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.

CNN Does It Again!

 

It started election night.  I can remember commenting on CNN’s use of technology to beam interviews from Chicago, including Will I Am, into the studio.  In essence reporters were talking to a hologram as multiple cameras and green screen technology created a unique TV experience.  It was like Star Wars – innovative and cool, but most importantly I remember it created buzz as observers marveled at the result.  Within a 10 minute period of time my Star Wars comment on facebook was followed by nearly a dozen other similar comments from my friends. 

 

Well – CNN is turning to cool technology again, but this time they are asking viewers to participate.  In fact, it may be perhaps the biggest participatory marketing effort of the year.  Saturday’s coverage of Obama’s train ride to Washington D.C. was filled with non-stop promos around CNN’s latest initiative billed as “The Moment.”  CNN is asking viewers attending the inauguration to grab their cameras, snap a shot as Obama places his hand on the Bible and takes the presidential oath of office.  Those who capture "The Moment" are then instructed to email their photos to themoment@cnn.com.  The moment is not only expected to become the single most photographed moment in history, but CNN is hoping to make history itself by involving potentially millions to be part of a unique experiment using Microsoft Photosynth.  The technology will combine potentially millions of photos submitted to create a unique 3D photograph of “the moment”, which will be available to everyone.  Pretty unique and pretty cool.

 

It wasn’t that long ago that CNN was getting its clock cleaned by Fox News.  Now with some great news coverage, innovative ideas, use of cool technology, and a little participation, CNN is back on top.  

 

‘Til Next Time

Webinars: What’s Next?

 

We want to hear from you.

 

First, a big “thank you.”  Response to our new association has been impressive so far.  In just over two months since our soft launch, hundreds have joined our facebook and Linkedin groups.  We’ve received great feedback and comments from our blog postings and we have nearly 200 leading marketers registered for our first webinar, featuring author and leading social media expert Charlene Li.  Attendees for our inaugural event include marketers from some of today’s most innovative and leading brands including Apple, IBM, Microsoft, NBA, Virgin Mobile and many more friends and associates.  Yes – all good news, we are starting the conversation around participatory marketing and many are joining in. 

 

So what’s next?  To keep the momentum going, we working hard on coming up with additional ideas for future webinars.  As we look at the possibilities, we want to find people who challenge conventional thinking and embrace the notion that participation in marketing is critical to success.  Next up will be Ron Shevlin, a senior analyst at Aite Solution and his new book says it all: “Everything They Told You About Marketing, Is Wrong.” Ron’s webinar will take place on or around April 21^st and we will follow up shortly once the details are confirmed.  So the question now goes to you all -- who else do you want to hear from? 

 

Let us know by submitting your ideas and recommendations to our email address info@thepmn.org.  And don’t forget to join the PMN.  Membership is inexpensive and your support will help us assure that we can continue to bring you the best minds in the business to help you optimize and grow your participatory marketing success.

'Til Next Time

New Year’s Resolutions

 

While New Year’s resolutions are normally for personal goals, given the economy and continued growth in the unemployment rate, it is time we made some for where we work.  Here are a few I think will take you the furthest in a tough economy. 

 

1. Be Collaborative: Tough times require big ideas.  Communication and brainstorming is more important than ever and two (or more) heads are better than one.  Build a cross-functional think tank within your organization and set some goals that can help your organization be more efficient or drive more revenue.  Those goals can be as simple as improving your marketing process or cleaning your customer list, or more complex -- like developing new products or testing a new innovative social media marketing effort.  Either way, go for it.
2. Think Strategically:  Most companies are aggressively cutting costs.  If you are in marketing, that often means cutting programs or negotiating down the costs with existing vendors.  You may even conduct a RFP (Request for Proposal) review process to make sure your current vendors offer the best solution at the best price.  All pretty standard reactions.  However, I encourage you to think broader: Are there other solutions which you didn’t originally consider that perhaps you should, i.e. bringing email in-house vs. using an Email Service Provider?  What are the long-term goals and objectives for your organization and do existing providers align with those needs? Now is a great time to make those key decisions that can help your company build a greater competitive advantage when things turn around.
3. Embrace Your Customers:  Whether they are internal or external customers,  success is nearly always tied to delighting your target.  Consider conducting a customer experience audit, form an advisory panel, survey and interview customers, and then commit to making improvements.
4. Adopt a Start-Up Mentality:  Today’s environment requires marketers from all sized organizations to think more like a start up.  Every program, every cent spent on acquiring and retaining customers should be examined and optimized.  Take email as an example.  Simply adding a forward-to-a-friend option can potentially extend the life, efficiency and ROI of an email message.  In fact, JupiterResearch once estimated that companies that considered viral marketing and customer satisfaction when identifying and targeting customers, could reduce customer acquisition costs by 27% and increase average order size by up to 60%.  But that is just part of it.  For viral marketing to really take off, you have to have an offer that is exciting and compelling. And don’t forget that all forward-to-a friend campaigns must comply with CAN SPAM requirements.
5. Think “Participation”:  We’ve detailed some great examples on how participatory marketing has extended the reach and success of marketing programs on this blog.  So whether it’s a TV ad campaign like Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” that encourages users to upload video of themselves or The Limited’s design contest that engaged thousand of users, think about how you can add a little participation to your existing campaigns and communications to achieve greater success in ’09. 

Wishing you a prosperous ‘09