Interview with Meg King

This was an interview I received from Meghan King. The conversation initially started on facebook chat but then moved to email. She is a project manager at MS&L and I was specifically asking her about the role social media plays in her work world:

K: Hey Meghan, I was just wondering if I could ask you a few questions for my internet marketing class. I just have a couple of questions: What is your title and who do you work for?

MK: Project Manager, MS&L

K:What types of social media does your company use?

MK: MS&L has a Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn page for the agency as well as specific clients when appropriate.

K: What is the best/most effective?

MK: Depends on the target market. Facebook and Twitter being linked covers the most ground.



K:Do you think it's more important to reach maximum amount of people for brand awareness or to pinpoint your target market? Do you think social media helps or hurts in terms of your goal?

MK: I think its most important to pinpoint your target market. Consumers find brands more believable when they show they understand their specific target market. Putting a mass message out to anyone may lose the 1:1 relationship with a brand.

K: Does your company have guidelines in place for social media use?

MK: Yes, for both client and personal use. There are too many horror stories of people saying inappropriate/offensive things on their social media pages and losing clients. I think you'll find this is common for most companies these days.


K: Thank you so much! Good luck with everything!

MK: No problem, glad I could help!

Interview with Kashi

I contacted Kashi to find out how important social networking was to their brand and message. I was able to do this by going to their web site and joining their facebook fan web site. I wrote a question in about social networking, wondering if their page was all for show or if they have really been utilizing the social world's powerful communicating properties....

I received an email shortly after....here it is below:

Hello Kate,

We believe social media is very important. This is the way we reach out to our consumers. Without loyalty from our consumers we will not be where we are now. We have put great effort into making nutritious great products and are always seeking feedback, suggestions, and opinions from our consumers to ensure our efforts are showing the best results.

We appreciate your interest in our company and products.

Best of health,

Giselle Mendoza
Consumer Relations

Social Networking your Car-Love Affair

Honda's Attempt to Use Social Networking..

In August, Honda began a quiet, new media campaign on Facebook. The basic theme or message was “Everybody Knows Somebody Who Loves a Honda,” and its purpose was to round up and connect fans of the Honda brand across the Facebook social networking realm. After generating somewhere between one million to two million fans, the brand decided to implement a few ads here and there to support the media campaign.

It is a slowly progressing campaign, but for the record, people are participating without any incentive. They just want to be connected and appreciate the brand they love. I think that mentality is a tribute to the strength of the Honda brand and the Honda product.

There has been some criticism on the campaign, however. I was, unfortunately, guilty of “fence-sitting” when I first came across this media blitz, not knowing if I thought it was just a second-rate exhausted campaign, or if it was a patient stroke of genius.

At first glance, you think, everyone has a social media presence by this point in time. The critic would come from the fact that Honda is seemingly only using Facebook as an outlet as opposed to the multiple social networking sites available. In effect, I thought they should have a presence on Twitter, Myspace and any other popular site frequented by the kitties these days. I also thought, why only on social media? The base of their loyal following most likely is significantly less represented on these sites as they are an older, less tech-savvy demographic. By instituting a digital approach, is Honda isolating a large portion of its market share?

But these questions are exactly why it is important to understand the “why behind the buy” and the psychology that goes into advertising a brand or product. Thinking about it, the senior manager-national advertising for Honda, Tom Peyton, said it in few words, but it didn’t detract from the profound statement.

“If we got a million connections, that would be cool...[the push is] a pretty powerful piece of advertising because people are buying into it and we aren’t giving anything away.”

Why spend money if you don’t have to? Spend it when you actually start needing to. I like Honda’s quiet approach because in the end it seems honest. Because they aren’t throwing prizes and surveys at you, it seems as though they are just interested in connecting consumers. In the end, it may be a sneaky bandwagon approach, but as a consumer, it doesn’t FEEL that way, and feelings ultimately drive loyalty and checkbooks.

The last aspect I really like about this campaign is its ability to listen. One of the major flaws of the social networking realm is that it gives everybody a voice....everybody. Most times, when people find their mouths they forget about their ears, or I guess in this case, eyes. Honda, is the eyes. They are listening to their consumers and gaining information about how their product is perceived by even their most loyal customers-people that will do something for nothing.

I take the approach of Honda to be more observational than proactive. I think I like that better. Sit back, wait for your time to strike, when you know that everyone you are targeting is listening and will receive a positive response. By implementing TV with the social media, I think they are piquing the interest of both the younger and older generations and who knows, maybe connecting them under one loyal Honda family. A good honest, trustworthy family? That just may be something everyone wants to be a part of....

Beautify your Profile Pic!

Estee Lauder Hits a Home-Run!

Estee Lauder ran a promotion last week making it possible for women to receive a makeover using their products, complete with glamour shots. These glamour shots are for the women that participated social networking pictures. I was really impressed with this promotion because I think it spoke to a few marketing problems that Estee Lauder has had in the past with its product line.

One, they target women 35-55 years old, isolating a large market share of females that would benefit from their products. I am a believe in a narrow, specific market, but encouraging the young demographics to participate would instill a loyalty to the brand in their older years making the brand more successful.

Two, they are allowing the consumer to interact with the brand. It takes the Estee Lauder products off the pages of Cosmo and allows them to test drive the foundations and face creams. It is in experience that people become believers in a brand. By instilling a favorable imprint on the consumer, they will be more apt to think the product is worth the money.

Finally, it brings Estee Lauder into the 21st century of the cyber world. This demonstrates the versatility of the brand and how it is able to adapt to changing lines of communication between company and consumer. The best way for a company to retain market share in the highly competitive beauty industry is to stay one step in front of the consumer and to demonstrate that they are the answer to their need. The best way to instill this mentality is to open lines of communication. The promotion cut out the middle man and gave the consumer a direct line with the company and it’s products.

The article by Kunur Patel on AdAge.com, a young woman outside the regular target market demonstrated the effectiveness of this promotion. Even though she claims that the makeover was a little bit too “glam” for her liking, she had a positive experience with the brand and loved how it incorporated a human approach to the social media world. It is proof that it is possible to retain a human quality to communication, even in the “written-word over spoken-word”- social media world.

At the end of the day, I think that Estee Lauder hit a home-run with this marketing promotion. This is only my opinion, but they played into a few pre-existing mentalities most women associate with make up. One, they want to be made beautiful and two, they want to show everyone how beautiful they can be. Estee Lauder allows women to do both of these things. They can be the most beautiful version of themselves with the use of their products and they can display it on the largest stage of the world, be it Facebook, LinkedIn or myspace, everyone has the capability to appreciate their beauty. Marketing all comes down to internal psychological wants, and Estee Lauder demonstrated their understanding of that. Genius. I want a social networking picture makeover too.

The Argument Continues...

The Argument Continues...

Last week, the FTC published media guidelines for social media. The guidelines were complete with a response to blogger payola and celebrity endorsements through tweets on Twitter and other networks. Basically, the FTC extended the rules of endorsement consistent in other media sources to the social media world.

Therein fuels the argument: does the implementation of these rules just safe harbor the everyday consumer or do they violate freedoms of speech and give government too much control?

In the article by Andy Sernovitz at AdAge.com, Andy claims that the new guidelines clarify the rules on how to use social media, providing increased credibility for the organization by the consumer. He also says that now that organizations know the rules, they will be more apt to invest in the new media and use its capabilities for it’s benefit.

In a counter article by Dan Gillmor in Ad Age, Gillmor feels that the FTC regulations are too vague and inconsistent with regulations for other mediums. He says that the broad guidelines make the rules difficult to apply across the net world and that the regulations are much more harsh on the blogger-world than in traditional print media.

I find strong points in both arguments. Initially, I was a little turned off by, yet again, another attempt by the government to over-regulate the market place. But I am torn because I also see an open window for dishonest business practices by unethical marketers. Both gentlemen provide strong counterpoints, however, I feel one may be too naive (Sernovitz) and the other may be too critical (Gillmor).

In theory we need to find that balance. We need regulation without somewhat "strangling" social media. We need regulations that are concise enough to be applied across the board. We need strong writing that will make the regulators jobs easier. We need to evoke an ethical tone into social media to with gain trust from the consumer, or social media as an outlet for brand awareness and advertising would be ineffectual. We need parameters set so that organizations can start really pumping resources into social media in order to use the utilize the outlet to its full potential.

This drives the issue: regulation is needed, but how do we do it effectively? Right now, as the new guidelines stand, anyone who blogs or tweets about a product they may have a slight connection with, and doesn’t disclose this connection, has the potential to receive a $11,000 fine. With the size of the net world, how do you regulate every little thing every waitress says about a delicious cherry pie serves at her place of work? I think the regulations are helpful for larger corporations or organizations, in order to give them a path for investment in social media, but I think the rules need to be “tightened up” to relieve them of their vagueness in order for more consistent regulation.

Question to be considered: Are the regulations helping the consumer...or the larger businesses by preventing small business the same amount of face time and endorsements? Social media was extending the stage for business in a way that you didn’t need to “break the bank” in order to gain awareness. Do these regulations destroy that capability? Social media made small business competitive with large. New regulations have the potential to curb the competition, bring the small business back to square one in terms of brand awareness.

Critique of an Article

Critique of Article:

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/sep2009/ca20090911_598255.htm

I just read an article in Business Week concerning the “Overlooked Side of Social Media.” Reading along, it occurred to me that while all the pertinent information when applying social media to an organization comes as common sense to me, it must not for others (otherwise there would be no need to write the article).

I understand what the writer is saying and appreciate it completely from a consumer standpoint. You need substantial foresight before diving head first into the social media world. Because social media is an extension of your brand image, it is extremely important to form the marriage between your organization’s message and the media it’s using to communicate it. I think that is where most companies go array and don’t see the benefits of the social networking tool. Literally, don’t see the benefits. Trailing your results is key to developing the “product” because it allows for minor tweaks until it becomes a seamless extension of your brand.

This article talks about discovery, experimentation and adoption. Seems like common sense to me. For example, when you are adding any component to your brand, wouldn’t you endure the same process? Why is it any different for social media? Oh, right because social media is cheap. Price tags often drive bottom lines.

To be completely honest, while reading this article I felt gipped. When I found it and began reading, I thought the author was going to uncover some ground-breaking secret to the inner workings of the social media world. High expectations, I know. Instead I thought it was an overworked babble-fest by Captain Obvious. Yes, you should predetermine whether actions will help or hurt your company and yes you should understand what you are doing before you do it. I think Mr. Halligan taught me that in the fifth grade.

Here’s a tip from a consumer. When you are trying to get us to buy into your company via social media, please remember why social media began. It’s a network to connect friends and fuel conversation. Kids didn’t join Facebook because they thought they would receive more product updates from Covergirl Cosmetics. If you want to be most effective, you need to remember the purpose of social media: to connect friends. So, personify. Humanize. Make your company a friend. This will create a dialog and more interaction with your organization. The more face-time...the more memory retention for the brand...the more profit in your pocket.

Social Media. Heyyyyy.

Did you know that it's actually very easy to stalk/follow people on the internet by way of social media? I can see exactly when you are talking about me. I have it documented. I know. There are no secrets.

(The best things in life are free.)

Google Alerts let me know when you are looking for me...or more likely a person with my name.

I can see when you are actually interested in what I'm cooking. (I am not actually cooking food. Earlier I cooked some dinner in the microwave though.)

Follow me on twitter to see what amazing quotes I will post. They could potentially alter your life making it more productive.

This room is really hot. I don't mean just the people in it.

If I could figure out how to have a song linked to my page I would. You should be grateful I cannot because the impulsive dancing would distract you from reading. And that just wastes time.

I'll write more later. Promise.

Valuable Information for your everyday life.

My thought process will help you to be a better person. Well, maybe.