Here's a small challenge for you: check with your friends & family and ask if someone doesn't know WhatsApp. Bet you won't find anyone who has at least not heard of it or doesn't know what it is. Most likely, everyone must be using it to communicate with each other and even at work.
That shows how popular WhatsApp as a marketing channel can be. And brands are using it effectively.
But just because people are more likely to open a WhatsApp message, you shouldn't be complacent with sending boring, generic & sales messages.
Someone had rightly said, "The best marketing is the one that doesn't feel like marketing."
And that's why you need to think of new ideas.
If you find yourself looking for inspiration to execute your next campaign that can be executed with a limited budget but has high returns, and is simpler to execute, we've collected examples of successful campaigns from brands in different categories. Let's go!
Unilever's “I’ll bring you back your beloved clothes” campaign
Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company and has created about 400 brands to date.
Goal:
In 2019, Unilever wanted to launch its new fabric softener brand called Comfort in Brazil at a low cost. So they were looking for a new and unique messenger marketing approach.
Campaigns:
The brand put up more than 10,000 billboards around São Paulo with the message “I’ll bring you back your beloved clothes,” and a WhatsApp number.
When people messaged on the number displayed, a chatbot called “MadameBot” gave tips on how to care for the clothes. While giving tips, it also introduced people to new products using videos & images. And at the end of the chat, people received a 50% discount on the new product with free shipping.
Results:
- Sales increased by 14x. That result alone is enough to prove the effectiveness!
- Received 290K messages from 12 thousand unique customers
How did they do it?
When you use WhatsApp business API with platforms that allow you to create chatbots for WhatsApp, it's extremely simple to execute such campaigns. WhatsApp allows you to send text, images, videos, doc & GIFs which makes it easy to have interactive conversations.
Along with the chatbot, you can also have real human beings intervene in between the chat in case required.
S-Bahn Munich Selfie Competition
S-Bahn (Schnellbahn, or city rapid rail) is the urban-suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries.
Goal:
S-Bahn modernized its trains and wanted to communicate that to the commuters and encourage more people to take public transport.
Campaign:
Instead of just putting banners across the stations, they used the modern digital channel - WhatsApp.
Commuters had to take a selfie in one of the modernized S-Bahn trains & send them via WhatsApp with the keyword “selfie” to a number that was displayed in many trains & stations.
This added the person in a lucky draw with a chance to win a handsome prize. Additionally, the winning selfies were also displayed in a gallery on the S-Bahn Munich online magazine.
Results:
In 3.5 weeks, they collected:
- 250+ selfies
- Numerous mentions on social media about the revamp
- Mentions of the campaign on various websites & in magazines drove more awareness
According to Mario Schmid, DB Regio AG – S-Bahn Munich, the intuitive user interface, image feature & ability to create a chatbot on WhatsApp played a key role in the success of the selfie campaign.
Absolut Vodka "Doorman at The Party" Campaign
Absolut Vodka is a leading brand of premium vodka made by a company in Southern Sweden.
Goal:
Absolut vodka wanted to launch their limited edition vodka in Argentina & the aim was to create brand awareness around it. They wanted to experiment with conversational marketing, closely interacting with the audience Absolut Vodka isn't known for being too conversational.
So they had to be creative.
Campaign:
Absolut Vodka launched a campaign "Unique Access" on WhatsApp. They announced a big celebrity party and promised two tickets for the winners of the campaign.
Sven, a doorman at the party, was created. People had to contact Sven via WhatsApp and convince him to give you an invite to the party. But people discover that he isn't easy to convince. So they found creative methods to do that & sent photos, videos, songs, and even voice notes requesting the tickets.
Results:
After 3 days of chat with the users, Absolut vodka received:
- Social media buzz
- More than 1,000 messages, videos, and images (user-generated content!) from fans
- 600 new contacts
And all this was done with just a phone & sim card!
ADAC "Don't Call Mom" campaign
ADAC is an automobile club in Germany that provides roadside assistance to its members.
Goal:
ADAC had 20 million loyal customers but the young audience didn't relate to them as much as older generations did. They wanted to stay relevant amongst that audience that didn't own a car (yet). So they launched their first digital campaign of which WhatsApp was an integral part.
Campaign:
ADAC launched the 'Don't call mom -- Call ADAC' campaign on WhatsApp. The idea was to open up a hotline for young people & welcome them to ask ANY questions from ADAC. Literally, any question, particularly the ones they can't ask their parents or shouldn't bother them for. They received questions like how to deal with heartbreak, or how to care for a pet cat.
They had 20 ADAC experts play 'mom' who replied to all the messages for 14 hours every day on WhatsApp. They invited influencers also to reply to WhatsApp these messages which generated even more buzz about the campaign.
Results:
During the 6 week campaign, ADAC earned
- 20 million impressions on its campaign video
- 140,000 messages
That's how the biggest automobile club was able to get in touch with the under-30s population.
WhatsApp software that can help acheive this
WhatsApp Business API along with shared inbox functionality so that all 20 ADAC experts can handle the incoming messages without putting all the pressure on one inbox & without missing to answer any message.
DelightChat also provides such functionality with it's shared inbox where you can assign incoming messages to different members of your team.
Sign up today and give DelightChat's WhatsApp marketing software a try!
Persil Kufua Expert Campaign
Persil is a leading laundry detergent brand manufactured by Henkel company.
Goal:
Henkel's wanted to launch their brand Persil to encourage consumer familiarity with the brand, increase interaction between the brand and the consumers and build a loyal brand following?
Campaign:
The campaign asked people to send in 15-second videos of their best washing tips via WhatsApp. The best of those tips were then rewarded & given Persil hampers. The idea was to make consumers feel that they were a part of the brand.
Maggi Germany, Chef In Your Kitchen Campaign
Maggi is an international brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that's popular all around the world.
Goal:
Maggi wanted to increase brand awareness but not by shouting its own name from the top of buildings, but by being part of people's daily lives so they would remember the brand if they saw it anywhere.
Campaign:
Maggi created a free, virtual cooking curriculum entirely on WhatsApp. They wanted to personally connect with customers of all ages, support them throughout their culinary journeys and motivate them to prepare great dishes in just a few steps.
The curriculum was delivered via the WhatsApp-powered virtual assistant which they named Kim. ho guide customers with step-by-step instructions, answer their questions, and share videos for specific cooking techniques
Results:
Three months after the launch of WhatsApp-powered virtual assistant, Kim, Maggi found that it had achieved the following results:
- 200,000 messages sent in the first 8 weeks
- 4.2-point lift in standard ad recall
- 3-point lift in campaign awareness
Hellmann's "WhatsCook" Campaign
Goal:
Hellmann’s realized that people from their target audience often didn't know what to cook with ingredients in their fridge. So the brand wanted to engage with them at that moment and be a part of the solution to drive positive brand association.
Campaign:
Hellmann launched the first live recipe service via WhatsApp. All people had to do was register on their website with their phone number to connect to the chefs. People could send pictures of ingredients available & chefs would recommend recipes using Hellmann mayonnaise. If something was not clear via text, chefs would also send images & videos.
This campaign was launched in Brazil where the maximum population uses WhatsApp. The spend on this was only $900! Let's see what ROI they got from a mere $900 spend.
Results:
Hellmann saw 'delicious' numbers after the 10-day campaign:
- 50% of all website visitors signed up for the service
- 5million people got in touch with the brand directly
- People found new ways to use Hellmann's mayonnaise
- 500 new recipes that use Hellman were created
Flipkart "A Personal Shopper" Campaign
Flipkart is an Indian ecommerce platform that offers a variety of products ranging from books, electronics, apparel to groceries
Goal:
Flipkart wanted to create excitement for its upcoming online sales called Big Billion Days for which they wanted to reach people in a that captured maximum attention.
Campaign:
Flipkart launched an automated chatbot to assist people in the shopping experience but they added the wow element by personifying it with India’s famous Bollywood movie star, Amitabh Bachchan.
They created rich-media interactions by using all the different formats of communication that WhatsApp offers such as images, audio, videos, and emojis.
Customers could also discover more about the sale via puzzles and emoji-enabled games within WhatsApp
Results:
In 2 weeks, the numbers showed that WhatsApp marketing works. Here's how the numbers compared to when they were not using WhatsApp:
- 3.5X more conversions
- 7X more high-quality visitors (based on time spent on the platform)
- $2.5 million USD in revenue
Learn more: Tips & Guidelines on WhatsApp Promotional Messages on how best to use them in your marketing strategy.
Execute Successful WhatsApp Campaigns using WhatsApp API
Personal WhatsApp or even WhatsApp Business App has limitations on what's possible when running a campaign for customers. With these, you can't create chatbots, can't send broadcasts to more than 256 people at a time, and can't be logged in on more than 2 devices at a time.
To execute WhatsApp campaigns at scale and make them successful, you need to signup for WhatsApp Business API & a platform that helps you create a chatbot, manage inbox, automate tasks. You also need an easy way to craft personalized WhatsApp message templates that suit your brand's voice.
Only a few official WhatsApp Business Service Providers can give you access to WhatsApp Business API. DelightChat is one such provider that also has an attractive WhatsApp Business API pricing for brands. In fact, there is no extra charge for getting your first WhatsApp number and there is the option to get additional numbers for a fee.
Not only that, it's a platform that helps you manage your WhatsApp marketing campaigns with ease. We also apply for Green Tick Verification for all our brands, free of charge.
Let's explore what is possible with DelightChat.
Use DelightChat for WhatsApp Marketing Automation & Team Inbox
Using WhatsApp API with DelightChat enables you to take advantage of the following features & create an effective marketing strategy as well as provide great customer support via WhatsApp with ease.
Auto-Replies
You can set basic auto-responders in the WhatsApp Business App, like a greeting message when a customer messages you for the first time. Or an away message for outside of business hours.
Automated WhatsApp Notifications
Using WhatsApp API, you can set up and send automated notifications to your customers such as:
Shared Team Inbox for WhatsApp
Using DelightChat's shared inbox, you can:
- Manage conversations on the API number with a shared inbox for WhatsApp
- Track which team member is working on which conversations
- Ensure seamless ticket transition from one agent to the other by using private notes on chats
- Speed up responses to common queries with fast-reply templates
WhatsApp Broadcast
Using official WhatsApp API, and a platform like DelightChat, you can:
- Send WhatsApp broadcast messages to upto 100,000 people a day. These messages can be personalized using variables without typing out personal information for each of your recipients.
- Contacts don't have to save your number for you to send them a broadcast.
- Create multiple simultaneous logins for your team
- Schedule broadcast for a later point in time
175M people message a business account on WhatsApp every day. Are you part of those conversations or losing out to competition?
To get started, signup for a demo of DelightChat & we'll help set up your WhatsApp marketing campaigns.
