How Love Island Has Taught us to Get Grafting

Ahead of the show’s finale tonight, we thought we would take a look at how ITV 2’s Love Island has taken the British public by storm and has proved an incredible influence on social media and impact on brand awareness.
Many take to Twitter after the show to highlight their disappointment in their favourite couple being dumped from the island or to discuss the scandalous antics of the islanders. Even well known-figures including Jeremy Corbyn, Adele and Stormzy have been having their say about the show on social media!
Although it may seem surprising, we should all be taking a leaf out the Love Island book and make the most out of our brand’s personality.
So what exactly can we learn from the show?
1. The Power of Social Media Influencers
Love Island has helped many businesses make their mark in the industry by taking advantage of the effect the show and the cast have had on the public. This has been expertly proved by ex-islander Jessica Shears, as she has become a huge social media influencer since being dumped from the Island.
If you take a look at Jess’ Instagram you will soon discover across the many #Spon ads that she has been uploading since her departure. The brunette beauty’s popularity has also enabled her to launch her own clothing edit with online fashion retailer MissPap.
The influence of the cast and not to forget the Love Island lingo has also led to the development of Love Island merchandise that is being sold in various retailers including Tesco and Primark.
2. Hashtags
Hashtags are already vitally important to a successful social media profile and Love Island has utilised them too since it first aired in 2015. Each day the islanders are surprised with a text from the producers and each ends with a catchy, humorous hashtag.
With alliteration and amusement at the heart of each hashtag, it shows how a successful hashtag can be used on social media and its ability to give your brand a personality.
3. Jump on trends
In a previous episode, the Love Island couples were tasked with parenting a fake child and with one of the on-screen favourites, Chris Hughes, showing a loveable paternal side and a strong bond with his child, the nation went crazy.
Chris and his partner Olivia decided to name their child ‘Cash’ and showing how effective it can be to jump on trends, the child has already been set up with a Twitter page and has become a social media sensation.
The page @hughes_cash already has 51.7K followers on Twitter, overtaking his dad who only has 44.6K.
Two teenage girls also spotted a niche gap in the market for all ‘Instagrammers’ who have sought after the Love Island girls’ wardrobes over the past two months. Back in June a handy Instagram account was set up which posts where each item that the girls wear on the show is from and if the item is sold out, an alternative.
Inclusive of sunglasses, swimwear and every enviable evening outfit, the page has raked in 107K followers so far. The girls who set the page up have also become so popular that users are asking for their own personal wardrobe details!
4. Embrace your brand image
The show brands itself as being a tad outrageous, but by embracing this it has become inevitably popular. To have a successful social media platform in this digitised era, there is a need to be consistent and run posts coinciding with your brand image and the message you are looking to portray.
By spotting niche market gaps and utilising humour to the best of its advantage, Love Island has not only become the most popular show of 2017 but also created a social media frenzy.