While social media platforms were seen merely as entertainment mediums till a few years ago, they are now being actively used by brands of all sizes to effectively reach out to their target audience. However, government institutions aren’t too far behind when it comes to leveraging the potential of social media.
Here are three public offices that used Snapchat to reach out to more people effectively, drive awareness about their work, and increase recruitment.
1. Ministry of Defense Netherlands
The Dutch Ministry of Defense was looking for a way to drive awareness among the young population.
Their Objectives
The Ministry of Defense sought to increase recruitment by boosting awareness and reaching out to a maximum number of people.
Solution & Approach
The Dutch Ministry of Defense teamed up with Snapchat to kickstart a “Don’t Blink” challenge Lens. The Lens challenged Snapchat users to keep their eyes open while it showcased the roles in the armed forces, to boost awareness and recruitment in the Netherlands.
While opening the Lens, Snapchat users found themselves as army soldiers. The longer they avoided blinking, the more equipment they would unlock- a helmet, a microphone, and a night scope equipment.
The Result
The Dutch Ministry of Defense’s Snapchat campaign helped them reach out to a high number of people, with their Lens challenge resulting in 2.9 million impressions.
2. Bundesministerium der Verteidigung
Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, or the German Ministry of Defense, wanted to establish a presence amongst the younger populace for which it partnered with Snapchat.
Their Objectives
The German Ministry of Defense sought to raise awareness about the army’s work and drive recruitment consequently.
Solution & Approach
The German Defense Ministry came up with an online video series that followed eight soldiers on a UN peacekeeping mission to Mali. They used Snapchat to promote the series.
The German Defense Ministry wanted to tap into the pride that comes with being a soldier, for which it ran a Lens that was designed to put Snapchat users in combat gear. These Lens could be unlocked with a Snapcode and equipped Snapchat users with a helmet, nightscope, and microphone.
They used best creative practices like the inclusion of an eyebrow trigger that turned the view into night vision. They also created a filter to keep the army top of mind for any Snapchat user who saw it on a friend’s Snap. The filter read, “Commitment says more than a thousand words.”
The Result
The Snapchat campaign delivered exceptional results for the German Defense Ministry. While the Lens helped the Defense Ministry reach more than 2 million Snapchat users at a share rate of 8.35%, it reached over 2.1 million German Snapchat users and garnered more than 7.5 million impressions at an eCPM of €3.97. The ads also had 15.1M impressions and the Web View.
3. Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn is Germany’s main railway company and is owned by the German government.
Their Objectives
Deutsche Bahn wanted to project itself as a down-to-earth employer that values its employees while giving its followers an authentic and exclusive insight into their day-to-day tasks and experiences.
Solution & Approach
Deutsche Bahn accompanied two of its apprentices, Dana and Dilan, in two Snapchat takeovers for the entire day from breakfast to the end of work. Both of them worked in different fields. These 10-second ads addressed their interests and talents and positively framed them.
Deutsche Bahn considered it important to highlight the interests of potential apprentices and how they fit into DB’s work. Therefore, the videos had a voiceover recording and users could access Deutsche Bahn’s career page for pupils with a swipe. The creatives appealed to the young audience and their mindsets about Deutsche Bahn’s work.
The Result
Deutsche Bahn’s Snapchat campaign performed quite well and delivered a decent result. While the eCPM was €1.84, the eCPSU was €0.18.
Bottom Line
While private companies have been using Snapchat and other social media channels to reach out to more people, not many government bodies have leveraged the potential of online marketing mediums. However, many public offices are gradually realizing the significance of marketing avenues like Snapchat to get access to a large number of people. This certainly bodes well for the people of those countries as they can drive awareness about their work and attract the best talent to work with them.
Are the public offices in your country using Snapchat yet?