The simple genius of Facebook Deals

Yesterday, Facebook announced a bunch of upgrades to its mobile platform (200 million+ users and growing quickly), but most notably, they launched “Deals”.  There are five different types of “deals” businesses can offer customers through Facebook Places.

• Individual deals for a discount,
• free merchandise or other reward;
• friend deals where you and your friends claim an offer together;
• loyalty deals for being a frequent visitor to a place; and
• charity deals where businesses pledge to donate to a cause when you check in.

Deals are free for any business with a Facebook Place Page. Customers "check-in" to your location from their mobile phones to activate a deal, and then share it with their friends. Facebook will monetize this by offering businesses the opportunity to further advertise their deals once you create them. But creating deals and having them spread organicly through the Facebook ecosystem is free, and quite plausible for organizations of all sizes.

Because of Facebook's half a billion users worldwide and more then 200 million mobile users, Facebook's Deals bring instant scale and credibility to the geo-location check-in rewards business introduced by Foursquare, Gowalla and others. Whether this new platform will hurt or help Foursquare and its several clones or even Groupon and its dozens of clones, remains to be seen. But there is no doubt that Facebook Deals will be a major force to be reckoned with.

Bottom line:  Facebook Deals allows brands to create a compelling offer, and have it spread quickly through Facebook's powerful social graph via the virality of the News Feed. Facebook Deals allows you, for the first time ever, to acquire new customers quickly through social networks.

SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [OCT-GB_V11.0]

Overall adoption of social technologies has effectively reached saturation. We’re now at the point where more than 80% of US online users engage with social media.  So what’s the buzz this week?


Target is now selling gift cards for Facebook credits redeemable in over 150 Facebook games and applications. - Iconoculture

PetSmart is asking Facebook fans to upload their best photos of their pets dressed in Halloween costumes for the chance to appear in a TV commercial. - MediaPost 

Cosmopolitan discusses how they're using Facebook Connect to let fans upload photographs to be a part of the magazine's new promotional video that simulates a photo shoot. - The New York Times 

Budweiser, as a part of their latest campaign, is planning to partner with Facebook to give fans turning 22 years or older a free beer on their birthday. - USA Today 

Research In Motion (RIM) is using social media to connect with their BlackBerry customers to provide awesome online customer service. - Blog World 

Lincoln's new "Best of California Road Trip" campaign is following the Lincoln MKX as it drives through California, stopping at several historic locations. Videos of the trip will be posted to YouTube, and fans are invited to vote for their favorite location on Facebook. - PR Web 

Toyota's new web series, "Standup Stories," features comedians sharing their first-car experiences and includes a Facebook tie-in inviting fans to share their stories. - Break 

American Express, in their "Action for Education" Facebook challenge, is vowing to donate up to $1 million to DonorsChoose.org when pledges towards improving local education reach 100,000. - Tonic 

Dell is combining user interests and reviews in their new Facebook application for social feedback. - Facebook 

Chevron shares how they are taking social media monitoring to the next level to build awareness of energy issues. - Vimeo 

Chevron Pulse Report: The State of Online Conversation About Energy Issues, presented by Robert Raines from GasPedal on Vimeo.
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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Digital Ad Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. Note: Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Social Media Case Studies [OCT-GB_V10.0]

CBS's 60 Minutes is encouraging viewers to submit 60-second video questions on the new 60 Minutes YouTube channel, which the program will later answer on the television broadcast. - Social Times 

New York Life Insurance Company is teaming up with Hasbro for a sweepstakes on Twitter where lucky followers of the company have the chance to win a special edition of "The Game of Life." - Facebook 

TwitterMoms discusses how Procter & Gamble has turned to Twitter to give consumers legitimate consumer ratings on their in-store products. - Brand Week 

Disney has created a new fan-generated website in which fans are invited to upload pictures and share their favorite memories from their Disney experiences. - Disney 

Nokia's world's smallest stop-motion video, filmed with a Nokia N8 phone and a CellScope microscope, is going viral with over 879,719 YouTube views and counting. - Nokia Blog 

OnStar is redefining in-car communications with its new feature that allows subscribers to verbally update their Facebook status and listen to recent news feed posts. - Advertising Age 

Whirlpool shares how they’re collaborating across departments and functions to provide a consistent brand experience. - Vimeo 

Whirlpool: Engaging Consumers in a House of Brands, presented by Brian Snyder and Scott Spiegel from GasPedal on Vimeo.

NBC promoted the premier of Community's second season with a "Twittersode" that consisted entirely of tweets from handles created for each character. - Fast Company 

GetGlue discusses how their partnership with MSNBC, AMC, Disney, HGTV, and Discovery is engaging fans and enabling users to "check in" to the entertainment that they are viewing. - ClickZ 

Domino's is turning to YouTube to help promote their new lunchtime menu with videos of the new menu items. - Pizza News 

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Digital Ad Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. Note: Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

New Zealand Army's 'Get What It Takes' Campaign a YouTube hit

Recruiting soldiers these days must be a daunting task to say the least.  Let alone becoming New Zealand's most viewed branded or sponsor channel on YouTube.

Saatchi & Saatchi Wellington's did just that with their "Get What It Takes" campaign for the NZ Army.  TV trailers drive viewers to a branded YouTube Channel where they can view mini-documentaries and play a unique 'Get What It Takes' sniper rifle game.

The targets technographic profile (Forrester,) identifies them as both “Spectators” and “Joiners” – so any engagement would need to entertain, be fun and viral - without much user generated content (i.e. social platforms that are easy to access, view, and share).  Any campaign aimed at this target would need a strong digital focus, reflecting the key change in the way young people connect with brands and discover information today.

So a YouTube campaign telling the story of three young, everyday New Zealanders taking on stimulating and difficult challenges over the course of two weeks was perfect.  Online viewers follow the recruits as they learn how the NZ Army equips them with the skills needed to meet the tasks in hand.  Challenges include clearing a minefield to assault an enemy bunker, administering medical treatment to a fallen soldier whilst under enemy fire and sending vital intelligence information via the set-up of a temporary signals unit. All challenges relate to real life Army trades: Medic, Engineer and Communications Systems roles.

The game encourages virality and participation, as users can challenge friends on Facebook.  This aspect of this campaign invites users to experience "Get What It Takes" for themselves, simulating a real life rifle range, complete with wind shear, sound effects and a breathing monitor. The game-based YouTube Channel awards achievement badges based on firing accuracy and users can share their marksman score through Facebook, email or by downloading it and pinning it on their wall.  It also gives users another reason to share the content.

A simple idea well integrated and executed along the appropriate participatory channels.  Bravo. 

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From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Social Media Case Studies [SEPT-GB_V9.0]

Timberland explains how they're incorporating a 3-D view of their boot in the company's newly launched social media campaign. - Brand Week 

Campbell Soup discusses their new campaign that seeks to engage young customers through a contest embedded in social media. - DMNews 

JCPenney, in a recent back-to-school promotion, provided six girls with gift cards to review their purchases from the department store in a series of "haul" videos on YouTube. - Brand Autopsy 

Buick dealerships in Austin are engaging their Twitter followers by offering a test drive that lets the drivers pick the time and the place for pick up. - Twitter 

  

Sara Lee is introducing a contest on Facebook asking moms to submit a short essay and a photo of their children answering the question, "What's Your Lunchtime Challenge?" - Media Post 

NPR is embracing social media as a way to engage with their followers by creating a dashboard to keep it all in one place. - NPR 

The role of Chief Listening Officer is becoming more common amongst big companies engaged in social media with Kodak and Dell being the first to adopt the position. - Advertising Age 

How the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, Old Navy, Starbucks, Target and many others came together in a social media campaign to raise awareness for charities. - ClickZ 

McDonald's shares how they are using social media to inspire employees and the public about their commitment to their people. - Vimeo 

McDonald's: Finding the "Voice of McDonald's", presented by Joe Curry from GasPedal on Vimeo.

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Digital Ad Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. Note: Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Talking Tree Campaign Creates Discussion Around Climate Change

Did you ever wonder what a tree would say if it could talk?  What about one that is over one hundred years old and lived in Brussels and you could follow it on social media channels? 


Agency Happiness Brussels taps nature's voice for their "Talking Tree" campaign, part of a campaign for popular science magazine EOS, to create a discussion around climate change.  


The campaign uses meteorological recording devices like a CO2 meter, pH meter, a wind turbine, thermometer, a fine dust meter, ozone meter, light meter, weatherstation, webcam and microphone to monitor a tree in Brussels' Bois de la Cambre park.  


This equipment constantly measures the tree's living circumstances and translates this information into human language. Then, the tree lets the world know how he feels via wifi at regular intervals into social media-ready communications (updating Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Soundcloud and YouTube). Check out the website http://www.talking-tree.com/ or watch an overview below.  Tell us what you think?

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Lady Gaga - The Ultimate Social Brand

LADY GAGA has rocketed to global fame in less than two years as the first artist to have her first five six singles reach number one. She's also won two Grammys, sold 8 million albums and 15 million singles digitally worldwide.  Her video's have even garnered 1 Billion Views on YouTube.  While her performance art-style stage shows and bizarre outfits have garnered significant attention, it's her loyalty marketing that may sustain her for years.


So how does Lady Gaga foster and cultivate legions of evangelistic fans online? Whether by exclusively releasing content (i.e. “Bad Romance”) on her website LadyGaga.com or exposing fans to her daily life via Twitter (she has 3 million+ followers) and Facebook (nearly 6 million) - Gaga lets fans come along for the ride.   On Twitter for example, she updates regularly telling fans everything she is doing.  She tweeted them before she opened the Grammy Awards and even tweeted to fans that she was buying them pizza for waiting overnight at an album signing.


To further build engagement, ownership and content, fans are further encouraged to record videos and take photos during her performances with an open invitation to network, comment and share with the world.  To validate fans, Gaga also doesn't allow professional photographers into her concerts (however encourages fans to take photos and videos).

A SENSE OF BELONGING - Lady Gaga gave her fans a name - as she doesn't like the word "fan". So, she calls them her "Little Monsters," named after her album "The Fame Monster." She even tattooed "Little Monsters" on her arm and tweeted the picture to fans professing love for them. Now fans are even getting their own Little Monster tattoos. By giving the group a formal name, it gives fans a way to refer to each other. Fans feel like they are joining a special club. Psychologically, this ‘sense of community’ is one of the major tenants of self-definition. Belonging to a group can involve language, dress, and/or ritual. To be part of the group gives meaning and association with a larger group provides emotional safety and a sense of belonging and identification. The influence is bi-directional.

STORYTELLING, RITUALS AND MYTH-MAKING - During her concert tour, Gaga recites a "Manifesto of Little Monsters". Although a bit cryptic, most Little Monsters see it as a dedication to them, that her fans have the power to make or break her. Whether New Testament, Torah, or Koran - EVERY major religion is built upon a heft of history and stories (mostly gruesome and miraculous.) Ritualistic patterns make us feel consistent, stable, safe, and grounded. It’s clear that people ritualize positive experiences and keep coming back for more.


SHARED SYMBOLS - The official Little Monster greeting is the outstretched "monster claw" hand. As all Little Monsters know, the clawed hand is part of the choreography in the video of her song "Bad Romance." Even Oprah knows the Little Monster greeting. Shared symbols allow fans to identify each other and connect. The cross. A dove. An angel, or crown of thorns. Organized religion is full of iconography and symbolism that act as an instant global language, or shorthand. This is also true of products and brands. A brand or product (symbol) logo can evoke powerful associations, just like religious icons. Think: Lance Armstrong (Nike) “Live Strong” bracelets.

FAN AS THE HERO - Lady Gaga makes her customers feel special. A staple of Gaga's "Monster Ball" tour is to call a fan in the audience during the show. Gaga dials the number onstage, the fan screams out, is located and they are put up on a big screen. While the rest of audience goes bananas, the fan is invited to have a drink with her after the show. In doing this, Gaga doesn't simply add value to her ticket price but also creates experiences that stand out by virtue of being so "extra."

It gets better.  Lady Gaga dedicates her shows to her frenzied fans (and each of her awards to her gay fan base), claiming only to be the "jester" to their kings and queens. By letting her fans know that she knows (that everyone knows) that they have the "power to make or break her," Gaga has made her success shareable. It gives fans the chance to not only showcase and articulate their faith, but also to unite with fellow believers.  Magic.

SENSORY APPEAL - No one really does branded spectacle like Lady Gaga. She’s Liberace, Marilyn Manson, Madonna, David Bowie and Ozzy simultaneously.  The music is entirely secondary to the spectacle.  Lady Gaga defies expectation and just when you think you’ve got her pegged - she dawns an evening dress made entirely of fresh meat.


Her brand appeal is much more about the fact she’s always changing and unpredictable - challenging people's tendency (and ability) to shut out their environment, she disrupts with new modes of aestheticism.  She's everything we ever learned, every case study, lesson and truth all bundled up into one brand.   Just like all great religions, (whether church, temple, or mosque), Lady Gaga's unique sensory appeal is an integral part of the otherworldly brand experience.  Web Site http://www.ladygaga.com

Twitter ladygaga

If there’s a more perfect hybrid of branding, PR, advertising, and marketing today - we haven't seen it. Have you?  If so please, do tell.  www.goodbuzz.ca

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Social Media Case Studies [SEPT-GB_V8.0]

General Motors' shares how they used social media to keep any misunderstandings from blowing out of proportion. - Vimeo 

Apple has introduced a new social music service called Ping that allows users to (use social search and) follow friends and favourite musicians' iTunes activity. - NPR Music Blog 

Cisco's Senior Manager of Global Social Media, LaSandra Brill, talks about how the company saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by using social media during a recent product launch. - Social Media Examiner 

Stride and Dentyne gums Marketing Manager discusses the important role of social media in the launch of Stride's new flavor changing gum. - Brand Week 

Mattel is increasing buzz around Barbie and her newest career through an integrated social media campaign that relies mainly on Twitter and Foursquare. - Promo Magazine 

Restaurant chain Houlihan's Digital Marketing Manager, shares an in-depth analysis of the expansion into social media. - ClickZ 

MTV is teaming up with Foursquare to launch an STD awareness campaign that offers a special badge for checking-in at an STD testing facility. - Alltop 

American Express' Sponsorship Marketing Director, describes how the credit card company incorporated all sorts of social media into its website for the US Open tennis tournament. - Brand Week 

Ford, Clorox, and Arby's are highlighted as brands creating great calls to action in social media. - ClickZ 

Procter & Gamble is focusing their social media campaign on women bloggers to help get the word out about their "Children's Safe Drinking Water" program. - Promo Magazine

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Digital Ad Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. Note: Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Integrating Experiential and Social Marketing – The magic of Coca-Cola’s “Village” Experience

The term Experience Economy was first described in a book published in 1999 by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore.  The author’s argue that businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product - the "experience".

Many big brands involved with Experiential Marketing have been wondering how best to integrate social media with live brand experiences?   Moreover, how to engage and integrate all participants as a part of the live event in a meaningful and relevant way?  Coca-Cola enlisted Isreali experiential agency Promarket to do just that.  The innovative Coca Cola Village experiential event synced everyone who participated.  Live in real-time. 

The Coca-Cola Village experience was run in 2010 through Facebook.  Perfect for their target’s technographic profile, a Facebook app allowed teenagers to easily register and participate.  The simple goal was to collect ten Coca-Cola caps, gather eight friends (who did the same) and gain exclusive entry to the Coca-Cola Village.  At the Coca-Cola Village, users were given a unique (RFID Microchip enabled) wristband that held their Facebook login / password - so all they needed to do was swipe when starting each new activity (now integrated with Facebook). Every time a user swiped, his or her Facebook status was instantly updated with what users were specifically doing at the event, keeping friends up to date in real time.   It get’s better.  The wristband also allowed for auto-tagging of all the photos taken at the Coca-Cola Village.

The results? The experience could accommodate 650 teenagers a day and the three-day Coca-Cola Village experience generated over 100,000 posts.   

Watch the Video Case Study

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Goodbuzz® is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates participatory media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences.  This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.