The big question amongst many-a-bean counter is “What is the value of a Facebook fan or Twitter Follower?” And while it’s difficult to quantify, it hasn’t stopped companies and brands from using paid media to try and acquire them.
This is just one of two places I stopped in on my way home from the office making the appeal for both Facebook fans and Twitter followers:
Now if only the folks behind Boston's Copley Place Mall marketing used Pongr to automatically make me a fan when I took this picture ;-)
A couple of times I’ve heard individuals say that “social media should stand on its own” (meaning sans paid media) – I don’t, personally, subscribe to this philosophy. While I do believe that online communities should experience elements of “self fueling”, many noted marketing campaigns that were deemed “social media” had heavy mass/paid media behind them (i.e. Vitamin Water).
And for the Hot Tub Time Machine “social media campaign” (as Mashable refers to it), the (paid) integration with Thursday’s season finale of the Jersey Shore is what gave the campaign its kick-start. Both the thematic tie-in with the show and audience synergies made this media buy brilliant as the TV spot’s voiceover epitomizes, “You’ve watched them in their hot tub all season long. Now get into ours.”
And it should be no surprise, by now, the effect this had on searches (below) for “Hot Tub Time Machine” and mentions within the social Web (above) as a result of the Jersey Shore TV spot.
Searches on "Hot Tub Time Machine" soared the night of the Jersey Shore season finale. (Source: Google Insights for Search).
There will come a time when we stop using the label “social media campaigns” or “digital campaigns” and simply use “marketing campaigns.” Media is much more powerful when it is strategically used is concert with one another. Social media doesn’t stand alone.
This just goes to show the growing number of hand raisers on Twitter looking for information. For businesses, these are potentially untapped sales and marketing opportunities. And for entrepreneurs, I’m sure there’s a way to curate this content and match with answers. Perhaps the hashtag #anyoneknow could sweep the nation. -- "Anyone Know" of someone who wants to work with me on this? :-)
Here are some of the more random/disturbing "Anyone Know" Tweets (paraphrased):
The premise is simple (and, admittedly, a bit addicting): As you’re out and about, go to Foursquare on pretty much any mobile device to “check-in” as you arrive at your destination. Once checked-in, you can find out things like:
Who else is currently checked-in
Tips about the spot from others who have been there
And, of course, each location has a Mayor – the person who has checked-in to a given location the most.
[So why all of the hype?]
In addition to the obvious social implications, there are powerful opportunities for brands – some of which, like Pepsi, have already taken advantage of the service for sponsorship.
It’s been under a year since the service was announced (at 2009’s SXSW) and it seems as though user-behavior and technology are primed, ripe and aligned going into 2010 for location-based services like Foursquare to scale for mass usage like we’ve already seen from Twitter and Facebook.
And now is a good time for brands to take advantage of some early “test and learn” opportunities with the service to establish a foothold within an almost certain-to-grow user base.
One of the things that I subtly pointed out on the update was the jump in close to 100,000 views of the brand’s Pizza Turnaround YouTube video as a result of the campaign’s paid media kicking in.
Above are some stats from YouTube that clearly show the harmony that takes place when social media is coupled with paid/mass media and underscores the benefit of cross-channel, integrated media design. It puts a smile on my face going into the new year and new decade ;-) Great job to Domino's and their Agency(s). Happy 2010 everyone!
Hat Tip to @scheuguy for sending out a link to the Domino's video on Monday.
And (seemingly) listened they did. Last week Domino’s released a short documentary-style video demonstrating how consumer feedback led to a complete overhaul of their pizza recipe.
Mentions of dominos as of yesterday’s launch are actually quite a bit lower than normal, could this be because of the holidays? UPDATE: See most recent chart on Hill Holliday's blog.
Comments on their YouTube video skew negative with some calling it a marketing/PR stunt while mentions on Twitter are generally positive praising the brand for listening.
Not surprisingly, on Facebook (and YouTube) there are those who are asking for the old pizza back but that's also balanced with others who really like the new recipe.
According to their Facebook Page, their broadcast just started running yesterday and it doesn’t seem to be available online to watch. I’m hoping that they’ve integrated their social properties into their spots (i.e. send people to YouTube or Facebook for more info) to create a cross-media experience.
[It's too early to tell.]
We don't yet know how this campaign (and Domino’s reengineered product) will ultimately affect sales – and, as the media and awareness begin to take hold, what the true reaction will be from the general public. But they seem to be off to a decent start.
[Kudos to one key ingredient.]
In the end, what’s great about what Domino’s is doing, so far, is the feel of authenticity behind their actions. The video does a great job humanizing the brand and showing what seem like real emotion and passion for their product – and that is one very key “ingredient” to creating brand loyalty.
*UPDATE: As of 9:30pm, the Domino's video on YouTube now has 117,892 views. I'll also be posting an updated Radian6 chart tomorrow once today's stats are aggregated.
UPDATE #2 (12/30 - 2pm): I cross-posted on Hill Holliday's blog with updated charts and a few extras.
These two lists say a lot about the development of the web, media consumption, and user behavior over the past decade. The world (wide web) has changed fast and there’s a lot more to come.
Most Visited Websites in January, 2000 (Nielsen Net Rankings) 1. AOL Websites 2. Yahoo! 3. MSN 4. Lycos Network 5. Excite {AT} Home 6. GO Network 7. Microsoft 8. NBCi 9. AltaVista 10. Amazon 11. eBay 12. Time Warner 13. About.com 14. The Go2Net Network 15. ZDNet 16. CBS 17. LookSmart 18. CNET 19. AT&T 20. Fortune City
Most Vistied Websites (US) in December, 2009 (Alexa) 1. Google 2. Facebook 3. Yahoo! 4. YouTube 5. Myspace 6. Amazon.com 7. Wikipedia 8. eBay 9. Windows Live 10. Blogger.com 11. Craigslist.org 12. Microsoft Network (MSN) 13. Twitter 14. AOL 15. Go.com 16. Bing 17. ESPN Sportszone 18. CNN - Cable News Network 19. LinkedIn 20. WordPress.com
Being a heavy user of “newer” forms of media and obsessed with web/TV convergence, it’s easy to get caught up in consumption statistics that are consistently in the double digits. Take the fact that in comparison to last year:
[99% of video consumption in the U.S. is done via traditional TV]
By traditional TV, that means not DVR and not online video. So just because I may be using my DVR to fast-forward commercials, most “video” viewers, at the moment, are not -- That’s significant.
Do a Google Real Time search for commercial and see that people, indeed, still see (and comment) on them in while they watch which also demonstrates Nielsen’s other stat that 57% of TV viewers simultaneously use the web.
I’m far from advocating that marketing remain status quo but I do strongly believe that it’s not an “either/or” decision.
[We cannot discount the power that mass media still has.]
Brands must design its media in such a way so that channels work harmonically together – making them greater than the sum of their parts. That’s when big things happen and people take notice.
In addition to the year of the eReader, I’m betting that Augmented Reality is going to get a lot of “airtime” in 2010. In client presentations about emerging media, I’d been using the USPS priority mail box simulator as an example of augmented reality with utility (albeit early stages of).
At one of the presentations, we discussed where this could lead for clothing retailers. The folks at Zugara created an alpha stage social shopping AR app that does a nice job of wetting our appetite of what’s to come (and I think very quickly). I’m totally diggin’ the motion capture selection buttons 1 minute into this demo:
Between what we’ll see in 2010 from Xbox 360’s Project Natal and advances in Augmented Reality apps, we’re in store for one heck of a new year. I can’t wait.
Hat tip to my colleague Neha Yellurkar for the Zugara find.
Almost a year ago, I blogged about how Facebook was THE center of practically every conversation over the Thanksgiving holiday. My post ended with the question, “I wonder what we’ll be talking about next Thanksgiving?” Well, “next Thanksgiving” is just 4 days away and I’m willing to bet that how and the degree that Facebook is discussed will be different.
Using Compete data to look back at Facebook’s monthly unique visitors, we see that this past month had over 160% more than November of 2008. With this kind of growth and usage, Facebook has become a standard and accepted way that we all stay in touch and communicate. Since a year ago, I’m now connected to most people from my past and present.
A quick look at the chart below shows relative Google search volumes for the phrase “Facebook Login” (apparently quite a popular search term). November of 2008 found itself in the midst of a surge in people trying to find the login page. And, while, search levels on that same phrase today are considerably higher than a year ago, notice how it’s leveled off over the past few months.
Facebook is no longer new or foreign to most – it just “is”. So, unlike last Thanksgiving, I suspect that Facebook as a platform or technology won’t be discussed. What, most likely, will be discussed over the many hometown reunions that will take place is the content that people have chosen to share and engage with. “Oh I saw your summer vacation pictures, your kids are getting so big!” or “Thanks for the invite to your holiday party, really looking forward to it.” or “You’re doing great in Farmville. Keep those crops fertilized.” ;-)
