Sign Up For Our Next Event On May 15th

We’re hosting our next event at one of the coolest rooftop bars in NY on May 15th from 6:30 - 9:00. We’re partnering with CitizenM Hotels and hope to host multiple events at their locations in the future!

Here’s a sneak peek of the view:

The venue capacity is roughly 80. So if you RSVP please attend as space is limited. We are elevating the venues where we host our events (both literally and figuratively)! Also, I’m a big fan of elevated surfaces. 🤨

🗓️ Future Events You Don’t Want To Miss 🗓️

• June 5th: RSVP HERE

  • Join us for our first-ever panel discussion in partnership with NY Tech Week! We'll dive into the best tools and technology that both creators and brands can utilize to enhance their social media performance, build stronger more relevant content, and ultimately monetize their social media presence off platforms.

📢 Shoutouts From Previous Events 📢

April 18th Networking Event:

Thank you to those who made it to our event on April 18th! We hosted it at an incredible production studio in Soho. Our photographer Gabe took some amazing pictures. I would greatly appreciate it if you could share your favorite photo on LinkedIn or on your social media tagging Jacob or Social4TheWin to share our events with your friends and colleagues.

Partner Dinner with Teachable:

We hosted our first-ever dinner with our partner Teachable! We’re hoping to make them a consistent presence at our events. We’re also planning to host intimate dinners with Teachable and other brands that we believe will be highly applicable to each person in our community. As we continue to grow we hope to develop as many industry-specific dinners and events as possible.

Transformation Through Perspective:

"Sometimes, the things that irritate us most reveal the changes we need to make. Delving into my frustrations allowed me to discover my true calling."

Andreas’ very first Instagram post - 10/12/2017

Andreas’s journey highlights a pivotal moment when he shifted his perspective from deep disdain to genuine appreciation for his surroundings, particularly the NYC subway, which he initially dreaded during his office commutes. This profound shift allowed him to uncover beauty and inspiration in the mundane details of everyday commutes, transforming his routine frustrations into a wellspring of creative energy. It underscores the powerful notion that the answers to our dissatisfaction often lie in reframing our perspectives and discovering value in the most unexpected places.

Obsession Drives Success:

"I became deeply obsessed. From the moment I began, capturing daily life on my iPhone turned into a relentless quest, helping me overcome numerous initial challenges." 

@mrnycsubway

@edsheeran & I ran a photo shoot on the NYC Subway thanks to @atlanticrecords! I’ll be dropping the final results soon to his new song “Ey... See more

Almost six years later he’s collaborating with Ed Freaking Sheeran!

The notion of 'obsession' as described by Andreas isn't just about intense interest; it's about a profound commitment that drives one to consistently act and improve. This obsession led Andreas to utilize every opportunity to capture content, ultimately shaping his skills and building his presence online. His experience illustrates how a deep, consuming passion for one's work is often a prerequisite for breakthroughs and sustained success.

Show Up If You Want A Community:

"I diligently engaged with the community already on the subway. I researched #MTA every day, liking and commenting on every photo. This was crucial in building my initial follower base. People in the community knew who I was and I was able to establish myself." 

He’s made the NYC subway system a runway for everyone to walk.

Building a community from scratch, Andreas used a strategic approach by engaging directly with users through hashtags related to his content niche. This method wasn't just about gaining followers but about creating meaningful interactions that could foster a loyal audience. His strategy emphasizes the importance of being actively involved in community building, which involves giving attention to potential followers and making them feel valued.

Be Strategic With Brand Partnerships:

"You absolutely must ensure that brand collaborations integrate flawlessly with your content style. Staying strictly within your established boundaries is critical, especially when first working with brands.

@mrnycsubway

I turned this stranger into a model for the hat company @goorinbrosofficial! #goorinbros #nyc #model

Andreas started working with fashion brands.

Andreas points out the importance of aligning brand collaborations with one’s existing content style. This alignment ensures that sponsored posts are seamless and authentic, resonating with the audience without feeling forced or off-brand. He highlights the necessity for creators to choose partnerships wisely, ensuring they do not compromise their style or alienate their audience, thus maintaining trust and authenticity.

Relentless Perseverance Builds Lasting Success:

"Perseverance is crucial. Too often, people quit prematurely. Committing to persevere through the hurdles is what turns a hobby into a lasting career."

Andreas is now working with partners in many different industries.

Andreas stresses the significance of perseverance in the content creation landscape, where early efforts often don’t yield immediate rewards. His advice reflects a common theme in many success stories: the critical periods of continued effort without significant recognition or reward. The long-term vision involves maintaining focus and enthusiasm during these challenging times, underscoring that success often comes to those who are willing to persist and adapt. At this point, he’s now establishing himself in the events space widening the breadth of brands under the scope of his work.

Pass the ketchup? Or do we pass on the ketchup?🍅🤔

Let's be honest, some of us practically live off this condiment. I put it on almost everything. Burgers? Yep. Fries? Absolutely. Steak, Eggs? You bet. But if you’re one of those weirdos who puts ketchup on ice cream (yeah I seriously saw that people do that) I don’t know if we can be friends.

So Heinz on Social Media…

The Heinz Viral Moment:

@heinz_us

#stitch with @Jordan_The_Stallion8: who says classic brands can’t learn new tricks? #heinz #ketchup #hack #viral #fyp

So this is a perfect example of what is seemingly an incredible campaign for Heinz. But let’s look at it closer.

You might see this video and think wow Heinz knocked this out of the park! Yes but no. It’s like scoring a touchdown in the pre-season. It’s great, but it doesn’t do anything for the rest of the season besides boosting short-term moral.

Data Breakdown:

• 👀 5.8M Views

• ❤️ 197.8K Likes

• 💬 712 Comments

• ⭐ 12.8K Favorites

• 🔁 18.4K Shares

• 📈 Engagement Rate: 3.96%

The view-through rate is probably very high for this video given that it’s also a stitch with @Jordan_TheStallion8 who has roughly 12.5M followers and is very easily recognizable on the platform.

Approvals: I’m sure they got approval from Jordan to use and separately stitch the content since it’s not the native stitch capability on the platform. I know that it’s organic, but I’d be curious to see what the cost structure would be to use it as a paid advertisement. I appreciate that they also did their due diligence and reached out to the creator who Jordan originally stitched to use the content. Heinz commented on this post to ask the creator if they could stitch it, but I haven’t seen that posted just yet.

@adamcowart1

Is there a right or wrong way here everybody!? Heinz team, you have any insight? Hahaha 😂 Thanks for watching Epi... See more

Timeline: The original video and Jordan’s original stitch were made back in September of 2023 - which is 8 months ago. So regardless of the strategy and success of this one piece of content, it showcases one distinct thing. The infrastructure to build content at Heinz seems tremendously conservative and most likely lined with red tape covered in ketchup.

Overall: Overall this is a win. Congratulations to Heinz! But what’s next? One viral video doesn’t make a strategy and when you’re the largest condiment brand on the planet one viral video probably won’t move the needle. So how do we make this consistent?

Establish Creative Tentpoles:

Heinz's creative concepts in their content already have a strong foundation, but, in my opinion, they need better execution. Execution bets’ are better over time, but the problem is that there is not enough consistency with these concepts to find the right stride in production. But here are the concepts that I think stand out!

1) Hector Heinz: A one-week activation evolved into a significant success for building and enhancing brand love. Heinz tapped their tomato expert to showcase why their product is the best. Associating characters with brands, like the iconic Jake from State Farm, is a proven strategy supported by clear data and positive sentiment. I strongly support having older individuals in social media content; it's unexpected, well-received, and typically cherished. Heinz doesn't need to position itself as the coolest brand out there. I'd much prefer to see them as the dependable grandpa or wise older dad who consistently makes my food taste just that bit better.

2) Ketchup on What?: Revisiting our earlier discussion, we noted that people enjoy using ketchup on a variety of unexpected dishes. Heinz has explored this concept with videos featuring ketchup on sushi and pasta. However, the execution of these pieces was lackluster. The sushi video lacked a compelling narrative, and the pasta video came across as a stale YouTube food review. Below are some images for reference. If they experiment with different production styles and storytelling this could be a compelling series with low production costs.

3) The Black Kitchen Podcast Series: Would you even know about this if I hadn't pointed it out? Despite thousands of downloads and Heinz committing $1 million to support Black-owned food businesses for the third year, it’s barely visible on their social media. I've spotted a few posts on Instagram, but they're pretty documentary-like, and the show doesn’t get much play on their YouTube channel either. It even won a Webby this year, but honestly, what impact does that have day-to-day?

This is a great initiative that really should be getting more love on social. Why not let a chef take over the Heinz account for a day, show off their cooking skills, or explore local markets? Or jazz up the podcast with video and fun, tomato-shaped mics? There’s so much potential for awesome video content here. If Heinz plans another season, they seriously need to step up their social media strategy.