Posts RSSShouldn’t brands care more about a second chance to talk to consumers than their Super Bowl ads’ first impressions
By Justin Goldsborough | February 8th, 2010
The Saints and their fans aren’t the only ones still partying today. My guess is there are a few “impressions love fests” going on right now, most notably in the offices of the companies that paid millions of dollars for 30 and 60 second spots during last night’s big game.
Super Bowl 44 had the game’s highest overnight ratings in 23 years according to the Associated Press, and the Nielsen reports will likely show that more than 100 million people tuned in to see Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and the commercials.
So marketing teams and execs at Doritos, Coke, Snickers, Flo TV, Vizio and more have reason to celebrate, right? Well, maybe so. But while their tipping back a few with the New Orleans fans, hopefully they’ll at least take a second to ask a few what ifs.
For example, what if these companies had figured out a way to make their interaction with the 100-million-plus viewers last longer than 30 or 60 seconds. You know, maybe by tying in a mention of their social media presences into their ads. It wouldn’t have been that difficult.
I LOL’d at Betty White playing schoolyard football. But Snickers could have offered to “really satisfy” you by answering your questions on the brand’s Facebook fan page. Or sharing special Snickers offers via Twitter.
I’ve been a fan of the E*TRADE babies ever since one uttered the word “Shankapotomaus.” And last night’s newest installments didn’t disappoint. But where do I go tomorrow if I want to ask an E*TRADE rep about how to make a limit sell on some of my stock and set up a mutual fund buy? Guess I can find out, but I’m going to have to take time to search and hope they have people online ready to answer my question.
Even Visio, which put together an innovative commercial about the future of its TV lines and gave a users a sneak peek at what Internet applications (including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) on your TV might look like, failed to ask users to meet themn online to take a closer look and discuss what’s next.
Seems like a missed opportunity to me. An opportunity that doesn’t come cheap and only comes once a year. Making people laugh is great. I’m a huge fan of laughter as a selling point and think it’s underrated. It gets people talking.
But I’ve seen more and more brands integrate social media into their ads and ask fans to build a relationship versus just “talking at” people. Until last night? Last night was a step back.
Even Dockers, which @BethHarte recently told us Dockers is using music app maker Shazam to tag its new brand ad and unlock further content, failed to mention this innovative integration in their “big game” commercials. My friend and #pr20chat co-moderator Heather Whaling (@prTini) ran a poll on her blog Sunday before the game asking how many of the Super Bowl ads would integrate online and offline by including a mention of “new media” in their ad. The answer options were:
- Less than 25%
- 26%-50%
- 51%-75%
- More than 75%
I think this was a very applicable question to ask based on the progressions we’ve seen companies take lately in advertising –giving consumers a chance to continue the relationship with the brand via social media. But I guess Heather should have added a fifth answer — ZERO — because that’s how many companies took advantage of the opportunity.
So if Dr. Pepper, E*TRADE, Kia and all the others who signed over millions to CBS last night think the viewer ratings are reason to party, I’m good with that. But I get the impression (heh, heh) they’re missing the bigger picture.
- What do you think? Am I overreacting here?
- Will consumers find these companies’ social media presences whether they’re mentioned in an ad or not?
- Is the objective of Super Bowl commercials now solely to stand out and be funny?
- Or did I miss an ad that mentioned social media?
Let’s continue the conversation in the comments.
“3 Questions” with Steve Crescenzo (from KC/IABC Biz Communicator’s Summit)
By Justin Goldsborough | February 6th, 2010
Steve Crescenzo gave one of two keynotes (the dude with the red goatee who looks familiar in the pic below gave the other one :)) last Thursday at our Kansas City International Association of Business Communicators (KC/IABC) Business Communicators Summit (BCS). Try saying that three times fast.
Steve is one of my favorite presenters because of his unique style and tell-it-like-it-is approach. There’s no BS with Steve. I plan to do another post soon highlighting my favorite takeaways from his sessions. But I wanted to share this video he filmed for us at last week’s conference where he answered the following questions:
1. How can communicators be creative and share the value and ROI of their creativity?
2. How does executive communications have to change in a social media world?
3. What are some tools (e.g. Flip cams) that PR pros can use to develop more creative, engaging communications?
Don’t forget to work too hard on yourself sometimes
By Justin Goldsborough | February 1st, 2010
Are you one of those people who works too hard? You know, the ones who get to the office early, leave the office late and are always online? Ok, since 95 percent of you just raised your hand, let me ask the question a different way — Are you one of those people who works too hard on work, and not hard enough on you? Because, you see, there is a difference.
I just got back from the IABC Leadership Institute conference in San Diego, a meeting of passionate chapter members from around the world who took a couple of days away from the office to work on themselves and to bond with their fellow communicators. I’m guessing nobody really had the time to spare and everyone had work they could have been doing, but this trip was important because there’s a value in professional organizations like IABC, PRSA, etc., and we know the people we meet and the conversations we have make us better communicators and build our personal brand.
The same “people and conversations” reference applies when it comes to our social networks. How much time do you spend meeting new people on Twitter, engaging with contacts on Facebook, learning from conversations on blogs and sharing your points of view by blogging with your community?
Lately, I see too many people working too hard solely on client work and neglecting work they could be doing on themselves. We preach to our clients to listen and engage with their communities, to have a conversation strategy. But often times we fail to practice what we preach and the only conversations we have are with our colleagues and are clients. It may seem that putting your nose to the grindstone like that and wearing blinders to the rest of the world is the noble thing to do — take one for the team (your clients and coworkers). But in reality, your work suffers and you risk burnout if you don’t take some time to develop yourself.
Here are six tips on how to develop yourself while continue developing awesome work for your clients:
- Blog. Every communicator should blog at least once a week. And “I don’t have time” isn’t a good excuse. Why blog? Well for one, we’re communicators. And we always need to be honing that craft and learning how people perceive what we’re trying to share. But second, blogging allows you to share your personality and knowledge with the world. It promotes creativity and identity — gives you something to be proud of. And that pride leads to confidence, which leads to better work for your clients.
- Participate. Yeah, I now you’re busy. But set aside at least an hour a day to read and reply to online conversations — tweets, blog posts, blog comments, forums. By joining these conversations, you gain different perspectives and learn from your peers. It’s like doing interactive research. Look at it this way…you probably think it’s a good idea to keep learning about your profession and developing your skills, right? That’s exactly what you’re doing by participating online. And you’re actually saving time and money (most professional development events cost money, especially that one called college :)). Plus, would you ever tell a client you have all the answers? If you’re not spending time online picking your peers’ brains then you’re only bringing one perspective to the table for your clients — yours. Is that really providing them the best work possible?
- Join. Find an organization you’re passionate about. At least one, maybe more. And try to interact with that organization at least once a month. Maybe you can attend a professional development event or go to a fundraiser. Maybe you can use your passion to step out of your comfort zone and try a skill you’ve always thought you need but don’t have any practice doing. If you’re like me, it’s budgeting. I hate math and have never been good at it. But I need to understand it to better understand our business. Through IABC, I’m learning to do a budget for the KC chapter as well as a strategic plan. Maybe you’ve always wanted to film/edit videos to pitch media and bloggers. You bought a Flip cam but are haven’t moved past filming your dog when he eats. Non-profits ALWAYS need PR help. Find one you like and create a promotional video for the organization.
- Read. I’m saying this to myself as much as I’m suggesting it to you. Set a goal to read a book each month. You may read a lot more than that, but it’s easy to get so wrapped up at the office that the books stay on the shelves. Fight the urge to put reading off and when you’ve finished your book, do a blog post about it. Tackle two birds with one stone.
- Network. It is not possible to do too much networking. Go ahead an try. I triple-dog-dare you :). And no, networking with your colleagues doesn’t count! Seek out one new person each week, online or offline, and really learn something about them. Every time you meet someone new, you uncover a new community of contacts, surface new perspectives and build new relationships. Your network is vital to your success. Who do you think writes those recommendations on LinkedIn and helps you with those questions you tweet? Not recommending or tweeting? Give it a shot. Those are great ways to network. Furthermore, you know what sucks…losing your job and not having a network built up to help you find a new one. Your company may not want to lay you off in the future, but they will do what’s best for the brand. You need to do what’s best for your brand.
- Exercise. Step away from the computer and do something fun and active. Working out actually gives you more energy if you get into a routine and even 20 minutes three times a week can make a real difference in how you feel…ok, ok and maybe in how you look too. But the how you feel piece is what I was getting at.
You don’t have to try all six of these tips at once. Pick one, give it a shot and then try a second. Remember, once you do something new for 30 days it becomes a habit. And that’s really what I’m getting at here…make a habit of working harder on yourself. In the end, you’ll do better work for your clients and feel better about how well-rounded you are. It’s ok to work too hard, as long as some of that working too hard is to develop your brand.
So…
- What do you do to work on yourself?
- Do you have a plan for making sure you follow through on these six tips?
- How has working on yourself changed your life for the better?
- What tips would you add?
Let’s continue the conversation in the comments.
Perception vs. Reality
By Justin Goldsborough | January 27th, 2010
I may have written this post before. But thanks to Audi, I’m writing it again.
If you’ve been to Danny Brown’s place today, then you’ve heard the story about Audi’s integration of the Green Police — a name first adopted by the Nazi’s during the Holocaust — into it’s Super Bowl advertising campaign promotion efforts. At best, as many people commented on Danny’s post, somebody didn’t do their research.
But at worst, Audi knew about the Green Police connotation and thought, as one commenter named Seth wrote: “Nobody needs a protest anymore to remind us that slavery and Nazis are bad.”
It’s not that Seth’s point isn’t true on the surface. But there’s a difference between reality and the way the public will actually react to a situation — perception. And if Audi’s top executives really sat in a room and said to themselves, “you know, almost a half century has passed and green is about the environment these days; people will know what we were getting at,” then they need to take a step outside their offices and into the real world every now and then. Or maybe just sit in front of a computer for a while and surf the Web.
Executives have got to stop relying on a sense of “corporate reality” to make decisions that can so significantly impact the brands they represent and the people whom they are supposed to be leading. At this point in the progression of social media, it’s really inexcusable. Do a focus group, ask a family member, bounce the idea off a manager-level employee, type the proposed name of your campaign into this newfangled search thingie that’s all the rage these days. I think it’s called Google.
It only takes one. One person with a computer and some influence who takes the time to provide commentary on a decision one of the old guys in suits who sit in the executive row with the mahogany office furniture, expensive artwork and plush carpets makes. Too many execs still underestimate the intelligence of the online social community — or just don’t care to take it into account. Why don’t you ask Motrin or United Airlines how that worked out for them.
Maybe execs have trouble relating because it’s hard to connect the dots on how a mistake like this impacts the bottom line. Affects reputation, sure. But no one can put that into dollar figures…can they? Well, I think we’re getting closer. This week a colleague shared some results with me from a WOM study Dell conducted recently. Based on the research quoted in the presentation — which I’ll admit, I’m still trying to get my hands on — Dell was able to quantify that its average detractor costs the company $57 and it’s average promoter generates $32.
If we can figure that value for Dell, than any company is fair game. And if Audi was Dell and we were to factor Danny Brown’s post, according to my calculations, Audi would have just lost $1,386 ((26 detractor comments multiplied by $57) minus (3 promote comments multiplied by $32) — rest I rated neutral).
Now obviously Dell isn’t Audi. But the idea that we can assign a dollar value to the average promoter and detractor is universal across brands. And maybe it’s enough to get the Audi execs — and many of their peers — to look past their false sense of “corporate reality” to how the decisions they make for the brands they represent are actually being perceived by the people that matter…their customers and employees.
Do you know any companies that have fallen victim to “corporate reality?’ Or how about examples of brands that go out of their way to consider the public perception. Would appreciate hearing your thoughts in the comments.
Are Facebook fan pages the 2.0 Web site?
By Justin Goldsborough | January 19th, 2010
Have we reached the break even point yet?
No, I’m not talking about an economic rebound. I mean the break even point between Facebook fan pages and Web sites. And I think we’re there.
When I was in college in the early 2000s, I took my first Web site class. When I graduated and entered the professional world, Web sites were all the rage. In fact, it was about that time I remember the transition of Web sites from a “cool, nice-to-have way to tell a brand’s story and maybe even sell products” to a “must have to be competitive in the business world.” Today, a Web site is an afterthought for companies, isn’t it? Almost like having a company bank account.
So what’s today’s 2.0 Web site? You might say social media. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But social media can take on many different looks and feels depending on the company, industry and overall business goals you’re talking about. But IMO, there is one exception…Facebook.
More than 350 million people are on Facebook. If you’ve seen the Social Media Revolution video, you know that’s a group large enough to be the fourth largest country in the world. That said, shouldn’t every company have a Facebook fan page?
I asked this question the other day at work and got some different responses. One person said you have to factor in the clients goals and see if Facebook is a fit. I understand that point of view because it’s how we always try to approach providing social media strategy for our clients. We’ve been taught no one platform is right for every company. And I think that was the case – until now.
We also discussed whether a fan page made sense for every company on this week’s #pr20chat (@prTini and I recently took over moderating the chat on Tuesday nights at 8 EST for founder, @bethharte, whose new chat, #imcchat, takes place Wednesday nights at 8 EST). Chatters expressed a variety of opinions — everything from suggesting Yelp has more value than Facebook for small businesses, which have to prioritize their resources (via @jspepper) to proclaiming that a brand Facebook presence has become an expectation (via @LaurenGav).
Show me an organization that doesn’t have a goal of brand awareness, accessibility and engaging with its customers and I’ll show you a company that shouldn’t be on Facebook. The rise of social media and consumer expectations of their brand relationships have brought us here…to break even. And a Facebook fan page is the Web site of the social media world.
Try to think of a company that wouldn’t benefit from a fan page. I’m not saying there isn’t one…I just can’t think of one. Can you? Whether a company is B2C or B2B, doesn’t it need to have a home where customers can find out information about the company (Web site provides that too) and interact with company representatives and fellow consumers (where a fan page is unique).
Furthermore, if a fan page is the new Web site, then how should we be counseling our clients to use it? Maybe that’s where the fan page use should track back more to company goals and objectives. Because there are some fundamentals all companies should be using a fan page for – e.g. telling the company story and talking with customers. And possibly, I’d argue, this emerging fundamental – using custom tabs to drive fans back to content your brand wants them to see that sits on the company Web site?
What do you think? Is the Facebook fan page taking over as home base for some brands? And if so, do companies need to figure out how to make it easy for consumers to do things on the fan page that they used to do on the corporate Web site, i.e. making purchases? One thing’s for sure…if this is the route we’re going with online brand presences, it should be easier for us as PR pros to prove social media is driving sales.
At least that’s what I think. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
How to firm up your Facebook fan page strategy
By Justin Goldsborough | January 10th, 2010
Please join us to talk more Facebook strategy during #pr20chat, Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST
When I started as a social media manager at Sprint in 2007, I remember my boss gave me several research reports to thumb through with a highlighter. I learned a lot about trends in social media from those reports, but I’ll never do research that way again…or at least only that way. Because no amount of research can provide the insight and perspective I get from just asking my Twittersphere.
Take Saturday morning for example…I’m getting ready to work on a Facebook fan page strategy for a client next week. I’ve got a point of view on what we should suggest, but I don’t think one person alone can ever consider all viable options. There’s strength in numbers :). So I posted the following question to find out what my tweeps would do. And as usual, I was amazed at the response and value of real-time research on Twitter.
So what did we talk about?
Facebook Fundamentals
I’m a sports nut. Just ask my wife :). So sports analogies make sense to me and I thought of another one this morning when the comments like the ones below answering my question began coming in.
Blocking and tackling. See man and ball. Use two hands when fielding a grounder. Those are the fundamentals we’re taught when we first pick up a football, basketball or baseball. And coaches will tell you a team can’t win or compete effectively if the players don’t have an understanding of the fundamentals.
When a brand sets up a Facebook fan page, there are a few basic things the company’s PR reps should be doing at a bare minimum to adequately represent the organization — 1) post consistently, 2) interact with fans who are adding comments, 3) talk with (two way), not at (one way), people. This evaluation may sound simple, but there are a number of companies using Facebook only to broadcast news or that have a fan page but don’t do anything with it. Anybody can build a fan page, but it’s up to us a PR pros to serve as coaches to our companies and clients when it comes to understanding the basics of engaging with fans.
Who’s got good fan page fundamentals?
- Via @mikepillarz: I’m impressed w/Northern Brewer’s intense engagement w/their niche. So many comments on *every* post
- Via @markvanbaale: Brands should interact with fans on FB fan page. Starting to do that more now with Theater League FB pages
- Via me: Southwest and Dunkin Donuts are always sharing stories and joining the conversation with fans. Smaller company example: Naked Pizza. Non-profit example: Make-A-Wish Foundation.
What brands do you think practice good Facebook fundamentals? Any fundamentals we left out that you think are important?
Custom tabs, FBML and apps
350 million. That would be a number large enough to rank 4th in the world in population if referring to a country and also the number of users on Facebook. So not only does it make sense for brands to practice the fundamentals of online conversation on Facebook, but many companies are also starting to see the value in creating a custom experience (tab) and using their Facebook presence to drive fans to content, apps, points of purchase, contests, etc. This content might be built specifically for Facebook or it might reside on the organization’s other social network presences or even the Web site, once the definite first stop for consumers searching to find a brand on the Internet. And doing something simple like making a custom tab the default tab on a fan page starts people off seeing the content the company wants them to see.
Custom tabs using Facebook’s version of html (FBML) allow companies to show off their creativity and engage with fans in a unique way, as my peers pointed out on Twitter today:
So who’s got custom tabs and apps worth showing off?
- Via @PRtini: I like what Honda’s doing on FB w/ the Everybody Loves Honda campaign. have no idea how much $$ it took to create that, but the concept is awesome. Wld love to see more orgs go that direction. (More on this custom app in a minute…because it IS awesome).
- Via @arikhanson: Check out Susan G Komen sometime. Great use of FBML and using FB strategically. As @30lines said, I like that Komen makes that tab their FB “home page.” Idea: Get people where they want them to go.
- Via @allanschoenberg: Redbull does a really good job. Check out their fan page
- Via @30lines: I like what vaynermedia is doing with their “Welcome” tab
- Via me: I’m also high on Kodak’s fan page, which takes you to a custom tab experience that offers fans exclusive deals, connectsfans who want to share creative projects and tips, outlines Kodak’s social Web presence and highlights some of the company’s hottest products — it IS ok to promote your product and try to drive sales via social media.
Now, back to what Honda is doing on its fan page. As @PRtini pointed out, Honda has created a custom app designed to build community around people who love Honda. Here’s how it works. Go to Honda’s fan page and the default tab is called “The Experiment.” Select if you love a Honda (and what make and model) or if you know someone who loves a Honda. Then “The Experiment” generates your Honda love connections for you, gives you a love factor rating, compares your rating to your friends’ ratings and then tells you how you can improve your rating — by sharing the love, of course!
Several smart things about this custom app, but here are three:
- There’s community around almost any product. Honda is becoming a part of that community and harnessing it for fans within Facebook. IOW, making it easy for users to connect with friends and Facebook users who also love Honda. Plus, Honda is IDing millions of brand fans in the process.
- Execs want ROI on social media, and they usually want it in numbers. The more than 3.7 million people connected by Honda love displayed on the app’s odometer is a great place to start.
- People are competitive. And Honda is taking advantage of that with it’s Honda love leaderboard that allows you to compare your Honda love to friends and Facebook users.
What companies have you seen differentiate themselves with custom tabs or apps? Drive sales? Companies that could use some help in this area?
The Conversation Continues
If all these valuable tips and perspectives were shared during an impromptu conversation of about 10 friends on Twitter, imagine what we could get if we continue the conversation with all of you; there’s so much more to talk about. So let’s plan to do that…Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST when @PRtini (Heather Whaling) and I host are first #pr20chat (founder @BethHarte, who rocks and who I’m always learning from btw, is starting a new chat on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. EST — #IMCchat with @abarcelos).
One more POV before I go shared by my friend, #prstudchat co-founder Valerie Simon, that we should all remember when we start delving into all the cool custom things, and fundamentals, we can put on display for our clients on a Facebook fan page:
Well said, Valerie. That may be the most fundamental advice of all…advice that doesn’t just apply to fan pages, but to every social media strategy and tactic we suggest.
Look forward to continuing the conversation Tuesday night during #pr20chat or right here in the comments.
Death of a Salesman? Is traditional advertising dying, evolving or both?
By Justin Goldsborough | January 6th, 2010
(Photo courtesy of www.merchantmaven.com)
One of my favorite parts about vacation is having the time to catch up on a TV series Maggie and I have been wanting to watch. Last week it was Mad Men. And besides wondering how agency employees got anything done while knocking down 10-plus drinks a day and smoking a carton of cigarettes a week :), the show has me thinking about advertising. Is it dying, changing or just something I don’t put a lot of stock in. At this point, the jury’s still out.
I’ve seen the numbers. We use them all the time in social media presentations at Fleishman. Consumers don’t trust advertising. At least they don’t according to Nielsen, which says the average person is exposed to more than 3,000 marketing messages a day, yet only 14 percent of people trust advertisements, while 78 percent trust peer recommendations.
Edelman’s 2009 trust barometer backs Nielsen. It ranks employees and customers as the third most trusted source to consumers. Corporate or product advertising ranked dead last. Last month the Wall Street Journal reported global ad spend is expected to have fallen 10 percent in 2009 — a 13 percent sink in the U.S.
So pardon the pun, but Don Draper’s industry of choice appears to be smoked. Doesn’t it? Or maybe, like society’s view of smoking and drinking at the office in the 60s, it’s just bound to evolve and change.
Let’s run with that analogy for a bit, shall we? How many times did you hear a company mention its Facebook fan page in an ad six months ago? Now how many times have you heard it in the past month? If I remember correctly, Best Buy started the domino effect of ending an ad with a reference to the brand’s social media presence — the twelpforce stadium ads — and now it’s becoming more and more common by the day.
Go into a store and you’ll see a “follow us on Facebook” sign taped to the cash register. Online ads (many on Faceook) are interactive polls or “become a fan” buttons that promote more engagement than your traditional banner ads. In fact, when Maggie and I were on vacation in Napa last week and went to eat at the Greystone Culinary Institute, a one-star Michelin restaurant (that means it’s really good, not that you get free tires…well, I didn’t know :)), their was a “Follow us on Facebook” ad written at the bottom of the menu in this fancy restaurant.
What’s this change mean? Some companies are changing what they feel the key takeaway should be in their ads. They have to. It used to be “check out this deal,” “you need this product” or “our airlines take you where you want to go.” Now it’s”let’s continue the conversation” or “come see what others are saying about us and let us know what questions you have.” I get that philosophy. It matches up well with the trust stats from Nielsen and friends.
What I don’t get are companies that continue to shell out millions or thousands for a 30-seconds-or-less relationship. I saw your ad on TV, maybe even liked it, but that’s it. Fade to next commercial with the company saying, “Until I talk at you again.” And print ads make even less sense to me. Thank you I needed to fill up my trash can or recycling bin. What are the only print ads that are effective? IMO, coupons.
My instincts are to call traditional ads — one-way TV spots, print ads, direct mail pieces, even online banner ads that take you to a traditional Web site — a waste of money. Do people really buy products based on advertisements these days? I can honestly say I don’t. At least I don’t think I do. In fact, I can’t remember a time I heard/read/saw an ad and said, “I’ve got to have that.” And I have never clicked on a banner ad in my life.
I ran this theory by Maggie and she told me the most effective ads are the ones that influence your behavior without you knowing it. She said advertising isn’t going anywhere and that people buy things based off ads all the time whether they know it or not. I told her Don Draper would be proud.
I’ve always thought there were three factors that directly impacted peoples’ purchase decisions — price, quality and opinions of those they trust. Advertising may plant an idea in a person’s mind that gets him/her to ask “how much” or that leads to a discussion of the product with his/her offline and online social networks. But the ad alone doesn’t sell the product, does it?
Maybe Maggie’s right (don’t tell her I said that :)). After all, I asked a couple of guys I really respect — @DannyBrown and @TomMartin — this question during Sunday’s #blogchat. Both said they had made purchases based solely on ads. In fact, Tom said he has a “houseful of products he bought based on an ad.” A small focus group I know, but still shows some of the varying opinions out there.
When I first started writing this post, I imagined myself finishing it off with a line like “Don Draper would hate the advertising world today because it’s too much work.” Dying are the days when a company can just put together a creative spot or layout some catchy artwork and copy and be done. Ads in 2010 have to do more. They have to start a relationship and continue the conversation or at least get the consumer handed off to the brand representatives equipped to continue that conversation (hopefully your PR teams, but that’s another post).
That’s where my head was at the start, but now I’m not so sure. So I guess it’s open for debate. My best guess is the companies that adapt their advertising strategy to be more of an engagement strategy using traditional advertising channels are going to be most successful at driving reputation and sales. The ad can be an introduction, but it better not be all a company brings to the party. Ads need to lay the foundation for a “talking with” the consumer relationship that isn’t a campaign, but a full-time commitment. After all, “talking at” advertising relationships are as old school as an office where all the women are secretaries and having a scotch and a smoke at 10 a.m. is commonplace. At leasst that’s my two cents.
I’d love to hear what you think about the current state and future of advertising. How will the ad industry have to adapt over the next few years? And can traditional advertising still be effective? Is traditonal advertising dying or is it not that cut and dry?
Natalie Portman’s Twitter death breathes life into support of social media
By Justin Goldsborough | December 28th, 2009
(Photo courtesy of moderngirlstyle.com)
Have you ever had a conversation about social media with someone — a client, your boss, executives, your parents — and heard the following: “Well, what happens if someone posts information out there that’s incorrect?” I heard it just the other day for the 4,763,956 time. Yes, I’ve been keeping track.
Not every time, but almost every time, my answer to that question has been: “No worries. The community self corrects.” IOW, a large gathering of people online discussing a certain topic will eventually arrive at the truth. Yet, even when I share case studies, I always seem to get one of the following responses — eye roll, heavy sigh, blank “that’s nice that you’re so passionate about social media but I live in the real world, do you think I’m an idiot” stare. The only thing I haven’t gotten is a pat on the head. But I’m sure it’s coming.
So next time someone voices a fear about people posting incorrect information, I’m not giving the same old answer. In fact, I’m just going to sit back, smile and say two words — Natalie Portman.
I’ve always liked Natalie Portman as an actress. Just saw “Brothers.” She was good in that. And she’s never been too hard on the eyes :). But I’m an even bigger fan today because when she died on Twitter, it proved a point I’ve been trying to make (somewhat unsuccessfully at times) to social media doubters for a while.
Ok, first off, she’s not really dead. But if you were on Twitter today, you may have seen tweets to the contrary. Two tweeps I have mounds of respect for — Rachel Kay (@rachelakay) and Stuart Foster (@stuartfoster) –retweeted the news that Natalie had died today before finding out it was a hoax. Could have happened to anyone. Neither was too happy to have tweeted the misinformation, and I can’t blame them. But it makes for a perfect example of how online communities respond when inaccurate information surfaces.
I did a little research to examine the chain of events. My methodology was simple…I counted tweets that included Rachel’s or Stuart’s Twitter handle and mentioned that Portman had died. Then I counted tweets that included Rachel’s or Stuart’s Twitter handle and noted the news was a hoax.
Rachel and Stuart are both influential folks on Twitter with a healthy following. So when each tweeted that Portman had died in an accident, tweeps did see their tweets and retweet them. According to Twitter search, 10 people shared the hoax via Rachel’s tweet and seven via Stuart’s. Portman was dead to many Twitter users and she didn’t even know it.
But then a great and not-so-unexpected thing happened. The Twitterverse began to realign itself around the right information. The result: 23 tweets debunking the Portman news and mentioning Rachel (including her follow-up that the rumor was false). And 14 Natalie’s-not-dead tweets for Stuart (his she’s-actually-alive tweet included). Furthermore, if you search both users handles on Twitter, you can see people discussing the issue and working together to come to the right conclusion. After all, no one wants to tweet the wrong information on purpose. We’re talking about people’s reputation here.
I realize that this is by no means a scientific method to write a thesis on. But I still think it proves a point to those who are so afraid of losing control of the message and those who worry so much about the potential proliferation of inaccurate information.
Through social media, we have access to more accurate news than we ever did with just traditional media. More whistle blowers, more fact checkers and more instant corrections. Reporters have been running stories for years that we’ve never had control of. Sure, we worked with them and gave them our side of the story in hopes they’d include our key messages. But if the story ran with misinformation, better call up the news outlet, beg for a correction and then cut it out of page 16 of the Metro section, copy it and mail it to every single newspaper subscriber. Guess how long it took for Portman to get her life back on Twitter? Less than an hour, give or take (Twitter search doesn’t track by the minute).
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Twitter funnel out the inaccuracies and surface the true story. Last week, someone who obviously forgot to get in line when God handed out tact and decency, posed as a news reporter on Twitter and tweeted that Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Chris Henry had died when he was still in the hospital in critical condition. Users believed Henry was gone at first. But eventually, they uncovered that he was still alive and that the person tweeting about Henry’s death wasn’t who he claimed to be (Sadly, Henry did eventually die). And other celebrities like Jeff Goldblum have died on Twitter only to be reborn when tweeps found out the news of their demise was inaccurate.
I guess what surprises me is that a lack of understanding of social media is actually keeping some organizations and people from embracing a tactic, open online conversation, that allows them more control over the message than they’ve ever had before. Or at least that’s the way I see it.
How do you see it? Do you think it’s too easy for rumor to be reported as fact via social media? Or is a case study like this one just a result of our progression into a social media world? I look forward to reading your two cents in the comments.
#Causeaday Post 25: #12for12k creates community around community
By Justin Goldsborough | December 24th, 2009
Danny Brown (@DannyBrown) wrote a post today highlighting 10 amazing people to get to know in 2010. Many of them were folks he’s partnered with to give back to the community throughout 2009 as part of #12for12k.
At the end of the post, Danny asks who else would be on your amazing list? Well, for me, that’s an easy one. Danny Brown, of course.
A year ago, #12for 12k caught my attention.
Six months ago, cause-related social media efforts started popping up all over the place and I thought they were cool (hence the #causeaday blog idea). Today, I think using our influence, the influence social media provides us, to give back to our offline and online communities is a must. Consider this…don’t we always say professional athletes and public figures should use their fame to raise money and awareness? It would be hypocritical for us not to use our platforms to do the same, no matter how much or little “fame” we think we have, wouldn’t it?
But how can we do it? Can we really be a part of something big and make a significant difference? These kind of questions are natural and many of us need a leader to push us in the right direction. In my opinion, Danny Brown has that vision and he is that leader. Furthermore, through #12for12k, he’s introduced us to several other community leaders and extended our networks of giving.
And now, he’s brought us the #12for12k community. Literally, it’s a Ning community for supporters of the cause to join and learn about the next event or donation opportunity Danny’s bringing us. And that’s great, that’s important. But this community can be a lot more than that.
Read this post by Danny from the forum in the new #12for12k community:
The 12for12k project has always been about choice - choosing whether to support a given charity; choosing whether to donate financially or with time; choosing whether to become part of the extended 12for12k family on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and more.
In 2010, we’re changing direction a little and making 12for12k more of a resource centre to help you help those who need it in your town or city.
How can we make this happen? What would you like to see here, and how would you like to see this community grow and be used?
You can already see Danny’s vision for how #12for12k can grow — from charities and causes he chooses for us to help to helping our own community organizations and people and sharing our stories with the #12for12k community so we can all help each other.
Tomorrow is Christmas. Take time to give one more gift by joining this community and be a part of something bigger than any of us by ourselves. Danny has given us the opportunity this holiday season. Let’s take him up on it in 2010.
I’ll end with Danny’s question: How would you like to see the 12for12k community grow and be used?
Join the community and share your answer there and here in the comments. Then check out what 12for12k is up to in the final month of 2009 and as Danny says, “join us” in 2010.
National Blog Posting Month 30 Causes in 30 Days
- Apartment Fund for Daniela’s Family (@davearmano)
- 12for12k (@dannybrown)
- #Iamsovereign Twitter Birthday Project (@jasonstoddard)
- Jaeli’s Syndrome (@AngEngland and @BrandyBrow)
- #GebenGives (@prtini)
- 11-11 Veteran’s Day (@JoeTrippi)
- #stopdiabetes (@JessicaLHansen, @AmDiabetesAssn)
- #noahbiorkman (several thousand people)
- #applebeesvets (@scottmonty, @arikhanson, @valeriesiimon, @prtini, @sonnygill)
- #movember (@jasonfalls)
- Harvesters Thanksgiving food drive (@TackleHungerKC)
- #getwellliz (@DebNg, @GeekMommy, @JennFowler, @KrisColvin)
- Aflac Cancer Center for pediatric cancer research (@AflacDuck)
- Facebook Causes and Birthday Wish (@causes)
- #prayersforanissa (@anissamayhew, @caringbridge)
- ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students) (@ACES4Kids, @arikhanson, @chadc324)
- San Antonio Food Bank Thanksgiving Turkey Drive (@safoodbank, @nanpalmero)
- #Tweetsgiving and the #twitterkids of Tanzania (@tweetsgiving, @epicchange)
- @Livestrong (@drewfromtv, @drew)
- Make-A-Wish Foundation (@MakeAWish, @MacysInc)
- Twibbon, #Red and World Aids Day (@Twibbon)
- Multiple Sclerosis, Dan and Jennifer Digmann (@DanJenDig, @lindsaymallen)
- The V Foundation for Cancer Research (@TheVFoundation, #jimmyv)
- Skip1.org (@Skip1, @chrisbrogan)
- #12for12k Ning community (@DannyBrown,#12for12k)
Social media measurement misnomers, part 1
By Justin Goldsborough | December 23rd, 2009
I don’t claim to be an expert when it comes to social media measurement. Not even close. I’m definitely still learning like everyone else. But there are a few theories I’ve been hearing for a while now about measurement that don’t tell the whole side of the story. It’s not that they’re wrong, but moreso that they’re not completely right, IMO. So let’s talk about them. I’ll give you my two cents and then the comments are yours to agree, disagree, call me crazy, tell me about your favorite payday loan scam (oh sorry, that’s for the spammers :)).
1. The number of fans and followers a person or organization has doesn’t matter. You can see this comment or one like it almost every day on Twitter or in a blog post. I’ve heard it from PR pros and thought leaders I have a lot of respect for. But it’s not true. At least not the way it’s written here.
Fan and follower numbers absolutely do matter. Here’s why. Consider the 350 million Facebook users or 55 million Twitter users. Maybe 5-10 percent of them spend a fair amount of time studying the ins and outs of social media measurement. These are people who will look beyond the numbers for a deeper meaning. You may be like me and tweet with members of that 5-10 percent on a daily basis. But step outside our PR pro bubble for a second and think about what the other 90 percent sees when they check out a Twitter profile or Facebook fan page.
What they see is a number. We’re a society that seeks numbers. We respond to them. And we let them form our perception, right or wrong. The way our society views numbers plus the fact that information overload has given many of us the “first glance disease,” as in, we often only give information we find on the Web a first glance, has me convinced fans and followers do have some correlation with authority.
Now we can help educate our clients and peers about why there’s much more behind the ROI of social media than just these initial numbers. In fact, I think it’s our responsibility to talk about how people should engage with their fans and followers, and to share best practices for finding those people who are truly influential and/or passionate. But it’s also our responsibility to level-set for our clients and to let them know fans and followers numbers do affect the perception of their brands.
2. Conversations and engagement alone do not ring the cash register. I took this one from a recent post by Jason Falls called “Why Social Media Purists Won’t Last.” Jason’s not the only one I’ve heard say this or something similar, and there was a lot of truth in his post, especially the part about how we need to fight through the fluff and show how social media can impact the bottom line. I agree with all that.
But here’s the thing…conversations and engagement absolutely do ring the cash register. The problem is it can be difficult and time consuming to measure when and how much. Plus, when conversation and engagement drive the bottom line, it’s often a more long-term benefit of a relationship a brand has established with customers, relationships that are best nurtured today via social media.
For example, here is part of the comment I left on Jason’s post last month:
I flew Southwest Airlines initially because the fares were cheap. But I have formed an affinity to Southwest, champion them at any chance I get and try to never fly any other airline (except when I have to for work) because of the people and the experience, both online and offline.
For those reasons, I will fly Southwest over another airline even if it’s a bit more expensive. But how is Southwest supposed to know that (unless they read this comment and one like it for all similar cases) or track when I made that conscious decision.
Finding that ROI isn’t worth the effort, isn’t exact and doesn’t translate to the “what have you done for me lately” business world we live in. But that doesn’t mean that ROI doesn’t exist.
Jason’s comment back raised some valid points about the conversation ROI we can track for clients, such as clickthroughs on links from their social Web presences that lead customers to a purchase opportunity. I’m also becoming a bigger fan of counseling clients that they should be considering ways to show short-term ROI so the long-term ROI benefits conversation and engagement provide have time to manifest themselves.
What might that look like? Well, now when “Jack’s Widgets” creates a Twitter account to be accessible and engage with customers talking about the brand, Jack’s should also be prepared to manage a second account promoting it’s offers, deals and anything else product-related and include some type of code or monitor clickthroughs to track how that engagement drives sales. Actually, what might be a really interesting experiment would be to offer the same “Widget” deals via both of Jack’s Twitter accounts and to see which one, the account based on conversation or the account based on coin, drove more to the bottom line.
But back to the original point, brands like Southwest Airlines have a culture of conversation and engagement. So posts like this one I just found on Facebook come naturally to them:
Not only do these posts create the airline’s brand reputation, but riddle me this: What do you think the chances are that Meg Campbell flies Southwest next time? And how many people do you think she tells about this post? Better yet, how many customers does Southwest retain everyday because their culture of conversation and engagement promotes this type of interaction with customers. I guess they could survey or even track people who react like Meg and watch to see if they fly Southwest more in the future. But isn’t part of what we’re talking about here the “I know it works because I’ve seen it with my own two eyes and experienced it” measurement? Where does that fit in on the P&L?
The first social media case study I remember seeing was one like the “seen it with my own two eyes” example above. Shel Holtz, who I consider a social media mentor, told a story about how he came home from traveling late one night and went to catch the Park ‘N Fly bus to his car. He used Park “N Fly because he had an affinity card with them. Nevertheless, it took two phone calls and 20 minutes for the shuttle to come while several competitors shuttles made the rounds two and three times. That experience was frustrating enough for Shel to blog it and include this sentence at the end:
Maybe it’s not worth the free points. Next time, it’s probably going to be Park SFO for me.
When Shel awoke the next morning, Caryn Healey, a Park ‘N Fly admin, had left the following comment on his blog post:
I can see that your experience was less than satisfactory and less than our desired level of service. While I can’t change what has already happened, I would like to ask if you might let me make it up to you. Park ‘N Fly is a good company, and we are really trying to get our Customer Service levels to the highest standards. Info like this helps us. I do apologize for the service you received, and would LOVE to have that drivers name, or any other drivers name that has treated you less than satisfactorily. I would like to send you some free parking too, can I do that? There is absolutely no reason for this kind of thing to be allowed. And we thank you for sticking with us this long.
As Shel said the multiple times I’ve seen him present this case study: “Can I send you some free parking? Uh, absolutely.” Now I don’t know if Shel stills uses Park ‘N Fly, but here’s an example of how conversation and engagement can retain a customer…sounds like the cash register ringing to me :).
What do you think? Do you still think fans and followers are just insignificant numbers we all need to look past? And am I being too much of a social media purist with this conversation argument? Or do you have a great example of how you’ve seen conversation drive the bottom line?
Looking forward to your thoughts…