Newsjacking has several connotations. When done well, it helps a brand gain online attention, resulting in more web visits. Furthermore, it provides opportunity for branding, helping a company express itself to the public. Brands do this all the time to mold the perception of consumers.
Whether your brand is a big contributor to the Special Olympics, uses under-represented people in ads, or makes a statement about a larger story, it creates associations. Consumers use those associations to make purchase decisions and forge lasting impressions.
Here, East Coast brand, Wawa, brands itself in teaming with the area’s Special Olympics branch.
Dropping into Wawa for your morning coffee? Drop some spare change into the coin canisters or round-up to the
nearest dollar at the register to support Special Olympics Delaware athletes! pic.twitter.com/N0kkNTYXaK— Special Olympics Del (@SODelaware) February 18, 2021
What Is Newsjacking?
Traditionally, newsjacking rides the coattails of breaking stories or larger ones with many facets. It’s used to break into a broader conversation. Additionally, newsjacking helps relate your brand with elements of a given story.
Brands have used newsjacking for some time but it’s especially useful in the digital age, where information is instant and continuous. During the 2013 Super Bowl, a television blackout disabled viewers from watching. However, Oreo’s social media team saw a vision.
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
Example of Newsjacking
Newsjacking does not have to achieve an incredibly viral effect. It’s used to partake in an existing conversation. Here, Autoglass takes advantage of a PR stunt originated by another brand.
The cat is out the bag 👀
Some of our best work is 15 minute turnarounds and thanks to @ho1mes_tom for the tip off pic.twitter.com/jX0mce9bPf
— Carrie Rose (@CarrieRosePR) February 16, 2021
Carrie Rose demonstrates how her digital PR team capitalizes on the PR “stunts” of others. Carrie’s client did not originate the PR stunt. However, with a bit of photo alteration and social media outreach, her team added client, Autoglass, to the clever stunt.
It’s an angle her team uses to attract online attention for clients. Moreover, it’s a tactic she notices in recruiting members for her team. Here, a burgeoning online marketer makes the world believe that Woolworths was back and gains Carrie’s attention regarding a potential job.
We’ve already hired out first nongraduate! @lukerobincastle tricked the world into thinking Woolworths was coming back, landed on BBC, ITV and more. It was a viral stunt which led to us connecting.
He now joins us soon! https://t.co/XkNiia5p3f pic.twitter.com/Bdl7arTi2j
— Carrie Rose (@CarrieRosePR) February 17, 2021
Newsjacking Larger Stories
Of course, it’s incredible when your addition to a story, angle, or reaction gains momentum of a larger story. In this case, a family’s disappointment in missing-out on Disney during a pandemic makes news.
We’ve all been feeling a bit down recently and so my wife decided we were going on holiday. I was told that I was taking Tuesday and Wednesday off and she’s been working on a secret plan 🧵
— Dom Hodgson (@TheHodge) February 16, 2021
SEO, Dom Hodgson, gained national attention with a clever and sweet portrayal of his family’s (remote) visit to Disney. Hodgson’s participation in the larger story, how a worldwide pandemic limits a lot of specific things in life, makes an impression.
Rather than tell others about the disappointment familiar to others, he showed us a different kind of reaction. The family’s creativity gained a lot of online traction and eventual national attention.
Disney-mad family praised for Leeds ‘stay-at-home holiday’ https://t.co/1BHARFJHot
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 17, 2021
Why Consider Newsjacking?
Why is newjacking worth your time? As shown above, it’s a way to attract attention and help brand a business. Recently, Dan Shure gave the SEO and marketing community something to think about.
Newsjacking and Google Discover
Google suggests content based on a user’s history and subsequent search behavior. Therefore, taking interest in a developing or ongoing story can help a website achieve more attention as well as visits. Dan Shure shows how a client’s contribution to a certain topic gained traction on Google Discover.
At that point, Dan advised the client to write more content supporting the initial insight. It proved successful for the small website that gained 400,000 additional visits due to three articles.
A strategy for Google Discover, is when you see a post do really well in there, consider posting more articles around that same topic (especially if it is timely or news-worthy-like in some way). Here’s an example of how that resulted in ~400,000 for this one site. pic.twitter.com/XYCVyHq9Du
— Dan Shure (@dan_shure) February 15, 2021
AeroMexico Newsjacks Politics
During the last presidential administration, the proposition of putting a wall between America and Mexico sparked ongoing discussion. The discussion was charged with feeling and emotion. Emotion is an incredible branding tool.
Therefore, AeroMexico took this moment in time to make a statement. The newsjacking entailed DNA tests, confident affirmations, surprises, and reconsideration. It’s an enlightening piece of Spanish newsjacking.
The post went viral, accruing over one-billion impressions, a 33% increase in America-to-Mexico ticket sales, and an advertising award.
Spanish Newsjacking Tips
Our clients take interest in introducing products and services to Latin America and beyond. In many cases, the client is unfamiliar with the language and local customs that vary throughout LATAM countries. Therefore, newsjacking in Spanish adopts more layers to consider.
Use Google Trends
Our team uses Google Trends to take interest in rising news stories. Additionally, it serves as a tool for helping us differentiate Hispanic audiences.
For example, some Americans may associate Day of the Dead with Spanish peoples. However, it’s a Mexican holiday. People share the Spanish language, but not all Spanish peoples celebrate Day of the Dead. See how the holiday consecutively gains interest in timely fashion each year in Mexico. However, interest remains low over the five-year period in Spain.
Get a Translator
Our PPC expert was given hundreds of words to translate for an English-to-Spanish campaign. Only 7% of the English words were translatable, existed, or made sense after translation! Therefore, you need an English-to-Spanish translator. But, Engish-to-Spanish translation is not that simple regarding PPC or any marketing endeavor.
Read our post on Spanish PPC at Search Engine Journal
Get a Trancreation Specialist
Actually, you don’t need (just) a translator. Even better, a transcreation specialist ensures your attempts at newsjacking are optimized for varied local audiences. For, telling a joke and getting a laugh may entail a different approach regarding an audience in Mexico versus one in Argentina.
How are you going to engage in a local or national conversation if you can’t use words like a local? Think translation is that simple? Consider all the ways “you” and “your” is expressed throughout Latin America.
Read more about Transcreation
Tailor Content for Multiple Spanish Audiences
As mentioned, Hispanics in Spain have different interests than those in Mexico and Latin America. However, online ads and related content often cater to those in Spain. This is a huge missed opportunity for brands looking to make connections with local audiences.
Think Local
Lastly, Burger King may have had the most ingenious idea using an ongoing nuisance and local Mexican story – traffic jams. The traffic in Mexico City is notorious. Using this local “story,” BK invented the “Traffic Jam Whopper,” a clever display of online, offline, digital, and hand-delivered marketing ingenuity.
Perhaps a nontraditional example of “newsjacking,” Burger King, however, uses the same elements of timing, awareness, and brand-related action to become part of the conversation.
Read more about Top Hispanic Marketing Campaigns
Do you want to be a part of the conversation? Let’s start talking about developing a Hispanic social media campaign and making potential consumers into faithful followers.
