Your Brand Is Not My Friend

Your Brand Is Not My FriendPresented by Alan Wolk

Kick Apps San Francisco SeminarMay 27, 2010

Brands are no longer about sellingTheyre about storytelling

and engagement

and curation

They want to be our friend

Your Brand Is Not My FriendBut

A Brief History: How We Got HereAds used to deliver news

Then they became all about branding and image

The Real Digital RevolutionThen along cameGoogle changed everything

Now we can fact check ad claims

And see what other consumers think

This has resulted in a complete change in consumer behaviorPurchaseAdGoogleAdPurchaseBeforeNowGoogleAdPurchaseThats hugeChanges how we buy a car

Before: limited resources

Now: Full range of resources

Its all about getting them to Google, not the showroomOnce this happened, print and TV couldnt close the sale anymoreThe magic advertising words werent working

They could offer compelling facts or create an image

(Provided there was one)

But they couldnt close the sale.So marketers looked at online...Microsites werent working: why would I go to one?

Neither were banners

In 1996, we surfed the web, and banners took you someplace just as interesting as where you were

But now that we go online for a reason, were not likely to stop what were doing to interact with an ad

New ways to engage customers were needed

Social Media seemed like the next big thing

Everyone was becoming friends onlineWhy not brands?

Your Brand Is Not My FriendSocial networks are todays malt shops

Its where we go to hang out with our friends

We dont want to be interrupted by salespeople

But there are some brands people want to hear fromTheyre called Prom King Brands

There are the usual suspects

Sports teams

TV shows, movies and music acts99% of brands are not Prom KingsBut they can still play in social mediaThey just have to do it differently

Traditional media is about what the brand wants to say

Traditional media is about what the brand wants to say

Social media is about what consumers want to hearSocial media always involves an exchangeProm King Brands provide coolness (aka social currency or whuffie)

But if youre not a prom king brand, you can provide one of four things: Entertainment (Something Id want to see even if a brand wasnt sponsoring it) Information (Exclusive information I feel good about knowing) Utility (Something that makes my life easier) Incentive (Literally a coupon, a discount or something else of monetary value)Heres How Those Exchanges Work:EntertainmentEntertainment can be:Anything featuring celebrities or entertainment properties you have a deal withThird party content that has a tie-in to your overall marketing strategy(That means if youre a serious insurance company, a comedy video is a no-go)Your own TV commercials (if theyre something people would enjoy watching) Beware: its tough for agencies and brand managers to judge thisWhat Would Maxwell House Do? (WWMHD)

Maxwell House has an endorsement deal with comedian Nancy Nevins who has a well-known routine about how crabby she is before her first cup of coffee. A 3-minute live clip is posted to the Maxwell House Facebook page. The clip also appears on their YouTube page, their blog, their website, and is promoted via their Twitter streamEntertainment: WWMHD

Watch Nancy Nevins do her Coffeeless Morning routing live at The Comedy Shack in Atlanta InformationInformation can be:Facts or useful information (e.g. reviews) that your audience would be interested inYou can utilize third-party vendors for thisThe information needs to tie in to your overall marketing strategyAccess to behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive clips, or advance notice from celebrity endorsers or properties you have a sponsorship deal withNews related to your product or categoryMaxwell House hires celebrity chef Umberto Toscano to create a series of recipes using Maxwell House coffee. The deal gives them access to behind-the-scenes footage from Toscanos widely viewed show and that footage is posted exclusively on the Maxwell House Facebook page.

Information: WWMHDWatch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Viva La Cucina! with Umberto Tuscano

UtilityUtility can be:Anything that makes the consumers life easier: recipes, how-to videos, a way to buy things off a social siteAnything from a PDF to a website to a widget to an app

Maxwell House hires celebrity chef Umberto Toscano to create a series of recipes using Maxwell House coffee. The recipes are posted on the Maxwell House website, on their blog, on a special YouTube channel and on Facebook and MySpace. Theres even an iPhone app. The Maxwell House twitter account lets people know when a new video has come out and users can comment on the videos everywhere using Facebook connect.Utility: WWMHD

IncentiveAn incentive can be:Coupons or discount codesGroup discountsContests and promotions with financial incentivesBe careful not to make it seem like youre bribing people to join youThat seems as desperate coming from a brand as it does from a personMaxwell House has a Twitter account and runs a contest through Twitter, giving a months supply of coffee to the 25th person to tweet the date and place Maxwell House was first introduced.Incentive: WWMHD

MAXWELLHOUSE: New Contest: 25th person to tweet date & place MH was born wins months worth of coffee #mhcontestBOND006: RT MaxwellHouse: New Contest: 25th person to tweet date & place MH was born wins months worth of coffee #mhcontest

IMPOSSIBILITY: @MaxwellHouse: Hoboken NJ in 1896?A Few Basic Rules of the Road:Step 1: Identify what your customers needs areStep 2: Figure out how to solve those needsStep 3: Approach people as a brand that is selling something to them, not a buddy who is sharing something with them: they know the difference.Step 4: Use social media for a valid business reason, not just because everyone else is.Comcast Cares is a great customer service story

Real identityReal identity

Step 5: Dont push it(Give them the candy and get out of the way. No capturing names or other annoying tactics)

No hard sell or upsell.

Step 6: Make everything as easy to find and as easy to share as possibleCase StudiesQuick Case Study #1: The Mad Men Get ItMad Men has been one of the most buzzed about shows on television

Social media program is anchored by the AMC web site

Blog links out to other social content (iPhone)

Active message boards - some threads have hundreds of comments

Pump contentWonder where all those MadMen icons came from?

AMCs Mad Men Yourself game proved a smash hit

Over 500,000 people have downloaded the avatars to share on their social networks

Artwork by Dyna MoeMad Mens Facebook page has over 275,00 members

The Facebook page actively promotes other platforms

GamesandquizzesClips from thisseason

Mad Men has an active Twitter account that links to AMCs site and articles about the cast and crewBut the real activity on Twitter comes from fansLast year, a group of random fans began tweeting as Mad Men characters

This is the kind of love entertainment properties can own. But they need to work with fans, not against them.

Quick Case Study #2: Red Bull: All About SportsRed Bull has a dynamic Facebook presence

Almost 3 million fansLots of contentLots of fan interactionLots of relevant, unique contentHighlights of eventsPolls

Free musicLinks to athletes

WebTV on FacebookTwitterFeed of athletesPhotos from athletes and from fansPhotos from brand

Over 2,500 fan photos

Fans can RSVP to upcoming events on FacebookLinks to upcoming events View guest list

Red Bull maintains consistency on MySpaceSimilar content re: athletes

They are consistent on TwitterRetweets from their French accountTweets from their athletesThey are consistent on YouTube

Videos about Red Bull athletesAnd on their web siteRed BullTVclips

VideosavailableheretooAnd on their web siteFacbooklink

More VideosRed Bull gives fans a lot of exclusive content and is consistent throughout.Quick Case Study #3: Sarah Palin: You Betcha!Palin has a very popular Facebook page with very engaged fans

6K+ comments in less than a day1.5 million followers

8,000+ likes and 1,000+ comment in 3 hours!Her fans have formed a strong communityHer followers leave lengthy comments

They defend her from criticsShe shares relevant links with her fan base

Fans are finding their way to the sub-pages

Her Twitter page is frequently updated, with links that are relevant to her audience

She is an almost non-stop topic of discussion on TwitterWhy is Sarah Palin a social media phenomenon?Consistent messageStrong POVAccessible personality: her fans view her as a friend, not a politicianPalin communicates exclusively via social media: she does not maintain a website or a blog of any sort.Quick Case Study #4: Think Local: Pump Energy Foods, NYCThe Pump is a small chain of health-conscious take-out restaurants based in Manhattan

The Pump pushes its social media links from its web site

Their blog has a distinct POV & also shows where to find them on other social media sites

Pump uses their Facebook page for promotions

Free samplesMore free samplesContestCharity promotionThey talk to fans on Twitter & promote giveaways

Free samplesTrivia contestThey use YouTube so fans can see news about them

Serena Williams gets lunch at PumpPumps promotions help local fans develop a relationship with the store and use social media to spread the word to their friendsQuick Case Study #5: Moderated Conversation: NexiumNexium has moderated conversation on Facebook

Nexium isnt always consistent with posting, and participation is low, but its a start

With close to 3,000 fans, the brands is making some headway with consumers.Five quick case studies, five unique plans. Try something similar, and youll start to see resultsSoon enough, theyll start to like you

They may not always talk to you, but they will talk about you

Which is exactly what you want:

To be part of the conversationBut what then?

How do I know if being part of the conversation is worth it?Determining Social Media ROIRule #1: There are no rules.You can use social media to do a world of thingsSell thingsBuild awarenessIncrease loyaltyCustomer serviceReputation managementBecome a thought leaderStep #1: What Are Your Goals?Once you know what your goal is, youll be able to figure out what success looks like.You should set short term goals and re-evaluate every three months or so.Digital media changes so rapidly, its important to stay on top of things by closely monitoring the landscape One thing to consider is were your goals realistic? Did you set the bar too high or too low?Dont be afraid of squishy metrics: sometimes having people think well of you is enough

Be leery of people who tell you they can measure sentiment: its a hard thing to measure unless you do a lot of it by hand

Social media is not free

There are costs involved: time costs money.And the more successful you are, the more time you will need to invest.Pick the platform or platform that make sense both in terms of your audience and your bandwidth

(Having a Facebook page that gets updated once every three months is a lot worse than not having one at all.)ExperimentTake ChancesHave FunSome Quick Predictions:

The Facebook privacy issue goes away quickly

everyoneOne word. Big problems.Twitter relies on extrovertsHow long till we run out of extroverts?

Location Based Services can give me a reason to share where I am and what Im doing.

The Next Big Question: How much do I want marketers to be able to anticipate my needs?Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Web 3.0Creepy or Useful?Time will tellthank you san franciscoQuestions?Alan WolkConsulting: ToadStoolConsulting.comEmail:alan.wolk@mac.com

Blog:toadstoolblog.comTwitter: @awolkHive Awards: hiveawards.com

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