The first of these two episodes featured
SAMA-nominated iFani, which ordinarily would have made for a hit show, but iFani was not alone. On the back of a previously successful cameo by two of the presenters’ alter egos, Khanye Wisile and Nikki Manje Manje (loosely based on Kanye West and Nicki Minaj), these two hilarious characters hosted the show for the full 60 minutes. The hash tag #iFaniFever was used throughout the day to build excitement around and engage with viewers, and by 16:30 #iFanifever was trending on
Twitter in South Africa and
Facebook had over 2000 comments and 4000 likes.
The second hit episode was an April Fools Day prank, a fabricated story that Chanelle, one of the resident presenters, was suddenly leaving
Hectic Nine-9, this being her final episode. The conversation started early in the morning on
Facebook and
Twitter and continued until just five minutes before the end of the live show. The use of cryptic messages, carefully selected images and footage of the presenters really got fans talking. The farewell messages and well wishes flooded in and
@chanelledavids started trending on
Twitter. There were around 5600 comments and 7300 post likes on
Facebook.
From
Hectic Nine-9’s inception, they have been leaders in using online content to boost the show’s following.
Hectic Nine-9 was conceptualised when SABC2 wanted to create a programme that was presented in a format that would make use of cutting edge trends and technologies. They wanted a show that addressed the needs of the youth audience as well as entertained and at the same time, was highly interactive, communicating across all platforms utilised by the audience.
Hectic Nine-9 was the first local production to be commissioned with its own website, allowing the production team to build and grow a strong online following that enabled the programme to live long beyond its 48 minutes of airtime, five days a week. This extended to a strong presence on
Facebook, which at the time had only been available to the worldwide public for a year, and now positions the program as the third biggest, local media brand on
Facebook. This two-way conversation has enabled
Hectic Nine-9 to grow from strength to strength.
Hectic Nine-9's online content producer, Karl Furlong, shares some of his tips for any brand operating in the online sphere: “Be human: Humans are a little bit naughty. Sometimes they need to apologise, even if the apology is tongue-in-cheek. Resist the urge to have your brand come across as so perfect that the mood communicated is clinical and therefore devoid of emotion.”
“Break out of your comfort zone: Online is a space in which you can ‘play’ a bit, without compromising your brand’s values. A succession of free-spirited posts can result in a much more positive response when you do go for that call-to-action or sale you’re aiming for.”
“Join the conversation: It may seem glaringly obvious, but your brand’s take on any trending topic guarantees a high rate of engagement. Just make sure that whatever you do or say stands out.”
“Playful pictures: Play with text and pictures on Facebook. Try communicating what you may have typed out on a simple white background for added effect, instead. Don’t Google pictures in a hurry merely for the sake of adding one to your post – choose pictures that compel the viewer to emote in some way.”
“Follow-through: Once you’ve successfully built up to a competition, big announcement or explosive piece of content, make sure that you follow through. Don’t let a good thing live for just a few minutes. Identify engaging pieces of content and milk them if you find that they resonate with your fans.”