ARCHIVES: This is legacy content from before Marketing Dive acquired Mobile Marketer in early 2017. Some information, such as publication dates, may not have migrated over. Check out the new Marketing Dive site for the latest marketing news.

Procter & Gamble beauty brands tap iTunes Radio for social engagement

Procter & Gamble?s Olay and Herbal Essences lines have rolled out new mobile campaigns within Apple?s iTunes Radio that plug social media-driven initiatives from both brands.

The mobile audio ads are running between songs within the built-in iTunes Radio application for iOS devices. The ads focus on propelling Twitter interactions, which has been a big focus for marketers in the past.

?Marketers are increasingly considering mobile campaigns and social media campaigns to be synonymous,? said Shuli Lowy, marketing director at Ping Mobile, Beverly Hills, CA. 

?Over 70 percent of Facebook users, 60 percent of Twitter users and virtually all Instagram users access the respective social media site via their mobile device,? she said. ?Modern day social media campaigns must include a conscientious plan for interactivity via mobile.?

Ms. Lowy is not affiliated with Procter & Gamble. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.

Procter & Gamble did not meet press deadline.

Mobile promotion
The two campaigns feature similar full-page ads that promote two social-media driven campaigns.

Herbal Essences? ad encourages consumers to vote for a contestant on Fox?s The X Factor show by sending a tweet to the brand.

A click-through on the ad pulls in a landing page with a text box where consumers can type in a tweet that includes the brand?s Twitter handle ? @HerbalEssences ? and the #ShineOn hashtag.

From there, consumers can choose a Twitter account and send a tweet about who they want to receive the makeover.

The landing page for Olay?s audio ad includes the #nofilter hashtag for a campaign meant to promote how the company?s new line of Fresh Effects skin products makes skin look flawless.

When consumers click on the Olay ad, they are directed to Olay?s mobile site.

The mobile site lists Olay?s products, skin care tips and offers. There are also links within Olay?s mobile site to let consumers buy the brand?s products on the spot.

Although the campaigns are simple, the objective in driving social buzz is clear in both ads. 

As social media has become a mobile-first activity for consumers, brands have relied on mobile advertisement campaigns for quite some time as part of building a presence.

In particular though, Twitter has taken the lead as the platform that marketers are using to drive engagement.

Mobile music
The boom in online radio has opened up numerous opportunities for brands with mobile advertising.

Wanting a piece of this, Apple rolled out iTunes Radio as a part of the new iOS 7 operating system earlier this year as a direct competitor to Pandora, which has traditionally attracted mobile spend from big brands.

In addition to the Procter & Gamble ads, campaigns from Nissan, Macy?s, McDonald?s and Pepsi have already begun running within iTunes Radio.

For at least the initial campaigns for these brands, the majority of efforts appear to be simple and straight-forward.

For example, McDonald?s used a simple landing page recently for a campaign that promoted a southwest chicken wrap (see story).

Procter & Gamble has invested significantly in mobile advertising in the past, particularly with Apple?s iAd units that iTunes Radio is meant to help bolster revenue.

For example, Olay ran a campaign for its Total Effects CC Cream that included a quiz that consumers could take to find their perfect product (see story).

Given this campaign's focus on existent popular hashtags, Procter & Gamble's campaign could give the brand significant reach.

?One of the interesting things to note about this campaign is that Procter & Gamble chose to attach fairly popular hashtag lines,? Ms. Lowy said.

?#Nofilter was made popular with the advent of Instagram, which allows people to place photo-enhancing filters on their images,? she said. ?People who take a picture which is truly beautiful in its unedited form will often attach the hashtag #nofilter to demonstrate its pure authenticity.

?This move is uncommon but strategic. People click on hashtags all the time to see other images that use the same linked phrase. By attaching hashtags that are already popular, Procter & Gamble is ensuring that their campaign receives exposure not just from brand enthusiasts who participate in the campaign, but also from people who are simply using and browsing those hashtags.?

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York