In another Facebook campaign, Auckland agency Colenso used Facebook’s friends in a campaign for mobile provider, Skinny. Given the size of the country, Colesno correctly figured “everyone knows someone who knows someone,” and created the Cannes-winning concept called “Friend-vertising.”

“We cast Skinny’s customers from all over our little country and made them each the star of their own campaign,” an agency representative explained. They filmed them all in hundreds of commercials, every spot filmed in exactly the same sets and locations, with every Friend reading the same script.

“Hi friend, and/or family member. Did you know recommendations from friends or family members are more effective than regular ads? Anyway, let’s talk about Skinny and mobile. As a Kiwi brand, Skinny covers 98 percent of the places we work and/or live, and have literally heaps of happy customers like me…and them. [Camera pans to film other cast members of the campaign.] So, join me, friend-slash-family member. And get the Skinny.” [Super comes up:] “Join Alice on Skinny with Friend-vertising.”

Colenso then shared Skinny’s media budget with all the featured Friends so they could share their commercials with all their Facebook contacts. Each post also included discount codes based on the “star’s” name. Meanwhile over on Instagram, every cast member got their own paid post to share. Skinny’s campaign reached 98 percent of the country.