What started as six second science lessons on Vine has morphed into a user-generated campaign just in time for the back-to-school season. Previously covered on Convince & Convert as a clever approach to content, General Electric is once again leading by example by encouraging its fans to experiment with and share their own six second science lessons.
To host this campaign, General Electric has introduced a new “#6SecondsScience Fair” Tumblr, which serves as a virtual home for the best submissions. Themed around the challenge, “How much science can you fit into six seconds?,” the campaign is accepting submissions on Vine and Twitter between August 8 – 15. Throughout this time window, the best videos are being posted on Tumblr, but fans can further share across Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.
While there is no contest or sweepstakes element to this campaign, it’s generated a strong response. Between General Electric and user-generated Vine content, the Tumblr blog houses 60 videos and counting. As part of this campaign, General Electric also partnered with well-known Vine users like Jethro Ames, Jordan Burt and Rudy Mancuso to create amazing science lesson themed content.
The examples of Vines submitted are incredibly diverse, but interesting. In fact, it’s easy to get caught up in watching them. The six second stop motion capabilities of Vine provides a lot of opportunity to show the steps of a science experiment, while inspiring how to re-create these science lessons at home.
General Electric also does a good job ceding new and previous Vine content to keep the community motivated.
Key Takeaways
- Re-Purpose: General Electric was sharing six second science lesson videos on Vine at least five months ago, but does it matter? The answer is no. If you re-purpose the content creatively as part of a larger branded campaign and add in new elements like the Tumblr blog, it can become fresh again and feel new.
- Stay Relevant: Part of the reason why this campaign feels new again is the timely back-to-school angle. The campaign plays on the nostalgia of science lessons and the cool factor of revisiting them at home. It’s also fun for those who don’t want to participate, but enjoy seeing the creations from others through the virtual science fair experience.
- Content Partnerships: User-generated campaigns are only as good as the content submitted. By creating its own Vine content, plus partnering with well-known Vine users, General Electric was able to provide incredible examples of what could be done. This helps to break down barriers to entry for some of the campaign feeling to difficult, while further encouraging others to up the creative ante.
- Create a Campaign Home: Creating a dedicated Tumblr blog to house the campaign was a great idea. There are more options and companies than ever to help you pull in and house user-generated content (Mass Relevance, Olapic, Postano, and more). Make sure the home you create for a campaign, whether it’s your website, microsite, or blog is highly visual, helps to tell the story of the campaign and fosters sharing.
How much science can you fit into six seconds?