Reverse Engineer Social Media Brand - Squatty Potty

The Squatty Potty Company was presented with a marketing challenge. The subject of their product was one dealing with pooping. They didn't want to gross out their clientele, but at the same time, didn't want to make their product boring.  The owners hired Daniel and Jeffrey Harmon to create an ad campaign that dealt with the subject of pooping in a clean, friendly, and approachable way.The video ad they produced, involving a pooping unicorn became a YouTube viral video.

Audience

The audience for this campaign was pretty much anyone who poops or has trouble pooping. The idea was to use lighthearted humor to approach the subject of pooping in a way that wasn't offensive to older demographics, but that was also entertaining to younger audiences. Humor is pretty widely accepted.

Seascape Principles

Presentation

People who saw this ad campaign would love to share it to show how funny they are, or just to say, "Hey, look what I found!"

Value

This video is not only amusing, but it educates you on the physics of pooping, and why you might need a Squatty Potty.

Zeitgeist

During this time, unicorns were getting quite popular in pop culture. In fact, they are even more popular now. Don't believe me? Go to Claire's and see what they have for sale in unicorn themed items. Also, during this time, people wanted something lighthearted, and this was definitely something fun to share.

Story

The storytelling of this ad campaign was fun and entertaining, making this a very shareable video since people wanted to entertain their friends and family with a funny ad.

Branding

The brand identity for this company is light, clean, fun, and brightly colored. Here are some examples of their brand on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube:

 

Analysis

Rule of Thirds

The Facebook page utilized some design elements. For their main image, the composition uses the rule of thirds to place interest on the unicorn's actions and the prince's face.

Color

The main color of the brand is present in the profile picture of their Facebook page. It's a common baby blueish color which is often used in bathroom and toiletry products. This color is repeated in their product packaging and merchandise designs as well.

Repetition

The blue branding color for Squatty Potty's brand is repeated throughout their products and marketing for a cohesive and professional design.

Hungry for more? The following video gives a bit more behind the scenes insight into the ad campaign that made Squatty Potty famous:

 

My Personal Manifesto

How I do what I do.

I currently use Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to stay in touch with family and friends. I hope that in the future, I can use my experience in these platforms to create valuable content that others will want to share. I love sticking in a bit of humor in almost everything I share as well.

What I do.

As mentioned earlier, I primarily share stuff online to keep in touch with friends. My efforts have been primarily limited to sharing photos, funny memes, and sarcastic comments which sometimes get me in trouble. In hopes of helping businesses make more money and gain more traffic, I'm hoping to practice more of the marketing side of social media to help businesses tell their own stories.

Why I do it.

I love a good story. I also love visual media and the way it helps us tell stories to the world. The reason I want to use social media is because the story of each person or business is their own personal brand. I love learning about their story and figuring out ways to translate it into a visual format.

Social Media Reverse Engineer

Jack in the Box posted this simple ad on their Facebook page.
The main goal of the post is to let people know about their offering Hi-C Orange drink at their restaurants.
The audience of this post is 18-45 year olds who use facebook and probably have a bit of nostalgia for Hi-C. The post is made to connect with the audience using humor. The Jack in the Box company is known for using humor in their marketing, and this post is no exception. The value it brings to its viewers is possibly a bit of a chuckle, but also, it helps them stay informed. The post is done mainly with photography which makes it more fun than just a text ad. They will measure the success of this ad based on likes and interactions.

I feel the real success of this ad actually comes from the comments. Upon further investigation, it's obvious that the company spend a lot of effort and resources in watching the comments section and making sure those who have something to say are heard, get a laugh, or are taken care of when they have a bad experience. This is not only an added benefit for those they are helping, but the impact it has on the thousands of others who are seeing the comments is even more powerful.

Starbucks Social Campaign Analysis

The Starbucks brand is all about selling the high quality coffee experience. This Pinterest campaign aims to target Starbucks customers, and future customers who brew their own coffee at home. This campaign offers education to the users on Pinterest in the form of brewing tutorials, branded with their logo and using photos that match the Starbucks brand.

The Value Principle is evident in this example since the focus of the pins is to first and foremost, educate and empower people on how to brew their bagged coffee. The Branding isn't too heavy handed, and there's no indication of a sales pitch in the initial imagery, which makes the campaign quite shareable.

The Principle of Least Resistance is in full effect here. The instructions in the imagery are as simple as can be. Not much effort needs to be made to read or learn the steps. Imagery makes it even easier to convey the information. Upon clicking the image, a simple list of steps pops up in the image description. If users want to learn more, they can click a second time and be taken to a landing page with additional details on the subject, as well as links on where to purchase relevant products. This ad campaign makes it easy to say yes to more information by making the content concise, the imagery appealing, and the website content relevant.  Here's a link example of the landing page for one of these Pinterest pins.

The principle of Expectations is well implemented in this campaign as well. When clicking through for more information, the content is relevant to the initial images and in fact, gives added value by offering additional information and tutorials which may be relevant.