With the proliferation of social media, more and more organizations are realizing its value as a marketing and public relations tool. As such, we now have a multitude of examples that provide lessons on what to do and not to do when it comes to social media campaign planning and execution. We’ve recently seen two great examples of both.
Old Spice launched a campaign in Februrary around the Old Spice Guy with a television ad themed, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” This initial ad campaign recently climaxed this month with a flurry of 180 YouTube videos personalized for fans and celebrities alike. The original ad attracted 19 million views, with this latest “Old Spice Responses” campaign resulting in 5.9 million views and 22,500 comments, all since the middle of July.
What’s great about the campaign is how Old Spice and marketing agency Wieden + Kennedy used viewers to go viral, noting that brands don’t make viral videos, users do. To achieve viral success, they not only sent customized video responses to random individuals, but also to celebrities like Alyssa Milano and Ellen DeGeneres. The campaign also took a positive approach, offering valuable, but funny advice, as opposed to a shocking or over-the-top attitude to help the content go viral. This approach made people want to be a part of the experience.
On the other hand, in an effort to be seen as edgy and youthful, Dr. Pepper launched a Facebook campaign in the U.K. with ad agency Lean Mean Fighting Machine (LMFM) that used Chat Roulette as part of April Fool’s jokes by “punking” users, showing them a cheerleader to get their attention then switching her out for someone less desirable. Later, LMFM led a campaign that gave consumers a chance to win £1,000 if they allowed the brand to take control of their status updates on Facebook. This campaign eventually offended a 14-year-old girl (and her parents) with an inappropriate message.
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A recent article in the Wall Street Journal said that people who watch busy multimedia presentations remember less than those who take in information in a more sedate and focused manner. Adding to my growing anxiety, it said that people who juggle many tasks are less creative and less productive than those who do one thing at a time.
It’s always fun to talk about change intellectually, but when it comes right down to it, we are all creatures of habit, and significant change makes us all more anxious until it becomes part of who we are
So, it helped to understand that while the Internet is revolutionizing the way the world works, the anxiety about change is not new. I learned that every increase in freedom to create or consume media, from paperback books to YouTube, alarms people who are accustomed to the restrictions of the old system, convincing them that the new media will make young people stupid. This fear, the article said, dates back to at least the invention of movable type.
“As Gutenberg’s press spread through Europe, the Bible was translated into local languages, enabling direct encounters with the text; this was accompanied by a flood of contemporary literature, most of it mediocre. Vulgar versions of the Bible and distracting secular writings fueled religious unrest and civic confusion, leading to claims that the printing press, if not controlled, would lead to chaos and the dismemberment of European intellectual life.”
Sound familiar?
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OKLAHOMA CITY – Saxum Public Relations, an integrated public relations, strategic marketing and creative firm, today announced the results of the “Saxum Snapshot of Media,” a poll conducted to measure traditional and social media usage among likely voters in the state.
The survey showed that the social networking site Facebook is accessed by 59.2 percent of likely voters surveyed between the ages of 18-44; 37.1 percent ages 45-54 and 22.4 percent ages 55-64. The survey also showed that 41.4 percent of participants ages 18-44 watched a YouTube video in the last 30 days, with 32.1 percent ages 45-54 and 20 percent ages 55-64 engaging on the popular video hosting site. Twitter was used by 15.3 percent of the 18-44 age group surveyed; 5.1 percent of ages 45-54 and 2 percent of those ages 55-64.
“Social media sites are increasing in popularity both for personal networking and as an inexpensive and effective means for businesses to communicate with targeted audiences,” said Lisa Janssen, media relations account executive at Saxum. “While social media usage in Oklahoma is lower than the national average, we do believe there is tremendous potential for growth.”
The Saxum Snapshot also showed that 62.2 percent of those surveyed trust the accuracy of reporting by local media.
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While thumbing through the March 22nd issue of Time Magazine, I was startled to see an article by Charles Kenny, telling us to forget Twitter, Facebook, Google and the Kindle.
What?
I thought the world had taken a noticeable shift and television’s future was no longer by any means rosy. Then, to my surprise, I was told that television is still the most influential medium around. In fact, notes Kenny, for many of the poorest regions of the world, it remains the next big thing.
He then adds that, for those of us who are not captivated by all of the reality programming garnering ratings today, the television revolution is changing lives for the better. Though many of us know that, across the developing world, around 45 percent of households had a TV in 1995; by 2005 the number had climbed above 60 percent. We also know that this is way behind the U.S., where there are more TVs than people.
The startling part is that television dwarfs worldwide Internet access. Five million more households in sub-Saharan Africa will get a TV over the next five years. After the fall of the Taliban, which had outlawed TV, one in five Afghans had one. The global total is another 150 million by 2013—pushing the numbers to well beyond two-thirds of households.
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Thinking back to my days as a student at Gaylord College, I remember an encounter with an executive of a Fortune 500 company.
He asked me what I like most about public relations. I quickly answered, “Working with nonprofits.” He looked at me, puzzled, and said, “Why? There’s no money in nonprofits!” My interest in helping nonprofits with public relations has nothing to do with monetary reward, but with the reward of helping a cause larger than myself.
Many nonprofits do operate on a limited marketing budget, so working in the industry often requires inexpensive, creative solutions to meet objectives. Here are some recommendations on inexpensive ways to market your nonprofit without blowing your budget.
- Establish a social media presence. Social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and You Tube are free to join and can increase your nonprofit’s visibility in the community. These sites can also improve your search engine optimization.
- Develop corporate and community partnerships that make sense. The Made in Oklahoma Coalition (client), a group of Oklahoma food manufacturers who work to promote local Oklahoma products, has established a successful partnership with local food banks. A portion of proceeds from the sale of MIO paper towels and cookbooks benefit the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma Food 4 Kids program.
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The earthquake in Haiti may go down as the first international disaster to truly display the power of social media.
In the wake of a massive disaster, people usually want to know two things: 1) What happened? and 2) How can I help? Social media provides a platform to answer both of these questions quickly and easily.
No longer do we have to wait for updates from traditional news outlets, rather, through social media sites, citizens are journalists. Those directly impacted by the earthquake in Haiti were able to search for information and help through social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Flickr and YouTube. Thousands of photos taken directly from the devastation in Haiti were broadcast on social media sites 24 hours a day for several days. According to a Jan. 20 study by Pew Research, 13 percent of Americans – including 24 percent of those younger than 30 – say they have received or shared information about the Haiti earthquake through Twitter, Facebook or another social networking site.
As the lines between traditional and new media are beginning to merge, we see mainstream news organizations utilizing social networking for news and information. Nick Wrenn of CNN International Digital Services said, “We immediately moved someone supervising social media and our iReports to the Haiti desk.”
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