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.

Ted Baker uses secret messages to drive consumer engagement

Ted Baker

For a chance to win a trip, fans take a screenshot of specific Ted Baker pictures on its Instagram, upload and post them to their own with the hashtag #Pinch_Me. Secret messages with clues to win are revealed when the application?s filters are added. 

?Taking inspiration from Ted?s SS15 seasonal campaign, Pinch Me, All is Not as it Seams, Ted wanted to use the campaign imagery to engage users in a fun and innovative way,? said said Craig Smith, global brand communication director at Ted Baker London. ?Focusing firstly on the regram and the native filter functions on Instagram, the idea developed from there.?

The winner of the contest will receive flights to Portmeirion, United Kingdom, the location of Ted Baker?s upcoming spring line, and tickets to Festival Number 6, an arts and music festival.

Forcing engagement
By undertaking this type of engagement Ted Baker is enticing interested consumers to become actively involved. This campaign also gets consumers to spread the word themselves by having to share the posts on their own feeds. 

The lure of a prize is an added incentive to participate. 

?Offering a prize for this campaign is crucial since there are a few steps a person has to take to enter,? said Brian Honigan, a New York-based content marketing consultant and social media marketer. ?Offering a trip is well worth the effort of uploading a photo on Instagram.

?The Baker team understands that the incentive to participate must outweigh the value the customer has to provide to the brand,? he said. ?If the value a person is offered [with] the brand is higher than the prize they are receiving, then it's likely customers wouldn't enter the promotion in the same numbers.?
With this type of contest the retailer has the ability to reach other consumers who are not already fans. Ted Baker encourages its customers to express their individuality and this campaign encompasses that. 

Every participant can put their own touches to this effort and really make the posts their own, while at the same time playing the game that Ted Baker has provided. 

Playing the game
A picture of a tropical body of water posted on Ted Baker?s Instagram prompted users to complete a puzzle. The caption listed a sentence with one word missing that contestants had to fill in. 

Fans screenshot the posted picture and upload it to their own Instagram where the filters provide a jumble of letters as a clue to the word. 
During Christmas Ted Baker released a campaign that links bricks-and-mortar with online marketing by enabling customers to take selfies in front of digital displays and upload them to social media for a chance to win a prize (see more).

?Social media is a big part of the Ted Baker brand,? Mr. Smith said. ?There is a continued focus on seasonal campaigns and imagery across these platforms throughout the year.

?We are persistently using these platforms to engage with customers in new and pioneering ways, whether via our newest #TedtoToe or this current campaign,? he said.

Final Take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily, New York