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Digital agency MadeByPi created the website for ‘first direct live’, an innovative social media campaign in late September. The site was launched to invite comments from consumers about this reputable financial services brand, as well as track sentiments from over five million social media sites.
Working closely with agencies; Cheethambell JWT, JWT London, MadeByPi, Mindshare and Onvisible, first direct delivered a multi-channel digital campaign in the South East.
Chris Hemingway, creative partner for MadeByPi said: “We worked closely with first direct to design, develop and launch this pioneering microsite. It invites users to be part of the campaign by engaging with live data feeds and providing live comments about first direct. Feelings and words associated with first direct are displayed on the site, together with live customer service data direct from the call centres.”
The financial sector has been under much scrutiny throughout 2009 and in direct response to the current climate, first direct chose to reinforce the brand’s strategy of openness, honesty and transparency in business with its ‘first direct live’ campaign. The method of delivery selected was social media, as this medium engages with a large proportion of customers and prospective customers alike.
The first direct live campaign not only collected and displayed sentiment data from media sites but also invited consumer comments that poured into the microsite at a rate of up to 100 per day over the four-week campaign period. The microsite was the hub of a wider campaign of activity including online display, digital outdoor and PR. This multi-channel approach aimed to bring the campaign to the fore and grab attention of existing and prospective customers, inciting them to go and investigate what was being said about first direct in the online space.
Natalie Cowen, first direct’s marketing communications manager said: “It's a very open and transparent way of demonstrating why we're the number-one bank for customer satisfaction,”
The campaign communications that were live throughout October and November 2009 took the form of live sentiment data streaming to both online display and outdoor digital display units, informing the UK’s southeast commuters of the daily positive and negative sentiment levels being communicated about the brand. Outdoor print focused on consumer online comments made from early 2009 together with a first direct response to a comment; be it a congratulations message or criticism of the bank.
The immediate risk for first direct and the campaign was the negative comments and sentiment. However, the bank chose to embrace what was being said about the brand and display it for all to see because all consumer feedback is seen in a positive way. Pre-campaign first direct actively monitored online and offline sentiment, empowering the bank with the knowledge that the vast majority of sentiment had previously been positive.
The campaign saw first direct continue to pioneer social media for business and in doing so put the consumer at the helm of their latest marketing campaign.
The campaign was both lauded and applauded in the industry with huge stand out and awareness achieved as well as significant website traffic increases. The Financial Services Club Blog, congratulated the campaign; “hats off to first direct for being at the forefront of UK financial social media” (October 14, 2009).
first direct’s head of marketing, Lisa Wood is so pleased with the continuing success of the campaign, she recently shared with Econsultancy: “We love the way first direct live has turned out and want to keep the website there after the associated advertising campaign finishes.”
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