Optimizing Social Influencers

   
     There are many different ways companies can use social media in their product campaigns  and we have seen many different examples over the last couple years. We have seen companies making viral videos like GoDaddy.com, blasting messages on all social media channels like, or companies that use social media without giving valuable content. These are all possible ways to utilize social media, but they are not successful. They do nothing to suit the needs of the customer. As social media becomes more and more integrated in the average marketing campaign, we will see how different companies use this new channel.

Ford Fiesta

     Ford has recently started a social media campaign for the 2014 Fiesta. In this campaign, Ford is recruiting 100 "social influencers" from an application process to help create advertisements and content as a marketing campaign for the car. These influencers will be given a Ford Fiesta for 6 months to film videos and ads which will then be posted online in various social media platforms as well as in mainstream television ads. This is a new way for Ford to try and gain traction in the social sphere.

     It will be very interesting to see how this campaign is received by the public. Some people may see it as invasive recruiting people to post advertisements that they are being compensated for. Other people may see it as a smart introduction to social media similar to endorsements that have been very common in the past years. I believe this is a very natural progression of marketing in social media. It has huge benefits for both the company and consumers, because great content will be created based on what customers want. The company also gets positive feedback from their ads focusing on consumers pain points. The downside to having people hired to post in social media is that they may not show all the facts. Ford may only permit certain content to be published which may make the ads seem less transparent to consumers. As the campaign gets started up, it will be interesting to see how consumers and the industry react.

Coke Chase

     At the Super Bowl this year, Coke decided to ditch the polar bears and try something new. They decided to incorporate and try to elicit viewer participation in their commercial. The ad spot pictured a group of cowboys, showgirls, and a group of tough guys (Badlanders) racing in an arid dessert for a Coke off on the horizon. The commercial which aired during the first half of the Super Bowl ended with a prompt for viewers to visit cokechase.com to vote on who would win the race to get a Coke.

    

     During the time after this ad aired, the website for coke chase was flooded and did not work for many people that tried to vote. This made many people question Coke's preparation for the ad and full thought. Even though it did not work for some, many people were able to vote. This ad was the only ad during the biggest event for advertisers to use crowdsourcing to determine what their later ad would be. This was a great idea for Coke to try and engage the viewers, but many people including myself felt that this ad fell flat. As a Coke fan, I am very fond of the Polar Bear ads that have seemed to strike a chord with millions of people across the globe. Although this ad was able to drive active engagement through the coke chase website, the ad seemed to be a little off target from previous advertising campaigns that Coke has done. 

     I believe that crowdsourcing will become more and more popular as social media become intertwined with advertising. This ad was a great example of how it can be done, and how a company can make the viewer feel they have more power in certain situations. As for furthering the brand and making something memorable, I do not believe Coke was able to fully accomplish this. 

    On a side note since the Super Bowl, Coke has added many more videos to their Coke Chase YouTube page allowing viewers who enjoyed the ad to see additional content. This is a great way to satisfy those who did enjoy the spot and keep the viewers interested in what Coke is doing. 

Social Media Content

     Social Media has quickly become a very integral part of every day life for many people and businesses. It is a way for people to quickly and easily communicate with each other. It helps people connect with old friends or even people who may be interested in similar hobbies. This growing area of life is something that many people have seen a huge benefit in, and they have found themselves drawing closer to it. Having the ability to communicate with hundreds or even thousands of people instantaneously is something that makes this media very lucrative to businesses and trend setters alike. It is a new channel for people to express themselves or even research information. What can become overbearing though is when people start feeling ads or information being pushed onto them. We as consumers enjoy much more being a part of the action.

     Whether you use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Vine, Instagram, or Google +, there are thousands of people or businesses to learn from. All of these channels have created a new way for consumers to consume and engage with content. When this content is being created and disseminated on a social network, consumer would rather see something relevant to their lives. We want to find out something new or figure out how a product can help better our lives. We don't want to hear some sales pitch or keep seeing random posts. A way for companies to better use these new channels is to align their products' benefits with the desires of their customers. In searching for and doing this, they will produce more gripping material.

     A great example is Hershey's Kisses. This company obviously sells chocolate. Based on television ads, we know that there are many different ways to sell chocolate. It can be a time to relax, it can be a part of a meal, it can be a quick break in one's day. There are so many different opportunities for Hershey's to engage their market. Hershey's has taken people's desire to use chocolate in meals and as a way to relax, and capitalized on it. Through their twitter account they are able to provide many different recipes that they have created and even retweeted many recipes that have been submitted by followers. This content brings in consumers and gives them content they desire. Many times, that content is created by the consumers themselves. Hershey's has provided an outlet for them to create the content for them, and they can enhance and boost the experience when necessary. This is how a company can engage with customers and create content that consumers enjoy and want to interact with. This drives their ability to engage with consumers creating brand love.

Vine: The New Trend

     Late last month, Twitter launched a new video application called Vine. This mobile video platform allows users to shoot a video clip up to 6 seconds long. This clip can be one continuous shot or several separate segments. The application than loops the video into a continuous repeating 6-second clip. Vine has allowed Twitter to make its first venture into the video-sharing arena. What differentiates Vine from other video clip sharing applications is its 6-second limit, ability to shoot segmented clips, and the Twitter feed like flow to the video site. The size of the videos allows users to capture a decent amount of information but short enough to suit the attention spans of users. The segmented clip-shooting feature opens up many more possibilities for users to generate content of different types. The Vine site aggregates all of the videos into one feed similar to the Twitter feed which allows users to see many different videos easily.

     Although there are a lot of alternatives to this application, the fact that Twitter acquired this application early on really gives it the ability to become a new player in social media. There are many different options for users whether creating stories, documenting events, shooting in time-lapse, or even film how to videos. This can even be adapted for businesses to use highlighting their products and services in real video for the consumer.

     As this application begins to spread, it will be interesting to see how the application is adapted and used by different groups of people. It has already soared to the number 4 slot on iTunes purchased apps, and it has only been out a short time. This truly social and mobile application is taking the same path that Instagram took utilizing the smart phone camera to allow anyone with the smart phone to participate with ease. Go ahead and check out the Vine and look at all of the different possibilities.