Brand Engagement Archives

February 24, 2019 By Benjamin Porter Leave a Comment

The Business of Two Party Control

In a recent LA Times Opinion section, Jonah Goldberg wrote an interesting piece about the decline of political power for the Democratic and Republican Parties. Mr. Goldberg points to the open primary system that, while allowing for greater public input, began a process of diluting “boss” control. I agree with his assessment but not entirely with his thoughts on the cause. I think the decline can be interpreted through the lens of a changing technological and cultural landscape – one with which entrepreneurs and creative leaders are quite familiar. (more…)

April 19, 2013 By Dawn Walnoha Leave a Comment

Five Things You Might Have Missed!

If you don’t read our weekly list of five things you might have missed, you could potentially miss out on cool blogging commenting innovation, some shocking news that will affect mobile marketing and the incredible brand engagement happening in Peru. And you wouldn’t want to do that now, would ya?

1.) SMS, Meet the FCC: If you’ve been using SMS text messaging to market to your clients, things just got a little more complicated. According to ClickZ, an updated ruling by the FCC now dictates that marketers must get written consent before sending sales messages via SMS text. “The ruling classifies text messages with auto-dialed ‘telemarketing robocalls,’ and requires ‘prior express written consent’ from the recipient. This consent can take the form of an ’email, website form, text message, telephone key press, or voice recording,'” Melinda Krueger of ClickZ writes. Translation: The days of branded text blasts without permission are officially over.

2.) Widespread Comments: This week introduced a super-cool way for blog commenters to also share their thoughts on Google+. Google+ users who comment on Blogger-based blogs will now be able to post these comments on Google+ which instantly spreads the conversation — and the blog — to a huge audience. This innovation is good news for both blog readers and blog marketers.

3.) Twitter Tracks: Speaking of new products from social media giants, Twitter rocked the Internet this week by releasing Twitter Music. Think more Pandora meets MySpace and less iTunes and you’ll get the idea of this new service. Twitter Music seems like a hit already with artists and labels, but it remains to be seen if music fans will respond.

4.) LinkedIn Love: Having a hard time marketing on LinkedIn? You’re not alone. Getting a brand to break through on the crowded, schmoozy site is no easy task, so this article by Mike Delgado of Social Media Examiner is an essential read for marketers looking for LinkedIn love.

5.) The Power of Smiles: Lastly, we wrap up our list with this awesome photo booth marketing idea from Coca-Cola. The world’s favorite soda got serious Peruvians to crack a smile in photo booths posted around the country with the “Happy ID Project.” Armed with smile-activated cameras, the booths popped out IDs that give lucky smilers free Coke stuff and rewards just for turning their frowns upside down.

January 15, 2013 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Taco Bell Rings with Great Brand Engagement

Skillful social media management sometimes comes down to just being a nice guy. Brands that rely on channels like Twitter and Facebook to reward customers, fix consumer issues and get feedback let followers know that there’s a real person behind those status updates. Fast-food chain Taco Bell is one company that seems to really thrive from brand engagement. Over the last few years, the company has reached out to its fans on Facebook and Twitter with all kinds of personalized communication. Now one teenage swimmer and regular customer’s quirky request has proven that even big brands like Taco Bell actually read the posts on their Facebook pages.

“Where do I go after a long day’s workout? Taco Bell, of course. I eat at Taco Bell at least 5-7 times a week,” 16-year-old Ryan Klarner of Palantine, Ill., posted on Taco Bell’s Facebook Page. “So, what I am asking is this: Is there any way you guys could make me a customized Speedo that says ‘think outside the buns’ on the back of it?”

Just two weeks later, Taco Bell responded to Klarner’s request.

“What size do you wear? And what is your address?” the company posted.

This little interaction between fan and brand caught the eye of big blogs like Mashable and Huffington Post. HuffPo reached out to Taco Bell to see if its offer was legit.

“This Facebook fan caught our attention because of his passion for the brand and the way he Lives Mas with Taco Bell,” Tressie Lieberman, Taco Bell’s director of digital and social engagement, said via e-mail to HuffPo. “We are going to deliver on the fan’s original request, and also send him a Speedo that represents our new branding, Live Mas.”

Several Facebook posts, two Speedos and hundreds of tacos later, Klarner got his wish — and Taco Bell made headlines.

Talk about delicious digital engagement! But now it’s your turn, readers: Share with us great tales of interaction with brands using social media in the comments section below.

November 23, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Five Things You Might Have Missed!

Even on Black Friday, we dish out the best online marketing news stories in our Five Things You Might Have Missed list. Tricky Twitter innovations, a Butterball-bashing viral hit and so much more are piled high on today’s plate. So pull up a chair and dig into our leftover-free buffet!

1.) Serve with Gin & Juice: Topping the list this week is a ridiculous-yet-viral treat of online video creation from Hot Pockets. “Pocket Like It’s Hot” is a music video style commercial featuring Snoop Dogg and a parody of his 2004 hit “Drop it Like It’s Hot.” With lyrics like “When the craving’s got a hold of you… Pocket like it’s hot… Pocket like it’s hot” and a video filled with hilarious hip hop swagger, it’s hard to believe it took Hot Pockets this long to use Snoop as a spokesperson. The timing must’ve been just right, however. The clip has already racked up over 6 million views in just under a week.

2.) Picture this: If you missed the rollout of yet another cool Twitter upgrade this week, you’re not alone. Fact is, Twitter seems to release some sort of nifty app or innovation nearly every week. This week, the company announced that it would now offer an image search which allows users to search for hashtagged images, signaling the brand’s bid to be considered a social image sharing network, too (a la Instagram). For Twitter marketing specialists, this makes finding image-rich tweets even easier and opens the doors for creative photo-centric campaigns.

3.) Black Friday Bungle: Every year, at least one big brand royally screws up an online Black Friday promotion. This year, the title for Biggest Online Marketing Screw-ups goes to Sears. Thanks largely to a time zone setting disaster, Sears had to send thousands of “oops!” emails to its early shoppers, who thought they could get their hands on a 32-inch TV for just $97 bucks and before Black Friday. Only problem is that most Sears didn’t have the TVs yet, leaving online customers in the lurch until their transactions could get cancelled, which could take days. All was made worse by some bad social media PR which tried to clear up the mess but just made people more angry. The whole fiasco is a great reminder for marketers to keep holiday deals super easy and to use social media to actually be helpful and sympathetic.

4.) Side Dish of ‘Mercy:’ WARNING! Do not watch the ButterballAbuse.com video that’s been going around if you are sensitive to violence against animals. Yet this viral campaign strongly illustrates how powerful online videos can be when perfectly timed. The clip, produced by Mercy for Animals, has received major national notice and jump-started a new discussion about animal compassion.

5.) Sandy Stories: We round out this week’s list with the amazing way that Hurricane Sandy survivors are using storytelling app Backspaces. Backspaces is an app that inspires users to click photos and tell the stories of their lives as they unfold. Sandy Stories have popped up by the thousands on Backspaces, with photos of folks helping out communities affected by devastating storm. It’s an inspiring trend to see non-profits and regular old folk alike using smartphone sharing for the collective (feel) good of mankind.

October 23, 2012 By Dawn Walnoha Leave a Comment

We Like to Watch: Marketing for the Social TV Set

For decades, brand engagement has been a mystery for companies of all sizes. How do companies interact with their customers in a fun and social way that keeps them interested? That’s the kind of question that keeps brilliant minds scratching their heads. Little did anyone know that the future of brand and digital engagement was sitting in the living rooms of everyone in America: Television. Thanks to social media platforms like Twitter and Get Glue, everybody is talking about TV again, and brands are eager to get in on the conversation.

From Forbes to The New York Times, everyone is talking about it. Outlets like TV Guide and E! are constantly changing to accommodate it. And most of us are doing it. The “it” in question is Social TV. Whether we check in during an episode of The Voice on Get Glue, tweet about the ending of Revenge on Twitter or use special Social TV apps to help find our favorite shows, the days of merely sitting around Ye Olde Boob Tube have certainly changed. During big events like award shows or the Olympics, viewers get extremely social.

Yet it doesn’t end there. Reality shows, dramas and even high-rated sitcoms trend like crazy on social media on the nights they air. Even daytime shows like The View and Price is Right are buzzed about during the week. An enthusiastic report from Dallas’ Markets & Markets even claimed that “the global Social TV market revenue is expected to grow from $151.14 billion in 2012 to $256.44 billion by 2017, at an estimated CAGR of 11.2 percent from 2012 to 2017.” Even though many industry experts say this number is inflated, the power of social TV can’t be denied.

The good news is that talking about TV is something any company can do with social media marketing. As long as the program trending relates to your company, we say chat away! If you’re a clothing boutique, for example, you’d be crazy not to tweet about Project Runway or Fashion Star with your followers. Checking in on Get Glue during home improvement shows if you’re an interior designer, dishing about bratty brides on Say Yes to the Dress if you’re a wedding planner and celebrating sports victories if you’re a personal trainer are a few more ways you can use Social TV to interact. And the best thing about talking about television with your customers? It’s basically free!

Go on… Grab some popcorn and your smartphone and start watching TV with your customers!

September 19, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Digital PR Lessons from Romney’s Really Bad Week

Celebrities and big companies are some of our favorite teachers when it comes to learning about brand engagement. From old directors who talk to furniture to stage moms who show up wasted on talk shows, the last few weeks have been filled with tons of great “What Not to Do Lessons” in online PR. Yet nothing has been more powerful than those Romney videos — you know the ones — that have been making waves this week.

In case you slept through the last three days, a video from a fundraiser last spring made waves this week for featuring the Republican presidential nominee describing 47 percent of Americans as government-dependent, self-defined “victims.” This bitch-slap to the American population was explained in a stumbling, sweaty press conference. Romney didn’t really apologize in this clearing of the air and in fact sort of made things worse. Then another video featuring Romney’s thoughts on Israel and Palestine was leaked on Tuesday where he claimed that Palestinians are not interested in peace. He went from casually ticking off the people of the U.S. to basically spitting on the rest of the planet. If PR disasters were big-budget movies, Romney’s week would make Titanic look like an independent film.

The first thing we can never, ever do (that Romney has done repeatedly) is forget that everything will eventually go viral, especially if you’re on a national stage. What planet does he and his team live on where what we say doesn’t eventually end up in an online video? This baffling arrogance regarding the digital media has cost Romney dearly. As marketers and small business owners, we owe it to our brands to carefully watch our language, social media messages and appearances at events, regardless of how casual they seem.

The second lesson here is to skip the apology and explanation press conference if you’re not going to really do either. Press conferences and Twitter statements all have their place if the message is sincere and really talks about the issue at hand. In short, only apologize if you’re really sorry.

The final thing we can all learn from Romney is to have a good team around us. From day one, this campaign has suffered from sloppy marketing, confused social media strategies and weird public relations choices. Someone paid by that campaign should have told him what to say and how to say it and that, hey, everything’s gonna end up on the Internet.

Keeping knowledgeable people around us and listening to their advice is essential for great PR, online marketing and social media management. Obviously, Team Romney didn’t get that memo.

August 3, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Five Things You Might Have Missed

Today is your lucky day. Not only is it Friday, but it’s also the day of the week where we share the oddest and hottest stories from the worlds of content marketing and brand engagement. But don’t be greedy. Share our “Five Things You Might Have Missed” with someone you love.

1.) Zombies Take Manhattan: AMC, the cable network behind the hits Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, is no stranger to this list. The company routinely creates brilliant digital marketing schemes, so it’s no surprise AMC has cooked up a super clever and super viral way to rally fans to help keep its programs on Dish Network. This video comically illustrates what New York City would look like if it was overtaken by the zombie stars of The Walking Dead and inspires viewers to keep the undead where they belong — on television.

2.) Based on a Real Facebook Post: On Thursday, Facebook unveiled its new multimedia storytelling project, Facebook Stories. The new section is worth looking at if you missed it because it captures the one-of-a-kind tales to come out of the world’s most used social network. White House correspondents and Facebook staffers alike share their unique stories of reunions, solved mysteries and chance meetings — all made possible by Facebook. PR cynics will say the section is a meager bid to help the company’s image. But really, Facebook Stories perfectly illustrates how social media has changed our lives.

3.) Danica’s Digits: This interactive online video for Nationwide Insurance features a prank pulled on NASCAR racer Danica Patrick. Her number is slipped in a series of ‘flags’ by fellow racer (and known jokester) Dale Earnhardt Jr. The twist is the real number directs callers to Danica’s voicemail where she encourages you to leave a message about how to get Earnhardt back. The winning revenge prank left on the voicemail gets a personal phone call from Patrick herself.

4.) Slacker TV by KFC: Everybody’s been blogging about the mini sitcom made by Kentucky Fried Chicken with help from Comedy Central. The show, “Growing up and Getting Out,” features a broke college student forced to move home after he graduates. It’s funny and well made stuff, but what makes it listworthy is having a product sponsor a real web TV series. It’s a shout out to the Golden Age where brands routinely plugged products during hit shows, but distinctly New Media Era given the format and approach.

5.) Jelly-filled Blogging: And finally, we’d like to say “way to go” to Dunkin Donuts. The brand kicks quite a bit of digital tail and we are impressed with the company blog, Behind the Beans. If the world’s most successful donut empire can find stuff to blog about everyday, don’t ya think it’s high time you give it a shot?

June 1, 2012 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Five Things You Might Have Missed

Hello summer! While the kids are playing Marco Polo in the pool, marketers are playing a no-holds-barred game of King of the Hill in terms of brand engagement dominance. But don’t take your eyes off the kids. We’ve collected these just for you — five of the best videos, Twitter campaigns and content marketing efforts making headlines this summer:

1.) Overista: We groaned last year when TJ Max released its “Maxinista” ad campaign. I mean the whole fashionista thing seems decidedly tired and very early 2000s, no? Yet consumers and marketers just won’t let the “ista” go. Just last week, juice company Odwalla unveiled its new partnership with gardening website/blog/giant commercial Gardenista. Gardenista is the latest website from Say Media, the company behind Remodelista. Okay, branders and marketers, we’re crying uncle here. This “ista” overload almost makes us wish for the “diva” days. Almost.

2.) Waiting Sucks: Every summer, we can count on HBO to roll out some clever online marketing campaigns for its vampire soap True Blood. This year the network took to Twitter with the hashtag #waitingsucks. The hashtag winks at the year (well, nearly) that fans have had to wait for their favorite bloodsucking show to come back. Couple it with some truly stunning viral video spots and HBO has once again created some serious buzz in a season where television is expected to be dominated by the Olympics.

3.) Dine and Dash and Do Dishes: Scotch Brite Sponges presented hip, young Brazilian diners with an interesting proposition: Do dishes and your dinner’s free. The result is a fun viral video and innovative interactive campaign.

4.) Crumbs of Wisdom: The Pacific Cookie Company is one of those great, old-fashioned Northern Californian companies whose business model has been changed by online marketing and new media. Behind the Cookie is its blog and great example of how every business can invite readers and consumers into their world with blogging.

5.) Sirilebrities: First Zooey Deschanel, then Samuel Jackson and now John Malkovich. Apple is hoping that if enough cool celebrities are shown using Siri on their iPhone 4S then maybe regular people will actually like Siri, too. In the new spot, Malkovich gets cerebral with Siri, asking it the meaning of life and even cracking some jokes. The commercials are a good time and certainly buzzworthy, but only time will tell if mere mortals will warm up to Siri just like the stars have.

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