Good morning and Happy Friday! The World Cup Final is in a few days so I figured I should speak to soccer in today’s issue. But…through the lens of social of course. For today, I’ll break down and speak on DoorDash and their incredible campaign surrounding the World Cup. It was 10/10. Plus I will hit on a few others goodies.
In this issue, we will go over the following:
How DoorDash won the World Cup & key takeaways for your brand
Social Tip of the Day: How to win trends
Social Pro Spotlight: Jacob Shipley shares incredible social advice
Hot social job opportunities that you should check out if you’re job searching
Let’s get to it.
-Sam
I have always been a “soccer fan” you could say.
Like, I played when I was 10. But who hasn’t?
But I have become a massive soccer fan recently because of the World Cup this year.
It’s so entertaining. It’s soccer at the absolute highest level.
The games have been great. But have you seen what DoorDash has done on social media during the World Cup? They are the real winners here.
They have been putting on an absolute masterclass on social media and has solidified themselves as a world-class brand with this execution and campaign.
If you live under a rock (or taking a break from social), DoorDash has been rolling out “roasts” with the one and only Zlatan Ibrahimovic when a team loses.
Here’s an example.
And here’s an other…
This campaign has generated 150M+ views…
Just from across a few posts.
Yes, 150M+. You read that right.
I could give you a massive breakdown and analysis of why this rollout was genius, but I will give you a shortened and condensed version. And then provide actionable steps for you and your brand. Because that’s what I want to provide with Stronger Social. I want to provide actionable, implementable (if that’s a word) insights and strategies for you.
What they did and why I loved it:
They hijacked the biggest sporting & cultural moment of the year, the World Cup. The best brands in the world don’t just make posts, they create brand moments and brand memories. DoorDash looked at tentpole moments for the year, like the World Cup and asked themselves “how do we insert ourselves in this moment?”
Not only did DoorDash hijack the moment, they put on a master-class in reactionary content. It’s very difficult to do this, but when you can execute reactionary content, you ride the cultural wave and maximize awareness.
They partnered with Zlatan Ibrahimovic - one of the most iconic names in the soccer. Not only is he one of the most respected names in soccer, but he also has a great personality - which they leveraged. This added a level of credibility, relatability, and authority through this campaign.
They focused on shareability. Remember the Wendy’s roasts? Well, DoorDash said “hold my beer” and leaned further into it. They created roasts with Zlatan - a content format primed for shareability.
They made it a series and owned a format. This way, consumers can then expect a post from DoorDash following a loss. This ingrained a habit in consumers and gave them a reason to subscribe and prescribe.
Actionable Steps for your brand:
Take a look at your social calendar for the remainder of the year and look at potential moments in sport & culture that make sense for you to hijack or participate in.
Once you identify a potential moment. Ask yourself this question: “how can I insert my brand into this moment to drive cultural relevancy?” Don’t be cringe. Be cultural. Lock yourself in a room with the most creative people and brainstorm.
Think less about making posts, think more about creating moments in culture. This mindset shift is everything
Explore partnership collaborations. You probably don’t have budget for a partnership with Zlatan (don’t worry, I don’t either). But figures in sport & culture provide an added level of familiarity, credibility, and higher reach.
Your moments don’t have to be about your product. DoorDash drove the role of product, but it wasn’t forced or overbearing. Just focus on creating a memorable brand moment that you want to be remembered for.
I’m a sucker for a good reactionary social media content. Zaria Parvez leads social over at DoorDash and she continues to prove why she’s one of the best in the industry. Massive shoutout to her and that entire DoorDash team!
Social Tip of the Week
I love seeing brands jump on trends on social media, but a lot of brands approach trends the wrong way. As social media professionals, we should not jump on trends to participate. We need to jump on trends and innovate.
Don’t just blindly join a trend and treat it like a checklist item, you need to add to it. Make it ownable. Make it unique. Be different.
And use that trend as a starting point and a launching pad for greater and more creative ideas.
Social Pro Shoutout
LinkedIn has become an interesting place recently, as it’s fairly common for social pros to bash other social pros and social teams. We all work in the same field, we all know the stresses we have on a daily basis. And we should keep it as that. Not add to it. This is an incredible reminder from Jacob. Make sure to go give Jacob a follow on LinkedIn!
Social Opps
If you’re on the job hunt and exploring new Social Media Opportunities, here are some roles to check out.
✌️ KBYG (Know Before You Go)
Before you go…here are a few quick hitters for you! We’ve got a new Instagram update and a few reminders.
⛽️ Follow Cadence I lead Social & Brand over at Cadence, a fast-growing sports hydration brand. Be sure to give us a follow here and follow along.
📱 Are you a one-person social team? Check out this issue and catch up here.
💻 New Website! I made some edits and redesigned the Stronger Social site finally, check it out here.
‼ Forward to a friend! If you do find Stronger Social helpful, be sure to forward to a friend.
🤔 Got a topic that you want to see addressed in a future issue?If so, respond to this email and let me know!
Sam Wells
Thanks for reading and hope you have a great week!
Follow me on LinkedIn here
If this newsletter was forwarded to you,subscribe here!
