As you've been walking through your office this week, do you keep hearing something... something very faint... something coming from the desks of the women-folk in the building?
Is it the heart-warming Old Spice whistle that you keep hearing?
It probably is.
The spark of the Old Spice commercials (jewel-encrusted scepter) that have snatched the hearts of so many (random crown) have fueled a viral impact unlike we've seen thus far (fresh water fish).
But it's more than Isaiah Mustafa's charm, perfect smile, abs, freshly washed towel that probably smells like a mixture of Old Spice and fresh laundry (too far?)... it's the personalized feel of the messages. Yes, Old Spice is speaking to millions of people, but Isaiah Mustafa is simply speaking to me.
A recent study profiled on Marketing Charts shows that promotional e-mails that include links to social networking sites produce an average of 30-percent higher click-through rates (CTR) than promotional e-mails without links. And don't think one is enough – research also shows that the more social network links you have, the higher CTR you receive.
That's just the first of many Tweets from BP Twitter impostor, @BPGlobalPR.
With nearly 20,000 followers (and growing), you would think BP would be trying to cap, plug with trash, or otherwise reduce the mess of this feed. But sticking to their traditions, they're just going to let it go.
According to this Advertising Age article , Toby Odone, a spokesman at BP, said, "I'm not aware of whether BP has made any calls to have it taken down or addressed. People are entitled to their views on what we're doing and we have to live with those. We are doing the best we can to deal with the current situation and to try to stop the oil from flowing and to then clean it up."
Entitled to their views, indeed. And this Twitter feed isn't backing up.
Like any quality perfume commercial, this cervical cancer prevention commercial depicts mysterious glitter and a woman running around cluelessly in some $4,000 dress... only to be disappointed by a bottle of cervical cancer.
This is so weird that sarcastic comments don't know what direction to go.
If you've indulged in a Nestle Crunch lately, you may have seen a promo code and 1-800 number inside the wrapper. If not, don't feel bad since the code is printed in a light chocolate color and difficult to see or even read unless you're paying close attention.
Didn't call the promo number? No worries – there's no promotion currently running. But do keep your wrappers and check back periodically... explains the automated voice.
Waste of time, no promo, suggestion to hoard the wrappers until the unforeseen promotion, and an automated recording.
Bad call, Nestle. That's four reasons for consumers to be annoyed and angry.
We run across name changes every now and again and, as consumers, we don't forget the negatives just because we call you something different. Paying homage to Comcast, and saying hello to Xfinity, Time is listing the "Top 10 Worst Corporate Name Changes."
As already mentioned, Comcast is sneakily changing to "xfinity," and we can't help but share this hilarious line from the Time article: "Will the name change work? Probably not, but at least it'll sound a bit edgier when you're put on hold ... with Xfinity. " Edgier indeed.
When Andersen Consulting split ties with the accounting group, a name change was required. Accent turned into Accenture and cost an estimated $100 million to execute. Submitted by an employee in Oslo, this was an attempt to incorporate "accent on the future." It actually worked well when the Enron debacle went down and destroyed the reputation of the company's accountants, Arthur Andersen.
When the realization that "Sci Fi" couldn't be owned because it was a genre and not a channel, the execs decided to revamp the name into something that could. Sci Fi transformed into Syfy. There is a method to the madness – we guess.
Check out Time's article for the other 7 worst name changes.
On April 8, TOMS is raising awareness about the importance shoes have on children's lives through its One Day Without Shoes campaign.
Think abut not wearing shoes in your office. That may not be a terrible stretch, but think about not wearing shoes to walk across the parking lot to work. Ouch! Oil, dirt, rocks, and probably more.
What if walking was your only transportation to food, clean water, and medical care?
The filth may be at the forefront of your mind when thinking "barefoot," but what about cuts and sores? Infections? A lot can be prevented by one simple item - shoes. TOMS business model is great... with every pair of TOMS shoes purchased, TOMS gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Check out the inspirational One for One video.
Have you seen the breakthrough videos from The Fun Theory project? Super cool – and proof that advertising today is an entirely new beast. We need to affect culture, not just interrupt people's everyday lives.
This Fun Theory effort is subtly branded by Volkswagen – but leaves a far greater branded impression than is possible through other media. In essence, Volkswagen is claiming ownership of fun, and showing how much better life is when there's fun involved. This campaign is exponentially excellent.
A few years ago, our approach at Burns Marketing kinda got turned upside down by this quote from Jeff Hicks, President and CEO, Crispin Porter + Bogusky:
"BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN POWERFULLY EDIT WHAT THEY SPEND TIME WITH, MY JOB AS A MARKETER IS NO LONGER TO INTERRUPT, BUT TO PRODUCE CONTENT THAT IS SO RELEVANT, INTERESTING, ENTERTAINING AND INVOLVING THAT MY BEST CUSTOMERS WON'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT IT."
The Fun Theory is proof positive that we need to lead with creativity, and create a positive vibe that people want to participate with.
Worried about how to engage your customers in this new world of Facebook and Twitter? You're not alone. Everyone is concerned about the ominous predictions of how social media will reinvent marketing as we know it:
- "You don't own your brand anymore. Your customers do."
- "One social media slip-up can tarnish your brand forever."
- "Your customers will ignore you unless you make it worth their while."
- "If you don't have innovative content, you won't have loyal customers."
There's truth to each of those predictions. Well, kind of. Ultimately, control over your brand still starts and ends with you. Take a look at the Air Force's new "counter-blogging" flow chart as an example. This foolproof guide gives military bloggers the tools to maintain a positive impression of the Air Force despite any type of online adversary. Trollers and ragers beware. The Air Force has an answer to your rant.
Now we're not saying this is the right approach for you. Just that being proactive and deliberate about your online efforts can pay dividends. Everyone will have critics. It's how well you handle criticism that can make a difference. Otherwise, you might feel the wrath of customer fury. (Just take a look at some of the comments in response to AT&T's latest attempt to jump into social media. Not for the queasy, for sure.)
"Doe, a deer, a female deer..." yes, you know how it goes. But what does it have to do with marketing?
Well, recently, a Belgian television program needed to drum up some interest in upcoming auditions for a production of "The Sound of Music." So, they created this entertaining stunt in the Central Station of Antwerp. Four minutes. Two-hundred dancers. And only two rehearsals. Check out the finished product.
If you're a marketer, you're undoubtedly trying to monetize your social media efforts. Everyone is. However, the jury is still out on how to measure the effectiveness of marketing on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, et. al. Marketing experts even suggest that the ROI on social media is good only because the "I" is so small.
Could it be that we're measuring the wrong things? Social media is a social experience. Perhaps using marketing to interrupt that experience and ask people to buy our stuff just isn't a reasonable expectation.
What if we accelerate the social experience rather than interrupting it? If we create a popular culture around a brand or product – or play into one that already exists – we can likely profit from giving customers a reason to participate with a brand. Increased sales will necessarily follow.
Like Peeps®. Manufacturer Just Born has practically given control of their Peeps brand to their customers – with incredible results.
• Social media sites are helping customers extend the Peep experience.
• And the phenomenon grows more and more every spring.
Peeps even plans to launch a new line of Peeps flavored lip balms – quite a coup for an inexpensive marshmallow candy that lacks a big marketing budget. Could their success be the result of enabling a popular culture? Of creating an authentic idea that customers can embrace? We think so.
Burnsmarketing.com
