🥣 Case Study: my new favourite brand

Hey 👋

Welcome to Neighbourhood Post issue #18 - easy to implement digital marketing ideas straight through your metaphorical letterbox.

Applications for our Social Media and Email Executive role close on Sunday - what are you waiting for, shout it from the roof tops!

Today we’ve got something a little tasty; a case study we can all learn from. Grab your spoons, let’s get stuck in. 🥣

👉 By the way, if you’ve missed previous newsletters you’ll find them here.

📩 And if you’ve been forwarded this email you can subscribe here.

My new favourite brand ❤️

Let me introduce you to Surreal.

They make healthy cereal, full of protein.

I’ve never tasted their product but I’m already a super fan.

They’ve been around for a while, but in the last couple of weeks they’ve knocked me off my feet with a digital campaign.

Their cereals are now available in Sainsbury’s - and they wanted to spread the word.

Let’s breakdown what makes it so great. 👨🏻‍🏫

#1 - Nailing positioning and tone of voice

Not since the early days of Innocent smoothies have I seen such great positioning and tone of voice.

They’ve noticed that the adult cereal space is quite ‘meh’. Focusing on health this and nutrition that - all serious and unfriendly.

Just like Liquid Death, who took the opposite position in a crowded market, Surreal are reaping the benefits.

Case in point - their email sign up text: “For new flavours, tasty bargains, and sexy bowl cuts. Maybe.”

Or their social media bio: “Can you fill out our LinkedIn bio with summat about how we make high protein, zero sugar cereal? Make sure we sound professional. Cheers.”

Could you be brave and flex your Tone of Voice? If you’re a brand trying to engage a younger audience, it’s almost essential.

#2 - Being audience AND data led

Guess which social platform Surreal have the biggest audience on?

That’s right, LinkedIn.

We often make assumptions about the places and platforms we’ll have most success, but what does the data actually say?

Testing, learning and pivoting is an important part of any digital strategy.

On closer inspection it’s actually quite a clever move, not just about data.

Their cereals are £6 per box. 🤑

Their target market is busy people who don’t have time for breakfast but still want a protein and health fix.

Who are wealthy, fast-paced people? Professionals.

Where do professionals hang out online? LinkedIn.

Very few strategists would have recommend a direct-to-consumer brand put effort into LinkedIn, but here we are.

Digital success looks like the right combo of clever audience targeting, testing, and data-driven decisions.

#3 - Not letting social do the heavy lifting

Great social media content will only get you so far.

One of the most important factors in converting your audience is your website. You can direct thousands of people from social media, but if your website isn’t up to scratch, you won’t succeed.

Surreal’s is brilliant.

Well designed. Packed full of social proof (star ratings and media logos). Interactive. Clear. Consistent with other marketing.

It’s a fun experience.

Your digital channels are not silos. You can’t expect overall performance if you haven’t evaluated and optimised each stage of your customer/donor journey.

Do you know the conversion rate of your website?

(Number of conversions / Number of visits) x 100

Measure it and improve it over time.

#4 - Bringing the offline, online

I love this one.

As part of their Sainsbury’s campaign, they shared this photo:

Great tone of voice, brilliant idea, well executed. It was followed the next day by this photo…

Again, great way to extend a campaign idea and collaborate with other brands.

The thing I like most is that this wasn’t a comprehensive Out Of House (OOH) campaign. There weren’t thousands of billboards across the country with these adverts.

Instead, this ‘offline’ idea was made purely to drive online success.

Think about your offline marketing (events, print ads, speaking engagements, radio etc.). What can you bake into your campaign ideas that will help boost the performance of your digital channels?

#5 - Using social for what it’s good for

OK, I’ve left the best learning until last.

I’ve been banging this drum for a while. 🥁

To succeed at social media, you have to lean into what it’s great at.

Entertaining, fun, inspiring content that brings moments of joy to your audiences.

Don’t just tell them something, make them FEEL something.

Take this one for example: Deleted Tweet - Official Statement

You could view it as risky, but actually there are ways of executing this idea for almost all brands.

Whether you’re a nine-figure fashion brand or an international development charity, there are fun, tasteful ideas that will connect with your audience in deeper ways than simply telling them what you’re selling.

And the brands that embrace it most will be the winners.

That’s it from me. I’m off for a nice big bowl of cereal. 🥣

See you next week ✌️

What we’re looking at 👀 and listening to 👂

📺 Mark is watching Bridgerton. After he told me, he paused for 5 seconds and said “actually, don’t put that in the newsletter”. So I must remember to delete this before I send the newsletter.

🤓 I’ve enjoyed reading all the fallout from the WHS rebrand trial last month. There are a lot of lessons to unpack (I might do it in the newsletter sometime), not least the benefit of doing a trial before you commit to something massive.

Before you go - we’ll never use these newsletters to directly sell you our services, but we’re always here if you need any expertise or support 👍