Social Day Speaker Spotlight - Lisa Boyles
The Social Day line-up is looking great this year with some incredible speakers and next to be interviewed is Lisa Boyles, Social Media Manager at giffgaff.
Can you provide us with a brief overview of your marketing history and how you have progressed to be in the position you are now?:
Since finishing up my BA and MA at Brunel University in 2014, I've done a bit of ‘sector-hopping’. Starting out managing all-round communications for a children’s charity with offices in the UK, Tanzania, Nepal, and India, I've since narrowed my focus to social media and digital marketing. I moved on to AkzoNobel UK, where I managed the social media channels and content for Dulux, Cuprinol, Armstead and more. It was here I had her first sneak peek into TV sponsorship on Shed of the Year. I joined giffgaff’s Brand Social Team in July 2018. Here, I lead on – Activating TV sponsorships across social, digital, and below the line. – Paid social strategy, activation and reporting. – Social insights. – Project planning across campaigns. – (and eating obscene amounts of chocolate before 9:30am…) Over the last two years, I've had the pleasure of working across TV sponsorships for The Crystal Maze (2018), The Circle (2018) and The Voice UK (2019 and 2020). In 2019, I was awarded Highly Commended for Social Day’s ‘In House Social Media Marketer Of The Year’.
What is the name of your keynote for Social Day 2020?:
Building a social community around TV sponsorships
What will you be focusing on and how will our audience benefit from it?:
We'll be discussing how giffgaff has put its ethos of being ‘the mobile network run by you’ at the heart of all of its TV sponsorships. From The Big Bang Theory in 2014 to The Voice UK 2018-2020.
What will be the key takeaways from your keynote?:
You’ll come away from this session with actionable ideas on how to - maximise an advertising venture through-the-line - build and maintain a thriving social community of brand advocates - provide iconic experiences worth sharing
What do you love most about Social Day Festival?:
Rapid-fire learning!
What’s the most exciting thing you've seen in social media in the last 12 months?:
TikTok. It's exciting because of how influential it rapidly became amongst Gen Z, and it will be so interesting to see how many brands manage to understand how to present themselves authentically enough in that space to be accepted and successful. (Plus I'm a dancer, so I love all the little trending routines that become a 'thing' thanks to TikTok).
What challenges do you feel you may be facing in the coming years with your role?:
The Telco market is getting more and more competitive, so how we continue to communicate our point of difference will be an interesting challenge to embrace. Also how to continue navigating the two, often conflicting, expectations of social media - brand/community building vs sales.
What's been your best social media success story to date and why?:
I work within a fantastic Brand Social team at giffgaff. I'm super proud of the Halloween campaign we ran in 2019. Halloween to giffgaff is like Christmas to John Lewis. Whilst being a social-first campaign, the giffgaff spirit of collaboration was evident across the business so that we could roll it out across our site and other comms. It delivered a fantastic uplift in awareness, consideration, as well as improvements in retention and NPS for our members (customers). Plus the creative was really fun - a homage to classic horror tropes told through nostalgic animation.
What has been your favourite social media campaign (Big or Small) in the last year and why?:
I'm a huge fan of Spark Notes always-on activity. Using memes is nothing new, but I feel that they absolutely nail how they make this relevant to their brand. The in-jokes and references to classic literature keeps me amused. Greggs and their miscellaneous Vegan product rollouts continue to impress too.
Finally, what would you like the future of social media to be?:
A return to an emphasis on SOCIAL media. But with a heavy focus on kindness, positivity, activism.
Want to connect with Lisa? Find her on the links below.
www.twitter.com/lisaboylesmedia
Are you coming to the Social Day Festival 2020? Tickets available now!