3 Times Brands Used Discord for Branding And To Engage Communities

The year is 2015 and, if you were a gamer at this time, you might remember how difficult it was to interact with your friends when playing online and remotely with them. If you’re not a gamer, I can explain it to you. We only had TeamSpeak (if someone could pay for it) and Skype, which wasn’t made for gaming. From this necessity, Discord was born.

Discord is basically a platform where you can create your own private server, with text rooms, audio channels, a role system that you can customize for each member of your community, and many different features. Like its presentation mode and customized chatbots that can record content from specific channels, for example.

With all these features and serving to bring together a loyal and engaged community, it was just a matter of time until Discord would serve greater purposes, especially in Marketing plans for big brands, such as Samsung, which is testing the platform for their metaverse Marketing strategy. Check out these 3 examples of brands that are using Discord in their Marketing strategies:

Brands on Discord and their Marketing strategies

Samsung and their metaverse strategy

During NFT.NYC last week, Samsung said it has been expanding the ways it interacts with Web3 fans, creating digital experiences and virtual wearables, such as branded NFTs. Let’s go to the numbers: according to Digiday, only 12 hours after the company’s server debuted, it reached more than 100,000 new members. 

According to Michelle Crossan-Matos, SVP and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Samsung Electronics America, the brand is treating the platform “like a conversation in Times Square and a billboard.”

The server basically consists of two separate rooms for key audiences: gamers and Web3 fans interested in NFT or metaverse-related topics.

But creating a server isn’t enough, you must interact with your community and keep them engaged, and Discord is a perfect place to do so. 

The Gucci Vault

Gucci also created its own server on Discord as a part of a NFT strategy. Recently, the luxury brand shared an invite to its Discord server via Twitter. And, since we’re talking about an exclusive brand, there’s nothing better than creating exclusive experiences for its community. The first 20,000 members would gain special roles and the ability to access NFT-focused channels.

In two days, it had more than 28,000 members. Due to this successful case, Kering, Gucci’s parent company, opened an opportunity for a professional to manage its Discord server and presence.

Jack in the Box’s Comic-con Afterparty

Last year, Comic-Con had its second virtual edition due to COVID-19, and that made brands look to engage with their audience through the proper channels. The San Diego-based fast-food chain chose Discord to do so, and what a great choice. With its new “Jack’s Late Night Discord” server, the brand saw 7,664 users interacting across a weekend, with more than 27,000 messages.

Watch👇 this space👇 on Sunday! On 7/25 @ 6pm PST I’m throwing a late night after party with giveaways, live drawings, and a performance by @TheAquabats! I’m giving away Funkos during the whole weekend, too. Join now! https://t.co/XktOYayxYl pic.twitter.com/SPRJnZJBPQ

— Jack in the Box (@JackBox) July 24, 2021

Jack in the Box’s strategy also included a virtual concert with a superhero-themed band, The Aquabats, interactive channels dedicated to Funko Pop figures, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the DC Universes.

“We wanted to ensure Jack in the Box was taking an authentic approach to its own late night and building equity with gamers and comic book fans with a culture first approach,” said Ryan Ostrom, Jack in the Box’s CMO, via emailed comments. “Discord was the perfect platform to host our digital after party because it allowed us to take a personalized approach in engaging with our communities.”

How can brands use Discord to build a solid community strategy?

Of course, with NFT and metaverse news popping up in every corner of the web, community-based platforms would become popular, but it’s important to understand that platforms like Discord aren’t going to become the new TikTok or something like that.

For brands, Discord is a channel to talk to your community, receive instant feedback, and have a literal bidirectional conversation with interested users. Remember, your brand mustn’t be the highlight here, but the relationship it builds and how to make users feel like they’re a real part of what’s being created, not just waiting for the creation to be ready for their like (or dislike, in some cases).

If your brand is looking to create a really engaged community and establish a direct communication channel with customers and fans (especially with the customer relationship changes after the pandemic), Discord is a must-have for your strategy. Don’t believe it? See it for yourself and check this list of Discord Servers for Marketers.