Cisco uses Twitter to boost its signature event

Cisco Systems’ Twitter campaign at Cisco Live—the organization’s signature event—has won first place in the “Use of Twitter” category of PR Daily’s 2018 Digital PR and Social Media Awards.

The Twitter strategy in 2016 involved the possibility of an attendee’s tweet being scripted in the sky via skywriting. For 2017, the campaign was crafted to achieve four objectives: build buzz in advance of the event, bridge the in-person experience gap, encourage on-site conversation and enrich the event experience. 

The campaign targets on-site and online attendees as well as tech press and other influencers. Blog posts by Cisco Live attendees give Twitter users extra content to tweet about; many were further motivated when Twitter was used to collect questions for the CEO and by the opportunity to get a personalized digital photo from Bruno Mars (who performed at the event). 

Recognition efforts and other well-conceived tactics led to a long list of results, including 91,300 Twitter mentions, close to 1 billion impressions and more than $1 million in “tracked revenue” (a metric reflecting the monetary value of an on-site event). 

Congratulations to Kathleen Mudge and the other Cisco communicators who worked on the effort.