Visit Dallas
The Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau (DCVB) is probably the client with the highest-visibility and most engaged audience at Splash Media.
Since January 2016, I have been a part of the Visit Dallas social team, performing every job imaginable. From main content writer to Snapchat strategist, I am currently the team member with the longest tenure on the account.
Visit Dallas is another example of utilizing strategy implementation over straight copywriting during my day-to-day job. The account needs to speak to many different audiences: locals, partners, and potential visitors all need to relate to something from the content posted. In times of immense account turnover (as you can tell in the screenshots by who is actually publishing the content), it has been a challenge getting the Visit Dallas account to a place where both my team and my client feel good about what was being presented to a national and global audience.
Consistency, branding and simplicity have been the key to high engagement and high community growth. Whether it was the rebranding of Neighborhood Spotlight, creating commercials for an NCAA Basketball campaign or live videos of a safe opening from a historic theatre, there have always been opportunities to learn and adjust over the past year.
ZTE USA is a technology manufacturer based in China. Globally, they are the fourth largest producer of smartphones in the world with partners that include NBA teams (Warriors, Cavaliers, Bulls, Rockets and Knicks), the world of PGA Golf (Danny Lee, The Farmers Insurance Open) and TVLine. Since I have joined the social marketing team (April 2016), the Facebook page has grown from 300,000 likes to nearly 850,000, with a goal of 1,000,000 by the end of the first quarter.
GENERAL CONTENT
Every two weeks requires at least one hundred unique pieces of organic content scheduled and spread across multiple social platforms, accounts and voices (in addition to paid targeting ads and general promotions running concurrently).
I write 98% of this organic content.
These screenshots are good examples of the recently-implemented organic strategy that I am proud of: simple, to-the-point, touting the features and the where-to-buy. With help from the brand's art director, I've moved them from "trying too hard" (forced pop culture references and bland stock photography) to simple, geometric and eye-pleasing. Engagement has sky-rocketed.
(In fact, different ZTE pages from all over the world have been sourcing and using our imagery / captions for their own channels. We've gone global.)
ZTE @ SAN DIEGO COMIC CON
ZTE has a long history of being involved with professional sports so it has been an exciting challenge to move them towards being involved with pop culture, as well. In July 2016 (and the months leading up to it), I pitched, concepted and launched the "ZTE @ Comic Con" campaign, partnering with TVLine and Michael Ausiello.
Broadcasting live on social from the ZTE Lounge at San Diego's Hard Rock Hotel, I was on the front lines of Comic Con and managed to be professional, not make a fool of myself and churn out some of our most engaging, exciting posts ever (Xena the Warrior Princess said she loved our smart projectors).
It was a great instance of being able to combine my knowledge of product and brand voice with my light obsession with pop culture and love for superhero TV shows (see attached picture of me, my huge smile and Marvel's Luke Cage).
CASE STUDY (AVA DIGITAL AWARD WINNER - PLATINUM): Download here.
"Be a Hero"
Axon 7 Timelapse
TVLine Contest
Cosplay + ZTE
Follow Campaign
Mike Colter
ZTE @ CES 2017
John Starks
CEO Lixin Cheng
Vernon Maxwell
Qualcomm
Adonal Foyle
VP Jeff Yee
In January 2017, we traveled to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, the biggest tech expo in the world. ZTE USA had a presence there (a booth complete with a basketball hoop) but it was up to us to decide how to optimize their social experience.
In addition to the regular live posting and real time shots, we came up with two main opportunities: ZTE TV, hosted by yours truly, and 360 video experiences.
Besides the graphics and the photos, I did everything you can imagine: researching and writing the questions to ask our NBA celebrities on camera, concepting and scheduling hundreds of posts spread across 5 platforms and, of course, trying to remain professional when asking Adonal Foyle how he beat the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games during the 2007 Playoffs. The client was so happy, which made the long days definitely worth it.
CASE STUDY (AVA DIGITAL AWARD WINNER - PLATINUM): Download here.
