Socially Adept

Social Media Still Under Utilized and Recognized

Social Media is still bubbling under the surface like lava... it's hot and can burn your brand to the point of no return.  Everyday, things bubble to the surface... some cool off but others remain.  As 2007 ends, many bloggers will reflect on social media and consumer generated content over the course of the year.  There have been vast improvements and significant strides, but we're not even close to where Social Media will be at the peak.

Recently, while visiting California, I had an opportunity to catch some new shows on TV that I normally don't watch.  There were countless references to YouTube and blogs and I couldn't help but swell up with excitement.  Even today, after being in the space for quite some time, I enjoy hearing mention of social media on traditional network shows or splattered all over the newspaper.  Below are two instances that really stuck out to me over the weekend.

• While watching the "Speed" channel one evening (a sentence I never expected to write) there was a special on the Barret-Jackson Car Collector Events.  During the hour long program, car customizers and auctioneers were discussing the life behind Barret-Jackson.  The main focus of this show centered around one car customizer who had placed his classic up for auction.  However, when the Barret Jackson auctioneer dropped the gavel too quickly and sold the car at a bargain $300,000, the owner of said car was quite peeved.  So peeved, in fact, that he took it to the blogosphere.  Just goes to show all of us that the community lives ever where and the power of one blogger can ruffle up enough dust to the point where a response is required.
• While watching MSNBC, Jim Cramer was shouting about his new book and Mad Money.  I am familiar with Jim and appreciate his knowledge and advice, but I don't spend to much time watching him as he is almost as mad as Charlie Moore... in a crazy way.  However, during the interview, he referenced a YouTube clip that he is featured in that received over 1,400,000 views.  No question, a significant amount, but interesting that he mentioned the view count.

Anyway, there is still so much more to come and the majority of people born before 1980 aren't even close to participating yet as the barriers to entry are still a little high for many.  Educating the consumer and removing the fear that has existed for so long with so many will be key in the coming years.  Quality content that answers the "What's in it for me" question will continue bringing the consumer in and opening up the world for conversation.  After all, there has to be a reason to join and keep coming back and that can be different for every person.  2008 will surely see more great social media tools, but even 12 months from now, we still won't even be close to where we are going... it's going to be good! 

Who owns Social Media? Marketing or Communications?

Recently, we've seen some lackluster attempts to harness the power of social media from some pretty big brands.  Initial thought has been that companies are hesitant to invest in and commit to this type of initiative... even though it's been proven to work time and time again.  Building relationships with your customers is a no brainer at this point.  Consumers have learned to cut through the clutter and find the truth.  If you're putting genetically enhanced rice in your product, you'll lose customers.  However, if you address the issue with your core consumers and brand advocates, they may curb the potential for a mass exodus.

So, why the mediocre attempts to connect with consumers?

It seems that more and more brands are willing to make the investment and commitment, but can't seem to figure out the best way to connect.  After several conversations with people more intelligent than I am, the common consensus is that there are still internal battle's raging over who will own these activities, Marketing or Communications.

As social media touches both departments, understanding who will take on these activities is a greater challenge than anyone expected.  Marketing recognizes the power of reaching customers, but communicators (PR) see the space as a new way to deliver the corporate message.  So, who's right?  Who should control this space?  The answer:

Both!  Smart companies are creating special teams to navigate it's entrance into the space made up of Marketing, Public Relations, Technology, etc.  The creation of these "groups" are a big indicator to where Social Media is headed.  It won't be long before big brands spin off existing staff into a newly defined departments to handle these activities exclusively.  Maybe the gap between Marketing and Communications has decreased so much that it is irrelevant to look at them as separate anymore.

Either way, it is imperative that someone take the lead internally when considering a foray into social media.  As a successful campaign or community requires much more than content, I would advocate for letting Marketing lead the initiative, but to be successful, buyoff from PR is necessary.  Over the next 12 months, we'll begin to see more and more changes externally and internally in terms of social media.  It's time for brands to truly make the commitment... not just throw up a community and hope that someone comes.  What a sad party that would be.

Obsessed with "This Next/This World Activity Map"

I stumbled across This Next Blog a long time ago and loved the content.  Unfortunately, I never captured the feed and it was one of the many blogs and websites that fell through the cracks and off my incredibly large radar screen.  Until this week...

Not sure where I saw it, but I heard the rumblings about This Next/This World, a mashup of google maps showing people all over the world finding great purchases online.  It was launched last week and the reviews have been incredible - "MarketingVox, who dubbed us a ‘Marketer’s Wet Dream and Yahoo! Tech who said we are ” … easy to use and a pleasure to get lost in.” Awww, thanks. Wired also thinks we are pretty nifty saying ” (from This Next Blog)

For the past three days, I have been watching the map and it is absolutely amazing what people are viewing.  I would guarantee within 5 minutes you see something and say, "I want that... but I never knew it existed!"  If you're in need of a Hello Kitty Pet Carrier, Transparent Toaster (only concept, sorry), or a Zebra rug you can find it here!

I need to do some more research on this, but this was just too good not to share!

 

Myspace or Facebook? Which side of the tracks are you on?

I came across an interesting article on MSN today that was reposted from Forbes.com about the migration of teenage social networking.  According to the author, affluent kids are making the transition from Myspace to Facebook creating essentially a social networking class structure.

For Advertisers and Marketers, this is clearly an interesting development.  Particularly because many bloggers are also making the transition to Facebook based on the open API.  With almost a 150% spike in newly created profiles for the 13-17 year old demographic, compared to the nearly 30% increase for Myspace, we may finally start to see a shift in power.

As a result of this trend, Newscorp is apparently shopping around the idea of trading Myspace for a 25% stake in Yahoo.  I'm not holding my breath. 

However... I may need to start befriending a few of my nieces, cousins, friends kids, etc. to get a better understanding of what's "cool," and follow the migration to the next big thing that will eventually lead us to the glory land.

What a Week for Social Media!!!

Greg Verdino joins Crayon!!! Jaffe welcomes child number 3...and Twitters about it an hour later!!! Larry Weber's Book Released!!! 

I finally take a needed week long vacation to Hawaii and the Social Media Mavens make all sorts of moves in my absence.  Was it worth it?  Ummm.... YES... but so much has happened in just a weeks time.  The three stories above are just highlights of another active week in the social media world.

Well, I am back now and hope to keep the few readers I have up to date and educated on the things I find in my daily routine. 

First up, Mack Colliers review of the Monster Blog at The Viral Garden.  As a former employee of Monster Worldwide, I've seen a lot of progress in their social media involvement over time.  Unfortunately, the company just continues to struggle with leadership changes and growing competition.  Most of the content they offer is generic stuff you can find on any of their competitors sites and even if they do monitor commments, it doesn't appear to be taking up too much of their time as the blog doesn't seem to have any.

There are so many open possibilities for Monster considering the relationships they have with their huge Fortune 500 customers.  Having been on the inside, I know that the relationship folks have developed solid partnerships that could be tapped for content.  Monster could leverage the blog to generate interest in the million dollar customers and provide insight from those "in the know."  Who would you rather hear about getting a job from... Monster or the company itself?  Maybe I am way off base, but I know there are some customers who have great insight regarding the hiring process at individual companies and I would love to see how they differ. 

Another nice tip might be to have customer recruiters tell some horror stories... I heard some great one's while I was working with some of the Fortune 500 over there and I know they would be entertaining.

I am glad Monster is getting involved, but if they are going to beat HotJobs and Yahoo! they need to up the ante.  Give us a call (you know where we are)... we've got a lot of great ideas for Monster...and none of them are "When I grow Up!" (Best commercial!)

MTV Relying on CGM to Save Network

Last night's MTV Movie Awards was just another glimpse of how MTV has completely turned to Consumer Generated Media to help boost ratings.  After last years Music Awards where one "lucky" winner got to sing with Justin Timberlake, last nights Movie Awards showcased User Submitted Movie Spoofs, Vote on Lauren's outfit (from Laguna Beach Fame), and a few other features that received prominent exposure during the show.

Over the last few weeks (sorry for not posting during that time) we have been working diligently on producing some forthcoming videos for a new social media product (stay tuned) and also created one of the aforementioned video spoofs for the MTV Contest.  Unfortunately, we did not win a finalist spot and didn't attend the show.

The interesting thing about this contest was that some of these films looked like they spent a pretty penny on execution, and I am not the only one who thought so.  People were buzzing about how professional these spoofs looked and that they didn't really encapsulate Consumer Generated Media.  Sure, we are a Social Media Marketing and Advertising agency and we submitted our own spoof, but we shot ours for less than $200 in an effort to not discourage actual consumers from participating.  Who wants to go up against a Juggernaut that spent $20k on a movie spoof?

Anyway, MTV made it a point during the show last night to mention how much was spent on each spoof.  One of the finalists, a spoof on 300, featured a cast of 30-50 and was shot inside an airplane.  According to MTV, the person who submitted the film spent $600.  Is it possible?  absolutely.  Probable?  Not likely.  However, if you are passionate and know the right people, anything can be done for $600.

The question is, does the involvement of professionals in CGM contests defeat the purpose?  I don't necessarily think it does, but should advertisers and marketers tone down their talent to blend in, or use the full scale of their arsenal to attract eyeballs? 

To date, there has been some terrific viral videos for Sneaux Shoes and Ray Ban that have shown extreme talent, but not appeared over produced.  Maybe the appropriate question is, should professionals looking to submit video focus more on execution and script then visual effects?  Based on the success of YouTube, it would be hard to say otherwise.  After all, if a 16 year old girl talking to a camera can attract 10 million viewers, maybe content is King again...or there are more dirty old men out there than anyone ever imagined.

Power in Pink - Under Armour Showcases Breast Cancer Survivors

Under Armour has been running the Power in Pink campaign for a few years now to help tell personal stories from those who survived Breast Cancer.  I always enjoy when a brand gives back to the community and helps generate awareness around issues that affect so many lives.  However, I really wish that Under Armour had taken this campaign a bit further.

The Power in Pink campaign encourages breast cancer to share their stories and 3 women will be selected for a photo shoot and feature in the future.  However, the only stories site visitors see are those of last years 3 winners.  Considering that so many people are affected by Breast Cancer and that Under Armour has invested in this initiative for a few years now, I would have hoped they would share all of the stories with us.

Under Armour is a brand that has exploded on the scene during recent years and has convinced many athletes to embrace their sports gear technology.  I admit, I have abandoned Nike, Adidas and all other brands when it comes to my softball gear (I just need them to start making gloves and bats).  In fact, my cleats (I purchased myself) came in the mail yesterday (I ordered 2-4 day delivery but they got here is 6 because DHL sucks as much as FedEx and UPS).

The Power in Pink campaign is a great platform for Under Armour to utilize Social Media, but so far they have not considered it.  This is a great place for a Social Network or a blog.  Let users vote on who should be this years "Power in Pink Faces."  Make the Power in Pink logo a badge so that others can show support. 

Hopefully, Under Armour will look into Social Media for the 2008 campaign, but in the meantime, I will be documenting the durability of their cleats on this blog throughout the summer.  After ever game I play (about 30) I will take a photo of the new cleats and let you know how they are holding up.

Coke, Crayon and Second Life

I love Coca-Cola (I have to write out Coca Cola because "I love Coke" just sounds bad).  I think I have single handedly put a few of the children of Coke executives through college.  It was great news today to see that they are using their Marketing money for something innovative and Social Media based...

"a competition in Second Life, the name of the project is VirtualThirst and involves the general public and residents of Second Life designing Coke vending machines that deliver “experiences”. (see the entire post from Experience Curve Here."

Coke has been working with Joseph Jaffe's new marketing company, Crayon to execute this project and as anyone who reads JaffeJuice knows, Joseph and the gang at Crayon are huge Second Life advocates.  (note to Second Life: Give Crayon some kickbacks).

All in all - I like this idea and hope that Coke is successful with it.  As I have said before, Coke is a brand that would value from Social Media immensely.  They have become a staple in society and have established a brand that people are passionate about.  (How many Coke drinkers would drink Pepsi?)

This news has encouraged me to jump into Second Life and check out the initiative (Find me in Second Life - Lukas Greene) but I am not sure it will result in the ROI that Coke may be anticipating.  Sure, it's a great way to connect with the existing Second Life crowd, but how far can it go beyond that?  I guess we'll wait and see.  See you in Second Life if you'd like to discuss.

The Currency of Blog Links - What Would You Pay? (Part 2)

Picking up where we left off yesterday, what is a link on an A-Listers blog worth to you?  I've spent a lot of time thinking about this and trying to come up with a method for understanding the value of being linked to by well established bloggers. 

In my previous post, I mentioned that Jaffe and Rubel average about 15,500 visitors a month between them (according to Compete... would love to know the real numbers if anyone has them).  For kicks, let's add some other MVB Contestants:

Mark Cuban: 18,000 visitors per month (remember...this is probably higher)

GapingVoid:34,000 visitors per month

So, the total visitors for just four of the 32 participating blogs is 67,500.  Not bad.  Now, if they are anywhere near as popular as Socially Adept (strong sarcasm there) then they probably see about a 50% rate of visitors clicking posted links.  Essentially, the winner of this contest would have 67,500 people see their name and 33,750 people actually click through to their site.  Remember, this is only 4 of the 32 contestants.

If we were to assume that all 32 contestants had relatively similar success, than the number may actually be around 270,000 people actually viewing your blog.  Here's the great part about this though... those 270,000 people actually are interested in your topic!  They aren't just being pushed an ad on a page where there is competing content.

What's the cost then?  In order to get a 270,000 click through rate on a banner ad (or similar) which normally receives about a 4% click through rate, you'd need to purchase 6,750,000 impressions.  Anyone want to take a guess at the cost?

Anyway, I won't get into too much detail and I am sure many people will point out the flaws in my concept, but it is interesting to think about.  Does anyone else have any ideas?  I'd love to hear additional thoughts about this process.  I'll follow up with more details on this in a Part 3.

Xerox 'Affordable Color' Site

Xerox launched the Frugal Color site to help generate awareness on their cost effective color printers.  The site is very well done and quite entertaining (That actress always cracks me up).  Of course, this site isn't really Social Media...it's Interactive Media, but there is nothing "social" about Frugal Color.  This is another example of the clear disconnect of the "Social Media" nomenclature currently being used within the Marketing and Advertising world.

If anyone knows what agency built this site for Xerox, please let me know.  If they are going out to brands and pitching this stuff as "Social Media" then companies all around the country are being duped.  What's new and innovative about this site?  Not much in my opinion.  It was cute, but I have no reason to go back and interact with the content... I've done it.

Then, there is this site... Extreme Offices.  Talk about missing the boat!!!  This is a great premise for Social Media and which ever agency is working with Xerox needs a lesson in what Social Media is.  How they managed to get the Marketing execs to sign off on two sites with absolutely no "Social Media" interaction is beyond me. 

The key word in "Social Media" is SOCIAL!!!!  Next time your Ad Agency or Interactive Agency pitches you a social media idea... make sure you ask these important question...

What makes this idea social? Why would anyone want to come back?  How can users participate and add content?  Why would they want to? 

So close Xerox... so close.  With a few minor changes, this site would bring in much more people... including your target audience.