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/

The Negative Aspects of Social Media Marketing

For the past four weeks we have been reading, learning, and blogging about the benefits of social media marketing and how this type of campaigning can positively affect a business. While there is no doubt in my mind that social media marketing is a useful tool in the professional world and that it can advance an organization in a variety of ways, I wanted to see what people are saying about the darker side of social media marketing. There are always two sides to every story and usually when something appears too good to be true, it is. I did an online search on the negative aspects of social media marketing and read a few blogs on what people were saying about how this type of marketing strategy could be not-so beneficial to a company.

One blog that I read mentioned that a business can appear out of touch if their social media is not managed properly. If a company creates multiple social networking profiles such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube it is apparent that the company is attempting to launch a social media marketing campaign. However, if these sites are not regularly updated then consumers and followers using social media to connect with their brands and products will feel as though their favored company is unreachable and unattainable. If you are not going to consistently manage your social media sites then it is probably better to not even create them.

The same blogger revealed a very good point about potentially revealing too much information through social media. Many organizations get excited about using social media as a marketing tool and want to post as much as information as possible in hopes of attracting, maintaining, and pleasing customers. The blog mentioned revealing too much information about an upcoming product. If other organizations out there are using social media to get ahead of their competitors (which they are) then they could see this information and potentially use it for their own benefit. Also, by pushing your upcoming product too much, you could decrease sales for your current product because people will decide to wait for the new and improved model.

Another blog I read expanded on this thought by saying that your updates should not be too excessive. This blog goes on to say that it is highly unlikely for a business to greatly increase its revenue from social media marketing. I am not sure that I completely agree with this statement. However, it continues by saying that if you are not reaping the benefits of social media marketing then you should reconsider how much effort should be put into this strategy. This is a very good point. Social media marketing may not be the best marketing tool for every business, therefore it is important for a company to assess the success of their social media marketing strategy and make changes if needed.

From what I have read about the negative effects of social media marketing, I personally conclude that this type of marketing strategy does not have the potential to greatly affect a business in a negative manner. Every negative aspect that was mentioned in the blogs I reviewed seemed to have a fairly simple solution. It is apparent to me that an organization that takes the time to develop and implement a well thought out social media marketing strategy can avoid these negative effects without much effort. No social media campaign is perfect, but if you properly monitor the effects that it is having on your company and why these effects are occuring then it is possible for you to make changes where needed to gain optimal success out of this beneficial marketing tool.

http://www.bencathers.com/2010/06/negative-effects-of-social-media-in-business/

http://www.searchengineoptimization.co.uk/seo-blog/social-media-optimization/knowing-the-negative-effects-of-social-media-marketing.html

Vitaminwater's Facebook Campaign

A couple of years ago, Vitaminwater got rid of its website and made its Facebook page its landing page. Internet surfers looking for information about Vitaminwater were redirected to Facebook where they could not only learn about the product but become interactive in its development.

Visitors were given the opportunity to download the “Flavor Creator Lab” Facebook application where they could submit their own ideas for a new flavor of Vitaminwater. Through this application consumers were able to give feedback and suggestions for new flavors, names, ingredients, and packaging through a variety of games and quizzes. One lucky Facebook fan was awarded $5,000 for their ideas. The winner’s ideas and designs were included in the new flavor of Vitaminwater. The new drink, Connect, was named in honor of social media.

The application also allowed users to keep tabs on the top 10 flavors in the contest. It kept users updated on social media chatter from sites like Google News, Twitter, and Flickr. This allowed various types of social media to play a role in the contest. The more social media buzz there was about a flavor, the higher it moved up on the top 10 list.

Participation was overwhelming. During the first month of the campaign the Vitaminwater Facebook fan base grew from 400,000 to 981,000. Fan participation rate was estimated at 10%. Vitaminwater now has a Facebook fan base of over 2 million and a longer list of loyal customers.

I believe that this social media campaign was successful because it actively attracted participation. By making their Facebook page their landing page, Vitaminwater gave their interested consumers a friendly push into participating in the campaign. Interested consumers turned into interactive consumers without even knowing it. Once on Vitaminwater’s Facebook page, visitors were enticed into the campaign. People like giving their opinions and expressing ideas. The Vitaminwater campaign gave followers of the company the opportunity to do this. I am sure that the chance to win $5,000 encouraged a few of those participants. Also, allowing your followers to participate in the development of your product will always attract attention, but Vitaminwater did more than that. They gave their followers complete control and gave them the opportunity to single handedly develop a customized product on their own.

Resources:

http://www.stoneig.com/blog/social-media-marketing/231-experimental-a-successful-social-media-campaigns

http://mashable.com/2009/09/08/vitamin-water-flavor-creator/

Social Media and the Professional World

When I think about the phrase ‘social media’ I think about social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. When I think about what these networking sites are used for I primarily think of informal and entertaining purposes, but social media networking sites are used for much more than finding friends that we have lost touch with over the years. Social media sites have the capability of assisting us in finding jobs and advancing our careers. As was mentioned with marketing through social media, some people are still stuck in their old ways. Many people are still relying on face to face networking and hard copy resumes to move them up the corporate ladder. In order for these people to be aware of all of the job opportunities and networking possibilities that are out there, they are going to have to market themselves using social media.

However, in order to market yourself effectively through social media there are a few guidelines you need to follow. Dan Schawbel reveals 7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media in his blog. Completing your professional profiles 100% and being active on sites like Twitter and LinkedIn are essential. Another one of the steps given is advertising yourself using AdWords and Facebook social ads. In his book, Secrets of Social Media Marketing, Paul Gillin lists some ways to differentiate yourself from the competition using social media. Appropriate visual aides including, images, pictures, audio, and video clips on your profiles are sure to get you noticed. If you keep professional, updated profiles about yourself and your career experience and goals, and are continuously actively seeking personal connections with people in the professional world then you are sure to reveal numerous professional opportunities. If you capitalize on social media in terms of getting your professional name out there, then there are no limits as to what job you could get or where you could be working within the next year.

On the other hand, if your professional profiles are not kept updated and are not inconsistent with your hard copy resume, then you could run into trouble. If employers see discrepancy, no matter how innocent, they may question your integrity or attention to detail and pass you up. Many other things that are revealed on social media sites could cause an employer to toss your application. If you use a short hand communication style or post unflattering pictures of yourself your professionalism may be up for debate. For social media to be effective in advancing your career you must pay close attention to details and be willing to invest the time in this worth while endeavor. I do not know anyone personally that has had experience with inappropriate social media content in their job search, but I am sure as I get older and my peers and I begin searching for more professional jobs that this will happen to me or someone I know.

In closing, I would like to take a minute to discuss viral marketing. I believe that viral marketing is a hit or miss method. I think that a company is more likely to achieve viral marketing when that is not the goal they have for the particular strategy or project. It seems to me that viral marketing happens by accident most of the time. I believe that it is so powerful because the type of message it is sending is not ‘buy me’, but rather ‘look how neat this is’. Viral marketing inspires emotions in people and those emotions are what attract the consumer to the particular product or brand. The examples of viral marketing that I have seen seem fun, and that is what makes them so attractive and/or effective.

Is social media marketing a fad or is it here to stay?

I believe that social media marketing is a permanent means of advertising, rather than a fad or a phase that will pass with time. In my opinion social media marketing is still in the early stages of development. Many companies are resisting social media as an outlet for marketing and their businesses are suffering because of this. They maintain that their mainstream methods of advertising are all they need to be successful, but many organizations are being proven wrong and going out of business. Like David Meerman Scott says in his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR, the old rules of marketing are obsolete. In some situations the old rules still apply, but to be able to utilize the power of the internet to reach consumers, the old rules must be ignored. I believe that social media marketing will reach its peak, if and when, all organizations accept the inevitability that they must participate in social media marketing to reach and/or maintain success.

Today’s society does not respond to traditional marketing strategies like it used to. Consumers today are gaining independence and do not like to be told what they want or what they should buy. People today have the ability to actively participate in the customization of products. It is not about marketers telling consumers what they want anymore; it is about consumers telling marketing what they want. Social media marketing is the perfect way to encourage this. Organizations are able to get multitudes of feedback from their consumers and make alterations to their products and services to give them exactly what they desire. It is highly unlikely that society is going to revert back to its old ways of being won over by mainstream media messages; therefore social media marketing is here to stay.

According to statistics given in our class notes 3.5 billion Word-of-Mouse conversations occur every day and 2.3 billion of these include the discussion of a product, service, or brand. This is the result of millions of people interacting on social networking sites every day. The social network is where everyone is at. It is where they are talking. It is where they are talking about products, services, and brands. Social networking is increasing everyday and it does not appear to be slowing down. Therefore, Word-of-Mouse conversations that are promoting products, services, and brands will continue to consume social media marketing.

Although there are already many channels to social media marketing such as social networking sites, blogs, Listservs, and Wikis I believe that this is only the beginning. I foresee that there will be numerous other outlets developed in the future that will facilitate social media marketing in ways that we can’t even imagine.