Qantas lets travellers link Instagram snaps with out-of-office email responses

Source: Qantas Out of Office website.

Qantas has launched Qantas Out Of Office, a new service that transforms the generic out-of-office email reply into a real-time photographic travel journal.

Qantas Out of Office connects an email address with Instagram and updates the auto reply message with holiday Instagram photos that are tagged with the hashtag #qantasoutofoffice.

To set it up, people need to go to qantasoutofoffice.com, connect their Instagram account and email address, enter the dates that they are out of the office, where they are travelling to, and a simple message.

Qantas Group Executive Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs Olivia Wirth said the airline hoped the new out of office travelogue would inspire more colleagues, friends and family to travel the world.

“The traditional out of office message can be both generic and impersonal in nature and from our research, 60% of employees say they appreciate receiving something more creative,” she said.

“We know that tips from friends and colleagues are the highest driver for people when choosing their next holiday destination, so we saw an opportunity to encourage travel through the millions of out of office emails being sent every day.

“There’s no better real-time platform than Instagram to promote global travel, especially when combined with Qantas’ vast domestic and international network which offers endless opportunities for original and inspirational images.

“Whether it’s a snap of a traveller relaxing under a palm tree in the Whitsundays or sampling dumplings in Hong Kong, the images will create travel envy and travel aspirations.”

Instagram Brand Development Lead, Australia and New Zealand Sophie Blachford said Qantas Out of Office is a unique and clever platform for an airline because most people who are travelling will activate their out of office as their final gesture before jetting off.

“With this new service, moments from the holiday you’re on will provide colour and personalisation to what’s otherwise a rather mundane computer generated email,” she said.

How it works:

+ The application features only the photos tagged with #qantasoutofoffice, so people can choose which photos make up their auto reply message. The service also works with private Instagram accounts.

+ Qantas Out of Office is available globally to anyone with Hotmail and Gmail, including other domains that use the Gmail inbox.

+ The auto reply message for people using email through the Outlook desktop application will feature a link that takes recipients to a webpage collection of their Instagrammed holiday photos.


Interested?

Activate Qantas Out of Office

Watch the how-to video for Qantas Out of Office

Instagram did better than Facebook for Rio 2016

Source: ComScore. Social network interactions between Facebook and Instagram for July 2016 around the Olympic games, which ran from 5 to 21 August.

ComScore has reported that social network Instagram was the star for engagement during Rio 2016, although Facebook - which owns Instagram - was the main social platform used to share official content before the event.

In June, the UK ranked third in the world in total unique visitors on RIO2016.COM, followed by Australia and Argentina. Latin American countries were in the top two. Other highlights included:

• With 3 million fans around the world, the Rio 2016 Facebook page increased post cadence before the Olympic games when compared to the previous quarter. Frequency grew from 47 posts per week between April and May to 55 during July 2016.
• During July, 40% of total actions on the RIO 2016 Facebook page were generated by posts containing videos. Once the games started, posts with photos took precedence, responsible for 81% of total actions during the first weekend of the games, including likes, shares and comments.
• 63% of official Rio 2016 social content was posted on Facebook during July. However, despite less content, Instagram was responsible for 72% of the total actions on Rio 2016 social networks during the same month.

Twenty SK-II prizes up for grabs in the Singapore BRAND'S InnerShine RubyCollagen Essence 30-Day Challenge

Source: Brand's website. Sample Instagram posts.

BRAND’S is running the BRAND'S InnerShine RubyCollagen Essence 30-Day Challenge in Singapore till 31 December 2015. Prizes will be issued on a first come first served basis during the promotional period, or whilst stock lasts, whichever occurs earlier. The company is offering SK-II facial treatments as prizes.

Individuals can join the contest by buying BRAND’S InnerShine RubyCollagen Essence Drink or Strip from retail stores or online. A minimum of 30 bottles must be purchased, for example three 10-strip RubyCollagen packs, three 12-bottle packs or five 6-bottle packs.

Take BRAND’S RubyCollagen for 30 consecutive days, with a minimum of one bottle or strip consumed a day. Document the journey through a minimum of one Instagram post a day, for 30 consecutive days, with the hashtags #rubycollagen30daychallenge and #innershinesg, plus tag @innershinesg in the post.

Once the 30-Day RubyCollagen Challenge has been completed, send a message to BRAND’S InnerShine Facebook account with your Instagram account name and personal details (full name, identity card number, email, mobile number), and a photo of the purchase receipt(s) as proof of purchase.

The first fifteen participants to complete the 30-Day RC Challenge will each win a SK-II Perfecting Luxe facial worth S$320. The next five participants who complete the 30-Day RC Challenge will each win a SK-II Discovery Facial worth S$190.

Interested?

InnerShine RubyCollagen Essence costs S$62.90 online for a dozen 50ml bottles. Read the terms and conditions

Hashtags: #rubycollagen30daychallenge, #innershinesg

GMC gets on Instagram to show PanoGrams and #GMCprecision

Source: GMC.

GMC has introduced #GMCprecision, a new hashtag to go with its Instagram-based panoramic photography campaign.

The month-long campaign, launched in the US on May 22, illustrates the attention to detail in its vehicles. GMC is one of the first automotive brands to create “PanoGrams” via the Instagram Carousel format that debuted earlier this year. It allows consumers to swipe through a series of photos in a single ad, similar to the way a traditional magazine publishes a multi-page spread of a single image. PanoGrams showcase a series of photos within the carousel that stitch into one panoramic image, with an added link to GMC's website for additional information.

Instagram/Facebook’s Creative Shop team worked closely with GMC to identify, select and photograph the #GMCprecision venues. They include a wind farm – viewed from a GMC Sierra Denali pickup and made to look infinite because of how the photographer captured the towering turbines against clouds and filtered sunlight – and a private residence in southern California. The GMC Yukon Denali and Terrain Denali are featured in the architecture treatment.

“We chose Instagram because of its successful track record of creating communities of discerning photography enthusiasts who can rally around a brand,” said Duncan Aldred, US VP, GMC. “Highlighting the precision of our vehicles within the context of beautiful photography helps us connect with consumers who embrace precision in all aspects of their lives.”

GMC will integrate its PanoGrams and companion content into the brand’s other digital media channels, such as Facebook.

“GMC’s PanoGrams are an incredibly creative and beautiful use of Instagram’s Carousel format,” said Michelle Morris, Group Director, Auto, Facebook & Instagram. “Instagram is all about capturing striking moments, and combining the interiors of their new Sierra with breathtaking exteriors is an excellent way to call attention to GMC’s great vehicles.”

The #GMCprecision social play is part of GMC’s Precision campaign, which launched in the US with television ads in March. GMC said that through May 31, GMC sales have been up 15% year over year as more customers shift to trucks, crossovers and SUVs. This uptake is partially attributed to the campaign.

In the UAE, Zakat Fund leverages social media to educate, communicate

In the UAE, the Zakat Fund is reaching out to the public through social media in a bid to increase public awareness of zakat and transparency on the dealings of the Fund.

The authority specialising in collecting money for zakat and charity and spending it on the eight legal channels of zakat deploys Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Google+ to enable the public to follow on-going activities and initiatives and to act as a conduit for queries, notices and complaints, said H.H Abdullah ibn Aqeedah Al Muhairy, Secretary-General of the Zakat Fund.

H.H. disclosed that January statistics from the Arab IT News Portal stated that about 81% of UAE users use the Internet to log into social networking websites, representing 3 hours and 17 minutes of daily use each. 

Facebook is the most popular social networking platform used in the UAE, followed by Google+, then Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram respectively. The study stated that 74% of UAE users have smartphones, which 38% use for e-shopping and 90% use for searching for local services. 

*Pictures from the Zakat Fund website