American Express Lets Customers Run Instagram… Kind of
Financial institutions are generally risk averse, especially when it comes to social media. Back in the good old days of 2007 and 2008, we often had to reassure clients that even though social could be less predictable, it was really not that scary. Back then, a common concern was that customers who could comment without a filter were a potential liability to a brand’s reputation. So you can imagine our reaction when we saw that American Express was going so far as to put their customers in charge of a social media channel.
The headline in Media Post, “Amex Hands Over Instagram POV To Cardmembers,” was intended to be attention grabbing (it is a headline after all), and it certainly had my interest. Amex is known for being an industry leader with its marketing efforts, but would it really just turn over the American Express Instagram feed to customers? That seemed, well, risky.
Of course the full story is not that simple. American Express was not just handing over its feed to just anyone. Amex found six cardmembers who were fans of the brand, gave them very broad direction about maintaining a brand look and feel and then allowed each of them to post to the Amex Instagram feed for one day.
Photos were submitted to Amex, and the company reviewed and then posted about six images a day. So the effort was curated (of course it would be). Still, the results had a very authentic feel that seemed highly on-brand. Here are some highlights:
Even if the brand controlled the images that were ultimately posted, this could have blown up in a number of ways for Amex. For example, what if it picked someone who did not take great images? Or what if that person had an off day? But it didn’t blow up; instead, it seems to have been a great addition to Amex’s effort on Instagram. So what did American Express do right?
- Strength of the brand – Not just any FI could pull this off. Amex has one of the strongest brands in the industry and very loyal fans who inherently understand the look and feel of the brand.
- Curating the contributors – The individuals Amex selected are all highly active on Instagram and are clearly very creative people (a graphic designer, a managing partner at a branding agency, a fashion designer, sisters Oleema and Kalani who own a swimsuit line, a chef and a party planner). With that roster, it’s a good bet that you will get a quality product.
- Choosing the right channel – Amex didn’t hand over its Facebook page or Twitter feed. It selected Instagram. As Media Post noted, this channel has an inspirational vibe and a strong personal point of view.
- Test and learn – Amex had tried the takeover approach previously with the fictional “CF Frost” and put him in the role of posting his daily experiences to Instagram. Followers responded positively to these posts, so shifting to real people who are authentic brand ambassadors was a natural move.
Other FIs should take note of what Amex has done here. It empowered a few brand advocates and asked them not just for user generated content, but to walk in the shoes of the company for one day. The industry has come a long way from being nervous about every negative Facebook comment, and it’s great to see Amex pushing the boundaries.
