At the 2017 World Economic Forum, Tom Szaky of TerraCycle and executives of leading consumer goods manufacturers discussed the idea for restructuring the lifecycle ownership of consumer goods packaging. Single-use packaged goods are cheap for both the consumer and the manufacturer but the low price point does not reflect the effect packaging has when it is disposed of, sentenced to a fate of sitting for years in a landfill.
Tom went about taking that idea and turning it into Loop – a global circular shopping platform utilizing durable packaging that can be reused and/or recycled. The culmination of two years of hard work, including brands completely re-inventing their packaging and creating a new supply chain, resulted in the official announcement of Loop at the World Economic Forum January 24, 2019 and its impending launches in Paris and New York, May 14 and 21 respectively.
Given how revolutionary Loop is and the number of notable brands involved, we knew the potential for mass social media reach was extremely high. We wanted to generate as much positive, visual, global social media coverage with high engagement in order to get as many people to sign-up for Loop as possible. Another objective was to use social media to not only promote Loop but sustainable lifestyle choices as well. Lastly, we aimed to use the content gathered from conversations with consumers on social media to inform decisions regarding the expansion of Loop in terms of geography and product choice.
Six months prior to the announcement, discussion began taking shape to develop the Loop media relations strategy. We researched competitors’ social media strategies to develop Loop’s unique voice and tone. Through that process, we determined that highly visual accounts garnered more engagement and followers. A top priority across all platforms was consumer engagement through conversations, with quick response times and thorough responses, as a method to facilitate questions and create Loop customers. In addition to their original roles, it was decided that the Customer Service team would work directly within the social media accounts to expedite accurate responses to consumers. Finally, we developed a social media calendar that planned out the type of posts for each platform, ensuring diversity throughout Loop’s social media feeds, as well as syncs up with Loop’s promotional schedule.
Loop’s Instagram account was determined to be the centerpiece of the social media strategy. Since the Loop product portfolio is incredibly visual, leading up to Loop’s announcement we collaborated with our brand partners to create assets for the feed. Through photoshoots, we captured Loop’s innovative product designs as well as staged lifestyle shots. We determined that posts with calls to action would be critical to consumer engagement and brainstormed post ideas through research and compiling inspiration from other sources. We decided our LinkedIn account would highlight Loop news coverage and have a professional tone. Twitter, on the other hand, would have a more light-hearted tone to foster engagement and activity.
Loop’s social media accounts launched the day of the announcement January 24, 2019. As expected, Loop’s Instagram page has seen the most engagement. Through various posts with calls to action, we have seen innumerable conversations started in comments where our followers will share sustainability tips, encourage Loop’s expansion and tag their friends to see this new and innovative platform. Demand for geographic expansion is high, with over 150 cities mentioned throughout social media comments, which we take into consideration for future expansion. In addition to responding to comments on posts, we answer questions via Direct Message.
Other prongs of the Instagram account strategy include utilizing our high-profile CEO with bi-weekly videos where he answers actual Instagram user comments that are compiled by the Customer Service team. We highlight when new products are available on the platform through posts and coordinate specific hashtags to match shots, such as #LiveInLoop for posts that have a lifestyle orientation and focus. Instagram stories are another channel where consumer engagement informs our posts - we re-post consumers’ posts of their Loop totes on the story and tag them as well as re-post brand content that mentions Loop. A theme of sustainability-lifestyle focused posts is present on the Instagram feed, which coordinated with environmental holidays and events.
For Facebook, we re-post existing Instagram posts and answer consumer questions through comments or Facebook Messenger. We use LinkedIn to re-post media coverage of Loop and business-related stories. On Twitter, we foster light-hearted yet inspiring conversations about sustainability through interactive and tips and stories.
Never have major companies across multiple industries – such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, PepsiCo, Mars, and Nestlé – worked in tandem to change packaging. These global brands have invested money and time to re-engineer packaging design, supply chains and delivery as part of their participation in Loop. Loop is the world’s only platform that sells a range of branded products all in reusable packaging.
The public unveiling of Loop generated a tremendous amount of social media activity worldwide and has resonated globally with consumers.
Facebook: 769
Instagram: 1059
