Social Media and Big News

At the beginning of this past week, our country experienced a horrific terrorist attack. The bombings had a significant impact on our country, but looking back on it we can learn a lot of things. The bombings in Boston gave us our first look at how social media can impact live events. News of the Boston bombings spread like wildfire over social media, but the biggest impact was seen in the hours following the event. Hundreds and thousands of people began posting their pictures and videos from the event on social platforms. There was a huge influx of all things Boston Bombings. Many people began trying to find where the bombs were and who put them there. Platforms like Reddit had threads completely dedicated to crowdsourcing an investigation to find the bombers. This was both good and bad in the eyes of the Police. It produced a lot of evidence that could be used to help put the day together, but it also caused people to begin suspecting people who were in the video. Police have stated they released the pictures of the suspects because of all of the false accusations and conclusions.

Social media and crowdsourcing can be a huge help in many situations, but it may not be perfect for every situation. In times like this, we must rely upon those who have the training and background to do their jobs. The amount of pictures and posts about the event were a huge help in creating an evidence trail, but speculation needed to stop. Without the popularity of social media, there may not have been as many pictures and videos that ended up as evidence. It also would have made it difficult for people to get the word out to their friends and neighbors about the bombings as well as the manhunt. Social media became a quick and effective way for the police and authorities to spread the word to as many people as possible. It will be interesting to see how this situation may be used as a case study in handling traumatic events on social media in regards to crowdsourcing, news dissemination, and event management.

Brand Character

     In today's world, we are bombarded by hundreds of brands and advertisements every minute. This can become very obnoxious, and I believe we as consumers have become numb to the constant presence around us. I know I have stopped noticing the brands around me unless I am directly interacting with them. I know some people may disagree with this and suggest that even if you don't directly notice them, they will still have an impact on you subconsciously. While this may be true, I believe brands should be creating a character and image for the consumers to identify with and engage. The main issue is that this simple solution is not easy to accomplish. A brand must spend time developing this character and presence and ensure that it is reinforced through every engagement they have with the customer from social to service to advertising. How can you possibly try to accomplish this?

     To do this, I want to hit on two main areas message and social media. I know there are many other aspects to a Brand Character/Image, but I want to focus on these two areas first. for the message, you must start early and dedicate yourself to ensuring the survival of the brand. You must first have a picture of what your brand is. Not a physical picture, but a mental picture of what you want the brand to be to your customers. How would this character interact with customers: tone, language, detail, and point of view. Once you have this aspect cleared up, you must write it down to ensure that the image is kept throughout all types of communication and channels. 

     This message is the context with how you will communicate with customers, but the next area I want to focus on is the channel of Social Media. I believe the easiest way to spread and enforce your Brand Character is through Social Media. This gives the consumer an inside view of your brand. The consumer can engage with the brand beyond just the main interaction or exchange of services. When I think of channels within Social Media that help brands truly express themselves, I think of Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. These channels may not be for every brand, but if they are used correctly, they can be a huge benefit to the company. Twitter allows the brand to express their tone and personality directly to customers who want to engage with them. As long as the brand's personality is focused on contributing to the conversation in a way that is not obnoxious

and provides benefits to the followers, they will see huge success. Starbucks has been doing a great job of this, and it shows in the number of followers and tweets that express the brand. Instagram is another great way for companies to express their personality. This channel provides a way for brands to give consumers and insight into how the brand sees the world and what the brand enjoys. Red Bull has done a great job using Instagram to allow  customers to feel the energy and excitement of the brand. Finally, we will look at Pinterest. This channel

can be used in many different ways. It can promote different ideas and interests that the company has. It can curate content that customers would be interested in or engage other users in the pins and boards they are making. A great company on Pinterest is These platforms are not meant to be used to push customers to buy product, but more of a channel to show your brand character. Definitely use it to occasionally give calls to action, but the main point of each channel should not be about sales. It should be about curating a brand image that lasts and is executed throughout channels where customers are. 

Coke and Facebook

     On Facebook, there are millions of companies and brands vying for your attention and like. This is the way many companies try and connect with their fans to keep them up-to-date with what is happening with the brand. Companies create and focus on different elements in their Facebook pages. One of the most successful companies on Facebook has been Coca Cola. They are one of the largest companies on Facebook, and they consistently have large engagement from their fans. 

     The Coca Cola Facebook page was originally started by two fans Dusty Sorg and Michael Jedrzejewski. The original fan page grew very quickly under the administration of these two super fans until it exceeded one million fans. At this point, Facebook informed Coca Cola of the site because of rules violations, and instead of scrapping the page Coke took it over. Coke decided that the fans should drive their page, and have committed themselves to not regulating the comments. The page has grown to 62 million fans who are encouraged to share how Coke has impacted their lives. Stories and pictures are strongly encouraged through the site, because they realize the importance of customer input. 

     This is such an interesting story to hear, because it truly shows how focused Coca Cola is on their customers. Coke realized that by enabling the existing fan page to continue with the help of corporate, they could gain better traction from the fans. Since the time Coke took over the page, they have continued to keep the original creators on as contract workers for the site. Coke has dedicated themselves to sharing happiness, and a lot the content that is created comes from the fans. These stories are one of the apps that Coke has on their Facebook page. As long as companies focus on the input of their fans on social media they will be successful  Coke has done a great job of joining in on the conversation and curating content that is engaging for their fans.