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.
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.” ;-)
Let’s face it, in this world of citizen paparazzi, there are pictures of us on Facebook that we may not have elected to post ourselves. And while one can untag their name, removing the photo isn’t an option if it was posted by someone else.
When brands decide to actively market on Facebook, it can feel forced given the primary purpose of a social network is to, well, be social. Wisk not only seems to get that but they’ve managed to provide a something kind of useful to the Facebook community while marketing their brand.
“Wisk It” is smart marketing on at least 3 levels:
1. It’s relevant. “Washing” is used in context to something familiar to the Facebook audience. 2. It’s useful. We’ve all fell victim to unwanted photos of ourselves on Facebook. 3. It’s innovative. And innovation helps to create buzz.
Sure it’d be great if the app could automatically find all of the untagged pictures of oneself but nonetheless the app is clever and a step in the right direction of relevant, useful, and innovative social media marketing.
The concept of Twitter Lists is straightforward yet powerful. Anyone can create a list about anything. If the list creator thinks you or your brand belongs in that list, you are now officially labeled. A link to the lists you’ve been put in appears prominently on your Twitter profile.
Why is this important? While on the surface, this may seem like one big game of popularity and labels, Twitter lists are just beginning to give early insights as to how people think about things. What this gives you is insights into:
Brand Perception: A quick scan of how my company been listed shows labels including social media, ad agency, studio, pr-media, and online marketing.
Competitive Intelligence: Check out your competition in the various lists and see on their Twitter profile how many times they’ve been listed and in what labels.
Key Influencers:Use services like Listorious to find lists by category and those that are most popular. Then scan individuals within those lists as an indicator of influence.
Spend some time mining the lists you’re in as well as those of your competitors. You might be a bit surprised at what you learn.
It was October 27th 2007 when I became a Mitch Joel fan after hearing him speak at PodCamp Boston 2. I remember writing the guy’s name down on my event program so that I could appropriately “permission-based stalk” him to learn more about this particular digital marketing thought leader who really struck a chord with me. In addition to subscribing to his blog, I downloaded as many back episodes as I could of his podcast through iTunes – And for a couple of months, Mitch and Six Pixels of Separation were a daily part of my life during gym workouts and office/client commutes until I finally caught up to his weekly production schedule.
I relate to Mitch not only for the fact that he’s a fellow Canuck but because of his passion for digital marketing, contagious work ethic, entrepreneurial mind, and that he’s a constant student of leadership. It’s been a joy over the past two years following and being inspired by Mitch’s career growth as he expanded his business to Toronto, secured a column in the Montreal Gazette, and now (finally) released his first book, appropriately named after his blog and podcast: “Six Pixels of Separation”.
I anxiously picked up my copy last week at Boston’s Barnes & Nobel in the Pru and it was the last one on the shelf (see photo above). And I can understand why as the book is filled with rich (and timely) case studies and is positioned as the “prequel” to Mitch’s blog. The book is ripe for those who are just getting started understanding how social media has fundamentally impacted business, marketing, and personal branding as well as those of us within the industry that are always looking for more fodder for our clients and projects.
A few select sound bites from Six Pixels of Separation that jumped out at me – the book is filled with many more great one-liners as well as contextual and thought provoking anecdotes:
Embrace your community as the new currency.
Trust is earned by an overall great experience with a foundation of authenticity.
Digital marketing is not a one night stand…tangible results take time.
Ripples grow wider and bigger until they become waves. Waves never stop.
The new business game is not about control. It’s about the volume of voices.
Google is like an elephant: it never forgets.
Branding is not the logo… Branding is the heart and soul of a business.
You can’t fake passion.
Great content = great word of mouth.
Transparency is easy. Credibility is hard…credibility is everything.
We’re seeing a new era in which everyone has become a citizen journalist.
Take time to develop your own niche. Be the Cirque du Soleil of your industry.
Remember, I’m Googling you just like you’re Googling me.
Your business life just became a high-speed game of virtual paintball.
Content is media…all content will become more and more portable.
Mobile goes where other media cannot.
Think in terms of tribes, not mass.
A new business model does not have to be complex.
I had recommended Six Pixels of Separation to clients when it was on pre-order and will continue to help evangelize Mitch Joel’s debut into book publishing – I not only believe in him and his credibility but have personally benefitted by Mitch openly sharing his experiences and thought leadership over the years. I already can’t wait for his next book.
