An interview with Social Media Manager of the Year nominee, Robin Hood’s Harish Bhandari
The early entry period for the Best Social Media Manager award ends this month! Now for an inside look at our newest Best Social Media Manager of the Year entry (presented by Unmetric) on the Robin Hood Foundation’s Harish Bhandari:
The most widely distributed music event in history recently took place in NYC at Madison Square Garden. The #121212Concert to raise funds for organizations in the tri-state area serving Sandy victims via the Robin Hood Relief Fund brought together billions of viewers across TV and the social web to unite for one cause. With under a month to plan this massive event (they started planning on November 15th), the Robin Hood Foundation, their partners and every major social platform united to bring the concert to as many viewers as possible.
The Robin Hood Foundation, which is about to celebrate its 25th Anniversary, has proven how powerful leveraging Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, GetGlue, Shazam and more can be. We spoke with Harish Bhandari the Manager, Digital Media at the Robin Hood Foundation about using social to help pull off this massive event.
Shorty Awards: What was the most challenging and exciting part about running digital for Robin Hood during the 12.12.12 concert? How did your team at MSG operate?
Harish Bhandari: The main challenge was the timing and how everything had to get figured out right away. As soon as we fired up the social media channels, there were tons of questions that we didn’t have answers for that we had to triage. It was great to collaborate with so many strong social producers (Clear Channel and Madison Square Garden), as well as cutting edge partners like Foursquare to a startup called, Mahaya, who were all integral in helping amplify the event and our cause.
SA: What’s your background, how long have you been at Robin Hood for?
Bhandari: I’ve been working in marketing and with nonprofits for about ten years. And I have been at Robin Hood since last November.
SA: Which platforms did you use for Robin Hood to promote the show and raise money?
Bhandari: To promote the show we worked with Get Glue on exclusive stickers, Google Plus on integrating the live stream on our profile pages, and received a very generous Twitter for Good grant. Viewers could Shazam the concert which brought up a donation link, buy $25 Facebook Gift, and via Foursquare they could virtually check in to receive a “Be Robin Hood” badge and trigger a donation from Samsung Mobile USA. We also relied heavily on the artists promoting the hash tag and concert on their Twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as on viewers who were using Instagram.
SA: How are you using social to promote the show now that it’s over?
Bhandari: Our main focus is connecting fans with the merchandise and concert album on iTunes, both benefitting the Robin Hood Relief Fund. We are also promoting our celebrity auction on Charity Buzz, which features a large range of concert items, donated goods, and experiences. And soon will begin showcasing how the money raised is going to help those affected by the storm.
Check out Robin Hood’s entry here and don’t forget to submit your Social Media Manager by the end of the year!
-NE
blog comments powered by Disqus