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Prepared By:
Ambuj Gupta
IIFT Kolkata Intern @Simplify360

Designed By:
Nida Mohsin
Web Designer @Simplify360

Contents:
Introduction.4
History Of Selfie..7
Why People Click Selfies?............................................................................10
Some Famous Selfies.13
Why marketers are interested in the selfie trend?........................................17
Selfie for a Social Cause40

Introduction
What is that one thing that celebs, girls getting ready in the bathroom and
fitness fanatics do in common? Clicking a Selfie!

Included in and defined by Oxford Dictionary as a photograph that one has

taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and
uploaded to a social media website, selfies have become a rage especially with
the younger generation with everyone eager to flaunt on social media.

Selfies have been called a symptom of social media-driven narcissism, a way

to control others images of us, a new way not only of representing ourselves
to others, but of communicating with one another through images, the
masturbation of self-image and a virtual "mini-me," what in ancient biology
might have been called a "homunculus" a tiny pre-formed person that would
grow into the big self.

Selfies have become the catchall term for digital self-portraits abetted by the
explosion of cellphone cameras and photo-editing and sharing services.
Every major social media site is overflowing with millions of them. Everyone
from the pope to the Obama girls has been spotted in one.
One of the advertisements for the new Grand Theft Auto V video game features
a woman in a bikini taking a photograph of herself with an iPhone.

In a recent episode of Showtimes Homeland, one of the main characters

snaps and sends a topless selfie to her boyfriend.
Snapchat, a photo-based messaging service, is processing 350 million photos
each day, while a recent project on Kickstarter raised $90,000 to develop and
sell a small Bluetooth shutter release for smartphones and tablets to help people
take photographs of themselves more easily.

According to stats declared by Mashable, even though the first selfie was posted
on Jan 16, 2011, the hashtag #selfie has been used on Instagram over 88
million times.
A quick search on Google Android Store of the word selfie reveals that there
are more than 250 apps that serve various purposes for taking a selfie, out of
which around 35 are paid.

So with so much being said and done around Selfies, we decided to take a look
at what brands and marketers are doing to jump aboard the selfie bandwagon.

History of the Selfie:

Snapped in New York on the roof of the Marceau Studio

on Fifth Avenue, across the street from St. Patrick's
Cathedral, this selfie taken in December 1920 is assumed
to be the first ever modern selfie and features five
gentlemen who were the photographers of the Byron
Company, a photography studio founded in Manhattan in

While self-portrait photography has been around as long as cameras

have, Social Media Today attributes the birth of the selfie to MySpace, which
requested that users upload a MySpace pic to their profiles in 2006. That was
the time when selfies posted on social network dinosaurs like MySpace were
actually uncool.
That all changed as smartphones arrived in the market along with the advent of
new social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Apple came out with the iPhone 4s featuring a front-facing camera and many
other manufacturers joined in to make the most of the trend. When Instagram
and filtered photos hit smartphones in 2011, the selfie exploded across social
networks.

For now, everyone is trying to experiment with the trend and it is quite common
to come across headlines such as these:

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Why People Click Selfies?

There are majorly two schools of thought on why people take selfies; one
blaming narcissism for forcing people into taking selfies while the other praising
people who take selfies as self-confident.

Going by the narcissism school of thought, the belief of psychologists is that

people who post selfies on social media websites are craving for attention and
are expected to have less intimacy in their relationships. These people are in
need of approval and validation, whose self-esteem is based on public
contingencies, how they are perceived by others. This group will often present
themselves in a more sexualised way, geared towards gaining as many
comments as possible to prop-up a more fragile sense of self.

A study in this regard was conducted where 508 Facebook users with an
average age of 24 were asked to rank how close they feel to their friends,
coworkers and relatives who also use Facebook. They then compared those
answers to how many selfies those people posted. Overwhelmingly, the more
someone posted selfies, the lower they ranked on the intimacy scales of the
participants.

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The other thought of self-confident people makes sense if the culture of selfies
is instilled at a young age, then people are growing up taking photos of
themselves. Theoretically, this will make them more comfortable with their own
self-image, which could lead to a more resilient self-esteem overall.

Dr Aaron Balick, a psychotherapist who has written a book about the human
motivations behind social networking, explains that we have both "active online
identities" and "passive online identities". He says:

"A passive one is like when you search for yourself, or when friends post
information about you - it's your online identity that you have no control over.
Active online identities are ones you can control, like a Facebook profile. A selfie
is an expression of an active online identity, something you have some control
over. You might take lots, but you'll publish the ones you like - even if they are
silly or unflattering."

Because selfies and photobombs are now a part of our collective culture, lets
not scorn the selfie. It is merely a newer method of self-expression, and one
that we should embrace.

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Rather than dismissing the trend as a side effect of digital culture or a sad form
of exhibitionism, maybe were better off seeing selfies for what they are at their
best a kind of visual diary, a way to mark our short existence and hold it up
to others as proof that we were here. The rest, of course, is open to
interpretation.

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Some Famous Selfies:

They have been retweeted hundreds of thousands of time. People have spent
their valuable time talking about them and the social media cannot get enough
of them. Here are a few selfies that got people talking:

President Barack Obama sandwiched between Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson

Koala Selfie by Australia.com

Selfie with Pope Francis!

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The Space Selfie by NASA astronaut Aki Hoshide

The Gross Selfie by Ice Hockey player Mitch

Callahan

Your Pain, My Gain selfie!

Plane just crashed Selfie!

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THE Oscar Selfie!

I so Cute Selfie!

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The Funeral Selfie!

The Seductive Selfie!

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Why marketers are interested

in the selfie trend?
As is evident from the above examples, a selfie has the capacity to go viral on
the Internet. All it takes is some creativity and a little bit of planning.

If you look up #selfie on Instagram youll be bombarded with millions of

matches to scan through more than 88 million to be precise. It is
estimated that in 2014 the number of selfies being taken could exceed 250bn,
so clearly marketers have the right to sense an opportunity. And with so many
selfies being taken, its a no-brainer for brands think about how they can utilise
that trend for exposure.

As with all aspects of social media, understanding your audience is critical to

success. This requires listening, monitoring trends to know what your audience
will and wont engage with. But it also necessitates an understanding of the
psychology of selfies, of why people engage in this activity in the first place.

While sectors such as FMCG have found it easy to approach the customer with
this trend, there are a few sectors which have found it difficult to come up with
campaign surrounding the trend of selfie. But one cannot just wake up one
morning and start a selfie campaign. Like all marketing activities, the judicious
use of this trend requires a firm planning and precise approach.

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Here are a few suggestions on how marketers can utilize the buzz around selfies
for their own good:

The first thing to consider is your audience. Will they be aware of selfies;
will they appreciate this new digital marketing tool?

Secondly, ensure that there is a strategy behind this. Dont just embark
on a selfie campaign without strict guidelines. Make sure you have a solid
objective for your campaign: what do you want the end result to be viz.
increased brand awareness, website traffic, social followers, etc.?

Create a separate landing page on your company website that spells out
the rules of engagement for the campaign in question possibly setting
limits for whats appropriate.

Incorporate a few mentions of the campaigns hashtag so that a

conversation is likely to flow around it.

Also, brands need to be aware of any legal issues involving selfies and
user-generated content in general.

Marketers should also make sure to review selfies for any inappropriate
material that they do not want associated with the brand.

Apart from that, many innovations in the product itself have also been made to
accommodate the trend of selfies; selfie-specific phones and cameras being the
prime examples.

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In the next section, we have handpicked ten campaigns that brands have
executed commendably around the selfie:

CAMPAIGN #1:

The #DoveSelfie:
Unilevers Dove has been amongst the early adopters of the social media
marketing on the whole and as the selfie trend came into existence, they were
amongst the first to devise a marketing campaign around the buzz.

In their month long #DoveSelfie campaign, women were invited to play with
their hair, take a selfie of their best hairstyle as per the theme of the day and
post it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #DoveSelfie.

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A Dove Selfie app was also created on the Dove Facebook page for the same.
On International Womens Day March 8, 2014, Dove ran the hashtag as a
promoted trend on Twitter.

The brand handed out daily prizes of exclusive styling kits and brand hampers to
the winners, while there was one grand prize of a pass to an exclusive event by
Dove for the participants.

The message of Shed your inhibitions. Take a Selfie and show the world how
beautiful you are that was given out with this campaign was one that Dove has
been trying to promote for years now one of belief in ones own beauty.

On a global level, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its campaign for real
beauty, the Unilever PLC-owned brand launched a short film (a.k.a. an eightminute ad) at the Sundance Film Festival, called Selfie. It featured real
teenaged girls and their mothers talking about their insecurities, and about
debunking beauty standards.

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CAMPAIGN #2:

Max Bupas #FamilySelfie

Max Bupa highlighted its insurance plan for the entire family in this campaign
that combined the trend of selfies along with some smart planning and goodies.
Max Bupa encouraged Twitter users to post a family selfie with loved ones.

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Max Bupa encouraged fans to share as the entries came in large numbers

The campaign managed to generate buzz in its desired target group

With many influencers joining in, the campaign attracted 2.44 lakh participants
and 500 targeted followers within four days.

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CAMPAIGN #3:

Hooters #StepIntoAwesome
On the eve of its 30th anniversary, Hooters came up with a new advertising
campaign that seeked to showcase recent innovations in the restaurant chain,
including expanded menu choices and the remodeled restaurants more
contemporary, comfortable surroundings.

The campaign managed to generate buzz in its desired target group

This rebranding exercise also included a series of TV commercials which were

developed through consumer research and insights from chain franchisees.

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Digital media provided opportunity for viewers to interact with one of the worlds
most iconic and vibrant brands by sharing their personal awesome moments at
Hooters via Twitter and Instagram with a #StepIntoAwesome hashtag campaign
and the Step Into Awesome website, where fans will be able to vote for the
most awesome moments at Hooters.

Hooters managed to get over 10,000 user-posted photos within first 30 days of
the campaign. Hooters even added a "Miss Social" category to its swimsuit
pageant for the contestant with the most social activity.

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The campaign managed to generate buzz in its desired target group

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CAMPAIGN #4:

Turkish Airlines The Selfie Shootout

Starring two of the most popular athletes in the world in the form of Lionel Messi
and Kobe Bryant, the advertisement showed them sweat it out in the epic battle
of selfies.

The message that the company sent out to the viewers was loud and clear we
fly to more countries than any other airlines. The duo were shown trading selfies
from exotic locations across the world including Red Square in Moscow, The
Great Wall of China, the Maldives, Bangkok and Mount Kilimanjaro.

In the ads final shot, Messi takes a selfie in Sultan Ahmet Square in Istanbul
only to be photo-bombed by Kobe. All this in a one-minute video!

The video has received over 137mn views on YouTube owing to the global
popularity of the duo and the reach of Turkish Airlines on the Social Media.

The extent of its popularity could be estimated by the fact that the next most
popular video on YouTube from a carrier has just 30mn views (WestJets
Christmas Miracle).

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By concocting a mixture of exotic locations, popular celebrities and the trend of

selfies, Turkish Airlines scored a winner with this advertisement.

The video was followed up by a #SelfieShootOut contest where people were

encouraged to share photos on either one of Facebook, Instagram or Twitter
and the one which received the most likes was chosen as the winner of a round
trip flight ticket.

The campaign ran over the duration of three months and three winners were
chosen.

With 61% of buzz being generated by people of 40+ age, the #SelfieShootOut campaogn seems an anomaly

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CAMPAIGN #5:

The Walking Dead: Dead Yourself App

You can do a lot if you log into AMCs website for the show. From watching full
episodes to playing interactive games on the computer and downloading apps
like The Walking Dead: Dead Yourself, you get to feel whatever happens in the
original TV series.

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With creative use of hashtags and involvement of cast and crew in the
conversations, Walking Dead is able to connect to its viewers at a more intimate
level on the social media.

The Walking Dead:

Dead Yourself app has been a major success and has been downloaded millions
of time on Google Play Store. It is also available on the iStore.

This fun photo app is a way for fans to transform themselves into one of the
walking dead zombies. Just click a selfie and zombify yourself by modifying
various features of the face.

Users are also able to then share those photos to social sites. The Walking Dead
Team didnt get lazy on this feature as the app has been updated with new
photos and props to celebrate the new season. A great way to stay connected
with your viewers.

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CAMPAIGN #6:

Beggin Strips #BegginSelfie

US company Beggin that produces dog treats got even the canines into the
selfie trend. With their #BegginSelfie campaign, they encouraged dog owners to
share photos of their dogs selfies to be featured in their #SelfieSunday roundup
on Twitter.

The campaign was adjudged the most engaging selfie campaign on Twitter for
the year 2013.

The campaign proved to be more popular amongst the females and also in the people of age group 13-20

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Another similar campaign that pulled the canine into clicking selfies was
undertaken by Brazilian pet salon Pet Beauty.

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CAMPAIGN #7:

The Cape Times Newspaper

Under the tag line 'You can't get any closer to the news', the Cape Times
Newspaper tried to recreate iconic images from the past as if the world famous
subjects had taken the photos themselves.

As well as Churchill getting the 'selfie' treatment, Jackie Kennedy, Arch Bishop
Desmond Tutu and even Kate and Will's memorable wedding balcony kiss are all
used.

The campaign got covered by almost all major digital marketing websites and
blogs and earned The Cape Times many new followers over various social
networking platforms.

The agency had this to say about the campaign, Every journalist knows the key
to a great story is getting it, as they say, straight from the horses mouth. A
first-hand account. Not from bystanders or passersby, but from the person, or
people, who are at the heart of the story.

In this way journalists are able to provide much more detailed, in-depth and
insightful accounts, which consequently means readers are better
informed. Every story deserves a first-hand account.

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CAMPAIGN #8:

Toyota Dont Shoot and Drive

Toyota Cyprus took the initiative to create an advert with the slogan Dont
Shoot and Drive.

The advert touches upon the growing trend of people taking "selfies" while
driving and publishing them on social media networks.

The main goal of the advert is to prevent millions of drivers from taking pictures
of themselves and posting them on social media, while driving, as it may be
dangerous or even fatal.

The ad features several thumbnails of the image of a smashed up car,

presumably taken with Instagram and edited with all of its 12 filters.

Evidently, changes in tone and lighting wont make a wrecked car look any
better. The campaign was a hit and was featured on NBC's news as well as on
national sites such as CNN and Daily Mail.

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The advert has been a huge success in social media and blogs alike drawing
hundreds of comments, especially on Twitter. It is very important to note that
this initiative started in our small country, Cyprus, and became a worldwide
media success.

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CAMPAIGN #9:

AXE #KissForPeace

On global level, people were invited to share a picture of them kissing with the
hashtag #KissForPeace and a few lucky ones ended up on the giant Times
Square screen. The best concepts were also given cash prizes.

In India, however, the company took a more conservative route and asked its
followers to share a photo of them kissing an AXE product. The lucky winners
were then given hampers.

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The campaign was a part of Make Love, Not War campaign that the company
doled out on the eve of World Peace Day. Various television advertisements
were also released and managed to gain enough eyeballs and mentions on the
internet.

With people of all age group getting involved, the campaign could be considered a successful one

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CAMPAIGN #10:

AT&T #BeTheFan
AT&T tried to capitalize on the popularity and passion of college football
amongst the fans and launched a season long #BeTheFan campaign featuring
Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet as Coach.

The coach then issued gameday challenges to fans which involved posting
selfies from the venue or wearing the teams jersey over various platforms with
the #BeTheFan hashtag.

The best submissions win a trip to "College GameDay" and tickets to the shows
featured game. The popularity of the campaign was beyond the companys
expectation.

The campaign increased the twitter handles engagement rate by around 80%
and had over a 400% increase in sweepstakes entries over the past year. The
social buzz went up about 271% over the previous period.

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With people of all age group and both gender getting involved, the campaign could be considered a successful one

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Selfie for a Social Cause:

Not all selfie campaigns from the marketers have been aimed towards
generating profits in some way or the other. There are a few examples of
campaigns that have a social message attached to them. Here we take a look at
few of them:

CAMPAIGN #1:

#WeAreAllMonkeys
Sports have always been marred with the problem of racism. In a recent
incident of racism in Spanish football, Brazilian international Dani Alves was
attacked with a banana while he prepared to take a corner.

Alves showed maturity and ate the banana that was hurled at him. However, by
the time the game got over, social media was abuzz with a new trend
#WeAreAllMonkeys.

Many football players with fan following of millions on social media posted
photos of themselves eating a banana. Film celebrities joined in as well and the
trend went global in no time at all.

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CAMPAIGN #2:

#NoMakeUpSelfie

Out of nowhere, women started posting natural photos of their face (without
makeup or the duck face or other gimmicks we hate!) accompanied with
messages like cure cancer, cancer awareness etc.

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The trend soon spread globally and proceeds to Cancer Research, UK (which had
no part in the campaign) increased manifolds.

The research agency claims the campaign was not an orchestrated one. They
however managed to get donations worth 8mn and thanked the Twitter-family
for their support.

CAMPAIGN #3:

#BringBackOurGirls
On April 15th, 230 School girls were kidnapped from the Chibok Government
Secondary School by Boko Haram Terrorists in Nigeria.

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People of Nigeria are marching in the streets to demand the rescue of the 300
school girls that were kidnapped.

Meanwhile, celebrities worldwide joined in the movement and posted selfies

holding message #BringBackOurGirls to put pressure on Nigerian authorities to
act quickly and efficiently on the matter.

The girls are yet to return but the pressure created has forced Nigerian
government to accept help from US, Britain, France, Israel and several other
countries in their rescue mission.

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CAMPAIGN #4:

#DoGood Selfless Selfies

As thousands of people flocked in Austin, Texas to attend the South by South

West event, MasterCard encouraged the attendees to post a selfie on Twitter
with the hashtag #dogood and #SXSW.

The card company would then donate $5 and school lunch for a month through
the UN World Food Program for every selfie uploaded.

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CAMPAIGN #5:

Johnson & Jonhnson Donate a Photo

On a dedicated website, the company defines this campaign as, for every photo
you share, Johnson & Johnson donates $1 to a cause you want to help - which
does things like fix up a public park, get medicine for an infant, or help kids play
sports safely.

You choose the cause you want to help; Johnson & Johnson makes it happen.
You can donate one photo a day, every day.

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With a photo a day, youll make a difference by raising money and awareness
for causes you care about.

Share with your friends and youll help your causes meet their goals faster.
A separate mobile app was created for people to upload their selfies.

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