Advertising goes social

Home | Business

 

Chipotle’s “Junk-Free Lunch” digital media program showed a link to Chipotle’s Facebook page, where viewers could learn they were getting a break from junk ads and junk food. Compass Point Media, part of Campbell Mithun, used the advertising strategy on dozens of websites last April.

 

Advertising goes social

Local agencies, big and small, are hopping on the social media train with lots of hires and increasing revenue.

There's a lot of misunderstanding about what social media marketing does for a business. It isn't as much a tool for generating new leads, for example, as much as it is one for building loyalty and retaining existing clients. Too many businesses who go the social media route have this "if you build it they will come" expectation and forego traditional advertising efforts. The result can be disasterous. Just creating a Twitter or Facebook account isn't going to give people a reason to do business with you...it doesn't even give them a reason to visit your Facebook page.

digology was born out of the realization that digital is the world we live in right now. If your advertising agency wants to quickly get up to speed on integrating social media and other digital channels into your offering, drop us a line and let's chat about what we've been able to do for other agencies.

Posted
 

We're not one-at-a-timin' here! We're mass-communicatin'!

Peter Drucker says, "the purpose of business is to create a customer," not to create a sale (as the sales-driven strategies of olden days purported) or even a product (as our more enlightened "market-driven" selves proclaim). So the big questions really haven't changed, whether your media focus is the local newspaper, a radio contest, or Twitter: can you create customers out of this audience? Is this where your target market hangs out? Is this medium consistent with your brand's personality? Do you know how to be relevant here?

There is a lot of discussion on the web about what's different about social media. It's equally important to understand how it's the same. While the path to the customer may be a different one, the goal is the same. To create a customer (and, I would add, to keep your customers). If you can't do that with social media, then maybe you should rethink your presence there.

Posted
 

Younger Women Step to Social Beat: What does it mean to brands?

Media_httpwwwemarketercomimageschartgifs108001109000108283gif_xyidbwrrpguahfw

This chart comes from eMarketer's coverage of the PopSugar Media study, "Why Y Women?" I am especially intrigued by the difference in the response to the option, "A friend mentioning it on his or her online profile or status updated." This is a clear indicator of the trend toward social media having a huge impact on brands, while being largely out of brands' control. The answer? Listen to your customers and deliver excellent, buzzworthy products and services that meet their needs. Time to walk the talk.

Posted
 

College Students: Educate Yourselves on Digital Marketing

In her article for Business Week, "Teaching the Facebook Generation," Dr. Elaine Young posits, "Young people may seem like social media mavens, and employers may expect them to be, but students need to learn how to exploit digital tools."

Here was my response to Dr. Young:

I agree that our universities are frequently not doing enough to prepare young marketers for the reality of digital marketing and social media. I also think that enterprising students have the opportunity to educate themselves on these issues and can probably do so on their own much more effectively than sitting in a classroom. 
 
Photo_on_2009-10-14_at_20

First, they should start a blog. Using their researching and writing skills will help them to improve and can only serve them well in the world of business. 

Second, they can practice their social media skills by building communities of friends and followers and promoting their compelling blog content within these communities. 

Finally, even on a student budget you can take advantage of Google Analytics for free and learn how to track what is working and what is not as they experiment with driving traffic to their blog. 

Extra credit: add Monster and Amazon affiliate links to their site and use any revenue to sponsor an Adwords campaign. The end result is a digital portfolio that speaks louder than any puffed-up, boastful resume'.
Posted
 

Case Study--FiOS Part I: How does Verizon's FiOS value proposition translate into a strategy targeted to college students?

Verizon's FiOS value proposition is clear: blistering fast Internet service (up to 50 Mb download rate in some areas), sparkling, realistic TV picture, so lovely to behold, and a ubiquitous mobile network. The "Triple Play" offer ties a bow around the whole thing and makes it tempting to give Verizon all your technology-oriented business for the convenience of one bill.

But, how to target such an offering to the very lucrative college market? The I-may-be-poor-now-but-I'm-a-heavy-technology-user-and-will-be-your-mainstay-customers-before-long market? It's easy to think that broad-market advertising, a Facebook Fan page and Twitter account will do the trick, but I submit that this misses the mark entirely. In today's social media-driven environment, how about an approach that leverages the social tendencies of this age group? How about a strategy that's one part Netflix, one part DirecTV, one part Twitter? Let's call it FiOSFans. Here's what I mean:

FiOSFans Groups Use TV Shows to Create Social Sharing

Imagine that, not only can you schedule your DVR from your phone (that's the DirecTV part) but you can also choose to share your DVR list (maybe you have the ability to mark some DVR items as private) with your friends by joining FiOSFans groups (that's the Netflix part), check their lists on your phone app and choose to add their shows to your DVR lineup? What's genius about this? Well, instead of relying strictly on advertising to get new customers, social groups encourage one another to be on FiOS so they can share their entertainment choices and commentary. How?

Well, what if customers could leverage their Twitter sign-ons to find out who in general or just among their friends are watching a particular show? Let's say the Twitter stream isn't just context-sensitive but can be filtered down to just your Twitter friends or even just your FiOSFans group and you can search history so that you can get filled in on what your friends were saying about the show when they were watching it...say two days ago.

FiOS as a 24-7 Viewing Party

What would this look like? Imagine a reality show like American Idol, a football game, or a drama series like 24. How many updates do you see on your Facebook page or your Twitter timeline today specifically related to a particular show, many times one that you don't watch? But if you had a group formed of all your friends who watch your shows, (maybe there's a jock at your college who watches American Idol and you would never have guessed!) you could chat about the shows you love with only other friends who love them, too. Every show becomes a viewing party with your friends, even if you have class, work, or need to study for an exam. You just watch it later on your DVR and use your FiOSFans group to join the party whenever it works for you.

It's a self-perpetuating cycle: using the mobile format to take advantage of "time and place" opportunities (friends say "you've gotta see this" and you can put it on your list now, rather than risk forgetting about it), using the TV format as common ground to build social groups, using Internet widgets to share commentary and strengthen the value of the groups' shared interests.

Can You Feel Me Now?

To me, an approach like this is the difference between a company that "gets" how to leverage social media for a key target market and a company that just jumps on the social media bandwagon without a strategy for using these channels to reach out to their target markets. Verizon is one of the top technology companies on the east coast. College students are not going to be swayed by a lame Facebook page. What means something to them is a company that understands that they trust their friends' opinions more than any advertising and becomes the host at a party where they can do just that.

Posted
 

An interesting perspective on social media via @equalman (video)

What do you think? Does it read like a network marketing pitch? Or do you think it's genuine and factual? I'd love to read your comments!

Posted
 

"Customer Engagement" agency leverages Youtube to talk about Facebook to promote their social media services!

Okay, it's fun, no doubt. But what do you think about Big Fuel's model of engagement with the customer/prospect "off message" and then bringing them to the commerce table? It certainly worked for them. After seeing this video, I was interested in learning what kind of company would put out such a creative, well-produced, entertaining video about, well, nothing! Result: I clicked through to check them out. And if you do, too, you'll see their business model played out on the front page. I'd love to hear your thoughts about whether their approach can work.

You gotta dig www.BigFuel.com.

Posted