Five years ago social media was 3% of our total media spend. Today it’s more than 20% and growing fast. ~ Muhtar Kent (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coca-Cola Company)
Kudos to Coca-Cola‘s ability to integrate the new while keeping their heritage and brand positioning. Here are just a couple of examples of how Coca-Cola is harnessing social media to it’s advantage The Coca-Cola campaign titled “The happiness machine” was a video short, never intended to be aired on traditional broadcast media. It was created over a year ago utilizing the virility of social networks such as YouTube to convey its message of communal caring and assistance for one another. The strength and appeal of the videos are on the impromptu reaction to the people being filmed and by judging by the number of views of the videos, resonates with their consumer base. Coca-Cola again reinforces it’s basic positioning: It’s the real thing! Consumers want to be engaged by the brands they choose and Coca-Cola has demonstrated that real reactions rather then staged, appeal to the social media audience.
This video has been viewed 4,069,045 times since January of last year and has been liked 13,368 likes on YouTube.
Another example is the campaign that was followed by the “The Coca-Cola Happiness Truck” video which resulted in an international overall good feeling.
This video has been viewed 1,136,192 times since February this year and has been liked 3,159 likes on YouTube.
Many marketers believe that the internet has replaced classic research methodology. The interactive/digital arena has allowed us different channels or more accurately, a different way to approach research. The age of online surveys is upon us- with its panel respondents and “e-recruitment” approach. Gathering critical information has never been easier…
But is that truly accurate?
Beware, these new “quick and easy” approaches come with their own set of disadvantages and compromises.
True enough, social media has allowed us the ability to segment and plunge into market trends and preference at little expense. One shouldn’t confuse the ability to reach with the ability to gather information of those segments. They are two entirely different components of the marketing whole. Those that believe that classic research approaches such as focus groups, surveys and case studies are things of the past, may be a tad too hasty.
The alphabet of market research may contain digital media; digital media does not replace it. In the ever changing world of marketing (B2B or B2C) reaching “consumers” via social media is an integral part of your published content vehicle- it is important to publish text, video and keep above the tide of the feed. Not only will research help you to develop your target, it will give you an edge on the competition and help you in strategizing your campaigns.
Classic marketing research needed to adapt and it has. The ability to do online focus groups (no, not surveys) in the comfort of your own home is really something to celebrate! I recently attended one through an innovative firm, Head Research… and loved it!
The need for a concise and professional discussion protocol, with the added expertise of an excellent moderator can never be replaced. Just like a well engineered survey questionnaire. Market Research must be done well as it gives a company a strong backbone and further leverages investment potential.
It may be a market warrior’s dream to make the brand they develop for a company into an icon. Chanel, Coca-Cola, Nike, Michelin – all brand names that have become synonymous with their symbolism. Brands that became more than commodity culture, they became pop culture. When you have strong visual cue, brands are conduits. People relate to them on a personal level because good brands, ones that survive, have personality and wit. Going beyond the brand mechanics, they position themselves. They never follow a trend… they should encourage one.
Image provided courtesy of the Nike, under the creative commons license.
Iconic brands might be an industry brass ring, but brands don’t fail if they fail to become cultural icons—many widely respected brands still maintain a name within a designate community, such as Sick Kids and Anne Taylor.
Brands aren’t just for corporations either. Personal brands come by way of blogging, podcasts and other new media-driven personalities. Whether it is creating a personality for a product, or a person, the key is conveying that character to the market. The human element, in all forms of art, is the one that resonates. So get to know your brand, and perhaps in the future, everyone will know it too.
Smartphones are getting smarter, all thanks to advertising.With more people accessing the internet through their mobile phones, ad upgrading offers a huge niche for ad revenue. Mobile advertising is where creative juices (and funding) will be flowing hard. The thought of putting progressive advertising into the palm of every smartphone user’s hand couldn’t’ be more exciting!
Image provided courtesy of the Annie Mole (flickr), under the creative commons license.
With Google’s acquisition of Android Operating Systems and with the purchase of AdMob, the largest mobile advertising network out there, Google has put their stake in the sand for the fight in mobile advertising dominance.
A hair behind is Apple, with a $275 million dollar acquisition of Quattro Wireless after losing out to AdMob. The launch of the iPhone 4G which allows users to browse multiple programs simultaneously, has invariably improved the possibility for greater advertising space.
This means a great change for agencies, as it builds a brand new facet to our already lively interactive sector, and a viable tool for branding and monetizing the mobile web. Mobile advertising in the recent past was relatively archaic and chunky, but with big media players investing in functionality, the result is our playground.
