The social space can be a tricky place to do business if you are a massive brand like Chase. What platforms do you use and what exactly are you trying to convey? Can you use events to leverage your brand message effectively, and how many of you current or potential consumers actually want to engage with their bank or their financial services business on Snapchat, or Facebook or Twitter? For all those questions there is a need for contemporary brand relevance, speaking to your clients and giving them a little extra in all the places where they would like to engage with you.
Working through all those issues at a massive event like the US Open is Jessica Sheehan, Head of Social Media For Chase. We caught up with Jessica over Labor Day Weekend to talk about how Chase is using the space to engage with consumers far and wide, especially as we head toward what could be a historical Women’s US Open Final.
Chase has a global platform of sports activation for their clients, what makes the US Open both key and different?
The US Open, the best-attended annual sporting event in the world (over 700,000 spectators), is held annually in NYC, home to the world headquarters for JPMorgan Chase. Because of its prestige as a premier international sporting event and status as America’s Grand Slam, the Open is a uniquely perfect platform from which to promote the bank’s brand and interact with clients and prospects, both domestically and internationally.
How important has social become in engaging with current clients?
Social is one of many ways we engage with our customers and our community. We want to be where our customers are, and there’s no doubt they are on social. For our larger sponsored events like the US Open, we’re using social to engage with clients on-site and enhance their experience. In person, we’re welcoming you in the Chase Lounge – and, we’re looking out for your tweets and Instagram posts to answer your questions about the event, and sometimes surprise you with something fun.
In addition, we can engage with clients and customers who can’t attend on site by bringing to them the ESPN WATCH app and the Chase Review Channel. On their devices, particularly as we enter the second week, they will experience the Open with unique viewing from different camera angles (during the first week, they were able to watch multiple courts).
Lastly, our Mastery campaign featuring Serena had been a cornerstone to build components of our strategy so that fans, clients and customers are able to #MasterTheOpen.
Everyone wants to engage younger consumers, how does the Chase social and mobile strategy fit that philosophy, or does it?
There’s no doubt that millennials use social media – but we’re increasingly seeing it across generations, too. Our approach – particularly with these larger sponsorships – is to post content that looks natural to the ongoing conversations of the day. We want to be part of that “second screen” experience for fans. One good example this year is our sponsorship with the USTA and Twitter to provide instant replay content from the matches – “Twitter Amplify.” The @usopen handle is publishing it, and tagging @chase. It features pre-roll in line with our Serena Williams TV ads, as well as for our Chase Review channel on ESPN.
The business world is still trying to see how Snapchat fits into an activation strategy, how is Chase using the platform for engagement?
For the US Open, we’re sponsoring the Snapchat Story on the day of the Women’s Final. This will be Chase’s first foray into the channel, so we want to learn from it and see how to refine for the future. “Snapchat Stories” is where you’ll see user-generated content – snaps created by fans at and around the Open – curated by Snapchat. You’ll see Chase content woven into that story in a way that feels fun and natural to the platform. Our Snaps will highlight ways Chase customers can experience the Open on a higher level – “Master The Open,” if you will. We’re thrilled to be a pioneer in the industry for this channel. Definitely check it out!
Is there a way to measure success with just one platform like Snapchat?
Our social activations for the US Open span across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, so while the investments and objectives vary by channel, we’ll be looking at what worked and what didn’t, channel by channel. With a large activation like this, it’s a great opportunity to see what customers like and what they don’t, and apply that to how we approach social in the future.
Do you know how many current customers are engaged in the platform?
No, we can’t match customer data with Snapchat’s user base.
What has been the best example of social success with regard to Chase and sports around the Open?
We’re really excited to see the performance results for our Twitter Amplify promotion. We first used this product at the PGA Championships this summer and saw engagement rates that were nearly four times the benchmark for Sports content on Twitter.
How does the strategy in social and digital cross from one massive sports business activation to others for the brand, or is each one seen as a one off?
Social campaigns are never a one-off – be it for a sports event, or for talking about the new Chase mobile app. It’s always one of many channels we use to engage with our customers, meeting them where they are. But there’s no doubt that social is unmatched in its ability to humanize our brand and engage with our customers in real time. This is particularly true at our Sports & Entertainment sponsorships, where we have a great opportunity to engage with our customers and be part of those conversations.
