Platform Deep Dive: Choose Your Own!
Throughout the quarter, the course content has given you a closer look at some of the big players in the social media marketing space. But now it's your turn to deep dive into a platform of your choice. What is next on the new frontier of social media marketing and brand storytelling?
- Choose a social media platform to analyze.
- Do your own research on the platform. Focus on how brands might use the platform for social media marketing and brand storytelling. Remember to look for a formal advertising or business site, with details of the platform's offerings as well as search for examples of how companies have previously used the platform for marketing.
- Post your insights and some supporting hyperlinks in the forum provided below.
- Comment on at least one other classmate's post. Note: You will only be able to read and reply to classmates' posts after you have posted your own.
You can choose any social media platform you want, with social media being broadly defined. As long as there is an element of social interaction facilitated through the platform: that social media! I've listed some potential social media platforms below but feel free to come up with your own. Think outside of the box - dating apps, chat sites, payment platforms, etc.
Some ideas:
Whatsapp, Tumblr, Clubhouse, Chalk, Tinder, Gas, Hinge, Discord, Bumble, Venmo, Patreon, Peanut, OnlyFans, Triller, Parler, Twitch, Imgur, Cameo, Whisper, Valence, Weibo, Wattpad, Goodreads, Elpha, Steemit, Stereo, Nextdoor, Medium, Vero, Co-Star, Glow, Telegram, Caffeine, Meetup, QQ, LINE, Tagged, Ello, MeWe, Crunchyroll, Mastadon, Post, Lemon8
****Here is a classmates post that you need to respond to :****
Strava is a fitness-based social platform where users share activities like running, cycling, hiking, pickleball and more. Instead of likes, people give “kudos,” join clubs, and track progress over time. While it’s social, it often feels more private and close-knit: many users hide their routes for safety and befriend those who they know/trust.
The platform is primarily used by active, goal-oriented individuals, which shapes how brands show up on Strava. Brands don’t rely on traditional ads but instead market through challenges and clubs, which allows the ads to not feel overly promotional. Brands sponsor fitness challenges that users opt into and complete over time (usually monthly), often earning discounts or free trials as a reward. For example, the FlavCity “20 for 20” challenge rewarded users with a free week of protein and 20% off after completing 10 20-minute workouts in January 2026:
https://www.strava.com/challenges/5582
From a storytelling perspective, the brand becomes part of the user’s personal story of effort, consistency, and achievement. Instead of being told what to buy, users earn the relationship through action, which creates emotional buy-in. Brands also use Strava for community building through clubs, where the focus is on shared identity, motivation, and belonging, and events are also hosted in person. These clubs can be global or niche down to specific communities, like the Luluemon Chicago run club: https://strava.app.link/ezwhvSlf7Zb
Overall, brands show up on Strava differently than on other social platforms. Their presence is more subtle and less ad-driven, but the approach works because these brands naturally align with Strava’s audience of fitness-focused, goal-oriented users.