Online computer hardware and software retailer Newegg’s back-to-school social campaign includes sweepstakes and a contest via Facebook and Twitter, lending numerous opportunities for students to win school supplies.

By channeling the campaign through social media, an activity that a younger generation voluntarily participates in, the campaign is specifically delivered to them, and shows Newegg’s attempt to offer a tech-oriented experience similar to its products. The campaign began July 15 and will last until September 15.

“We want to make sure the mobile experience is just as rich as desktop shopping, so we maintain custom apps for nearly every type of mobile device,” said Soren Mills, chief marketing officer of Newegg North America, Los Angeles. “In addition, we offer special mobile-only promotions that don’t appear on Newegg.com.”

A multi-platform approach
For participants to qualify for prizes on Facebook, they need to like the page and watch for posts containing the hashtag #ShareToSave. Participants are asked to share these posts, and once Newegg hits the “magic number of shares,” a promo code will be delivered offering a coupon for whatever product is offered.

Twitter participants are instructed to follow @Newegg and retweet tweets containing the hashtag #FlockToUnlock. A similar promo code protocol will follow once a certain number of retweets are made.

The campaign requires a minimal amount of effort from users and will ultimately lead to brand awareness given consumers will likely continue to follow Newegg on Facebook and Twitter. Also, given the campaign’s simplicity, there is definitely an opportunity for Newegg’s efforts to go viral.

Social giving
Similar social campaigns have been prevalent in 2014.

Consumer packaged goods brand Hidden Valley’s rich media messaging campaign generated 230,000 branded impressions when users shared the multimedia content to Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter, although the brand only sent the content through a short code.

Last month’s “Twist on Tonight” campaign was aimed towards busy moms and hectic dinner patterns. As a modern solution for busy families, Hidden Valley’s mobile program allowed consumers to sign up to receive weekly recipes and kid-friendly activities created by moms (see story).

Similarly, using one of the largest social sharing services to launch a Web-based catalog, IKEA’s new use-case for Instagram may have helped the photo-centric hub emerge from being a repository for selfies and gain steam as a digital marketplace.

To showcase its annual PS line geared towards millennials, IKEA has opted for an approach to Instagram that epitomizes the brand’s forward-thinking approach for home décor. Partnering with Moscow-based agency Instinct, the Russian division of IKEA has hacked Instagram to create a pseudo-site catalog within the platform’s grid (see story).

A multi-channel approach has shown to garner more success for these campaigns.

“Our Share to Save campaign gives our Facebook and Twitter communities the first crack at extra savings on featured items,” Mr. Mills said.

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Commerce Daily, New York