Of course, in both examples, these celebrities each have massive amounts of followers but their direct (and human) connection with their evangelists amplify word-of-mouth, big time. And so should the same be with big brands who invest the time to use social media to foster and build relationships.
Word-of-Mouth (WOM) isn’t anything even remotely new. The web simply has given WOM a platform to help spread content quickly via social media. So happy birthday Twitter. Thanks for continuing to affect how we communicate, interact, connect, and get news & information.
Partnering with my colleague Steve Bagdasarian, we took a stab at categorizing how brands engage on Twitter. The model uses two axes to form four quadrants:
Axes
X-Axis (Content): The degree content is customized/produced specific for Twitter
Y-Axis (Conversation): The level of 2-way interaction with followers
While, arguably, many of the brands we plotted might also fit into other quadrants, we looked first at how the brand has defined their channel. For example, the American Red Cross’ social engagement is primarily around disaster preparedness updates but that’s not to say that the company doesn’t also engage with its followers.
Some brands have set up separate channels for different “social voices” as is the case for Jet Blue. The company’s primary Twitter channel is focused on customer service but they also set up @JetBlueCheeps channel to broadcast limited time airfare deals.
[In the end, is any one quadrant better than the other?]
It all depends on your company’s business goals. Some may criticize that using Twitter simply to broadcast goes against the “social” purity of social media. But if you look at @DellOutlet and its 1.5 million followers and the fact that the channel generates sales for the company, how can this be a bad Twitter strategy? Especially since Twitter’s partnerships with Bing, Google, and (most recently) Yahoo gets Twitter content into the hands of the “non-tweople.”
On Foursquare: Within Foursquare, only your friends can see your location-based check-ins and the service advises that you accept friend requests from only those that you know. You can, however, opt to broadcast your check-ins onto your Facebook and Twitter feeds (which pleaserobme.com is aggregating) but it is purely a user's choice to do so. [And broadcasting that you’ve checked into a location on Twitter doesn’t mean that there’s no one home]
On Home Burglaries: The Washington Post depicted the anatomy of a burglary. And one important stat mentions that most burglaries occur between 10am and 3pm – the time that the majority of us are at work.
[Robbers don’t need Twitter to know that most people are at work during the day.]
On Location-Based Services: As the paranoid-infused discussion cycle of pleaserobme.com simmers, let’s re-affirm the benefits of location-based services, which will continue to affect and shape how we interact, communicate, and get access to information.
Last November I wrote a post in response to a debate that’s been happening about “traditional” agencies and “digital” agencies in terms of what kind of an agency is best positioned to be a lead agency. In it, I questioned if we were on the verge of further marketing fragmentation with the onset of specialized social media marketing agencies.
Joseph Jaffe’s stance: Social is its own category like digital became its own category.
Mitch Joel’s stance: All media is social media…Agencies must evolve to where customers are engaging – there isn’t a need for another vertical agency.
It’s a debate worth listening to as both Joseph and Mitch bring up compelling points. And my perspective remains as I originally posted: The one thing that is certain, is that advances in technology will continue to change how people consume and interact with media (and brands). So whether or not a given and specific agency has the capabilities to deliver an effective marketing strategy (given the ever-changing landscape) is what’s up for debate -- there will always be "new media."
And if you’re craving more about the future of agencies and live in the Boston area, be sure to check out the MITX/Forrester roundtable on Thursday, February 25th.
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.
