♔ SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [GB_V21.0 - 2010 Final]

PepsiCo's Head of Digital, Shiv Singh, discusses the success and results of the PepsiCo Refresh Project - Mashable

Dell is hosting a Social Innovation Competition for college students who want to solve current social issues through innovation. Non-registrants can also participate in the contest by commenting on and sharing the submitted ideas - Dell Social Innovation

In between broadcast seasons, ABC Family, NBC, and Lifetime are all encouraging viewers to check-in, earn badges, and share their interest with friends online - DMNews

This year, Gap's holiday deals depended on eight live reindeer in Minnesoda. GPS systems measured the reindeers' location closest to the North Pole so that fans could track and tweet about the reindeers that represented their favorite promotions - Project Reindeer

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is launching "CPSC 2.0," a social network that will inform consumers of important safety issues faster and more frequently - Kids Today

Todd Carpenter, Social Media Manager of the National Association of Realtors, has been recognized by Inman News as one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders of 2010 in the field of online blogging and social media - Inman News

P. Diddy is teaming up with Microsoft Tag to launch their social media campaign, "12 Days of Tag," that will let Facebook and Twitter users choose which charities will receive a combined total of $50,000 in the days leading up to Christmas - Look to the Stars

State Farm is launching a new ad campaign within Facebook's "Car Town" game by adding virtual item giveaways and branded challenges that let players earn virtual currency - Insurance Journal

Northwestern Mutual is posting a new video series on Facebook and YouTube called "Life Stories" that features customers sharing their personal insurance stories - Business Wire

Gillette's YouTube Case Study (Italy) -http://slidesha.re/9RhAhX

If moms weren’t already an attractive enough target for marketers, a Keller Fay study of US internet users and their brand conversations has found that they are more responsive to word-of-mouth than other adults and more likely to help pass on brand messages – More http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008121 

Crowdsourcing? Location Based Services? QR Codes?  Firstborn's Dave Snyder looks into his crystal ball to predict what digital trends will flourish—or die, in the upcoming year - More 

Since it’s the Holiday’s, here are some fun examples of agency Christmas Cards we’ve found:

Wieden+Kennedy (Amsterdam) makes it possible for you to sit down with your family and friends for a holiday gathering - even if you live thousands of miles apart! Check out - www.virtualholidaydinner.com

Nation brings us this mash up Christmas Card generator that uses Google’s Blacklisted words - www.googleblackchristmas.com 

Auto-tuned sleigh bells? Geo-located dreidels? Augmented Reality snowflakes? Nope. EVB goes old school - letting users celebrate analog by sending friends a good ol' holiday fax! -http://evbholidayfax.com/

Lean Mean Fighting Machine's odd Holiday Greeting experience - Snowman or Fatman Holiday Greeting

Submit your (through-the-line) case studies: info@goodbuzz.ca

♔ Digital Trends in 2011 (by Firstborn)

As published on (Creativity’s) Creativity and Technology (CaT) - Firstborn's Dave Snyder looks into his crystal ball to predict what digital trends will flourish—or die, in the upcoming year.

I've always wanted to do one of these... a predictions list! So here it goes, a little bit of what's to come: digital soothsaying for the annum two thousand and eleven. Please enjoy.

1. Crowdsourcing: People will finally realize that the Crowdsourcing future they've been hearing about isn't really crowdsourcing at all but, rather, a ruse perpetuated by some to navigate an economic and financial downturn. Yet "some" will continue to preach it. And for reasons no one in the industry can comprehend, one of those "some" (someone with no credentials other than a moderate Twitter following) will be named Chief Crowdsourcing Officer of a global agency.

2. Privacy: The stall doors are off and we don't care. We will say goodbye to privacy. Actually, that happened long ago, it's just that people will stop caring. I mean, what can you do? That being said, we still love to complain about it... more than a good Facebook redesign.  Your "junk" will be fondled and you will like it.

3. "The New Agency Model": Both sides will continue to beat their chests. Digital screams, "Hey, we've got ideas too." Traditional yells, "Keep your silly named company (but here's a buyout offer for you), we've got tech figured out!" and as BBDO Chairman Mr. Lubars puts it, "We're kicking their butts!" [Sigh.]

Both are right (sort of). But wait, what's that? You in the back... say that again. "But we're 'Post Digital'!?!" someone sheepishly squirts. Digital and Traditional look at each other and respond (for once in unison), "That is the stupidest thing we've ever heard."  Post Digital is a farce. It's the red herring of 2011, part of the overflowing hype that leaks from the duct-taped side of the perpetual buzz marketing machine.

4. The Buzzword Ban: Across the country agencies and brands alike band together and ban certain marketing buzzwords from the boardroom, mainly: synergistic solutions; passion points, robust eco-systems; social-capital; what's the added value; encourage social advocacy; harness social currency; and who are our brand evangelists? Please add your own in the comment section below. These are always hysterical. But first ask yourself, what is the added value?

5. Flash vs HTML5: Believe it or not, no one actually cares how content is delivered. I know, shocking, right? But that won't stop HTML5 developers from making all the same mistakes Flash developers and designers made previously. Both sides need to reconcile and remember that both are at the mercy of the public. We serve their needs. Not some myopic and overly engineered vision of what things are "supposed" to be.

6. On Millennials: "Say 'Millennial' again! C'mon, say 'Millennial' again! I dare ya, I double dare ya motherfucker, say 'Millennial' one more goddamn time."  Can we start talking about the Net Generation already... please?

7. Mobile: This one is easy. Mobile will finally become ubiquitous. As ubiquitous as what the "You Need to Upgrade Your Flash Player" page was, and what the "You Need an HTML5 Capable Browser" page will be.

8. Location Based Services: We got it right, but man-oh-man did they get it wrong. LBS will continue to be huge. It's just that, in 2011, everyone realizes how NOT exciting Foursquare and Gowalla were and are. Keep your badge; people are cheap and just want coupons. As I predicted last year, the current Location Based Services (the ones that survive) will become little more than the modern day equivalent of a coupon book. And guess what Foursquare, Gowalla and the rest, you don't have the numbers to make marketers care: Facebook Places has rendered you impotent. It was fun (sorta, kinda) while it lasted.

9. Frivolous Technologies: QR codes may have been big elsewhere around the world but the technology is going to be leapfrogged here in the States. QR Codes (and the ilk): your tombstone is waiting for you in the lobby. You've been replaced by label recognition. "This conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye."

10. Advertising is NOT dead: It's just different... and that is a good thing. It's becoming interesting again. I like what Phil Knight said about advertising a long, long time ago: "I hate it."  He's right. So often, it's so terrible. In fact, at times I can't f'ing stand it. Alas, the ad world is turning toward something meaningful. Even if, at times, it's just a laugh—it's better, however, when it's something useful.  I'm happy to report, this will continue and find more and more traction inside the boardroom.  There it is, ten items to help you start your two thousand and eleven season off right. Let me know what I've missed. With only ten items I know I missed plenty.

Dave Snyder is an associate creative director at Firstborn.  

What’s your brand doing on YouTube?

There was a time when YouTube was considered a wild-wild west of content — a place where marketers shied away from uploading their commercials, let alone building a branded channel. But these days, YouTube has become more mini-van than stagecoach. From Toyota Sienna’s high-profile television commercials urging consumers to visit their YouTube channel, to (what might be considered the anti-minivan) Harley Davidson’s fan-centric YouTube universe, there has been a noticeable shift in corporate adoption of the platform.


Billions (literally) of people are watching today – so I'm sure you agree that YouTube provides a unique opportunity for high-profile brand placements. Not sure where to start?  Check out YouTube Trends to get an idea of the types of content currently being consumed.   Also, think of your YouTube channel as an extension of your brand that lives and breathes. You’ll need someone who is dedicated to tending to that page, building your audience by reaching out to fans, and managing your profile online.


Start by searching your brand on YouTube and see what the existing conversation looks like. Then try reaching out to people who already have an affinity for your product or service by commenting on their videos and/or “friending” them. Remember that YouTube is an online community, and if you’re not participating in the dialogue, then you are missing the opportunity for true engagement.  More tips and tricks or for good examples by content type, select the area of concentration below:

Gaming

How-to / Education

TV + Film

Music

Non-profit

Sports

The Gap’s Project Reindeer (by AKQA)

The perfect mix of creativity and emerging technology - The Gap’s Project Reindeer (by AKQA) equips 8 live reindeer with GPS, that participate in challenges over five days that users can vote on.  


Watch the PastureCam (updated every five minutes), Meet the Herd, or tweet a deal to win.

Whichever animal wins will trigger a unique in-store deal for the consumer. For example, Emma the reindeer won the "shortest distance contest" today, giving consumers 40% off their entire purchase if they say Emma40 at the register.

As the site says - 8 Reindeer / 8 Deals / 5 Days. Track the movements of our GPS-enabled reindeer as they decide our stylish in-store deals. Tweet to boost your favorite and check back daily to see which deal wins!  We think its great work.  Fun. On brand and the perfect mix of creativity and emerging technology.  What do you think? 

"The Next Level" – Nike Football's Branded Utility

While Nike had been gaining traction in soccer for years, it had been losing traction with advanced players, who tended to gravitate toward rivals such as Adidas as they moved into more-serious competition. The 2008 European Championships presented just the opportunity to change this perception.  Note:  This campaign is a few years old now, but would work as well today as the day it was launched.  Great ideas are great ideas.  Period.

What resulted was the kind of campaign (by 72andSunny) that proved that it doesn't take a big footprint to do great work that delivers results.  Moreover, this is also exactly what we mean when we talk about branded content and utility - brands creating something that is participatory and useful/valuable to their customers.

The centerpiece of the program was a striking, fast-paced two-minute film directed by Guy Richie, which shows one athlete's first-person view of taking his game to a higher and higher level (first person POV complete with pre-match vomiting and requests for autographs).

Taking the self improvement theme further, an online "boot camp" based on Nike's site provided video-based advanced training and skills regiments. The short film by Guy Ritchie featured superstars such as Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo showing off dazzling skills, but positioned in the context of all the training it takes to get to the next level.

RESULTS
The effort drove 50 million unique visitors to Nike's site in six months, a total that doesn't include external websites such as YouTube, where one posting of Ritchie's film has drawn more than 4.2 million views. Print and outdoor executions focused on specific elite skills, and challenged readers as to whether they had them while also prominently referring them to the Nikefootball.com website.

SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [DEC10-GB_V20.0]

Both Coca-Cola and General Mills are leveraging already-trending hashtags in their promoted tweets to create better brand awareness on Twitter - ClickZ

Billboard (Magazine) is launching the "Social 50," a weekly chart that ranks artists' popularity based on social networking activity - Impact Lab

Duncan Hines is building branded content - releasing a new YouTube video each week as a part of their holiday mini web series promoting its new ‘Amazing Glazes’ line - MarketingDaily

Joining the ranks of Gatorade and other big brands, DELL is opening its new Social Media Listening Command Center in order to keep track of its thousands of daily internet mentions - Statesman Business Blog

McDonald's is keeping its multicultural fan base engaged by communicating with them in their preferred dialogue and social networking sites - Iconoculture

Automakers Mercedes-Benz and Audi are both launching separate social media contests for their fans to prove their loyalty - USA Today

Levi's discusses how they are turning online shoppers into Facebook friends and brand ambassadors - SmartBlog

Members of InterContinental Hotels Group's Priority Club ‘Rewards’ online community earn points by checking in at nearly all of IHG's 4,500 hotels worldwide - eMarketer

Scholastic share how they used social media to transform Scholastic Clubs customers into brand ambassadors - Vimeo

Lufthansa's Social 'Reindeer Game' Christmas Promotion

This year’s reindeer pre-Christmas promotion on has been designed in 11 languages for 68 markets.  

Lufthansa developed an addictive Farm Town-like strategic-oriented game where users help Santa find enough reindeers.   Once found however they need to be fed and cared for or else they wither (hence farm town).  

A happiness-index always shows the reindeers‘ shape.  There are different actions to keep the reindeers in good shape such as feeding with fir cones, i.e. using special items on the website that are linked to Lufthansa newsletter and Lufthansa WorldShop. 

First prize is an intercontinental flight for 2 people. Apart from that the game offers various prize levels, so that as many as possible participants win an attractive prize.


This annual promotion is hugely successful, increases newsletter subscriptions as well as amplifies and activates Lufthansa‘s social networks.   Accompanying media includes Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.   Impressive work all around.  What do you think?  

McDonald's (Mobile Check-in) Advent Calendar (by TBWA Berlin)

Designed to drive foot traffic and reward customers for visiting 700 McCafés each day running up to Christmas, McDonald's latest campaign (by TBWA's Digital Arts team in Berlin) developed a proprietary web service called 'Unloqable'.  


The platform offers access to digital content (when users can prove their whereabouts) via a location-based service like Facebook Places or Foursquare. When users check-in at a McCafé using the platform they are immediately given the option to download their gift.

The idea of providing added value to each consumer's visit is consistent with the chain's existing (German) positioning of 'Alles Gute beginnt mit einem guten Kaffee' ('Everything good starts with a good cup of coffee'). ;)   For more please visit www.mccafecoffee.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [DEC-10-GB_V19.0]

Gap is including an "Add to Foursquare" button to their banner ads that sends a discount coupon to the user's Foursquare account and places Gap on their holiday to-do list.  - Sharp Dressed Brand

AT&T is using its AT&T Latino Facebook page to engage with its Latino consumers from a cultural standpoint.  - ClickZ

Southwest celebrated its one-million Facebook fan with a fan-exclusive Rapid Rewards promotion.  - MediaPost

NVIDIA is keeping track of all its social networking on their newly-vamped company blog.  - NVIDIA Blog

Discovery Communications share how they use social media to engage their enthusiastic audience.  - SmartBlog

Facebook and Twitter are influencing fashion - in Adidas ‘designer Gerry Mckay's new social network sneaker designs.  - BuzzFeed

iMedia Connection's best social media campaigns of the year include Procter & Gamble's Old Spice Guy, Microsoft's Bing ads in Farmville, Ford's 2011 Explorer revealing on Facebook, PepsiCo's user-generated "Refresh" campaign, and Levi's Friend Store.  - iMedia Connection

The Army's MilTech Solutions discuss the launch of the United States Military's own version of YouTube, called MilTube.  - Fox News

Helzberg Diamonds is encouraging fans to visit their new "I Am Loved" website and share their own messages of love – amplified via the usual suspects (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr).  - PR Newswire

Unilever's Vaseline brand is launching a video series featuring the "Dry Skin Patrol" as a part of their new social media campaign. Fans can track the series on Vaseline's Facebook page, as well as post skin care questions and send virtual gifts to their friends.  - Cosmetics Design

♔ THE REAL VALUE OF BLOGGER OUTREACH

The digital age has brought about consumers that are no longer passive receivers of brand messaging (if they have ever been), but engage in active relationships with the brands they love or hate. In these relationships, the brand promise is under constant evaluation: is a brand delivering on its promise or breaking it?

As a marketer, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the 1% rule — that just 1% of your brand’s follower’s are responsible for the majority (over 80%) of sharing. They share your campaigns with their larger social network, passing on links to your contests, promotions, deals, and other marketing campaigns. These key influencers are more than just fans — they’re brand ambassadors.   It's the same reason hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts are given to actors at the Oscars each year (and the same reason Kim Kardashian will tweet your brand for $10,000).

Simply because these key influencers can drive between 30 up to 70% of ALL visits to their campaign pages, beating out display and search advertising as the most efficient driver of traffic to their sites.  That’s pretty incredible, considering activities require no media buys and costs are (comparatively) next to nothing to implement, whereas banners and search ads are a huge expense.  These “super influencers” drive an even higher share of conversion — on average influencing 30% or more of all conversions on marketers’ sites just by recommending a brand’s products, content, or promotions to their online communities.   If you can reach out to this 1% target by directly offering them special promotions, thanking and rewarding them for their influence, they will be motivated to share early and share often.  

Identifying your key online influencers is fairly straightforward. There are a wealth of social media measurement tools that enable marketers to find the people who are talking most about their brand, see what type of content they’re sharing and with whom, and how they are sharing it (e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, their own blogs, etc.). Once you find these influencers, the trick is activating them to share even more. The bottom line though is that the opinions of bloggers are heard and respected by thousands, even though many brands still ignore their potential reach.  

For most brands, this is because Blogger outreach is still relatively unknown – though the science of targeting the influencer (articulated by Razorfish as Social Influence Marketing (SIM)) is proven to build trust.  It’s a framework that extends real (BTL) grassroots activity that builds a groundswell of support and momentum.  By targeting and building relationships with bloggers that address your audience, you can garner effective, unbiased reviews of your products and services.  Their readers will then be introduced to your brand, get interested in it, visit your site, and hopefully buy based upon peer advocacy. 

Simply identifying your key influencers is not enough in today’s market. Instead, you’ve got to find them and then motivate them to share. Over the long term, your goal as a marketer is to increase the size of your influencer base by finding and engaging in a direct dialogue with your super influencers and turn more “followers” into “sharers.”

Some of the other benefits of blogger outreach also include:

• Peer Advocacy - People trust consumers (i.e. bloggers) more than they trust advertising (Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey 2009).
• ROI - It’s cost effective and ROI is measurable
• Amplification - It has the potential to go viral. People tweet and share good blog posts, and may do that with a blog review of your brand.

Agency's know that the the old methods of advertising and marketing simply aren’t cutting it anymore. The landscape changed. With sharing, community and conversation being today’s keywords, shoving a television commercial down consumers’ throats isn’t the way to create brand evangelists anymore. 

Integration - Like all media, blogger outreach should be interwoven into your wider marketing strategy.  For example, any time you see a new post referencing your brand on someone’s blog, tweet it, put it on your Facebook Page, share it on bookmarking sites, and link to it on your brand blog.  That will further amplify indexing, relevance and solidify the relationship for further partnerships.  Bottom line? If your brands looking for an edge (and have an appetite for innovation as a differentiator) - with 126 million blogs and growing, BLOGGER OUTREACH is something you simply can’t afford to ignore any longer.  

Need some help?  This is our specialty.  We can work with your team (or for your team).  Whatever’s easiest for your organization.  Contact us today.