wandered around the expo and came across their booth to find them handing out free vibrators (a bit awkward, but it got attention). This year, they kicked it up a notch and became one of the most popular booths. They presented consumers with a spin wheel for a chance to win their product. Once the wheel was spun and had landed on your prize, there were trivia questions relating to the brand that had to be answered correctly in order to win. Women and men lined up for a chance. My only critique is that next year they need easier trivia. One miss by Trojan was a lack of a social element to tie it all in. Perhaps a QR code that when scanned would make your phone vibrate?
Bottom line, BlogHer 2013 did not disappoint. Brands reached more than 4,000 influencers within a three-day period by passing along information on their products, which in turn could yield some great social content.
Have you been to BlogHer or a similar conference? What’s your favorite thing a brand has done to engage influencers at a conference using social media?
