Background
Hardware store chain OBI was one of the major clients of Zum Goldenen Hirschen Cologne.
OBI’s storyline was “Everything is possible with OBI”. They wanted to be the first to think of as the hardware store to go to for your home improvements and DIY projects and help their customers to fulfill their dreams in any way possible.
The two pillars were: strong digital presence and their in-store consultant.
With regular recurring social media campaigns OBI wanted to provide inspiration, tips & tricks, manuals, and background knowledge based on different topics throughout the year.
Goal
- People know: “Everything is possible with OBI”. (increased awareness)
- Increase number of followers across all channels.
- Drive sales by guiding followers through the full funnel
Arrangement
The agency Zum Goldenen Hirschen had set up a 30+ person team to facilitate all of OBI’s marketing efforts – from TV ads and social media content to copywriting for the company-owned channels, and internal communication.
There was a direct and personal connection to the client, so that issues could be addressed directly and efficiently.
The team consisted of project managers, editors, cameramen, copywriters, creative producers, marketing managers, designers, animators, and creative video producers.
In my role I was responsible for developing concepts, writing the scripts, managing the pre-production in direct collaboration with the project managers, leading the production on set, and overseeing the post-production.
Brief
These campaigns were produced regularly – usually every two months. The topics to cover were depending on the season and/or the products to be promoted.
These campaigns were composed of social media posts and ads, YouTube videos, blog posts, banners and photos.
At the beginning of each cycle we were only given the topics, the products and a general direction.
Storyline of the campaign, concepts, number of assets, and distribution were entrusted to us.
For example, leading up to summer and therefore the barbecue season, we developed a campaign, which focused on everything to bring the viewer’s barbecue skills to the next level, as a follow-up to previous year’s barbecue campaigns in which the basics were covered. This time we would go pro with Germany’s BBQ champion.
Production
The first step was to gather with the assigned social media managers and copywriters for a meeting to discuss the direction of a campaign, to brainstorm the overarching campaign concept and the necessary assets.
Each one of us had either made a competitor & target group analysis, a trend research, or probed into topics which could be associated with the campaign’s topic; but had not been considered yet.
Based on these findings we developed a first storyline and sketched out some ideas for assets.
All this was then presented to the client.
When the storyline and the direction of the assets had been approved, the pre-production started.
During this stage, research was key. Especially when we produced How-to videos or mini-documentaries regarding the month’s topic.
As mentioned above, the goal was to take the viewer’s barbecue skills from basic to expert. I would talk to experts like Germany’s BBQ champion, and read various articles on the topics, collecting all the material within a few days, and bring it together in multiple scripts. Resulting in our case in 4 mini cooking shows showing how to make various complex dishes and using gadgets that come in handy when grilling like a pro.
The same would happen when How-to videos were planned. Although in that case, in addition to advice from experts and consulting manuals of similar projects, we would test different materials and construction methods in our workshop. In the end we would also build a fully functional prototype.
All the time I was in constant contact with the client and social media managers to ensure that everyone was up-to-date.
After having taken care of storyboards, location & creator/protagonist scouting, the briefing of other departments, such as camera or set design, and writing shooting plans, it was time to film.
On average, we would deliver around 2-3 YouTube videos, 20+ social media assets including paid Meta/Instagram ads, 6-8 organic blog posts, and 30-40 pictures, which were used in various ways such as banners.
Funnel
Iteration & Result
Each campaign was analyzed for paid and organic performance; we iterated hooks, copy, and placements based on the data.
Thanks to constant performance data analysis after each campaign run, we were successfully able to deliver stronger and better performing content with each new campaign.
Based on the data, we…
- Identified the types of content popular with the target groups.
- Tweaked the storytelling structure of the campaigns.
- Adjusted edit and animation styles.
- Identified potential campaign topics.
With success!
Each year we were able to exceed our targets.
Followers gained:
Goal: 15%
Result: 20-25% on various platforms
Interactions:
Goal: 3%
Result: 4-5%
Sales:
Up to 10% sales increase of featured items, sometimes even sold out
Views to Date:
1,500,000+ across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.