Social web strategy for INQ

INQ Mobile was the first mobile phone manufacturer to give customers a socially immersive experience through deep integration with platforms like Facebook and Twitter. INQ isn’t just about calling and texting: it’s about taking your life with you, everywhere you go. 

INQ wanted to use its digital space to connect with customers and promote the brand and what it stood for.  We were asked to shape a social web presence that communicated the brand’s innovative personality. 

Our approach

We worked closely with one of INQ’s co-founders to gain an intimate understanding of the genesis, personality and ambition of the brand. His brief was that “the site should be stunningly beautiful and look like nothing else in the world”.

Market research confirmed that most mobile phone brands had similarly impersonal websites. This presented a huge opportunity for a dynamic, artistic brand like INQ, and we set out to make the INQ space as atypical of mobile phone sites as possible. 

We imagined a canvas-like experience to celebrate the brand’s expressive personality, which would also act as a creative showcase for its content.

INQ now boasts a surprising and delightful digital presence that represents a true embodiment of their revolutionary brand spirit

The site had to function as a unique, flexible platform and we were determined to go beyond the 360 degree spinning phone interaction that most mobile sites employ, and instead offer users a new way to discover and explore INQ. 

In conjunction with the website design, Made by Many also devised a strategy to support INQ’s engagement with customers through their ‘owned’ social media presences including Twitter, Facebook and Get Satisfaction.

How it all went

The final result was a single page canvas that smoothly scrolled between sections. We commissioned artists and illustrators to produce content for the site’s centrepiece; a constantly changing visual slideshow that embodied the brand’s revolutionary spirit and further set it apart from competitors.  This personality-first approach struck a chord with customers, who continue to demonstrate incredible loyalty to INQ.

One of the most innovative features on the site was an experimental phone explorer where customers could discover videos highlighting phone features via zooming and clicking pins on a Google maps interface. 

Further reinforcing the brand’s playfulness, we set out a hunt for a secret code – a haiku hidden in the HTML – which could help unlock a secret surprise on the phone. This created a massive response across all the brand’s social platforms, with customers coming together on INQ’s blog, Facebook page and on Twitter to share tips and speculate on the hidden feature. Customers loved the game and it further cemented their loyalty to a brand that celebrates the playful and unique in the everyday.