WCCO Introduces The Wire

I've always loved the Minneapolis new outlet WCCO for taking the cheese out of local news. I mean some stations act like good design costs more or something.

And now they are pulling on my heart strings with this new way to keep up with the news. The Wire. WCCO is now going to feature all their stories on a timeline and users can follow each story as it progresses. So now I'll know exactly when to go save Libby from the Red River.

The timeline is broken into news, buzz, events and comments. And one of the best parts is it integrates tweets from WCCO reporters and viewers. I like that it mixes the more serious news with random Internet goodies. And readers can also do some journalism of their own and submit their own story ideas.

It's always hard to say if these aggregation tools will catch on, but I think this one has a chance. WCCO has a loyal Minneapolis following and it's the same news I would get from the regular site, but organized by story. So now I can read all the dirt about Denny Hecker at one time and then comment about it!

The Wire is still in beta, so we'll see how it progresses. But this is just another great example of how WCCO interacts with their viewers. You should probably go try it out.

Google Buzz - The Hive is Missing Context

Not only will this be the 15th post you read about Google Buzz today, but if you're connected to one of our writers, you'll potentially end up seeing it 4 times because it will appear in your Reader, Twitter stream, (maybe) Facebook news feed, and now all up in your Google Buzz. No, I don't blame you for not wanting to see this post 5 times. I don't even want to see this post 5 times.

Libby and I have initial thoughts.

Erin: i don't think i like buzz
Libby: i don't like buzz. no context.
Erin: it's TOO much. i already follow these people. it's just repeat content. it's google friendfeed. skip it.
Libby: right! no, it's friendfeed plus the awkwardness of watching people you don't know comment on friends' FB statuses. why didn't google realize that friendfeed sucks for a reason? if i want tweets i go to twitter. if i want fb i go to the book. if i want flickr, usually people cross post it on FB. otherwise i arrive there because i'm searching for something.

This is not a new conversation for us. Maybe not for you either. Social aggregation is intended to make life easier, but it lacks context. In the land of 140 characters, you can expect conversations and shared items to be short, fun and drunk. On Facebook, you'll receive updates of photo albums along side Farmville invites that won't go away. In Reader, you get fresh content from marketing blogs and LOLcats from Alicia. Bringing all of this together doesn't simplify life; it actually makes me think harder when I try to skim through headlines and keep getting tripped up trying to identify where things came from.

Maybe groups/folders/tags will help, maybe not. Currently I'm telling Buzz to buzz off. (Libby wrote that, blame her.)

And maybe in life, too.

me: all you have to do to succeed in social media is be nice and be real

Erin: fact



Debate in the comments.

Twitter = New Water Cooler?

Mashable questioned whether Social Media could have been the cause of the spike in Grammy's viewership this Sunday, which I think is a cool idea to think about (as you saw from my last post), but the Bill Nye within me (that's what she said?) cries, "TOO MANY VARIABLES!" I mean, come on... you know half of the people, if not more, were tuning in to catch what insane circus act the Haus of Gaga would spit out. BTW - Elton John... fabulous.

But the most important part of the article, to me, was the idea of Twitter becoming our water cooler. (Of course, I'm not talking solely about Twitter, but any microblogging service or even Facebook's status updates.) Now, I may be somewhat nerdy and we ALL know how nerdy my friends are *cough*ERINandLIBBY*cough*, so I am wondering what you all think. Do you think that these sharing sites are creepin in on the watercooler's mojo among the greater Internet population? Do you think it is making next-day chatter at the office "like, SO 10 hours ago"?

I sometimes find myself not wanting to re-tweet articles when I know they've been out there for a few hours. I think, "Nah... this is old news..." I even considered not writing this post because the Mashable article was "so yesterday." But then I realized, maybe not everyone is as nerdy as Libby and Erin. Whoops... forgot to cover that up with a cough. My bad.

But then again, if you're reading this, it's very likely you're in the nerd boat with us. (And I mean no offense by this! Truly. I mean it in the endearing/smart/sometimes a little awkward sort of way.)

I'm the one on the right. Cuddlin'. Erin & Libby: you can fight over the other two.

I'm a Fan

Grammy's. This Sunday. Me = excited.

I've always liked the Grammy's, but I've never been particularly moved by its advertising before. But that was before....

This is now.

Shit's gone social.

I first noticed the social element of the Grammy's campaign when I saw the Beyoncé television spot with user generated YouTube video clips pieced together, making a visual and audio collage of awesomeness.

Don't get me wrong... the singing itself wasn't Grammy-worthy (in fact, it made me feel like I was back at Blarney listening to a bunch of drunk college girls screeching together into the microphone for karaoke), but the concept was so interesting. So social. So... modern.

We are all fans, we want to feel like we're a part of what's gotten the artists to this milestone in their career. In a way, we've all contributed to their nomination (or, if they're lucky, their award.) Every time I post a song to my Twitter followers, I'm helping spread the fan-dom. And the crazies that are ballsy enough to record themselves singing and post it to YouTube are helping as well... well... some not so much, but whatevs. (Lady GaGa TV spot here... I actually prefer this one because it's a little less shrilly.)

So, I was already excited, right? And then I saw the website.

GAAAA... I'M IN LOVE!

Now, I know I'm a social media nerd. I admit it. However, this site is not only beaUUUUUtiful (props to TBWA\Chiat\Day & Visible Technologies), it's informational, engaging & it drives viewers to create their OWN collage with real-time social media updates for their favorite artists.

Oh yeah. I did it. Check it. (May take a while to load, but SO worth it.)

Overall, well done. Loves it.

Social Media Halloween Hunt!

Hello YAYBIAland!

As you all know, we are social media nerds. SO... we want you all to hunt down your favorite social media-inspired costumes this weekend, take a picture & send us the link! (Or, if a digital camera is somehow out of grasp, you can explain it to us... we won't judge you for this... too much.)

We've all seen the list of Nine Social Media Halloween Costume ideas (if you haven't, take a click,) but don't feel limited to the list! I know for a fact that one of our own YAYBIA! contributers will be donning a social media-inspired costume that KICKS MAJOR TUCCHUS!

Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday, so you can count on me hunting down some social media costumes in Uptown, Minneapolis. I'll be the hot girl in the X-Men Storm costume, getting white hairspray all over herself.

Hell Hath No Fury like a Scorned Twitter User

People... in the age of social media it is not the best idea to anger a Twitter user. They complain, loudly, to their followers. Their followers in turn, retweet to THEIR followers, and so on and so on. Perhaps it's a common ordeal like slow cable service or bad phone service. But every so often it's a BIG ordeal, like.. oh, say, a DEAD MOUSE IN A PRE-PACKAGED SALAD.



Recently, a downtown Minneapolite purchased a pre-packaged salad from the Au Bon Pain in the skyway system. After two bites, she noticed something that definitely wasn't listed on the ingrediants label- a dead mouse. Disgusted, she walked the salad back to the store and showed the manager. The manager apologized, took her contact information, and refunded her money. But was this enough? She didn't think so.

The woman promptly emailed Au Bon Pain, explaining the situation and demanding compensation for the ordeal. In addition, the email was forwarded on to colleagues and friends, complete with photographs of the mouse. Finally, the Twitpic of the salad reached Twitter and has been retweeted among the Twin Cities Twitter community with a warning against the restaurant.

This all may have been avoided with additional care for the situation by the manager. As stated in the email "This is not a 'placate her with coupons' situation." From a public relations stand point, the benefit well outweighs the cost of going the extra mile with a (hopefully) rare situation such as this. Taking extra care can avoid a social media crisis that can seriously damage this brand's reputation.

At the moment when searching Twitter search simply on "Au Bon Pain," the majority of posts are about the dead mouse incident. With Twitter now being used as a search engine to find opinions and advice on brands, a search like this can do serious damage.

I sincerely hope Au Bon Pain corporate rectifies the situation, perhaps ala Dominos.

P.S. Apologies if the photo ruins your appetite... be assured that mine has taken a vacation for the next 3 days or so.

Review of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

Any book with "winning" in the subtitle is off to a good start for me. Groundswell didn't disappoint. If I ever write a book, it will be laid out like this--straightforward, parallel structures and packed with powerful case studies and numbers.

Groundswell (by then-Forrester researchers Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff) is divided into three sections. First the idea of "groundswell" and prominent tools like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are defined. More importantly, the book introduces and defines technographics and their tool for measuring how different groups of consumers use social media. See the free profile tool which lets you specify age and country here. The next section explains how to tap into the groundswell and make it work for your company. There are five ways that they categorize involvement, each building on the one before:

1. Listening. Monitor the groundswell for research and to gauge overall sentiment about your brand and competitors. It's a free, always-on, completely honest focus group; you just need to know where to find it.
2. Talking. Use the groundswell to spread marketing messages.
3. Energizing. Turn brand enthusiasts into brand ambassadors.
4. Supporting. Best suited for complex brands. Mobilize your customers into a support group for one another.
5. Embracing. Bring your customers and their needs, wants, and ideas into your brand. Let them directly help you in improving your product, services, and marketing.

This section is filled with amazing case studies and action items for brands who want to get involved in these ways. The final section helps you implement groundswell techniques within your company. I recommend partnering that section with Tribes for full effect.

I also suggest having a highlighter and notepad handy while you devour this book. It's an easy read but it's saturated with statistics, tips, and sites to visit later. The only downside? The book was finished in late 2007 and published in 2008--in other words, pre-Twitter. To their credit, the authors cite Twitter as an emerging tool that they think will really explode into the groundswell. More importantly, they maintain a blog on the Forrester site to keep the conversation going and apply the content to modern case studies.

Bottom line: Read this book now, no matter what level of understanding you have of social media. Until you can get your hands on it, read the blog. Your co-workers will thank you when someone in the room can be truly knowledgeable about social media, and your brands will thank you when you approach them about entering or improving their presence in this brave new world.

Organized Live-Tweet Events - Saint Paul Saints!

While the NFL is cracking down on Twitter, the Saint Paul Saints are embracing Twitter and the social world with open arms. The Saints are asking players, coaches, fans and employees to join them in the Twitter-My-Face event on July 23rd.

This is the first organized live-tweet event that I've come across and I bet more will be popping up over the next few months. Check out the full details here, but the opening to the press release cracks me up! Cheers to their PR team!

"I woke up today at 6:30 a.m. (so tired), worked out (off to the gym!), took a shower while listening to the radio (don’t you love that new Jonas Brothers song?), ate breakfast (LOL @snapcracklepop), and am now writing this press release (#work)."

Anyone else see any real life + social events that are this organized?

My Digital Media Resume

A conversation with the lovely Alicia led me to today's post topic. As we talked about gaining experience in our industry, and the fact that "new" media isn't really all that new to our generation, I began to think back to my own use of "new" media. For me, "new" media is actually quite old, and although it continues to evolve, I have evolved right along with it.

I learn, share, create, comment, discuss, and interact on a daily basis, and have been doing so since I was a little girl.

Below I've listed my "Digital Media Resume," to highlight major adoptions in digital media throughout my life. I would LOVE for others to share their resumes, so get to thinking!

Susan E. Garcia
Facebook.com/susan.e.garcia * twitter.com/suze_g * linkedin.com/in/susangarcia

Age 7

• Part of the Babysitters Club (book series) online newsletter (at the time, we had Prodigy as our internet service, which had all of 5 options).

Age 10

• Began using AOL games online.

Age 11

• First Hotmail account for email.
• Created MSN Messenger profile, began to use it religiously after school to connect with friends.

Age 13

• Began using free Web site service (can not remember the name!) to make “funny” sites among my group of middle-school friends. Features included taking polls, and posting glittery animated graphics (oddly enough of leprechauns and American flags).
• Began using online chat rooms with friends

Age 14

• New MSN Messenger profile includes adding your “interests, photos, favorite quotes” thus making updating that weekly the popular thing to do at Omro Middle School.
• Began chain e-mailing of surveys (i.e. “Pass this on to your friends and fill out about yourself)

Age 15

• Created Yahoo! messenger profile for brief stint.

Age 16

• Got first cell phone, downloaded personalized ringtones and wallpaper. Began texting.

Age 17

• Created a Xanga page (much like MySpace). Took down Xanga page one month later.
• Perfected the “texting during class without getting caught” skill.

Age 18

• Received camera phone, started texting photos.
• Used the Wisconsin State Track network RSS feed to check updates on regional athlete stats. • Applied to UW-Madison through a created online profile. Found out about my acceptance to UW-Madison online BEFORE receiving the official letter.
• Joined MySpace, began doing silly surveys about myself.
• Joined Facebook to “meet” my new roommate at University of Minnesota.

Age 19

• Maintained a MySpace and Facebook page. Used them to connect with new friends, stay in
touch with old friends.
• Created AIM profile to chat with new UMN friends.
• New .edu email for school. Included MyU online profile, e-grades, online classes, and Web
Vista for online homework. Could now monitor progress for classes all year long.

Age 20

• Mastered the Facebook “remove tag immediately because this picture makes me look
______” skill.
• Began to watch TV online (ABC.com), and used Fuse.tv online forums to find new music.
• Subscribed to the NYTimes podcast to listen to on the bus every morning.
• Used Facebook to update friends while in Washington DC for summer. Created group for the summer interns to organize get-togethers.
• Used Washingtonian.com blog to find new things to do.

Age 21

• Joined Google Reader to keep my RSS feeds in one place, and share with friends.
• Created GMail account, routed all email to one place, and started GChatting.
• Joined Twitter (@suze_g), began by tweeting insignificant observations.
• Began religiously following music blogs.
• Began use of Pandora.com, and Hulu.com
• Created Tumblr account to share art and music.
• Created the short-lived "OMG Remember This?" blog on Blogger with fellow intern, to speak to all things 90’s.
• Created LinkedIn profile. Connected with old and new colleagues.
• Created MNArtist.org profile for gallery I was interning for, to help it network with local artists.
• With my first Macbook, began to use iChat to consolidate all messaging services.
• Began regularly commenting on blogs.

Age 22

• Joined the fabulous YAYBIA! crew as a PR liaison.
• Created Muxtape mixtape.
• Began using Twitpic to tweet photos.
• Created new Tumblr to display my resume and writing samples.
• Became member of PR Open Mic, a public relations student network.
• Assisted in the creation of a highly interactive campaign for the 2008-09 NSAC team.
• At internship, pitched bloggers on a variety of subjects.
• Began social media monitoring for brands.
• Began using Twitter to share links, create conversation.
• Used LinkedIn to find entry-level job opportunities, and make and maintain connections in the PR industry.
• Became social media intern, and now eat/sleep/breathe social media daily.

Notable Skills:
YouTube watching and sharing, Google Mapping anything and everything, keeping my Google Reader at below 1000+ items, retweeting at least one link daily

I'm sure there are digital resumes that top this one, so hope you share! KTHXBAI!

#squarespace - Really for the Fans?

Right after the WWDC on Monday I noticed tweets with #squarespace and "iPhone" trending high and popping up in my feed. My memory was a little fuzzy about the Squarespace name, so I checked it out to be sure of what it is. Squarespace is a DIY website builder with some high profile users - Ecko and Element to name a few. Anyway, while the geeks were geekin' about WWDC, Squarespace was busy plotting a Twitter contest to give a "gigantic THANK YOU to all of our favorite Squarespace fans." All their fans had to do was send a tweet with the #squarespace tag to be eligible to win a new iPhone. That's great and all, but it's quickly turned into a hashtag fest with hundreds of thousands of non-fans just in it for the goods.

So I'm wondering: How do you separate the fans from those that just want to get their hands on a free iPhone?

To thank users, there are better ways to leverage Twitter than a flood of tweets from people who will never use Squarespace:

• Current users could post success stories, favorite features or job-winning portfolios on Twitter, still using #squarespace, to highlight the brand's name AND functionality at the same time.
• @squarespace could send tweets showcasing the unique ways people are using the platform. People could then be entered into the contest by voting via Twitter for their favorite designs. @extendr is doing a great job of showing off their users' profiles in order to gain more fans.
• Facebook is also another great space to connect with existing fans because it gets others interested in what's going on. Fans could post status updates, notes or even photos expressing love for Squarespace in order to win a new phone.
  

It's also likely this "fan" contest was really a move to gain awareness through Twitter. Giving away new iPhones at the exact moment that Twitter was buzzing about WWDC was a smart move. But if that's the case, don't disguise it as a thank you to your true fans.

Social Media is Not an Awareness Driver

(9:03:11 AM) Libby Issendorf: DID YOU KNOW THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT AN AWARENESS DRIVER?

(9:03:19 AM) Erin Lamberty: LIBBY, I DID KNOW.

Daily Biz couldn't have said it much better, we're so glad to have him back!

"In fact, it [the brand] isn’t really all that well known yet. Which, to my mind, means that we need to get the word out…even if that means using Pleistocene-era tactics like broadcast television and other broad-reach media. Because we need people to know about the brand. And to like it. Because unless they already know about and like the brand, why would they want to be its Facebook friend? "

Social media is about connecting and building relationships with your existing fans, potential fans and those that may have started to root for another team because you lost one too many games in their eyes.

Social media becomes an awareness driver when that core target is already engaged and starts sharing, either intentionally with a forward or passively in their news feed. But all on its own, social media is not an awareness driver.

Happy Earth Day!

The Yaybia Crew loves the earth! Hell, we ALWAYS recycle our beer cans (though mostly to get rid of evidence that we actually bought a case of Keystone Light).


There are lots of ways to celebrate Earth Day today using my favorite medium, Social Media.


Facebook: Join in the green efforts AND win awesome prizes by adding the Hot Dish application


Twitter: After only one minute of viewing the "Happy Earth Day" search on Twitter, I was notified that 44 new posts just appeared in the last 5 seconds! Join the trend and tweet your support!


YouTube: YouTube's spotlight videos all feature green news and tips, and to check out even MORE green online videos, check out the YouTube LiveGreen channel!



Blogs: One of my favorite social media blogs, Mashable, has posted 5 Inspirational Earth Day Videos, including the trailer for the newest Disney-produced movie "Earth," which opens today.



Happy Earth Day!!!

Twitter and YouTube for Crisis Control? Interesting..

Most of you savvy communicators have probably caught wind of the Dominos YouTube video incident. In case you didn't: two employees of a Norh Carolina Dominos store created an online video while doing disgusting things to the food they then supposedly served up to unknowing customers. Cheese in the nose and then on my pizza? Vom.




Anyways, Dominos obviously had a public relations crisis on their hands after the video became popular knowledge. I mean, afterall, I wouldn't be too quick to order a pizza from there after seeing that, even if I knew that MY Dominos probably was clean and law-abiding.

Dominos launched the usual crisis measures by reaching out to those who were aware of the video, and firing the employees responsible for this fiasco. They even filed for the arrest of the two offendors. The pizza franchise was criticized by some after this, for not taking a full-blown PR course of action. However, it seems as though Dominos was considering a different approach to the crisis.


Dominos seemed to recognize that an online crisis may be better handled with an online response. In the days after the incident, Dominos launched its first corporate Twitter account (dpzinfo) and vowed to "listen" to consumer's concerns regarding the video and other issues. They also posted information on the incident to its corporate Web site, and released its own YouTube video featuring the company's president Patrick Doyle. Doyle apologized to consumers for the incident and explained what the company would do to rectify the situation.


Using social media and online tactics, Dominos has responded to a crisis in a more direct way, allowing for direct feedback. I'm very curious to see how well this pans out for them!

Mmmmm, SPAM.

It was inevitable that when social media overtook emailing in popularity, the spammers would follow suit and target a new outlet. With advanced filters, spam mail hasn't become nearly as annoying as it was back in the early days of email. Social media spamming, however, has the potential to be the newest thorn in our sides.

While I know this is technically a communications tactic, my personal opinion is that spamming has to be one of the least effective ways to connect with an audience. Sure, annoying commercials have a tendency to stick in our heads, but annoying spams just end up in the trash, unread.

Smart social media networks do as much as possible to prevent this from happening. Below is my "Spam Report Card" for my favorite social media sites. Some are doin' it right, some... not so much.


FACEBOOK A- With formal methods available like creating Fan Pages, Applications, and other such additives, spamming doesn't make sense for most companies. Another bonus: when posting a link you are asked to identify your validity, eliminating the possibility for rogue links. One negative: the bout of viruses infecting profiles, creating fake status updates and wall posts for many users. Such as "CHECK THIS OUT: I JUST FOUND MY CRUSH" and then a link. Annoying, but as far as I can see, hasn't happened as of late. Facebook is quick to fix these glitches.

TWITTER: A Twitter has been fairly immune to spamming, however lately more and more Twitter handles are being created solely to "follow" users with a spam message. These messages are anywhere from the usual "win a free Kindle" type messaging from obscure sources, to legitimate companies spamming their products and coupons. The nice thing about Twitter is, if you don't click "follow back" to any of these handles, you are nearly uneffected.



MYSPACE: C- MySpace has been pretty spam-filled from the start, at least in my experience. There is a consistancy of new "friends" being created as a front for spam messaging. If you don't immediately protect your wall to be private, it too will be filled with spam messaging. Similar to Facebook's temporary problem, viruses are prominent, creating fake wall posts from you to your friend list. One plus is that MySpace seems to be as quick as possible to remove profiles that are created for spamming purposes.


Any others doing it right? Or others that are far from spam proof?

Flying Dog, Yer Doin' It Right. Cheers.

Sometimes I miss the timliness boat for a good post and just say skip it.  Sometimes it's because I'm drunk.  When I was in NYC in January my friends and I dominated a couple beer towers filled with delicoius Flying Dog brew.  Before I could finish my first beer I got a comment on my photo from someone at Flying Dog.  Nothing pushy, just a friendly hello before saying that he was from the brewery.  I told him I liked their approach - not just an automatic follow because I mentioned their brand online.  I vowed to post my experience but then apparently forgot due to the beer towers.  

Anyways, last week the dudes over at Mashable had some kind words for Flying Dog.  In addition to everything they're doing right online, I think they are a perfect example showing that succeeding online isn't dependent on the size of your brand, it's about the size of your community.  Their fans are more passionate and involved.  Haven't seen that coming from any Bud drinkers lately. Cheers, Flying Dog, I'm a fan. 

Conversations About the Future of Advertising - Yaybia Style

Update! Make sure you check out the debate being waged in the comments. Alan Wolk wants to make sure you know that he agrees with our suggestions, even if he didn't cover them all at CATFOA. He is still the prom king of social media!

Libby and I checked out the Conversation About the Future of Advertising on Monday night at the Fine Line. The event featured Alan Wolk and was sponsored by MCAD and MIMA. The main takeaway for the forty-five minute presentation was "Your Brand is not my Friend." Whole Foods and their use of Facebook was the leading example, but Comcast and Zappos also made appearances.

Mr. Wolk offered five key takeaways in his presentation. Some points we agreed with completely, but we wanted to offer our disagreements on a few of his rules:


1) Identify a need you can help with.

Yep.

2) Figure out how to solve that need.

Okay.

3) Approach your target as a salesperson not as their friend.

Hold up. I agree that brands shouldn't try to get all up in my shit as my friends might try to, but I do not want to be met by a salesperson online or elsewhere. We willingly choose to follow, add or become a fan of brands online. This is the permission to take down a few of your big brand walls and talk to me like a real person.

But why can't you be my friend? Google is my friend. I turn to him (or her) to help solve my problems when my friends are not around to give me answers. I choose my friends and I also choose Google over other brands. Jimmy John's is my friend. They bring me speedy fast goodness at least twice a week. Sometimes friends let you down, brands also do that. But at the end of the day, you still go back to that friend/brand. Unless something bad happens and you drop 'em fast, just like friends.

Wolk argued that 1% of brands are "prom king brands," where consumers will wear their logo on a t-shirt. But the 99% of unsexy brands out there (Maxwell House coffee was an example) will have a harder time finding consumers with the passion to "befriend" the brand. Of course not every group can find a way to get a million Facebook fans, but can't ever group figure out something they can offer the consumer in the realm of social media?

4) Don't use Twitter to sell. Use it for customer service or news.

Hmm. Well if I were following, just for an example, Apple iTunes on Twitter and I got notified that today from 3-4pm I could get all my fave tunes for only 79 cents you better believe I'd be all over that. Sure it blurs the line between news and sales, but I think it all depends on who you are and what your product is. Just as Twitter is not the ideal social media tool for all brands, the uses of Twitter will vary depending on each brand and product. An authoritative "this is how you should/should not use Twitter" is taking an expert stance that isn't necessarily true. Use it how you will and use it in the ways that your audience responds to and embraces.

Clearly if I am already choosing to follow your brand on Twitter, I am interested in it and am receptive to sales. What if I was a fan of Threadless and they offered a promotion code to their Twitter followers? Or what about doing giveaways that involve replying with answers to questions or certain phrases? I will always participate in those if they're from brands I know and love.

5) Don't push, give them a coupon and get out of the way.

Coupons are one of the most actionable and proven sales drivers, but are they the only way a brand can participate in social media?
We all remember from Marketing 1001 that brands can't rely on price cuts, or they become no better than private label in the consumer's mind. The question becomes what other value can brands give their social media connections? I would argue:

• These fans are your most vocal supporters. When they sign up to use your app, receive your e-newsletters, or just put their logo among their groups, they are volunteering to listen to you and pledge their allegiance. One of the biggest things you can do for them is to actually interact. Nurture them. Use them in focus groups. Give them free Velveeta to host Super Bowl parties. And once in a while, sure, throw them a coupon.
• Also, they are active in social media beyond just having a mostly-blank Facebook profile. These are your most likely bloggers, Tweeter s, and online influencers. Arm them with the information to write evangelical blog entries. And then read those blog entries and make sure you are keeping these brand champions happy.

No, I don't want to hear from Crest constantly on Twitter. I don't care. But if there was some kind of Facebook app where I could compare the whiteness of my smile to my friends', I would be all over that. And at the end of the game, if you told me that Crest Vivid White would make my smile as white as Jameson's in 7 days, you'd probably have a sale on your hands.

Wait a sec! Where is your step six, Mr. Wolk?

Somebody in the audience asked Wolk about metrics and he didn't really provide a clear answer. We know tracking metrics for social media involvement isn't easy to nail down, but metrics n eeds to be a priority, not an afterthought. Coupons are trackable, clicks and links can be measured, and FB app pass-alongs can also be given a value. As marketers, we need to figure out how to prove that we have a) given the consumer something valuable that has b) impacted sales. If this isn't a key element from day one of strategy brainstorming, it probably won't be clear in the end how you are going to bring your client the sales they're after.

More on the Ad Bowl XLIII

When NBC's $3MM price tag for Super Bowl spots was first announced last winter, I posted some thoughts on why a spot in the big game was still a good value for some brands, especially when they used online tools like YouTube to maximize the exposure they got from their ads.  

With T-4 hours until the big game, I've already seen some big advertisers taking advantage of buzz on Twitter:

Sobe has been tweeting as Lee the Lizard since January 21st and is specifically promoting their 3D Super Bowl spot. Currently he has 454 followers.

The E-Trade baby has also been tweeting for a few weeks, mostly about Super Bowl hype.  E-Trade baby has 318 followers.

Both these brands are making sure they have a promotional presence on Twitter, which is great, but has definitely been done before.  Doing something totally new:  H&R Block.  

H&R Block was an early adopter of Twitter and has been tweeting for over a year.  They have over 1400 followers and using Twitter to give away copies of TaxCut Premium through the month of January.  But rather than use their existing branded H&R Block Twitter account to talk up their spot, the brand is taking a decidedly more creative route.

The premise of H&R Block's Super Bowl spot is that Death comes to his accountant, Murray, to complain that H&R Block's Second Look found mistakes that Murray had made.  Without giving too much away, I'll just say that the spot ends in a cliffhanger, so viewers will be interested to see the rest of the story.  Murray has been tweeting @TaxGuyMurray for the last few days, setting up his character.  When the spot airs, Murray's story will continue online for 38 days (the time period mentioned in the spot).

This idea is great because it extends the momentum surrounding the creative executions at the Super Bowl.  It's the first time I've seen a creative idea--not a long-term brand spokesperson or PR rep--live on through Twitter, where followers can interact with him and even influence the way the story unfolds.  H&R Block gets the way people want to use social media.  They don't want brands screaming about how great they are in their feed every day--they want value, whether it's in the form of promotion or entertainment.  I'm excited to see where this goes, and how all the brands on Twitter try to maximize their Super Bowl exposure.

Go follow Murray and see what happens...and look for his spot in the second quarter!

Social Media's WIN of the week

With our good old Star Tribune filing for Chapter 11 bankrupcy today, it's no shocker to us Minnesotans that the world of traditional media is in some trouble. As a PR professional, it's easy to get a bit nervous that the people we are sending our messages out to may not be there the next day. That's why the smart PR agencies are turning to social media as well as old media for image building. This recent social media triumph has given us extra reassurance that this is the right thing to do.

Yesterday's NYC plane crash into the Hudson River was BIG news, with images being smattered all over CNN, Fox News, etc. But who had the scoop? Who had the very first photos of the crash? Sorry kids, it wasn't our silver fox Anderson Cooper, it was Twitter!

Thanks to the popularity of the micro-blogging site, the news of the crash spread quicker than reporters could get on the scene. A Twitter-user on a nearby ferry snapped a pic with his iPhone (brief sigh of envy) and sent it to the photo application called TwitPic. The tweet read: "http://twitpic.com/135xa - There’s a plane in the Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy."


Freep.com reported that the picture spread around the social networking world so fast that it crashed the site when 7,000 people tried to view it at once. Amazing.

Ok ok... so Twitter isn't necessarily a news source per say, but Twitter and other frequently updated social networking sites are beginning to become a staple source of information for many who opt out of checking their newspaper in the early morning for the news. And with traditional media faltering on the scene, perhaps it's time to take a closer look at what social media can do for the communications world.

Yaybia Asks Advergirl About Social Media

This is a video response to the two videos that Advergirl posted this week. She asked readers to submit more questions, so here are some of ours. If any of our readers have questions for us, we'd love to hear them!



Better source file can be found here!