3 Innovative Brand Uses of Facebook Timeline
Last week, Facebook announced the launch of its Timeline feature for Brand Pages. The SociaLink office was buzzing with excitement all day as we brainstormed the amazing ways we could help our clients through the transition. Kindly, Facebook has allowed Page admins to experiment with the new layout in a Preview Mode before publishing their new page. Come March 31, however, Timeline goes live for all. We’ll be providing a How-To piece coming up, but for now, we thought we’d highlight a few shining examples we can all learn from.
1. New York Times
At its very core, Facebook Timeline is just that- a timeline. For a company like the New York Times, dating back to the 1850s, that unleashes a ton of possibilities. The iconic newspaper has taken the new Facebook layout as an avenue to promote its role during pivotal moments in history. They showcase behind the scenes photos from unforgettable news events like the one pictured above. Go back as far as the 1800s and you’ll even find company milestones. My personal favorite is 1861 introduction of the Sunday paper to satisfy the public’s desire for more coverage during the Civil War. Explore it yourself here.
2. Red Bull
While most brands are using the Timeline in a literal way to display key milestones in their company’s history, Red Bull has gone the extra mile. Almost immediately following the announcement, they launched a complex scavenger hunt prompting users to explore their Timeline. The Red Bull Timeline Timewarp was a pinned post, meaning it stayed at the top of their page for a full 7 days. With the lure of some “serious prizes,” they sent their fans on a wild Facebook goose chase with the initial instruction, “travel back to the day the first Red Bull was sold.” The complexity of the clues steadily increased, engaging users with apps like Spotify, past status updates, photos and videos. Read more here.
3. Romney Record
Perhaps the most innovative Timeline we’ve seen so far was that made by Newt Gingrich’s campaign team to disparage Mitt Romney’s political platform. Their Romney Record Timeline made a massive media splash today. Following the politician’s career over several decades, they call out Romney’s past quotes, videos and voting records in an attempt to portray him as a liberal-leaning conservative. Obama’s revolutionary social media tactics served him well in 2008, but Timeline is opening up a whole new forum for aggressive campaign managers. Stay tuned.
What do you think of these Timeline pioneers?
Stay tuned for our upcoming blog with tips and tricks for making the most of your own Page Timeline.
