GOODBUZZ ADDS PAID MEDIA SERVICES AND SUPPORT

Tuesday, Feb. 19th, 2013 EST | Toronto, Ontario

Since 2008, Social media agency Goodbuzz Inc. (“Goodbuzz”) has primarily focused on earned and owned media, but the company feels that - as the lines between paid, earned, and owned Facebook media are becoming blurred, it’s time to expand its offerings.

Goodbuzz Inc. today announced that it is offering support for companies who plan to pay for advertising on Facebook and other social media sites.

Goodbuzz is mainly known for its strategic and creative work with owned and earned media.  The company has worked with many notable brands ranging from the PGA’s Rickie Fowler, Time Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Martin Lindstrom, to Swiss Chalet, Molson, and the Conservative Party of Canada.  With this new service offering, Goodbuzz feels that it is uniquely positioned to optimize paid social advertising for Canadian brands.   

The company notes that this new service will help marketers deal with the convergence between owned, paid, and earned media on Facebook and other sites — such as when Facebook asks a brand to promote posts instead of just simply buying an ad.   Goodbuzz will also provide support for planning and purchasing advertising on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, and many others.

Goodbuzz continue to successfully compete head-to-head against general media agencies because of its unique positioning, expertise, and a more evolved approach to social engagement. 

If your brand is interested in taking paid social media to the next level we guarantee results. If you have any questions or would like to understand how Goodbuzz can work with your brand to achieve higher ROI on social platforms – contact President, Andrew Giles today.

The Increasing Relevance of your Social Brand

We should be looking beyond superficial, static graphics and examining the social brand platform, instead.

Gap's recent failed attempt at a logo redesign is only the latest in what seems to be a monthly cycle these days. Looking back over the past couple of years, we see Tropicana, Pepsi, AOL, and even Apple being raked over the coals for similar missteps, and provoking considerable buzz from the design and brand industry.  Unfortunately, these pundits are almost all talking about the wrong thing, especially in the recent Gap debacle.

Whether the new logo was designed by a well-intentioned but misguided "logo committee," or an out-of-touch branding firm, the ongoing debate indicates, more than anything, the branding and corporate identity industry's myopia.  Simply put, no one really cares about the logo anymore. Today, people are more interested in what a brand can do for them. Great brands are discovering that logos or advertisements are losing relevance, and instead put their efforts into creating social brand platforms that invite participation and create value in authentic and relevant ways. The real reason the Gap logo failed was that it wasn't backed by any of this; the same goes for Tropicana and the rest.

Social brand platforms require a new way of thinking: a cross between advertising, branding and design. In contrast to static logos and corporate identities where the focus is on control and consistency, social brand platforms have five key characteristics: they’re useful, social, living, layered and curated.

Useful


Logos create value for brands, but social brand platforms create value for people. Nike+ helps people run and get healthy. Facebook keeps people in touch with friends and family. Etsy connects cottage industry craftsmen with buyers. Converse has just announced that it's building a recording studio in Brooklyn to help up-and-coming musicians.  Social brand platforms are not experiential marketing gimmicks. They do not exist to promote something else, but rather they are useful in and of themselves. A logo, by contrast, doesn't actually do anything.

Social


Logos are about control and consistency, but social brand platforms focus on defining the context -- there are no standards manuals. They invite people to interact with each other in a variety of ways including one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many.

Nike+ lets friends challenge friends, individuals compete with the crowd, and universities compete with other universities. Nike defines the context -- letting people track their mileage -- that lets people provide the social interaction.

Living


With rare exceptions (notably MTV and Google), logos are static. But social brand platforms are living experiences that take place over time and increase in value as more people participate. The Apple and Android app stores become more valuable as the crowd contributes to these platforms.

Layered


Not everyone wants to participate on the same level. Social brand platforms thrive by offering multiple levels of involvement. They recognize that not everyone is a creator. Specifically, they provide room for three types of involvement – creation, commenting and consuming.  YouTube is often heralded for its user-generated content, but only .1% of YouTube users are creators. The rest are making comments or simply consuming. All three types of involvement are necessary for a sustainable platform.

Curated


Finally, great social brand platforms provide enhanced functionality that helps aggregate and amplify user-generated content. Without curation, user-generated content is useless. Etsy provides shoppers with a number of ways to discover hand-made products including by color, location, time, and a 10x10 grid of editors’ picks to name a few. Threadless uses a combination of user evaluation and staff recommendation to push the best T-shirt designs to the front.

So, what if Gap didn’t redesign its logo? Instead of pouring countless dollars and hours into redesigning a logo (and dealing with the consequences), what if Gap used its resources to create a social brand platform? Like Converse, Gap is a pop culture icon. It was inspired by the idea of "the generation gap" and Don Fisher's difficulty finding a pair of jeans in the size he needed. The first Gap store, on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, was going to be called "Pants and Discs" and according to the Gap's "reason for being" dated June 12, 1969, Don envisioned that it “would be loaded with Levi’s pants as well as records and tapes -- all part of an effort to appeal to the 12-to-25-year-old target customer.

Perhaps Gap could take a page from the company whose jeans once filled its shelves. Levi's spent this past summer running a print workshop in San Francisco – the first installment in an ongoing series of platforms called Levi's Workshops. Participants are invited to learn a creative skill, for free, with the best work produced going up on the workshop website. With one grand gesture, Levi's hit every aspect of a good social platform: the workshops teach a useful skill, provide context for socialization, offer an ever-changing and deeply layered experience, and Levi's curates the results for public view, to the benefit of their own brand.

What would Gap's take on a social platform look like? Don Fisher's original idea of serving the "generation gap" is still relevant today, and could serve as a powerful foundation. What if Gap partnered with Kickstarter to help struggling artists and musicians secure the funding they need to jumpstart their projects? Gap could include matching funds. Users could vote favorites up and down. Filters could be added to let people discover projects of interest. Through The Gap Foundation, Gap has generously given more than $100 million to various nonprofit organizations and causes. Using some of that money to create a social brand platform could be mutually beneficial to the brand and the people who love it.

We all agree that the redesigned logo was bad, and that the attempt to recover from that by announcing a crowdsourcing logo contest was arguably worse. Crowdsourcing your logo is not a social brand platform--it's more like asking a date what you should wear for dinner. But what was more discouraging was the amount of attention this debate and other logo fiascoes have received within the industry. Rather than chasing H&M or Zara, Gap has an opportunity to create an authentic social brand platform that no one else can offer. Gap reinvented how we shop for jeans. It's time Gap and other consumer companies think differently about branding.

How’s your brand looking?  Time to get more social? Give us a shout.

SAPPORO's “The Legendary Biru” Campaign Gets Lost In Translation

The original task assumedly of this campaign was to “tell the story of the Sapporo brewing process weaving Japan’s deep cultural heritage into the narrative”.  Presumably, a secondary client goal should have been established to “share that message with as many people as possible”.   We kid - as it's great work on many production levels.  The only point we hope to demonstrate is that, with a few slight tweaks in strategy, this could have been so much more. 

The website itself is centered on a character – the Sage – who is “the keeper of the legend of Sapporo".  He leads visitors on a treasure hunt through the site where the goal is to collect a number of hidden scrolls. Some are easy to find and tell a brief story about the beer, while others are well hidden and require diligence to unlock. Those who reach the end of the journey are given a message tailored to the number of scrolls they’ve discovered, while those who manage to collect all 15 scrolls are entered to win a trip to Japan”.  Ho hum.  

The “website as destination" strategy demonstrated needs to evolve to a branded utility model (or something far more in touch with the way people access, use, and share content today).  Certainly the website could remain a central focus and hub of the online campaign, but the real fun and engagement could have been extended well beyond a simple site experience - especially in light of all the dynamic new technologies available today.  

The campaign should have been far more focused more extending messaging virally and making the idea bigger then the media or medium.  Imagine, for example, if users were rewarded/ incentivized for extending SAPPORO content to peers?  Better still if the user could be positioned as the story's "Hero" rather than the "Sage" character.   In essence, allowing consumers and prospects to adopt the Sapporo brand as their own (and be validated socially for it in a clever, interesting, and entertaining way using emerging technology).  Imagine further if this content was so interesting, so compelling and entertaining News channels picked up the story?   Imagine if the original goal was to take $10 in media spend and garner $100 in ROI?  

While we definitely applaud the attempted storytelling aspect of the “Sage” taking people on a Sapporo journey – the campaigns biggest failure is it's lack of participatory vehicles (it feels like a monologue).  Although the production is high, the creative strategy seems woefully ignorant of the SAPPORO target demographic and their social technographic profile.  As further evidence of this point, as of this posting there were only 29 “Fans” on the SAPPORO Facebook page (the only social property we could find).

As competitive as the Beer market is, marketers can easily lose sight of the emotional connection their brands have with their consumers—and just how critical that connection is to their overall success.   As consumers take command of their media consumption and increasingly filter out traditional brand messages—deeper storytelling and relevant emotional consumer connections are becoming powerful competitive weapons as they reconnect and deepen the emotional underpinnings of your brand.

Bottom line:  A campaign like this may have captured consumers mind-set a years ago, however, today there are amazingly no participatory elements in the campaign that resonate or create any real Buzz; nothing certainly that ‘pops’ - disrupts or differentiates itself - or adds real user value, utility, or entertainment.     Bottom line - it’s really important when planning and executing campaigns today to focus on one BIG, VIRAL, RELEVANT, DIFFERENTIATING IDEA (based upon a unique brand insight) - then amplify it across all relevant channels in meaningful and engaging ways.  

But of course, that’s just our two-cents.  What do you think? Check the site out at www.legendarybiru.com.  

Sapporo Beer from Lollipop on Vimeo.

Sapporo Beer from Lollipop on Vimeo.

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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.

2010's Most Viral Brands

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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.

FORD FIESTA’S HYPER-LOCAL PROMOTIONS MIX SOCIAL MEDIA + EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

To drive excitement and sales leads for the North American launch of the 2011 Ford Fiesta, Ford has launched a multi-tiered program of events in four Northeast markets (New England, Philadelphia, the New York/Tri-state area and Washington, D.C.)

The Fiesta Northeast tour follows on the heels of the Fiesta Movement, the savvy, award-winning national campaign that put 100 agents behind the wheel of their own Fiesta for six months and had them document the experience on their social networks.

The local program consists of Ford-sponsored events such as Boston Red Sox Fans Days or Philadelphia’s Fiesta Rocks concert in September, sponsored in partnership with Live Nation. In addition, local pop-up events at dealerships, festivals and local businesses take place in each market. At both types of events, consumers can test-drive the vehicle with a FORD product specialist on a closed circuit TV and check out the voice-activated Sync technology. The best part?  Video cameras inside the cars capture the experience and upload content to thefordcast.com, Flickr, Twitter and the brand’s Facebook page.   The results?

The promotion effectively fosters conversation between the brand and consumers while generating buzz and feedback about the Fiesta.

Location-based Marketing

Four personalized Twitter accounts and FourSquare profiles update fans on where the tour is headed and share content. Consumers also are asked to check in on FourSquare or Gowalla and share their experiences via their own Twitter and Facebook accounts.

To individualize the experience, the tour developed a personality for each of the four markets that reflects the unique target consumer in those areas. Three dedicated vehicles and a road crew of six to eight people travelled to each market.

The Target

Trendy, hipster Tri-State residents who frequent art museums and weekend farmers markets, for example, test drive the Fiesta Lime Squeeze Hatch, Blue Flame Hatch and Tuxedo Black Sedan, which have been detailed with “tattoos” to reflect the personality of this market.  Sporty, spirited, proud Philadelphia folk who jog in the park or escape to the beach on weekends, on the other hand, try out an appropriately decorated Lime Squeeze Hatch, Blue Flame Hatch and the Red Candy Sedan.  New Englanders are casual, fun-loving and outdoorsy types; Washington, D.C. residents are preppy, connected and in the know.

Throughout the tour, Ford is giving away four new Fiestas, one in each market, to consumers who attend an event, support social media or sign up on thefordcast.com.  Props to agency: Mr. Youth based in New York City. While it may be hard for some to get excited about Ford's Fiesta per se, this integrated campaign tries hard to break through with a strong mix of above the line activities/support (TV/Print/Radio) - and more to our interests - a strong hyper-local promotional strategy, automated participatory/social media elements, PR 2.0., Experiential and location-based marketing.    

Solid work all round, however, a few elements would have amplified activities further.  Leveraging emerging technology, adding YouTube UGC/ stronger viral video activity, and most importantly employing (more sophomoric) HUMOUR (perfect for this target audience defined).  Just imagine if FORD had married their campaign with something like Mekanism's work for Toyota ("Your Other You") http://bit.ly/1yJ2qi  Something that would allow users to personalize a Fiesta in a clever, intelligent (and viral way) whereby users want to share the Fiesta with their friends (regardless of the branded content) because it's so cool and fun.   Agency: JWT Team Detroit, Action Marketing Group, Undercurrent.

More on FORD's Fiesta Movement.

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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 [SEPT-GB_V7.0]

NASA is using their blog to feature a contest to choose the playlist for their wake up anthems during their next voyage.  - NASA Blog

The Boston Celtics' discuss the success of the Celtics Facebook application game in growing their e-mail database.  - DMNews

Puma's new social ad campaign features a 60 second spot and a microsite that blends both Puma-created content and user-generated content.  - Puma

Groupon's recent Gap offer proved to be its most successful yet. The campaign utilized Twitter's "Earlybird Offers" special of the day and Gap's Facebook "Likers" to relay the offer.  - ClickZ

AT&T is partnering with game startup SCVNGR to launch a social game-based reward program with goofy challenges that lets users win points for redemption at the carrier's stores.  - MediaPost

Coca-Cola’s Experiential Marketing uses special bracelets that transmit RFID signals and integrates Facebook's "Like" feature in real life.  - AdLand

Quaker Oats' new campaign, "Does your breakfast make you amazing?" teams up with the co-host of NBC's The Biggest Loser, Bob Harper, to engage Facebook fans in a dialog about their breakfast.  - Brandweek

Carnival Cruise Lines is the first in the cruise industry to launch a Facebook application that allows users to engage their social network in their vacation planning when shopping for cruises.  - MediaPost

Hyundai's Experiential Marketing Manager, discusses how Hyundai's "Uncensored" testimonial campaign is rooted in social media.  - ClickZ

Ford's unconventional virtual unveiling of the 2011 Ford Explorer on Facebook resulted in a larger increase of customer engagement than other automakers' top Super Bowl ads.  - MediaPost

Heineken (Italy) punks soccer fans and pull off the perfect mix of experiential marketing, PR 2.0., sophomoric humor and participatory media. – YouTube

IKEA's Facebook "Showroom" Viral Promotion - The mission was to create something engaging that would have the potential of spreading by itself  - YouTube

Zugara's Augmented Reality (AR) & Motion Capture refines Shopping - YouTube

Eurostar Crowsourced Guide to the Continent is an impressive crowd sourced platform that acts as a guide to all the European destinations accessible by their client Eurostar's high speed rail service– Contagious

VAIL launches the biggest thing to hit the SKI industry since bindings and sets new benchmark – Goodbuzz

"Tune Out" The Noise with Altoids new App - Tune Out—an iPhone, Android and desktop application (developed by Big Spaceship) cuts down on the digital noise and lets fans keep up with their favorite friends – and ONLY their favorite friends. – Big Spaceship

Looking for more Social/ Participatory Media Case Studies?  Check out:

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Version 5

Version 4

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Version 2

Version 1

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Ad Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. Visit Goodbuzz or join the conversation on Facebook.  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 [Aug-GB_V4.0]

VISA's making shopping more social with a plug-in called Rightcliq that lets people receive shopping advice from friends via Facebook and email. - Visa

TOYOTA is encouraging people to share their personal stories about their vehicles on Facebook with their "Auto-Biography" campaign. - ClickZ

ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS has opened up Rogers Community Forums, a place to find help with technical issues, ask and respond to questions, and discuss the company's products and services with others. - RedBoard

In a new partnership with FOURSQUARE, PIZZA HUT announced that it will be rewarding devoted customers who have earned the title of "Mayor." They’ll receive a free order of breadsticks with their pizza. - Fast Company

DELL's Tag Team app on Facebook is taking social shopping to a new level by letting people find products through user-generated tag clouds and make purchase decisions based on customer reviews. - Context Optional

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, ZAPPOS, and BEST BUY are among several brands mentioned in Valeria Maltoni's blog post about top customer service accounts on Twitter. - Conversation Agent

By listening and engaging in real conversation about a taboo subject, KIMBERLY-CLARK'S social media campaign for Kotex created a safe place for women and girls to go for support. - FASTForward Blog

Dave Schoonover, KIA's national manager of CRM and digital marketing, discusses the strategy behind their "Who's Next" YouTube contest. - MediaPost

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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.