Summary
In order to generate more apps around the Symbian platform, Nokia created a contest – Calling all Innovators. It targeted young software developers who delved on the Symbian operating systems. They had to develop applications to win fabulous prizes.
The winners would get global fame and the shortlisted applications would get visibility through spotlight placement in Nokia’s Ovi Store.
We researched to find out media choices of the developers on digital media space and then devised a media plan and engagement plan to influence the developers in India, Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Australia.
We identified relevant discussion forums, social networks, groups, communities, blogs and created neutral user profiles for floating the information about the contest. We initiated discussion threads, generated conversations to create interest of the developers. We answered their queries and facilitated the process of participating in the contest.
Impact points were measured by the number of discussion threads submitted versus the overall discussion threads emerging on the same topic over time. Other media vehicles used to promote the campaign were search marketing and email marketing.
Our campaign ran between 5-02-2010 to 10-06-2010. We got 659 app submissions, 31.8 per cent more than the target.
About the client company
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation. Nokia is engaged in the manufacturing of mobile devices and in converging Internet and communications industries, with over 132,000 employees and sales in more than 160 countries.
It is the world’s number one manufacturer of mobile phones. Nokia produces mobile devices for every major market segment and protocol, including GSM, CDMA, and W-CDMA (UMTS).
Strategy – broader business issues the company is facing
Developers are not interested in developing apps for the Symbian platform. They prefer developing apps for rival platforms like iOS and Android.
Objectives of the campaign
The campaign aimed to populate Nokia Ovi store with Symbian based apps by attracting the developer community through the contest. The contest would hype the Symbian platform, engaging the target audience and resulting in increased participation and more app submissions.
The target audience
The campaign was designed to appeal to young software developers who work on the mobile application environment.
The key issue is to attract them to develop apps for the Symbian platform. Many of them prefer making it for other platforms, iOS and Android.
Media, channels or techniques used
Developers in general live a virtual life. The network is their life, their passion! This consuming passion had to be tapped. Hence, online media was an obvious choice. We studied their online media usage to know the specified vehicles they use. This study gave us the following powerful insights:
- They believed in their networks and their actions in most cases were peer influenced.
- Their immediate circle or network and the portals they used to connect to their networks played a huge role in getting them to act to stimulus.
- They loved to spread their opinions across their networks.
The insight on developer perceptions and behavior, based on their peer group and techno-social network encouraged us to leverage social media as an existing platform to promote the campaign.
The site selection rested on social bookmarking, social networks, forums, press releases, photo tagging, video and social news sites.
We did 462 postings in 146 forums on different portals. We placed our comments on 64 blogs, participated in discussions in 48 developers’ groups and communities on different networking sites creating discussion threads, seeding in information about the contest and creating a buzz and excitement around the opportunities for the developer community and the prizes to be won, which were three prizes of USD 30,000; USD 15,000 and USD 5,000, respectively, and four special prizes worth USD 50,000 each.
Some of the targeted portals were: www.gsmarena.com , www.symbian-freak.com, www.symbianguru.com, www.coderanch.com, www.cnet.com.au, www.developerfusion.com, www.zedge.net, www.howardforums.com, www.allabousymbian.com, Google groups, Facebook communities, Twitter.
In response to our campaign, over a period of four months, 1577 postings on different portals by us resulted in more than 15,000 interactions.
Timescales of the campaign
The campaign period: 5 February, 2010 to 10 June, 2010
The details:
Research : One month
Planning: One month
Execution: 5 February, 2010 to 10 June, 2010
Reporting and analysis: On a weekly basis during the campaign
Final report submission: 15 days after the campaign
Results
- Over a period of four months, 1577 postings on different portals by us resulted in more than 15,000 interactions.
- We received 3,300 registrations on the website.
- 659 applications were submitted, 159 (31.8 per cent) more than the target of 500 applications in the APAC region.
Client testimonial
“Great going all. Yet again an example of a great team and a great team work. Once again, I Thank you all for great support.” Shiraz Datta, regional marketing manager, Nokia
“Congrats Team!Very happy to see that we crossed the 500 mark” Minu Kataria Jain, marketing manager (India Operations), Nokia
