Posted by: Renee Fancey

What’s it like having 42,500+ fans on Facebook? What does one’s inbox look like with all that action? Whoa.

From passing along webisode links to giving people welcome advice on how to use their remote control, Facebook has become another channel for fans of CBC’s Republic of Doyle to get in on the jaw-smacking, line-cracking action. With 730 thumbs up and 160 comments on Allan Hawco’s latest post, fans are talking it up in anticipation of tonight’s Season Finale.

For us marketers, it could very well be a case of social media gone right. Scores of fans and the numbers continue to steadily rise. No embarrassing collection of only dozens of fans here, and there’s no silence on the airways in the Republic.

The peeps are not only Facebooking, they’re also tweeting like mad about Republic of Doyle. Every week, more people are following @RepublicofDoyle on Twitter, and specifically #doyletweets, the most popular hashtag about the St. John’s-set P.I. show. Fans are reacting to each episode as it airs, in real time, in 140 characters or less, and have been since the early episodes. Talk about instant feedback.

So is social media campaigning a full-time job like we always think it’s going to be?

Well, we asked a friend of ours, the official “Twitterer” for Republic of Doyle, if it’s intense. The short answer is yes — but it’s a brilliant marketing tool, and the rewards are more than worth it.

Factory Emissions: So when did your social media campaign begin?

RoD’s Official Twitterer: It kind of began on its own, really; we created an official Facebook page a couple of weeks before the show started airing — by the time the pilot aired we already had nearly 5000 fans. But it’s surpassed excitement into real engagement — and over the 12 episodes we’ve collected tens of thousands of new fans. And that’s amazing. I started “tweeting” for the show a couple of days before we aired and since then, and it’s been crazy! And for anyone who knows me personally and is aware of my questionable computer and Internet skills, taking the reins of a task like this was a challenge. It was seriously like a dog learning how to drive. Now it’s a whole new world I’m addicted to. It’s easy and user-friendly, but you have to be quick and responsive.

Factory Emissions: What’s been the biggest surprise?

RoD: I guess maybe the real sense of community that surrounds the show. And how quickly it happened. I think sometimes we have an advantage being Newfoundlanders, because we all have an innate sense of that, being together and helping each other out. So in that regard, we had a lot of support out of the gate. But people from everywhere love the show, and Facebook gives them the place to gather, while Twitter offers more direct ways of them chatting with one another. They’re doing all kinds of stuff. The Twitter fans are a proactive crowd — those are the guys who are making the fan pages. Right now, one guy’s running a site called Doyle Maps that pinpoints Doyle shooting locations that’s updated every week and anyone is welcome to post. We found out about a cute 709 Click website pop up through Twitter. There is now a Republic of Drinking Game on Facebook, and I think everyone in the city now has a picture of the larger-than-life busboard of Hawco, and lots have posted it to Facebook and Twitpic. There’s fan art too, sketches and caricatures of Allan and Sean McGinley. It’s weird and wonderful how people are embracing the show. It’s all very genuine.

FE: What’s gotten the most reaction so far?

RoD: Some of the show’s best lines have definitely lived on thanks to our #doylequotes campaign on Twitter. When I started live tweeting through the shows, I sent out the funniest and most memorable lines — people retweet my posts and now do it themselves when something makes them giggle. I think one of the biggest collective Internet belly laughs came with a line halfway through the season, “What’s wrong with him?”/“Nothing, he’s from Gander.” For some reason, people thought that was hysterical and it was all in good fun, prompting Allan to post to the Facebook page directly: “Thanks for all the love b’ys and girls. Much appreciated!! And FYI, I loves Gander.” When Allan himself chimes in with an update or a Tweet, people really dig it. As well, our webisode series Crimefighter VS Cagefighter (where characters Des and Dwayne battle over a can of pop) spawned an afternoon-long conversation on Twitter about where you could purchase Pineapple Crush across the country.

FE: And tell us the latest news, something about a Twitter trend? Hmm?

RoD: #doyletweets have been a number one Twitter trend in Canada on show nights for three weeks in a row, which is pretty cool. Last week we were in front of American Idol and Hot Tub Time Machine, which is absolutely mad! I’m psyched for the finale — it’s a big one, and it’s gonna be interesting to see how people react. And they’ll let you know what they’re thinking, believe me.

Social Media Lesson 101. SM does not sell. SM creates community. Community creates engagement. Engagement sells. If you’re already working with a strong brand that’s making people happy at all the other touchpoints, your social media efforts just might be successful too.

Social Media Lesson 102. Don’t be afraid to dabble. Soon you’ll be the top tweeter in the blogosphere, deciding between SEO and SMO, flickring around in the photobucket. And loving it.

Get your Doyle fix:

Facebook
Twitter
Official Site

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4 Responses to “The Republic of Social Media”

1. Sean says:

   April 7, 2010 at 11:12 am

   Great Post! Wonder what our RoD friends will be doing in the off season to maintain chatter?
2. Kristen says:

   April 7, 2010 at 12:46 pm

   I’m all over the RoD social media. You can always count on the RoD followers on Twitter to post any NL sayings I may have missed while watching and laughing!

   Great lessons in social media as well! RoD has done a great job of engaging Doyle enthusiasts in multiple spaces.

   With that, I’ll propose Social Media Lesson 103. Don’t try to create a space and recruit your audience – go to your audience and help them create your space!
3. David J. N. says:

   April 8, 2010 at 7:55 am

   Warning: a round of “Republic of Drinking” can really shake you up.
4. Online Community Matters — Smart Branding via Social Media | The Idea Factory says:

   April 20, 2010 at 2:16 pm

   [...] noted in our previous post, “The Republic of Social Media”, engagement sells. With respect to price and functionality, it is only a matter of time before your [...]