Colgate Optic White takes center stage on Snapchat for CMA Awards

Dive Brief:

Colgate Optic White is entering its fourth consecutive year as a partner of the Country Music Association, and for the 51st annual CMA Awards show airing Nov. 8, it's rolling out a mobile-focused strategy to attract viewer interest, per a press release.
During the awards show, Colgate Optic White will take over the official 2017 CMA Awards Snapchat Live Story. This year, the brand has also teamed up with "Female Vocalist of the Year" nominee and singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini, who will offer fans an inside look at her CMA Awards routine and how she feels about the nomination on Instagram and Twitter.
The brand will additionally have Nashville-based social influencers Sounds Like Nashville and Sarah Belle live tweeting using the #OpticWhite hashtag; a CMA Awards 360-degree Smile Cam on the red carpet and an @OpticWhite account on Instagram.

Dive Insight:

Colgate's CMA Awards play points to how brands can leverage Snapchat outside of the standard geofilters, sponsored lenses and ad spots. The platform, with its focus on short, ephemeral video content, is a good fit for providing behind-the-scenes access to events like awards shows, offering fans a sneak peek and air of VIP access that's hard to attain on other social media platforms.

L'Oréal Paris enacted a similar strategy around the Golden Globes earlier this year, deploying influencers wearing Snap Spectacles on the red carpet. The Colgate news also echoes other recent Snapchat partnerships, including one with Billboard for a video docu-series called "Artist Pass" that follows musicians backstage before performances at festivals and elsewhere.

Brands still value industry awards shows like the CMAs as destination viewing draws but are looking for fresh methods of interacting with younger consumers who are watching TV less. Snapchat, along with the deployment of Twitter influencers, might provide Colgate Optic White a way to reach those same consumers more directly and in real-time via their mobile phones.

With the CMA Awards promotion, Colgate is hitting a number of trendy marketing tactics, including making a Snapchat splash, utilizing influencers and installing 360-degree video technology on the red carpet. It's also hitching its name to Ballerini, who's a successful up-and-comer and will possibly end the night with a major award, which would be another branding win for Colgate. Regardless, Colgate might have an ambassador for future marketing and advertising efforts.