January 2010
63 posts
“A stunning statistic: 70% of surveyed HR professionals in U.S. (41% in the UK)...”
– Adam Singer, “Workforce Darwinism”
Watch yourselves!
Masculinity in a Spray Can →
via NYT
Men’s grooming and hygiene companies (Axe, Old Spice, etc) tap into tween boys’ social vulnerability to offer ‘masculinity in a spray can.’
There’s been a surge in the popularity and use of grooming products by tween boys reports NYT. This is likely the result of new marketing strategies reaching into the insecurity of adolescence.
Rather than promoting...
7 tags
Coke and Simpsons for Superbowl Fundraiser
via Adweek
Coca-Cola launched a social media campaign on Facebook that previews its upcoming Super Bowl commercials to raise funds for The Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
By sending a virtual Coke gift to friends through their Facebook Fan Page, users gain access to 20 second previews of Coke’s Super Bowl Commercials starring the Simpsons. In addition, for every gift Coke is donating $1...
2.2 Million Tax Returns Filed for Free! →
via TopCultured
In a follow-up to the previous post, it turns out eSmart Tax is also running this creative promotion whereby if your last name is Johnson, they will file your tax return for free!
There exist approximately 2.2 million Johnsons in the US, and if you are one of them you can visit iamjohnson.com to register for a free filing. The site is comprehensive in its social media mix...
$400 Dollars To Increase Twitter Presence
eSmart Tax Builds Twitter Presence Using Blog Contest
As I sifted through my Google Reader this afternoon, I stumbled upon a post from one of my entertainment blogs Top Cultured promoting their new contest with the image above and the header: It’s Contest Time: We’ve Got $400 to Giveaway.
The majority of music/culture blogs to which I subscribe require that participants contribute...
Next-level Counterfeiting: China Makes Fake... →
via Brandchannel
China is taking counterfeiting to a new level with the introduction of Goojje.com and Youtubecn.com.
China’s counterfeit industry has profited from cheap, illegal copies of a whole range of products (movies, electronics, handbags, etc.), but it is yet to be seen if these sites will share the same success. So far Brandchannel reports that videos on China’s Youtube...
Twitter Trends Go Local →
via Econsultancy
Twitter has updated its trending topics to include ‘Local Trends.’ The new feature highlights trending topics in 7 country categories and 15 cities. A welcome addition to focus tweets, I know I will be using the Los Angeles tab to get a better sense of what the Twitter community in my city is getting into.
“As a developing country, China has protectionist tendencies towards industries...”
– Laura Fitch for Brandchannel on how China pulled smash hit Avatar from screens after only 2 weeks from the film’s release, stressing the importance of market research and adapting to this complex country.
Air New Zealand 'revolutionizes' coach cabins:... →
via Engadget via Gadling
We like to look at what the other airlines are doing in their marketing and then… don’t do that.
-Katheryn Gregory, Air New Zealand’s Director of Marketing for the Americas Region
‘Sky couches’ and technology support are the latest efforts by Air New Zealand (ANZ) to keep their brand fresh, edgy and unique. ANZ’s new Boeing 777...
Brands, agencies and vanity URLs: where's the... →
via Econsultancy
How NOT to acquire vanity urls for your agency/client
Harman Bajwa who owns the address facebook.com/harman logged on to the site one day to find a message from Facebook indicating that his vanity url had been removed for violating Facebook’s policies (your URL is unrelated to who you are/you are impersonating someone else).
Harman did no such thing, and upon opening a message...
“Before the Internet, most professional occupations required a large body of...”
– David Dalrymple Researcher, MIT Mind Machine Project
[via]
(via bunch)
“According to the survey 89% of the journalists polled said they turn to blogs...”
– Journalists Depend on Social Media via Econsultancy
Good news for social media adoption! However, while social media lends itself to leads for different stories and trends, I hope these journalists are careful to use these outlets as credible sources.
Four Styles Of Marketing On Twitter →
via Social Media Explorer
Social Media Explorer brings another graphic delineating different marketing uses for Twitter:
Conversationalist: actively participate in conversations and chat with community, but do no outright selling or promotions; used more as a feedback and communication channel.
The Conversational Marketer: purpose of promoting their brand, but still engages in conversation;...
2 tags
Teaching Americans What Haiti Needs: Money →
via NYT
Nonprofit groups rarely look a gift horse in the mouth, and the relief effort in Haiti is desperate for resources. But the experience of wasteful giving in the past, coupled with the ease of speaking out via blogs, Facebook and Twitter, have led to an unprecedented effort to teach Americans what not to give.
I just saw an ESPN profile today on Ron Hunter, coach for IUPUI basketball,...
4 tags
GlaxoSmithKline Puts Malaria Patents in the Public... →
via GOOD.is
Good news for GSK’s triple bottom line, the company has followed through on their announcement to cut drug prices in developing countries, invest in hospitals and clinics in those countries, and make GSK’s drug patents for certain “neglected diseases” public by putting malaria patents in the public domain. While this is not as far as some non-profits would have...
2 tags
Calling All Coupons: The Future Of Customer... →
via BrandChannel
Motorola introduced a “Mobile Loyalty Solution,” which allows users to “digitize store-branded membership cards on customers’ mobile phones.” The technology will allow customers who sign up for membership or rewards clubs to have coupons, offers, and incentives sent directly to their phones, eliminating the need for paper coupons or plastic...
3 tags
“Social media is a no-brainer for sponsors looking for cost-effective ways to...”
– via Econsultancy
Patricio Robles, “Social Media Takes the Field in 2010.”
Red Cross breaks through to new generation of... →
via MediaPost
I posted previously about the ingenuity of Red Cross’s fundraising efforts for Haiti relief, teaming with the State Department and technology provider mGive to create the text-driven donation campaign. Mediapost also notes why this campaign is uniquely successful in attracting Gen-Y donations.
Although Gen-Y gets a bad rap for growing up privileged and apathetic, they have a...
Moms do not use social networks as often as... →
via MediaPost
Cheryl Sternberg for MediaPost reports a new study showing how though moms actively use social networks, they do not utilize them for product advice and decision making, rather relying upon traditional offline networks such as friends and family and magazines.
Hightlights:
The role of social networks in is still largely for entertainment and personal communication.
Only 24% of...
Headline Roundup Jan 15
Sears Orchestrates Comeback Via The Internet via Brandchannel
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar To Get A Makeover via Brandchannel
Teenage rebellion goes Facebook via NYT
A primer on Augmented Reality and mobile search via Econsultancy
NBC relies on Seinfeld to boost late night ratings via The Business Insider
Blippy tries to turn shopping into status updates via Econsultancy
Case study: Harvard Business School goes social →
via Econsultancy
Meghan Keane for Econsultancy reports how CMO Brian Kenny updated the Harvard Business School brand, utilizing social media to bring the institution to the present.
Though widely recognized and venerated the HBS brand lacked the reputation of having digital competency in line with the present. When asked to describe HBS one candidate replied it brought to mind “mahogany...
“Just as Google’s original agreement to censor search results for the Chinese...”
– Patricio Robles, “Is Google’s China Threat Really A Business Maneuver?” via Econsultancy.
Robles explores whether Google’s move is to be praised with respect to censorship and their “do no evil” mission, or if it is a front for a face-saving exit from Chinese markets.
Arcade Fire - Haiti
Keep the people of Haiti in...
2 tags
“We all have to get used to the fact that the future of the global automobile...”
– GM vice chairman Bob Lutz finds success in growing Chinese markets
Can GM Be King Of The Road In China? via Brandchannel
$1.2 Million in Donations for Haiti, via Text... →
via NYT
$1.2M dollars raised for Haiti earthquake relief via text messaging, thanks to mGive, a company that works with organizations and charities to raise money with text-messaging software. The firm started the campaign in a joint effort with the State Department and American Red Cross, and has raised $1.2 M dollars by media attention garnered via word of mouth from sites like Facebook,...
Case study: Tweetups took the NHL national in 2009 →
via Econsultancy
Econsultancy follows Michael DiLorenzo’s, Director of Social Media Marketing and Strategy at the NHL, campaign to use Twitter to retain interest from fragmented fans.
The NHL faces the problem of having a fan base that is especially local: because games are televised in a combination of national and local airings, fans are prone to watch only those games in their areas,...
Pepsi Refresh Social Marketing Campaign Faces... →
via TechCrunch
Pepsi Refresh, the company’s campaign which takes the best ideas from consumers and plans to grant $20 million in grants to good causes throughout the year, faces privacy issues with the launch of its site. The site launched this morning and has already faced issues with users’ information leaking to other users. Complains one user:
I was actually getting random...
“The company wins all around – it cuts off its China deadweight, turns itself...”
– Laura Fitch for Brandchannel on Google’s move to pull out of China.
“This week the question was What is your top priority for hiring? Social media...”
– Sally Falkow, from Econsultancy, in reporting on a poll The CMO Club took of its members.
For CMOs, Cause Marketing Is a Way to Innovate in... →
via AdAge
As cause marketing programs have risen in popularity and matured in recent years, AdAge notes trends that marketing executives can utilize to best employ these initiatives.
Cause marketing and branding initiatives should be transparent: Campaigns should be held to the same standard as other methods of branding. Educated consumer want to know about every facet of the company,...
H&M's Trashgate: A lesson in social media →
via Econsultancy
A follow-up to the NYT piece reporting how an outpost of H&M in New York shredded and discarded unsold clothes as opposed to donating them, Econsultancy comments on the power of social media and how this poor PR decision could have been avoided.
While the retailer was able to downplay the condemning Times article at first, the real backlash came from Twitter in the days...
Weight Loss and Diet Brands Succeed With Social... →
via Brandweek
Weight loss and Diet firms succeed with online social networks where others have failed because of the nature of their products and market. Brandweek reports that these companies hold the advantage of having consumers whose attitude and behavior lend themselves to social networks. Diets call for daily attention, which these firms’ social networks provide through meal plans,...
Automakers Use Connectivity As Brand... →
Brandchannel reports that “connectivity,” the ability for consumers to connect their mobile devices - personal information and entertainment hubs, essentially - to their vehicles, is the next step for auto-brands to revitalize their sluggish industry.
Several auto brands recently underscored the growing importance of connectivity at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas....
Multicultural Critical Theory. At B-School? →
via NYT
NYT reports a shift in business school education to marry the traditionally vocational-based (finance and accounting focus) curriculum with the critical thinking produced by a liberal arts education. Says NYT:
while few talk explicitly about taking a liberal arts approach to business, many of the changes are moving business schools into territory more traditionally associated with the...
Tostitos Dips New Chip Into Super Bowl Snack... →
via Brandchannel
A quick article on the introduction of Frito-Lay’s new Tostitos Dipping Strip. The product launched in time for college bowl season, and expects to sell big for the upcoming Super Bowl.
Of note, however, is the mention food bloggers as brand advocates. Says Brandchannel:
The growing popularity of food bloggers has created great publicity for many brands, including...
A Campaign Linking Clean Clothes With Stylish... →
via NYT
In a new campaign for Tide, Procter and Gamble has shifted the brand’s focus from its ability to get clothes clean to enabling consumers to dress well with the clothes they already own. The campaign focuses on the brand’s ability to contribute to personal style by providing a detergent in which ability to clean is worth the added price. Whereas traditional Tide campaigns...
BMW, Coke May Boost U.K. TV Revenue on... →
via BusinessWeek
Good news for British television, a U.K. public consultation period on lifting a ban on product placement expires today. With the lifting of the ban, product placements, which were either unpaid or imported in US content, could boost the slump in TV advertising and boost revenue for commercial broadcasters.
Pandora Bringing Web Radio to Cars →
via WSJ
In a big step toward bringing internet radio outside of the computer, Pandora struck a deal with Pioneer to make it easier for drivers to listen to its service in cars. In March, Pioneer will be selling a navigation and entertainment device, which allows iPhone users to sync with their Pandora preferences.
This is a major threat to radio and satellite companies, especially AM FM radio....
Innovative Local Branding Initiatives From KFC →
via brandchannel
KFC pursues creative branding initiatives in local communities across the nation, starting with cities in Tennessee and Indiana.
Two cities in Indiana have agreed to allow the company to paint Colonel Sander’s face on fire hydrants across the city to promote their “fiery chicken wings.” The catch? KFC offered to fund upgrades and repairs on hydrants the cities...
Dove Takes Its New Men's Line To The Superbowl →
(via AdAge)
It will be interesting to see how Dove alters or adapts its core brand values to cater to men. While the article is informative on the campaign and competition, the comments are filled with great opinions. Most commenters are in agreement that the feminine Dove brand will have a tough hill to climb to reach their male audience, and also wonder what that male target will consist of.
...