The best marketing is the one that doesn’t feel like marketing. But, as you know, achieving this isn’t easy! Here are some brilliant examples of WhatsApp marketing campaigns and tips on how you can follow in these brands’ footsteps.
5 WhatsApp marketing examples
- Hellmann’s live recipe service
- Absolut Vodka’s WhatsApp bouncer
- Maggi’s virtual cooking curriculum
- Persil’s washing tips from the community
- The Financial Times’ WhatsApp group
1. Hellmann’s live recipe service
To help consumers get more out of the ingredients in their home, condiments manufacturer Hellmann’s launched “WhatsCook”, a live recipe service delivered via WhatsApp that connected consumers with real chefs.
Consumers would start by registering on Hellmann’s website with their phone number and they could be connected to chefs. They could then send pictures of the ingredients they had and chefs would recommend recipes (that would also involve Hellmann’s products).
In just 10 days, the campaign saw both national and international attention, seeing results including:
- 50% of website visitors signing up for the service and 99% of users being satisfied with the service – highlighting the importance of knowing your target audience and tailoring your marketing campaigns accordingly.
- Users spending an average of 65 minutes interacting with the brand – AKA building a relationship.
- 500 dishes cooked and shared – meaning that consumers found new ways to cook using Hellmann’s products.
2. Absolut Vodka’s WhatsApp bouncer
Absolut Vodka was launching a new, limited edition line of vodka. To promote the launch, they planned an exclusive party, with entrance tickets available to just two members of the general public. And because this was an Absolut party, not just any party, the brand created a fictional doorman, Sven, who people had to impress to get tickets.
Sven ‘lived’ on WhatsApp so people flocked to this app to speak to him and convince him why they deserved the tickets. The results were outstanding:
- 600 users reaching out – showing the app’s popularity.
- Over 1,000 images, videos and audio messages shared – highlighting the rich capabilities of WhatsApp.
- More than three days of uninterrupted chat – demonstrating the conversational capacity of WhatsApp.
3. Maggi’s virtual cooking curriculum
International seasonings brand Maggi turned to WhatsApp to improve brand awareness in Germany among customers of all ages. They created a free, virtual cooking curriculum, led by KiM, a chatbot.
Consumers could message KiM on WhatsApp with the ingredients and cuisine(s) they liked the most and allergens to avoid. The bot would remember these preferences and intelligently tailor recipes to the individual.
In just eight weeks, Maggi’s campaign featuring the virtual cooking assistant saw 200,000 messages sent. This shows the power of WhatsApp as a marketing channel.
4. Persil’s washing tips from the community
Laundry detergent brand Persil wanted to improve customer engagement and build a loyal brand following. So, they launched their “Persil Kufua Expert” campaign and asked consumers to send in 15-second videos of their best laundry tips via WhatsApp.
Persil would then choose their favourite tips and winners were rewarded with Persil hampers, plus a voucher.
This is an excellent way to encourage interaction and help your customers feel a part of your brand.
5. The Financial Times’ WhatApp group
If you were ever in any doubt that publications known for long-form content could succeed on WhatsApp, think again! British daily business newspaper The Financial Times, which is available in either broadsheet format or digitally behind a paywall, created a WhatsApp group where they posted two free articles daily.
Despite the audience on WhatsApp being smaller, the FT found these people were more engaged with the content and were more likely to subscribe to the publication than audiences using other platforms.
The publication was unwilling to share the number of people it reached on WhatsApp, but did say:
- The amount of traffic generated by each post shared on WhatsApp was comparable to a post on its main Twitter account (which at the time, had a following of 5.7 million).
- 80% of the people they reached were non-subscribers, which meant WhatsApp as a channel gave them the opportunity to tap into a wider audience pool.
- Readers from WhatsApp were 40% more likely to return to the FT within the next seven days.
Use WhatsApp for marketing to elevate exposure but there’s a trick to it
With 2 billion active users on a monthly basis and an average open rate of up to 99%, there’s no denying WhatsApp Business Platform is one of the best channels to promote new products. And that’s what the above brands thought too when they chose this channel to reach customers.
However, it’s not just about setting up a WhatsApp Business account, launching your new products and hoping for the best. To have a successful WhatsApp marketing campaign, you must:
- Personalise interactions to the individual customer.
- Offer a clear opt-in and opt-out strategy.
- Have conversations – this will help you build trust and stronger customer relationships.
- Send the right message at the right time.
- See WhatsApp Business Platform as more than just another marketing, sales or customer service tool.
Are you ready to discover the potential of WhatsApp Business Platform? We’re offering a free trial where you can try the platform and see how it works for your organisation. You’ll gain access to our intuitive platform to better manage your messaging, our leading team of experts, plus 75 free business-initiated conversations and more…all for free!
Mayzin Han
Marketing strategist with 8 years of experience, 5+ of which in B2B tech. Currently the Senior Marketing Program Manager at Commify, I work closely with field marketing teams who sit across EMEA and APAC to strategise and create campaigns that meet customer and prospect needs. My background in content marketing means that I'm passionate about all things words, grammar and punctuation. In my free time, I like to run, box and torture myself at spin class because lots of cardio means you can eat what you want!
