Building a Community with Social Media and Web 2.0 A Cisco Product Launch Case Study

LaSandra Brill, Mgr, Web & Social Medialbrill@cisco.comMelissa Mines, Mgr, Strategic Marketingminesm@cisco.com

Create a relationship

(not an event)

Build Communities (not websites)

Two Way Communication(not one way)

Organic (not synthetic)

Integration (not

interruption)

Being Everywhere

(not just in your domain)

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

Cisco Aggregation Service Router (ASR 1000)First in New Series of Edge Routers in Nearly a Decade

Business:– Fills a gap between 7200 & 7600 routers– Applies to both SP Enterprise markets

Innovation: – World’s most advanced networking Silicon—QuantumFlow– New IOS-XE to support SP and Enterprise applications

Launch Goal: – Creates “cool factor” – show the “fun” side of Cisco– Deliver an online-only launch that builds over time– Increase ‘share of voice’ online

Launch Strategy: Involve the Human NetworkUse Web 2.0 and video to create buzz and build a community that is passionate about Cisco products

ASR Launch a Success?

ASR Launch a Success?

CRS-1 LaunchVirtual, Viral and Visual

Leveraging Web 2.0 technologies

Approach: traditional, physical event

No travel ─saved carbon emissions equal to 188 tons of coal or 42,000 gallons of gas

Travel: required extensive audience travel to San Jose, CA

Global: 9,000+ attendance in 128 countriesSize: 100+ attendance in 100

countriesCost less than ONE-SEVENTH of CRS-1 launch expense

Cost: $20,000+ in airport car service alone

245 articles, 1000+ blog posts, 40M+ impressions

Coverage: 87 articles, 135 press attended events

ASR 1000 Launch

Lessons LearnedFish where the fish are

It is OK to show your human side

Avoid hidden costs

Don’t rely too heavily on agencies or outside “experts”

Test, test and test again

Emphasize user-generated content

Not everything will work

Take risks

ASR 9000 LaunchContinuing the Virtual, Viral, Visual Approach

Launch Converse

What was different?

Embraced more Viral style for pre-buzz Retooled “vehicle” list

– Second Life – cut– Stylized “reveal” site

More orchestrated continuing the conversation/momentum– “Aftershock” program

A New Mantra…

VIRAL

VIRTUAL

VISUAL

Global reachOnline reveal

Online (addictive) gamewww.cisco.com/go/edgequest

Pre-launch buzz videos

Blogs

Source: Cisco Social Media Team

Source: Cisco Social Media Team

We ASR 9000

“Clever marketing from the folks at Cisco (CSCO)….

If even only a few them smile and think of Cisco more as a funny cool friend than a stodgy IT firm, it was worth it.”

“This is some serious metal… meant for large service providers sending out vast streams of data….

Because nothing says ‘forever’ like up to 6.4 terabits per second,” says the Cisco voiceover in the ad.

130,000+ viewings in three weeks

Strong Field Reviews

“This is fantastic”

“I shared it with my customer’s CMO…”

“Keep them coming. This is sure to attract the right kind of attention for us.“

and …Forrester is creating a case study on Cisco’s

Virtual, Viral, Visual Marketing…

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope it’s an ASR 9000!!!

© 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Create

Publish

Reuse

Share

Measure

ModularExtensible

Easy to excerpt

QuotesSummaries

Change media

Multi-mediaMulti-location

Multi-stakeholder

RepositoryManual post

Auto-Syndication

ReachImpression

Engagement

Exponential Marketing: the propagation cycle

Identify. Share. Prep the Net

http://www.ascentium-lounge.com/demo/rave/ Encourage creativity and sharing Promotes visual and video promotion and participation Create online, global “rave” Ties directly into popular activities of techies Theatre engagement starting and required

Beautifully Engineered Series

NEW video series designed to clearly articulate ASR9kdifferentiators

First three available NOW (www.cisco.com/go/asr9kexplained)

1.Beautifully Engineered – Power of the ASR9k platform

2.Right on Queue – Traffic Management Intelligence and Excellence

3.Non-Step Content – IOS

http://techedgeweekly.com/?page_id=162

Creative Posters creatively available for printing and forwarding

Unique way for PR, AR, sales to communicate

Invitations

catchy thank-yous

Continuation of fun, personality-side of ASR 9k

Posters/e-CardsConversation Starters

The Journey Continues

Where to go to learn more…

Product Beautiful ( www.productbeautiful.com/ ) WebInkNow (www.webinknow.com) Dilbert Blog (www.dilbertblog.typepad.com/ ) David Henderson (http://www.davidhenderson.com/) Jeremiah Owyang (http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/) LaSandra Brill (www.lasandrabrill.blogspot.com/ )