The growth and influence of social media is unprecedented. However, while the need for consumer-facing brands to aggressively pursue a social media presence has been quite evident, many B-to-B companies have been slower to embrace the medium.

Well, now that seems to be changing. A recent Forrester Research study found B-to-B marketers are expected to increase their spending on social media activities by 490 percent between now and 2014. Why are B-to-B marketers spending so much? For starters, many have realized the enormous benefit of leveraging the power of the crowd to drive innovation. For more examples and other ways B-to-B companies are driving a competitive advantage using Social Media click here.

The New Year is quickly approaching and it seems fitting to take some time to look at a few of the key learnings from the past year. What better way to do that than to highlight some of the key take aways from some of 2009’s most successful social media marketing efforts. While we all may have different definitions of what “success” is, my look back on 2009 will focus on those social media campaigns that opened our eyes to the opportunities in social media or taught us new things about marketing.

Microsoft – I’m a PC:
After taking a beating from Apple, Microsoft finally responded with an innovative TV and multi-channel participatory marketing program that ended with two simple words – “Upload Yourself.” The campaign demonstrates that all media can be social/participatory and the importance of involving customers or the community in defining and defending your brand.

Ford - Fiesta Movement:
Ford invites 100 Gen Y’s to drive a Ford Fiesta (not available in the U.S. until next year) for six months and report their experience on various social media sites and blogs. The program demonstrates how social media and “Buzz” is the fifth ”P” --People-- in the classic four “P”s of marketing (Product, Price, Promotion, Place). It also demonstrates the continued acceleration of product launch cycles and that “pre-launch” is the new product launch with today’s social web. Special congratulations to Courtney Force who was recently awarded the Favorite Fiesta Agent title.

Nike – What Do You Play For?:
Nike calls on teens to share their sports stories. Participants are encouraged to upload photos of them playing the sport they love and to share their inspirational stories. Visitors then voted on their favorites and winners received prizes. While Nike is a brand that was built on showcasing the talents of unattainable superstars like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods (who are not without their faults), this effort demonstrates the company’s evolution by leveraging the power of participation and real people to inspire other. . In today’s social web, advertising and promotion needs to be relevant, personal, identifiable, authentic and trusted. I believe this is the start of a major shift in advertising – bottom line: celebrities are out – real people like you and I are In. 

Starbucks - I'm In:
Starbucks encourages vistors to Starbucks.com and over 11,000 Starbucks locations to pledge 5 hours of community service.  In exchange Starbucks is giving those that pledge a free cup of coffee.  Participants also receive a pledge card and an "I'm In" badge that can be embedded on their websites to help spread the word.  What's so great about the Starbucks program is how it demonstrates the power of participation, and how organizations can be a catalyst for doing good.  The program has recieved national recognition and over 2.3 million hours have been donated between consumers and Starbucks employees.  Just goes to show you how marketers who think out of the box and add a little participation sweetener to their marketing efforts can not only build their brand and sales, but change the world.  

1-800-Flowers.com Mother’s Day:
Using an innovative outreach program, 1-800-Flowers targeted 24 “Mommy Bloggers” filling eight archetypes (On-the-Go, etc.) of motherhood to help spur Mother’s Day sales. Chosen bloggers received a bouquet of flowers and discount codes to share with their readers. Additionally, they were recognized by 1-800-Flowers’s blogger, encouraged to write their own blogs and attended a cocktail party in their honor with CEO Jim McCann. The program was significant for several reasons – first it highlights the importance of transparency and trust on the social web. In October, the FTC published its final guidelines requiring bloggers to disclose freebies or payments. Next, the innovative program incorporated unique tracking codes allowing 1-800-Flowers to measure success of the program including redemptions by blogger/site. For the 53% of you still struggling with measuring the ROI of your social media efforts this is a start.

Westin – Want to go for a Run:
Westin’s want to go for a run is an innovative participatory marketing and social program. Within minutes of checking into my room I received a voicemail from Westin’s running concierge inviting me to join him and fellow guests to refresh my mind and body with a 3 mile running tour of the city. Not only did the program reinforce Westin’s brand positioning and messaging (relax, renew, refresh), but the program showcases the fact that the best participatory marketing programs involve your employees and are operationalized to create unique differentiated experiences.

American Express – Shine A Light:
At a time when we could all use a little inspiration, Amex hit a home run with a program that shines a light on small business and serves as a powerful and positive reminder that the American Dream is still alive and well. While the program, which invited the public to nominate, “spotlight”, and vote on the small business that most inspired them, leveraged social media the real story is in the success of the small businesses themselves. More specifically the story is about what they teach us about the importance of customer relationships management (CRM). While social media may be in the spotlight right now, we all need to remember the importance of understanding our customer’s needs and interests and mastering the marketing basics like building great products and providing exceptional service and value before we jump on the social media bandwagon.

Lots of great lessons and congratulations to all the brands who pushed the envelope and built innovative marketing programs that got us all thinking – you’ve made us all better marketers for it. For more case studies visit our case study page. Looking forward to showcasing more great stories in 2010.

‘Til Next Time.

Amex is turning the spotlight on small business and they’re using social media to do it. At nearly 30 million strong, small businesses are the heart of the U.S. economy and will play a vital role in driving our economic recovery. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that American Express, in partnership with NBC, is making a move to position itself as the card of choice for new and existing small businesses ready to spend. With it’s new campaign, Shine A Light, Amex is inviting the public to nominate a small business that “inspires them.” Written nominations will be voted on by the general public and the winning small business will receive a $100,000 in grant and marketing support from American Express. In addition, the individuals who nominated the three small business finalists will each receive a $3,000 American Express Gift Card.

So what’s so great about American Express’ Shine A Light program? First and foremost it is a very positive and inspirational program. At a time when unemployment is reaching 10%, the American Express program and its ads featuring restaurateur Tom Colicchio reminds us all that the American Dream is still very much alive – that is if we work hard and want it bad enough. For the many millions of the unemployed struggling to find their way or contemplating their next move as an entrepreneur this is an important message and option.

Next, I think perhaps most importantly, it shines a light on the importance of building a solid foundation and business strategy like so many small businesses in our own neighborhoods do so well. While the American Express program leverages new marketing tactics like social media to help spread the word and increase nominations, the success of many of these business are built on the marketing basics we should never forget. Basics like offering great products at a great price with exceptional service – something Joe’s deli or your local coffee shop may have perfected. In fact many of these operations have achieved a level of CRM that would make some of the world’s largest brands turn green with envy – they not only know their customers first name, but they know their favorite products and what makes them tick. Take my local butcher, Town Meats. What we love so much about Rich, Andy or Nick at Town Meats is that they sometimes know us better then we know ourselves – our favorites, the cuts we prefer, how much we order and even the kinds of things we would probably like if we gave it a try (that’s up-selling at its best). And if that’s not enough... heck they will even deliver - customer service is not dead. The point here is that small business is not only the key to our economic recovery, but most successful small businesses also hold the key to marketing success. In fact, they remind us that before we jump on the latest hottest trends -- be it social media or whatever is next -- it critical to get the basics right: clean your database, understand your customers, build great products and service the hell out of them. Once you do that, you’ll be ready to leverage the power of social media to shine a light. For more information or to nominate a small business (like Town Meats) near you, visit the Shine A Light website.

‘Til Next Time.

Building innovative marketing programs requires chutzpah!  You’ve got to take chances, be willing to shake things up and try new things.  At some organizations this can be difficult.  But you don’t have to change the world all at once – in fact it is always best to take a crawl, walk, run approach. Start with one program, test the waters and communicate success.  Look to other innovative programs for inspiration and then build something and make it your own.  Part of what we want to do with this blog is showcase some examples and be a source of inspiration for our members.  Well, here’s another example of an innovative participatory marketing program in action – Amazon’s Customers Vote program. 

 

Amazon’s Customers Vote is an innovative shopping program where customers vote for, and receive a chance to compete for their most “ridiculous deals” during the holiday season.  It reminds me a lot of American Express’ “My Wish List” effort and it is a shining example of participatory marketing in action.  Here’s how it works.

 

Step 1: Visitors browse six rounds of deals and vote for the ones they’d like to buy at an amazing price.

Step 2: Participants check their email the day before each buying round to see if they’ve been randomly selected to participate in the ability to purchase the product.

Step 3: If selected, participants are invited to come back for a chance to purchase.

 

Here is a sampling of some of the deals:

- Samsung 46 inch 1080p HDTV: List Price: $1,599, Winning Price: $699 with 250 Units available.

- TomTom Go 730T: List Price $449, Winning Price: $245 with 1,000 units available.

 

The result? Thousands of consumers talking about the great deal they got at Amazon, thousands more wishing they got selected and over 500 message board posts.  And what was the glue that helped keep this participatory marketing program going? Relevant, timely email communications that engaged a willing audience.

 

‘Til Next Time.