Anker Innovations is a leading electronics brand based in Hunan, China. With more than 75% of its retail sales in mobile phone charging devices, the brand has created a niche for itself in the charging spectrum. Its products are available in 146 countries under its sub-brands – Anker Charging, Soundcore, Nebula, eufy and ROAV.
First base
Anker (Middle East and Africa) reached out to us at the end of 2019 for help in upping their social media game and thereby, raising their sales in the Gulf region. While the brand had a mass following for its pioneering products in the region, it wasn’t often reflected on their social media. Like for flagship products of renowned brands, the brand wanted chatter about its best-selling products in the virtual world.
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In the Middle East, Anker’s social media presence encompasses all its sub-brands, which includes Soundcore (high-quality audio appliances), eufy (home appliances), eufy Security (security cameras) and Nebula (projectors). Unlike most other countries where each sub-brand has its own social media presence; in the Middle East, they are all marketed under the larger Anker umbrella. We had the exciting challenge of creating a cohesive social media page that still carried the distinctive identity of each sub-brand.
Results
Over the course of 2020 and 2021, we helped increase the brand’s followers by 200% and upped its engagement rate by 30 to 40%.
Market research
To understand our Middle Eastern audience, we researched other tech brands – both global and regional. We found the content that pertained to day-to-day problem solving connected well with the audience. We concluded that Anker needed to project itself as an aspirational lifestyle brand.
The advantage we had was that we had a very broad range of products to choose from. The challenge was to showcase the various sub-brands so they fit with each other seamlessly. We also had to contend with making Anker’s existing product and lifestyle images shot for an American audience feel relatable to the audience we were catering to.
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Our recommendation was to create a social media page that is about the audience and not about the product. The products were to become a part of the audience’s lives, and feel relatable and relevant to their day-to-day life.
Strategy
To lure potential consumers to the party and existing ones to join the online community, we started with showcasing the products in a way that highlighted their USPs. As with any dynamic brand, we also decided to blend these USP-based creatives with the trends of the moment.
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Some of the boxes we ticked were:
Carrying out a basic hygiene check for the social media account. There was an older but inactive Anker UAE account that we recommended the client to have removed. We supported the Anker MEA team with getting their account verified. This helped elevate the profile of the account to match the official Anker social media accounts from other countries/regions.
We also assessed ways in which we could use Instagram’s features (such as Stories & Highlights) better. This would help our content get broader exposure on the platform.
With some experimentation, we also realised that short video content got higher views and engagement, so we geared our efforts into producing more of it.
Because our client’s goal was to increase followers, we decided to conduct regular giveaways.These brought in engagement from the current audience and brought in new audiences via ads.
Process
We began in December, 2019. Having been granted access to Anker’s product library, we put our thoughts into churning out the most relevant tech content on social media.
Prior to each month, the client – after the approval of their sales team – would send across a list of products they wanted to highlight.
Our team would then hash out briefs, which once approved, would be developed into creatives for the following month’s social media calendar.
The growth story
One of the first changes that we brought visually to the feed was to feature the products more prominently. We combined Anker’s existing image and video content with relevant stock footage to create crisp, informative videos and carousels.
One of the most successful giveaway campaigns we conducted capitalised on Anker’s at-that-time predominantly male audience of over 60% between the ages of 25-44. The campaign (3 Posts and 8 Stories) followed a Predict & Win format based on the Euro Cup 2021. It brought in ready engagement from the audience, bolstered with the help of ads that help us reach new audiences. The campaign helped bring in nearly 1.5k new followers to the account.
Other design work
Additionally, we supported the brand further its presence in the region with design work for its ATL and BTL activities. From June 2020 to November 2021, we successfully completed more than 150 design requirements for Anker.
