Articles Include: The Facebook Marketer's Guide To Advertising On Instagram Customer Spotlight: Southeast Toyota Case Study 4 key Lessons From This Year's Grammys And More!

1. U N I F I E D Q U A R T E R L Y
Q u a r t e r 1 - 2 0 16
TM
C U S T O M E R S P O T L I G H T :
Southeast Toyot a
Case Study
The Facebook Ma rket er’s
Guide To Advert i si ng
On Instagram
4 Key Lessons From
This Year’s Grammy s

2. Unified delivers technology and services to connect marketing data sets
and optimize investments across the customer journey. Unified’s software
empowers Fortune 500 companies and agencies to drive marketing success
in the context of their business goals. The Unified platform transforms
fragmented marketing data into actionable intelligence and real-time
activation. For more information, visit www.UnifiedSocial.com.

3. Q 1 2 0 1 6
S O C I A L I N D U S T R Y S U M M A R Y
2016
is poised to be a year full of much needed strides in marketing data innovation. So often we
hear that the challenge is not a lack of data, but instead the ability to turn mountains of
fragmented data sources, types and metrics into centralized and useful insights. In theory,
solving for this problem seems fairly simple, but of course in reality developing a solution could not be more complex. This
complexity has pointed to a clear need in our industry that’s currently underserved. In fact, a recent study pointed out that
marketers feel there has been little to no movement in this area from 2013 – 2015.* You’re up 2016.
The top cause identified for the lack of movement is the overwhelming array of disparate data sources marketers are now
utilizing, often within a single campaign. For instance, social media buyers are now infusing Instagram into their efforts
at a record pace, adding yet another data channel into the mix. In this edition of our Quarterly Magazine, we highlight a
recent piece that greatly helps shorten the learning curve to Instagram, “The Facebook Marketer’s Guide To Advertising
On Instagram” as well as a recent case study from a major movie studio that drove tremendous results.
Channel expansion is not the only factor driving data difficulties. Another top reason cited was the complexity of the
customer journey, including ALL the data signals emitted by a single customer throughout just one day. Social is a major
driver of this journey as we interact with various channels on multiple devices, 7 days a week. To help mine the potential
of this new engagement model, we published “Everything You Need To Know About The Customer Journey Starts With
Social Media,” which highlights the vast opportunity we hope more marketers take advantage of in 2016.
Of course, some brands and agencies are ahead of the curve, turning potential data problems into groundbreaking
campaigns at a scale they were never able to achieve before. Our client Southeast Toyota is a perfect example of this, as
they were able to automate data-driven campaigns in unison across all 166 local dealers. If early indicators are correct,
2016 will include a lot more brands making use of their vast marketing data as part of innovative initiatives. I personally
can’t wait to see what our industry has in store this year.
Sincerely,
Rick Martira
Vice President of Marketing
*Source: eMarketer 2015, Econsultancy “Quarterly Data Intelligence Briefing” Sept 2015
“If early indicators are correct, 2016 will include a
lot more brands making use of their vast marketing
data as part of innovative initiatives.”

4. T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
D A T A
E v e r y t h i n g Y o u N e e d T o K n o w
A b o u t T h e C u s t o m e r J o u r n e y
S t a r t s W i t h S o c i a l M e d i a
C o m p a n i e s C a n S a v e O v e r 2 0 0 H o u r s
O n C o m p l e x M a r k e t i n g S t r a t e g i e s
W i t h C a m p a i g n A u t o m a t i o n
C u s t o m e r S p o t l i g h t :
S o u t h e a s t T o y o t a C a s e S t u d y
7
10
13

5. S O C I A L N E T W O R K S P O T L I G H T :
I N S T A G R A M
A B O U T
U N I F I E D
P O P C U L T U R E
T h e F a c e b o o k M a r k e t e r ’ s G u i d e
T o A d v e r t i s i n g O n I n s t a g r a m
L a r g e - S c a l e M o v i e S t u d i o U s e s
V i d e o T o E n t i c e H i s p a n i c U s e r s
O n I n s t a g r a m
4 K e y L e s s o n s T h i s Y e a r ’ s G r a m m y
A w a r d N o m i n e e s C a n T e a c h
M a r k e t e r s A b o u t S o c i a l M e d i a
17
20
25

6. “In today’s ecosystem, data-driven activation is the only
marketing that matters. As the very building blocks for true
innovation, the powerful combination of data and a robust
management platform opens unprecedented opportunity
to accurately map the customer journey, measure true
conversion performance, automate previously impossible
campaigns and reallocate thousands of man hours each
year to tasks that directly impact ROI. We are excited
about the innovation that is occurring in market, and
our ability to help our customers capitalize on it.”
J A S O N B E C K E R M A N
CEO and Co-Founder
Unified
D A T A

7. EVERYTHING YOU
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
THE CUSTOMER
JOURNEY STARTS WITH
SOCIAL MEDIA

8. Teenagers check
their social media
account as much
as 100 times a day
8
F
rom the last-minute impulse purchase to the longer
term, heavily research-based buys, there are many
ways consumers can find their way to the “place
your order” button. This journey is so complicated in fact,
that many marketers, data scientists and analysts alike
have gotten more than just a few gray hairs trying to make
sense of this ever-evolving and changing process. As many
are well aware, Big Data is an enormous undertaking
that can cost companies up to $600 billion per year. And,
with 56% of marketers struggling to make sense of the
real-time, complex data sets housed in disjointed tech
platforms, true data integration has quickly become the
difference between the innovative and unimaginative.
While 39% of marketers also cite the complexity of the
customer journey as a major barrier of success, there is a
very real solution, and that’s social media.
T H E B R E A D C R U M B S Y O U R
C U S T O M E R S L E A V E B E H I N D
How does social map the customer journey anyway? Well,
let’s start with how dominate social media has become
in our lives. Americans spend a mind-blowing 4.7 hours
a day on these networks, checking and engaging with
content as much as 17 times a day on their phones.
So not only are your customers likely checking their
NewsFeeds at this very moment, but this activity only
skyrockets with younger age, with teenagers checking their
accounts as much as 100 times a day. Moms, dads, young
professionals…even grandparents are tweeting about
television shows, pinning outfits they want to buy and
commenting about their favorite brands-all interests and
behaviors that can be traced back to their digital identity.
T H E P A T H W A Y T O P U R C H A S E
Discovery, learning, trying, buying, using and advocacy-
inevitably, your customers will go through all or most
of these stages. In a recent study by The CMO Club,
social media was the most impactful in each area with
the exception of buying, where it was only superseded
by company website and email. Simply put, America’s
obsession with social is not just a passing trend, but has
real implications for your ROI. Marketers, with the right
technology, can collect, normalize and interpret social data
in such a way that aligns with business goals.
W H Y S O C I A L I S S O S I G N I F I C A N T
As users reveal more and more of their personal
preferences online, it’s no wonder why the channel
represents a tremendous opportunity for marketers. But
what does that have to really do with the consumer path
to purchase? Two words: digital identity. An identity, unlike
internet cookies, is a much more accurate and reliable
representation of a person. The essence of why a digital
identity is so much more valuable than cookies can be
broken down into three main areas.
First, cookies are often device-based rather than person-
based. Take for example, a family computer,
where there are multiple people using the same unit.
Unless they are extremely diligent about implementing
different logins specifically for using browsers (highly
unlikely), all of the preferences, activity and behaviors
recorded will be a hodge-podge of the entire family. This
muddies any ad targeting based on cookies, making it
significantly less likely that you are effectively enticing the
family member you desire.
Second, people online don’t particularly like the idea of the
cookie, viewing them more as a violation of privacy than
a helpful tool. In fact, 41% of internet users purposely set

9. The average U.S.
household owns
5.3 devices
9
their browser to disable or turn off cookies, and 32% of
users age 18-49 actively attempt to avoid advertisers on the
web. This resistance reduces the effectiveness of cookies
further, as people continue to seek to eliminate them as
much as possible.
Lastly, cookies tend to get ‘lost in the sauce’ as users switch
devices. While many of us have our “go-to” for the majority
of our internet use, the average U.S. household owns 5.3
devices. Add in the complexity of having multiple mobile
apps on many mobile devices, and it quickly becomes
apparent as to why cookies simply cannot
keep up. In fact, it is nearly impossible for cookies
to identify the same person across devices, mobile
applications and browsers.
Social on the other hand, is much more granular in terms
of differentiation, negating the challenge of “guessing”
identities, behaviors and preferences, and eliminating any
cross-device inconsistencies. This is because your login is
your own, and the very nature of social encourages users
to share, engage, communicate and follow their interests,
therefore increasing transparency.
W H E R E B I G D A T A B E C O M E S
A C T I O N A B L E
We’ve established that social is critical in the customer
journey, and consequently, your bottom line. But where
does one even start in terms of applying learnings to
marketing strategies? We’ve got three ways in which you
can leverage social data in live campaigns.
1. Better Targeting: The richness of social data
means that you can segment to your marketing
heart’s content. Facebook alone has thousands of
dimensions that you can mix and match to fit your
product, audience and promotion. You may also
want to compare your social fans and followers
to the trends of the entire network to better
understand the nuances in activity.
2. Compelling Creative: Because social by definition
allows users to express likes, dislikes and more,
marketers can look at the highest performing
posts from industry influencers, competitors and
trendsetters to determine what works best, and
adjust creative accordingly.
3. Cross-Channel Competence: Because social data
is identity-based, it has uses for other marketing
channels as well. You can use audience identity
trends and other learnings for television, search,
email and other mediums.
SOURCES
Digital Tactics Work Across the Buyer Journey by eMarketer
#Being Thirteen: Social Media and the Hidden World of Young Adolescents’ Peer Culture
Americans Spend An Alarming Amount Of Time Checking Social Media On Their Phones
Connected Consumer 2015: Global and US Trends

10. 10

11. 11
WH AT IS CAMPAIGN
A UTOMATION?
T H E T E C H N O L O G Y T H A T F U E L S I N N O V A T I O N
Automation, specifcally campaign automation, is in all probability the best marketing resource you’ve likely
never heard of. Think for a moment, of all the tasks that are involved with creating, deploying and optimizing
social marketing campaigns—ideation, planning, ad creation, campaign launch, tracking, optimization
and insights analysis. Then, multiply that process by numerous products, brands, agencies, locations and
vendors, and you can easily see how campaign management can become real complicated real quick. So,
wouldn’t it be great if there was a process to help scope your business needs, and develop technology that’s
designed to bring all the normally fragmented components of your campaign together in a way where you
barely have to give it a second thought? This, dear reader, is the power of campaign automation. If used
properly, this tool can save countless hours for your teams, make normally impossible campaigns possible,
and enable your creative process to leverage technology to develop new, innovative ideas.
D E C O N S T R U C T I N G H O W A U T O M A T I O N W O R K S
Often marketers will find themselves in one of two scenarios. A cutting-edge concept is crafted that is so intricate
that social media buyers have no realistic way of actually executing it on their own. Or, they find themselves
in a situation where they must launch campaigns at scale in order to achieve the level of ROI needed to meet
specific goals handed down from executive management. In both scenarios, automation provides a customized
alternative to building expensive, time-consuming solutions internally in two main ways:

12. The first step is establishing a foundation that can
power an array of actions and capabilities. Unified’s
Automation Engine is the technology that serves as
a base that business objectives and strategies can be
built upon. Think of this engine like a drill that has
the massive potential to execute a lot of different
campaign tactics, but within the scope and purpose
for which the tool is built. Similarly, our automation
engine is designed to serve as the supporting
infrastructure that has the flexibility to be modified
for smaller, or more tailored tasks.
T H E C A M P A I G N
E N G I N E T H A T C O U L D
C U S T O M I Z A T I O N I S K E Y
Once the automation engine, or in our analogy the
“drill” is built, custom automations can be added.
These would be considered the interchangeable
“drill bits” that can be changed based on the type of
campaign at hand. Campaigns designed for direct
response can leverage a single custom automation
over a long sustained flight, while a different custom
automation may be needed for a campaign with
potentially thousands of ads that need to be deployed
in a short period of time (e.g. holiday promotions, live
events, etc.). Both examples of custom automations
or “drill bits” fit securely into the automation engine
foundation or “drill” to achieve unique goals at scale.
12
1
2
U n i f i e d ’s
A u t o m a t i o n
E n g i n e
C u s t o m
A u t o m a t i o n sD R I L L
D R I L L
B I T S= =
For more information about how automation works, results from real-world campaigns and a detailed
breakdown of how so much time is saved through technology, tweet

13. How Southeast Toyota And
22squared Drove Success
Through Campaign Automation
Southeast Toyota and their agency 22squared partnered with Unified, a Facebook
Marketing Partner, to use its real-time marketing platform to scale and automate
its ad spend across 166 dealership pages, resulting in a 200-hour decrease in
marketing man-hours per week spent running the campaign.
C u s t o m e r S p o t l i g h t
“In today’s ever-changing and increasingly complex social
landscape, we rely not only on the right partners, but
also on best-in-class technology. The Unified Platform
allows us to drive paid, owned and earned media success
for Southeast Toyota across its 166 local dealer Facebook
Pages. With seamless integration, we can optimize content
and targeting in real-time to drive on- and offline ROI.”
Chris Tuff, S V P of Eme rg in g M e dia
and Partn e rs h ips , 22s qu are d

14. 14
INDIVIDUAL DEALERSH I P S
GAINED EFFICIENCIES WI T H
AUTOMATED POSTING A N D
PAID AMPLIFICATI ON
C AMPAI GNS LAUNCHED
IN A S I NGLE MONTH, DUE
TO AUT O MATED POSTING
F EWER H O URS PER WEEK
S PENT PUBLISHING,
AMPLI FYI NG, OPTIMIZING
AND REPORTING
166
500
200
THEIR STORY
DRIVING ADVERTISING
AUTOMATION
Southeast Toyota, a major automotive manufacturer
with global clientele, and its agency, 22squared,
needed to unify its marketing initiatives across 150
markets and 166 dealerships. It partnered with
Facebook Marketing Partner Unified to scale ad
spend and automate Facebook advertising at the
national, regional and local levels.
THEIR GOAL
C O NS I S T ENT BRAND
ME SS AGI NG
Southeast Toyota needed an efficient way
to deliver consistent brand messaging, both
organically and through paid campaigns, in 32
designated marketing areas (DMAs) using 166
individual dealership Pages. The car manufacturer
wanted to clearly understand which of its Facebook
Ads performed the best, and provide detailed
reports to its dealerships so they could each
incorporate the data into their own campaigns.

15. 15
THEIR SOLUTION
PR OMOT ING TOP PERFORMERS
The Unified Platform is a real-time marketing platform that provides powerful custom automation
and reporting technology to advertisers. It features an automatic ad deployment mechanism that,
for Southeast Toyota, detects high-performing page content on the pages of local franchises,
dealerships or agents. When it registers popular content, the tool automatically turns the content
into Facebook Ads according to pre-determined budget and ad creative templates.
THEIR SUCCESS
A C C EL ERATING EFFICIENCIES
Using the The Unified Platform, Southeast Toyota successfully unified its brand messaging and
got better mileage out of its ad budget. Automating paid ad deployment meant that individual
dealerships no longer had to spend hours publishing, amplifying, optimizing and reporting.
Thanks to custom reports available through The Unified Platform, each dealer now has access to
data on how buyers interact with its Facebook content, which helps them get to know customers
better, and identify key prospects for a sales follow-up.
D E L I V E R C O N S I S T E N T B R A N D M E S S A G I N G
Southeast Toyota developed a Facebook Ad campaign using The
Unified Platform, which generated engagement and grew the
audience of local dealers. The car manufacturer began by running
Facebook Page like ads for all dealership pages, and then followed
them with posts that encouraged people to interact.
S C A L E A D S P E N D
When The Unified Platform detected high-performing, organic
content, the tool automatically created and deployed ads based on it.
The paid amplification of those key regional posts helped to increase
clicks and maximize brand awareness.
A C C E S S C U S T O M I Z E D R E P O R T I N G A N D A N A L Y S I S
The Unified Business Intelligence Engine created and delivered a weekly
campaign summary for each individual dealer, as well as a consolidated
report for the corporate client.

16. “Mobile is not only powerful for advertisers because
consumers continuously carry and access these devices
throughout the day, but also because it will only continue
to dominate as technology becomes more sophisticated. As
the fastest growing major social network, Instagram gives
marketers the unparalleled ability to combine striking
visuals with high-quality content natively.”
J A M I E G E R S H E L
Social Media Strategist
Unified
S O C I A L N E T W O R K S P O T L I G H T :
I N S T A G R A M

18. 18
Compared to the past, advertising on Instagram was a little like getting into Harvard—many
applied, but only a chosen few actually got the chance to run campaigns. A lot of the excitement
has to do with the viability and potential of the channel, as it is one of the fastest growing social
platforms that also happens to be backed by the world’s largest network, Facebook. You may
be thinking: I’m a Facebook ads master, so running campaigns on Instagram will be a piece of
marketing cake. But while they are technically the same company, there are a few differences
you should know before you jump headfirst into strategy and planning.
COMMUNITY TRAITS
Although both social
sites are owned by the
same company, each has
slightly different trait,
growth and activity.
Audience
Culture
Growth
Loyalty
Activity
Link
Video
Mobile
Carousel
Page Like
Text
Event
Other
Link
Video
Mobile
Photo
Audience
Culture
Growth
Loyalty
Activity
1.5B Users
Users use the platform to stay connected
with family and friends, keep up with news
and share content
Facebook growth is slow but steady, at a
13% increase in YoY active users¹
Users tend to stay with a page
once followed
Facebook processes 500X the amount of
data as the NYSE, including 4B video views
per day
Photo or video ad with a 90 character text
limit, 25 character headline, and a 20% text
overlay rule
Video ad with a 45 minute limit, maximum
size of 1.79 GB, and a 3 second view
Mobile app install or engagement ad with
a recommended size of 1200x628, 90
character text limit and a 20% text overlay
rule
Up to 5 link ads that are auto-optimized
by engagement, have a minimum size of
600x600, 90 character maximum and a 20%
overlay rule
A photo or video ad to drive page likes with
a 90 character maximum and a 20% overlay
rule
Text only ads with a 150 character limit
Link ad to drive sign ups, with a 90
character maximum and a 20% overlay rule
Link ad to entice offer redemption, with a 90
character maximum and a 20% overlay rule
Photo ad with a minimum size of 600x600,
175 character limit and a 20% text overlay
rule
Auto-play videos with a 15 second limit,
maximum size of 1 GB and a 3 second view
Mobile app install ad with a minimum size
of 600x600, 175 character limit and a 20%
text overlay rule
Slightly different from a link ad in that it
doesn’t have a call-to-action button or a link
in the copy. Marked with a “Sponsored by”
indicator at the top.
400MM+ users
Users are passionate about sharing a
love for fashion, pop culture, design and
inspirational content
One of the fastest growing, with a 46%
increase in YoY active users²
Users aren’t afraid to follow or unfollow
70MM photos uploaded daily
AD TYPES
Facebook and Instagram
present different benefits
here, which depend on the
type of media you want to
use, the size and time limit.

19. 19
CREATIVE
It goes without saying
that creative is essential
to getting users to pay
attention to your messaging.
While all ads should have the
basics like strong messaging,
a clear voice and call-to-
action, there are some key
differences when it comes to
timing and imagery.
TARGETING
Targeting is where both
channels become more
uniform, as options are
pretty comparable for the
most part. Keep in mind
that targeting on Facebook
can be on both desktop and
mobile, while Instagram will
be mobile only.
CALLS-TO-ACTION
Ah, calls-to-action—the gateway to conversions. Facebook and Instagram have
buttons advertisers can add to link or video ads to prompt specific actions, and
for the most part they are identical. Both have Book Now, Contact Us, Download,
Learn More, Shop Now, Sign Up, Watch More and Install App, but only Facebook has
Play Now which is to encourage users to engage with mobile apps.
Advertising on Instagram, if done thoughtfully can produce extraordinary
results for marketers. Whether or not you decide to add Instagram to your
social advertising strategy right away, it is important to note the differences to
truly craft a successful campaign.
Images
Video
Retargeting
Interests &
Events
Brands &
Competitors
Look-a-like
Custom
Audiences
Images
Video
It may sound simple, but make sure your
image not only reflects your brand’s
personality, and that the message is
focused. Make sure your ad also has a
strong call-to-action, as photo ads can
be particularly effective in generating
conversions
There’s slightly more time here to engage
users, however the message still needs to
be conveyed within the first 15 seconds
assuming that sound will not be on.
Retarget users on Facebook who have
watched past videos, visited your website, or
completed a conversion
Target by demo, hobbies and event interests
Target the fans of complementary or
competitive brands
Target users who look like your fans or
customers
Upload CRM lists, newsletter subscribers,
website visitors or users who’ve completed
key conversions to target them on Facebook
Ads should not “look like ads”. Images
should be dynamic, bright and artistic to
stand out from others in a feed that focuses
on trends and fashion. Additionally, images
with a full view of a person’s face tends
to perform more strongly than those that
don’t
Given the 15 second maximum, videos
should grab the user’s attention in the
first 5 seconds. Additionally, gifs can be
used instead of traditional video with great
results
Instagram has the same targeting options
as Facebook with one main difference—
you can only reach users that have both
Facebook and Instagram. You will not
be able to target users that only have an
Instagram account.
Action!
SOURCES
Facebook Q2 2015 Quarterly Report
GlobalWebIndex Social Report, Q1 2015

20. 20
Large-Scale Movie Studio Uses
Video To Entice Hispanic Users
On Instagram
As a population that’s over 54MM strong¹ with a buying power of over a trillion
dollars², Hispanics represent a viable and potentially lucrative consumer base for
U.S. brands. However, with 38% speaking mainly in Spanish, and another 36% that are
bilingual³, marketers are challenged with determining the best strategy for successfully
appealing to this consumer. Add on the extra pressure of crafting an effective campaign a
mere 5 days prior to the release of what needed to become one of the top motion pictures
of the summer, and there you have the very conundrum that marketers at a Large Scale
Movie Studio were facing. Working with Unified’s elite team of social marketing experts,
The Studio settled on leveraging Instagram, second only to Facebook as a preferred
network for Hispanics⁴ to connect with a targeted group visually.
C a s e S t u d y

21. 21
With 65% of Hispanics actively using social media, leveraging the marketing channel⁵, especially a
visually stimulating platform like Instagram to reach relevant movie-lovers was a match made in
heaven. With the major movie release on the horizon, marketers were interested in generating as
much awareness, views and engagement as possible during the short campaign flight. Leveraging
Unified’s expertise and technology, The Studio implemented a three-pronged strategy:
S T R A T E G Y
REVAMPING CURRENT VIDEO CREATIVE
To appeal to all linguistic preferences (i.e. English only, Spanish only and Bilingual), The Studio
reworked their existing trailer in English to include video interstitials that were in Spanish.
Additionally, marketers chose to intermingle a short caption which was also in Spanish, with
the official hashtag for the film—which was in English. Couple this dual language tactic with
powerful video featuring bold imagery and music, The Studio was able to get and sustain the
interest of a diverse audience.
MULTI-LAYERED TARGETING
Since the film was heavily music-centric with well-known characters, marketers decided
to create a base target group consisting of music genres, actors and musicians. Then, they
overlaid the “Hispanic - Bilingual” and “Hispanic - Dominate” audiences on top. This provided a
more precise audience that was a true cross section of music fans and ethnicity.
SINGLE DAY STRIKE
While the overall campaign lasted a total of 5 days, The Studio decided to do a Day Blast 24
hours prior to the release date. This did two things—first, marketers were able to change the
parameters of the campaign without disturbing their ongoing, long-term strategy. And second,
it gave The Studio the ability to do a last minute push for awareness to drive general interest
and consequently, ticket purchases.
USING SIGHT AND SOUND TO BREAK THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
1
¹ “U.S. Hispanic And Asian Populations Growing, But For Different Reasons” by Pew Research
² ”Hispanic Buying Power 2015: What Donald Trump Mexican Controversy Tells Us About Latino Consumers” by the International Business Times
³ ”A Majority of English-speaking Hispanics In The U.S. Are Bilingual” by Pew Research
⁴ “Social Media Preferences Vary By Race And Ethnicity” by Pew Research
⁵ “Social Media Usage: 2005-2015” by Pew Research
Vancouver Film School “VFS Film Production: ‘Milligan’s Stew’” CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)
Vancouver Film School “Film Production: On Set of ‘Pendant’’ CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)
Sources

22. 22
ENGAGEMENT R A T E
COS T PER CLICK
O F VIEWERS WATCHED
T H E VIDEO TO THE END
(100% COMPLETION)
35.5%
$0.04
29.0%
The results generated from this strategy surpassed expectations:
R E S U L T S

23. 23
For marketers looking to connect with highly engaged Hispanic social media
users, Instagram is an excellent option particularly for entertainment brands.
The Studio’s multifaceted approach to creative (i.e. addressing both languages)
and targeting (i.e. interest and ethnicity) was key in this case, allowing marketers
to appeal to the diverse spectrum within the Hispanic community to engage
users on a deeper level. Lastly, marketers with specific product release or event
dates should consider utilizing both a long and short term approach. The “always
on” long-term campaign will build highly relevant momentum, while short
“sprint” flight enables greater awareness and engagement at a time that’s most
relevant to driving downstream conversions and engagement.
C O N C L U S I O N

24. “As marketers, it’s vital to find inspiration from anywhere
and everywhere. It’s important to not only look to industry
innovators, but also celebrities who can be digital
trailblazers in their own right. From Beyonce’s avant-garde
surprise album announcement via Facebook to Seth Rogan
and James Franco live tweeting a viewing of The Interview,
there are tactics that have real implications for brands.”
R A S H I D A B O Y D
Marketing Manager
Unified
P O P C U L T U R E

25. F
or 58 years we’ve looked forward to February, where music’s most radiant stars grace our
television screens with their best (or worst) outfits, performances and if we’re just a little bit
lucky, some newsworthy antics. For the artists, everything that they did in the previous year
from new releases to touring, culminates into a collective hope for Grammy gold. However at Unified,
we wanted to uncover a slightly different story—what these artists did on social media. The fact of
the matter is that musicians are extremely successful on social, with the top 3 most followed Twitter
accounts being owned by music stars, even beating out Barack Obama for top honors. We looked at
the Twitter accounts of artists nominated for Record Of The Year, Song of The Year and Album Of The
Year to identify some key lessons that marketers can leverage in their own social media strategies.
L E S S O N 1
TIMING (AND INFLUENCE) IS EVERYTHING
For this lesson, we go to Country pop singer and third most followed account owner on Twitter, Taylor Swift.
Back in February 2015 when her single “Blank Space” and deluxe album version of 1989 were released, Swift
did something borderline brilliant. She modified her lyrics in a way that was timely, relevant and encouraged
a brand new stream of engagement. A mere five days after “Blank Space” was released on the radio, the
songstress sent the following tweet:
Sending my love to all the lonely Starbucks
lovers out there this Valentine’s Day.....even
though that is not the correct lyric.
@taylorswift13 Wait, it’s not?
THE SOCIAL SITUATI O N
First, she aligned her song which
talks about the complexities
and potential downfall of love
to Valentine’s Day—the one day
of the year which many of her
fans can relate to the song most
intensely. Second, she modified
her lyrics in a way that changed
“long list of ex-lovers” to “lonely
Starbucks lovers”, and made a
clever play that compares lyrics on
“I’ll write your name” and baristas
writing names on Starbucks cups.
THE RE S U L T
As a result, although the international coffee chain wasn’t even tagged in the
post, both their @Starbucks and @StarbucksUK accounts responded, tagging
Swift which in turn vastly extended the conversation and social engagement.
All just in time for her deluxe album release 3 days later.
THE LESSON FOR BRAN D S
This lesson is twofold. First, Swift was able to extend the conversation across both of her releases by tailoring her
message to what was relevant at the moment. Brands can do the same thing when it comes to current events around
product releases or promotions. Second, Swift albeit not her chief motive, was able to incorporate an influencer in a way
that inspired them to extend the conversation. Marketers need to lean on sophisticated audience analytics in order to
pinpoint who their influencers are, and how they can leverage them to create strategic conversations.
25
4 Key Lessons This Year’s Grammy
Award Nominees Can Teach
Marketers About Social Media

26. 26
L E S S O N 2
BE APPROACHABLE, AND OFTEN
L E S S O N 3
CROSS-PROMOTION PAYS OFF
In comparing social activity, generally speaking, the accounts that have bigger audiences will also dominate
engagement market share simply because there are more people to see and interact with their posts. However
when looking at Ed Sheeran’s Twitter activity, we found something interesting. Although he has only 23.7% the
audience size of Taylor Swift, or more specifically, approximately 52.6MM less followers, he still commanded an
impressive engagement market share between the two artists on Twitter.
Mark Ronson had music fans dancing to his hit “Uptown Funk” long before his album release on January
13, but the British artist did something simple to not only keep heads nodding and fingers snapping—he
combined cross-promotion, his album and accolades.
Super psyched to announce I’ve been
nominated for TWO! @BRITAwards. British
Single & Video--both for Uptown Funk!
with @BrunoMars!
THE SOCIAL SIT UATI O N
So what in the world is Ed Sheeran
doing to successfully compete with
Taylor Swift? Well the answer is in
his volume and approachability.
Sheeran posted 4.2 times as
much as Swift, ensuring that fans
stayed connected and engaged.
Additionally, the crooner was able
to remain extremely approachable,
sending tweets that show love for
his fans or display his excitement
over his birthday.
THE SOCIAL SIT UATI O N
Just 48 hours after his album
Uptown Special was released,
Ronson tweeted his excitement
over being nominated for two Brit
Awards, tagging both the “Uptown
Funk” feat Bruno Mars’ and the
Brit Awards’ accounts.
THE RESULT
As a result, Sheeran was able to achieve a 41.1%
engagement market share with compared to
Taylor Swift, while establishing an audience that
was three times as active with 1,480.1 favorites
and retweets per 1,000 followers.
THE RESULT
Not only did this tweet receive 34.3 times the
amount of engagement as his others on average, but
two days later the single went on to dominate the
Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks, easily beating
out Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and other leading artists.
THE L ESSON FOR B R A NDS
Marketers can gain momentum against competitors with much
larger audiences by posting regularly and often. Furthermore,
content that positions brands as relatable, amicable and human
is also key. Stay away from “the hard sell” and find more organic
ways to connect with social audiences.
THE L ESSON FOR B R A NDS
This is a reminder that aligning partners,
achievements and live events is a powerful mix.
Marketers can use this combination to boost
engagement, shift or strengthen brand perception
and most importantly, impact sales.

27. The bottom line? Marketers need to remember to keep it simple, cross-promote, be relatable,
pay attention to timing and intimately know their influencers and relative affinities.
L E S S O N 4
IMITATION ISN’T JUST FLATTERING, IT PAYS OFF
Hip hop powerhouse Kendrick Lamar, who’s title To Pimp A Butterfly is nominated for album of the year, is
not a highly active artist on Twitter. However he managed to leverage a fellow artist’s interpretation of one
of his own tracks at the during the busiest shopping day of the entire year.
Black Friday. gift from @JColeNC https://
soundcloud.com/dreamvillerecords/
j-cole-black-friday...
THE SOCIAL SI TUATI O N
On Black Friday, Lamar tweeted
a SoundCloud track of J Cole’s
track “Black Friday” which
sampled the song “Alright”
featured on his latest album,
tagging Cole in the process.
THE RESULT
Similar to what we saw with Mark Ronson, this
tweet was by far Lamar’s most successful in terms
of number of engagements, producing eight times
the average number of favorites and retweets the
artist received. But the most interesting part to this
story is that the very next day Lamar’s album was
back in the iTunes U.S. Top 100 albums list.
THE L ESSON FOR B R A NDS
Marketers who work for brands that tend to have
a good amount of fan art, expression or influence
can use it to their advantage. Building campaigns
that tap into the superfan or consumer can not
only perpetuate already positive sentiment about
the brand, but also affect awareness and perhaps
even sales in favorable ways.
M o r e F r o m U n i f i e d
V I E W O U R N E W R E S E A R C H P A G E : U n i f i e d . c o m / r e s e a r c h
S I G N U P F O R A F R E E D E M O

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