Linkedin’s Creepy Side
Vier
Issue 34 | March 2015
Agency
BBDO Belgium
Creative Team
Creative Directors Jan Dejonghe Sebastien De Valck Arnaud Pitz Art Director Jan Dejonghe Copywriter Jutta Callebaut
Production Team
Videographer Jasper Heldenbergh
Other Credits
Account Manager Lore Desmet Account Director Isabel Peeters Social Strategy Julie Bogaerts Client Contacts Steven Vlassenroot Steven Huyers
Date
November - December 2014
Background
LinkedIn was known primarily as a professional business network. Yet, it also had a quite creepy and voyeuristic side: namely, the 'who's viewed your profile' feature. The idea was to use this function to announce the launch of 'Stalker', a new thriller series on the Belgian TV channel, Vier.
Idea
A fictitious LinkedIn profile was created for someone simply called Stalker who then stalked as many people as possible simply by viewing their profile. When someone got a notification from Linkedin that a certain Stalker had viewed their profile, invariably they then checked Stalker's profile in their turn. When they did so, they found all the information about the new series as well as an exclusive trailer and some personal details.
Results
Stalker viewed about 12,000 other LinkedIn profiles. 63% got curious and viewed Stalker's profile in return. Without having a Twitter account of his own, Stalker organically got around 27,600 Twitter impressions.
Our Thoughts
What a ridiculously simple idea. But so relevant to the subject matter. Quite a lot of the online chat was about what a ‘creepy’ idea it was but stalking itself is seriously creepy. I am told that Linkedin removed Stalker’s profile after one day but that the agency kept recreating it.
Therein lies one of the truisms of digital creativity, I think. Once you’ve had an idea you have to stay on it, responding to whatever happens out there on the web. Managing ideas is now a 24/7 occupation. I’m not sure how many marketers have grasped this yet.