What Does Marketing Have to Thank the Selfie for?

Present.

Although the practice of taking self-portraits is as old as photography, its popularity has been growing according to humanity’s evolution.

Initially, the self-portrait approach was more artistic, as was the case of Robert Cornelius, the first photographer to do so, who only wanted to have a different approach to perspective in his photographs, or the case of photographer David Slater, who lent his camera to some monkeys and one of them happened to take a selfie while playing.

As the camera was integrated into the cell phone, the Selfie became a form of spontaneous expression of the moment in real-time. With the proliferation of social media, this was the perfect cocktail for this practice to become so popular. It has transcended borders, ages, spaces, and appropriate times to do so, to the point that, in 2013, the word selfie was declared Oxford Dictionary’s “Word of the Year,” with some 57 million hashtags on social media, and used by celebrities, brands, and even politicians.

The Selfie’s growth in popularity and relevance for people is a door that opens for brands that want to have two-way communication with shoppers, as they themselves are the stars in creating content. Well, the Selfie becomes that validator of how the brand is essential in the user’s life, how it accompanies them at significant moments along the journey, making that connection that translates into conversion, as it represents their unique relationship.

The use of the Selfie can have different roles within the communication strategy and depending on the KPIs;

- Awareness – with campaigns where the brand takes advantage of trending topics, becoming part of user conversions, organically, and showing the brand as part of these experiences, memes, or challenges.

- Engagement – when they encourage users to show how the brand is experienced or with the creation of their own filters, making the user an ambassador.

- Conversion – when used within sales mechanics to create interaction dynamics based on skill and not by chance.

The Selfie can become an excellent ally for all brands that want to give greater relevance to the consumer’s active participation in creating the product or the brand experience. However, it is essential that its presence within your communication strategy is not seen as just another trend, as its impact will be diluted, given that the amount of communication on social media is growing daily.