Foursquare Collaborates with 'Color' App

'Color' is the hottest new app out there for Android and iPhone users. This new application allows users to share pictures with other users that are in a close proximity, whether they know each other or not. This is a great way to obtain pictures of events that you attend that may not have been possible for you to personally take. For instance, if you're in the nose bleed section of a basketball game or concert the pictures you take won't be that great, but 'Color' allows you to get pictures of the event from those people that were lucky enough to be in the front row.

'Color' has taken it a step further by collaborating with Foursquare. This collaboration allows users to share photos of events that other users have checked in at. Now, on the Foursquare check-in detail page you can view the pictures that a user's friends took at a particular event. An interesting feature of 'Color' on Foursquare is that it arranges photos by event in comparison to 'Color' arranging them by time.

I believe that collaboration between different social media platforms is on the brink of emergence. It began with linking one social media site's profile to another and has evolved into integrating specific tools of a particular platform into various other platforms. This is a great way to reap the benefits of multiple social media sites in one place and makes particular tasks, such as sharing pictures, easier and more efficient.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383775,00.asp

Brand Mascot Identity Theft on Twitter

Popular brand mascots such as Mr. Clean and Tony the Tiger are becoming members of the Twitter community. Some of these mascots do have verified accounts that are set up through the company that promotes them, however many of these so-called mascots are nothing but impersonators. Anyone can set up a Twitter account claiming to be the Pillsbury Doughboy, Mr. Peanut, or any other well known character and complete their profiles with a picture of the popular mascot.

Brands can’t do anything about the fake Twitter accounts other than set up their own verified account or make complaints to Twitter. Nothing can be done about these impersonator accounts simply because these people are not making money off of the brand’s copyright. Complaints sometimes result in the company reclaiming accounts that use their characters, but most are dismissed because the impersonator accounts do not have the intention of tricking consumers.

The major issue with brand mascot impersonators on Twitter is the fact that some people use these characters with a negative connotation. This could result in poor goodwill and bad publicity for the company or business. An example of such misleading representation is the @420jollygreen account which uses General Mills’ Jolly Green Giant name and character to promote marijuana usage. (@GreenGiant is the official General Mills Jolly Green Giant account in case you want to follow him!)

While Twitter has become a popular place for many brand mascots, some brands do not feel as though Twitter is the place to promote their characters. Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man won’t be seen on Twitter anytime soon. "We believe the Most Interesting Man doesn't spend too much time with technology. He's busy with his worldly adventures," stated Paul Smailes, senior brand director for Dos Equis and Sol beer brands.

Impersonation in any form, especially in social media, can have differing effects than what a person or company may be striving for. It is important for companies to be aware of false stereotypes that they may have due to misleading information posted by someone unrelated to the company. False, negative connotations can be detrimental for a business, therefore it is important to monitor these and take steps to correct incorrect portrayals of character and motive. 

Have you ever come across any impersonator accounts on Twitter or even Facebook that have a bad connotation associated with them? Did this affect your perception of the brand?

http://adage.com/article/digital/twitter-identity-theft-strikes-brand-mascots/226902/

Expedia's New Facebook Campaign

Expedia has created a Facebook sweepstakes campaign that is sure to attract the attention of many users. The campaign is called 'Expedia FriendTrips'. To enter into the competition, fans of Expedia's Facebook page simply start a plane and become its pilot. Then, the pilot invites their friends to accompany them on the plane. The pilot and the five passengers on each plane are entered into the sweepstakes. To increase your chances of winning, you can create multiple planes and invite multiple friends.

What makes this competition so enticing is the fact that there are over $1 million dollars worth in prizes involved. There is a $160,000 tour of South America which includes stops in Chile and Peru. There is also a $100,000 trip to Las Vegas that includes a $25,000 cash shopping spree. A $100,000 European cruise is another one of the prizes available. Each of these trips is for the winner and five friends.

My blog entry last week was about a survey that revealed the reason that consumers follow companies on social media sites is for discounts and coupons. This campaign does not involve discounts or coupons, but it uses something even better to attract its followers. What could be better than winning something completely free? I think Expedia is on the right track with this campaign. It may be quite costly to carry out, but in the end I believe it will definitely be worth it. The bigger the risk, the bigger the return, right? This campaign will launch the Expedia name and attract the attention of many Facebook users because of the nature of the prizes. I have never used Expedia before but I am thinking about checking out this sweepstakes!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/expedia

http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/expedia-launches-sweepstakes-on-facebook/

Misunderstandings in the Use of Social Media

The International Business Machines Corporation recently did a study to find out the top reasons why customers interact with businesses via social media sites. More than 1,000 customers were surveyed. 350 company executives were also surveyed and asked what they believed the top reasons for this interaction to be. The comparison of the results revealed that many company execs do not have a clear understanding as to why customers are connecting with them through social media.

The executives surveyed revealed that they believed the primary reason for customer communication with a company through social media was to interact with the company and become a part of a community. The top reason for this connection given by the customers was to make purchases and receive discounts. The executives believed that this was the least likely reason that customers use social media sites. The majority of the consumers also revealed that they do not engage with companies via social media sites and that 60% must feel as though a company is portraying itself honestly before they are willing to interact with them.

This study proves that companies need to gain a better understanding as to why consumers use social media sites to communicate with them. A lack of understanding in this area can lead to an unsuccessful social media marketing campaign. A company must know what consumers need and expect before they can develop an effective way of reaching them. When a company has a full understanding of what attracts customers then they will be able to fully utilize the potential of social media.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201103171619dowjonesdjonline000605&title=study-companies-missing-opportunity-to-utilize-social-media

Viral Marketing Used to Promote "Limitless"

“We’re pushing the engagement of an idea which leads you then to the product.…It just is a whole new mind-set where you don’t have to wrap everything up in a bow and if you don’t, people are going to be a lot more interested in you and what you’re selling and what your message is.”

-James Percelay

James Percelay, a former line producer for “Saturday Night Live”, made this statement regarding the new age marketing technique that seems to working in today’s society. People are more likely to respond to an advertisement when they do not know it is an advertisement. Today’s society is composed of independent, free will consumers that do not want to be told what to buy. People are more likely to buy a certain brand or product when they are merely exposed to it with no knowledge that they are indeed, a target of marketing.

Percelay along with Michael Krivicka, a freelance video producer, are the founders of a viral marketing company called ThinkModo. One of the company’s most recent viral marketing endeavors was promoting the movie “Limitless”. The company created and skillfully leaked a video last week of a man hacking into the jumbo screens in Times Square and playing videos from his iPhone. As the man is demonstrating the transfer of control to his iPhone the trailer for “Limitless” is playing on one of the jumbo screens. Although the trailer is only seen for a few seconds, it is unmistakable what movie it is for.

In two days the video had over 800,000 hits on YouTube and many people were wondering if it was real. It has been revealed that it is a hoax, but the video is still gaining popularity. It currently has almost 2 million views on YouTube. This viral video has generated a lot of exposure for “Limiteless” in a new way to attract movie goers.

Movie trailers seen on television are often ignored by viewers simply because they are a form of advertising. Although this viral video is a form of advertising, viewers are unaware. This simple fact makes it more likely that people will notice the trailer. I have seen viral videos promoting products and brands, but never movies. Viral videos are beginning to reach every aspect and industry in marketing proving that it is 'limitless'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_HUYi9aVvI

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/business/media/17viral.html?_r=1

Google It!

“Google it.”

This phrase has gained much popularity over the past few years and I find myself using it almost every day. If someone asks me a question and I do not know the answer then ‘Google it’ is my response. I find myself Googling things all of the time. If I want to know the lyrics to a song or the equation that will help me solve a problem on my physics homework then I simply ‘Google it’. Google is one of the most popular search engines on the internet and in my eyes is the virtual gateway to an abyss of information. When I saw that Google had a blog I thought to myself, “What could ‘Google’ possibly blog about?” It became very apparent as I skimmed their blog that because Google is such a large entity with so many aspects they have plenty to blog about.

Google is still growing and changing very rapidly, therefore keeping up with the Google blog is a great way to stay updated on all that Google has to offer. For example, there is a new feature on Google search that allows you to block particular domains in future searches. If you find a certain domain not useful in your search, then you simply click "Block all example.com results" and these domains will not appear in your next search. The Google blog describes particular features and describes how to use them. After skimming the blog I realized that I was greatly unaware of all that Google can do!

The post I found to be most interesting was their most recent concerning the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It explains how Google is using their current features and developing new ones to help with the devastation. A Google Person Finder was set up in English, Chinese, and Japanese to aid in finding missing people. This feature also includes news updates and maps to assist in locating loved ones. In addition, a Crisis Response information page was created to relay existing information about shelters and other crisis assistance services to the public. The Google homepage was also used to post impending tsunami warnings to keep the public updated on areas of danger. Google also donated $250,000 to Japanese relief and recovery organizations. I was very impressed with what Google is doing to assist with the devastation in Japan.

Google maintains a very informative, useful blog that is kept very up to date, sometimes with multiple posts a day. Blogtrepreneur.com named Google’s blog one of the top ten corporate blogs, and from what I see they have every right to hold this honor. Google's blog is a prime example of a corporate blog that is accomplishing exactly what it wants to. It informs its users not only about the company but also about all that it has to offer, and it does so in an entertaining and attention keeping fashion. Google's blogging strategy is obviously well-tuned and other corporate bloggers can learn from their methods.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2009/02/19/ten-corporate-blogs-worth-reading/

Facebook Marketing Campaigns of 2010

There is no doubt that Facebook is one of the most widely used social media sites. If you are a marketer for a mainstream product or brand then Facebook is the place to be to reach a large audience. Many companies have utilized Facebook by launching marketing campaigns through this social media networking site and these are just a few.

Almost every time I log onto Facebook I have a request from one of my ‘friends’ asking me to play Family Feud, Mafia Wars, or my boyfriend’s favorite, Madden NFL Superstars. The request that I get most frequently however, is for FarmVille. I do not know if it has something to do with living in a rural area, but a lot of my Facebook friends are apparently addicted to this game. Microsoft’s Bing must have known the popularity of the application when they decided to launch a social media campaign. Bing hosted a 24 hour event that allowed users to receive FarmVille cash if they became a fan of their Facebook page. Bing acquired 400,000 new fans during this one day! You are guaranteed to attract people if you give something away – even if it is only ‘virtually’ free.

Another social media campaign based on the appeal of free ‘stuff’ was Digicel’s ‘Giveaway’ campaign. Digicel is a major cell phone company in Jamaica. The company would post a code on their Facebook page and the first person to dial the code would win free stuff such as a handset or phone credit. This campaign helped Digical to increase its Facebook following by 298 percent in 30 days!

Kellogg’s took advantage of social media in the same way that Proctor and Gamble did when they launched their beinggirl.com campaign. Like P&G, Kellogg’s tried to appeal to the emotional side of young mothers by starting ‘Kellogg’s Cares.’ This campaign was a partnership with the country’s number one hunger relief charity – Feeding America. They worked to donate food, teach children about nutrition, and decrease malnutrition. They posted a series of videos about hunger that helped to advance their campaign. Like P&G, the majority of people reached by this campaign were women over 25. They acquired 200,000 fans in less than a month by doing something to better the world.

Facebook has the power to reach people of every demographic with varying interests. It is the perfect place to reach your target market, no matter what it may be. Facebook allows you to give your consumers what they want. If they want to have fun, you can give them games. If they want something free, you can give them contests. If they want to better the world, you can give them a fundraising campaign. No matter your personality there is something on Facebook for you, probably even a social media campaign to spark your interest!

http://socialmediajam.com/the-best-new-facebook-marketing-campaigns-in-2010/