Posts tagged "MySpace"
Social Media Strategy

Target? Are you sure?

by Brandon on Apr 12, 2007 • No Comments

How many Marketers out there do you think really understand the power of truly targeted messaging in their Marketing Communications?  We’ve heard it all before – ‘I understand my target – Gen X (or whatever broad segment it might be).  I’m running ads on _______ (you fill in the blank).’  Yeah, they really have it down – just spend, spend, spend – spend on ads on all the popular TV shows or websites.  But running ‘targeted’ ads on the latest TV show, magazine, web portal, etc. is only the beginning.  How many Marketers have an active dialogue with their customers and actually know what they are passionate about and furthermore communicate that understanding in their messaging?

I think there is a more effective way of targeting that gets more results in the long run.  Consider this idea – once you understand the segment that you are wanting to speak to, find ways to align your brand naturally into the lifestyle of that segment.  Or how about create something of value for them that is uniquely yours to give.  Find ways to give them something that only you provide and turn them into customers that actually respect you for it.  One of the best targeted promotions I’ve seen recently is Chili’s MySpace Secret Shows promotion.  Instead of just running banner ads on MySpace, they have an entire promotional concept running in the community that is all about supporting music and emerging bands.  If you join the community on MySpace, you get invited to ‘Secret Shows’ in major cities that are not promoted any other way.  How cool is that???  I’ll tell you how cool it is – the Secret Shows profile has over 431,000 members on it as of April 12, 2007!  People camp out the night before the shows to make sure they are able to get in.  And it’s all provided by Chili’s.  Now, I admit, I’m a music fanatic and it has always been a big part of my life, so this really got me excited.  But I’m clearly not the only one.  I’ve always been a big believer in events as a way to align a brand with consumers, but the way this has been packaged is brilliant!  They didn’t just sponsor a handful of concerts and get some branding.  They created an entire targeted community that is passionate about what they are doing, and by the way, they still get all the branding at the event just like they would have with traditional sponsorships.

Bottom line – Chili’s got inside the heads of a targeted segment of customers.  You can to, and you should.  Get to know the segments that make up your customer base.  Really get to know them.  Bring value.  Encourage dialogue.  Become a part of the conversation.  And most of all – do it in a way that is totally transparent and genuine.  Your customers will notice and respect you for it.

Social Media Strategy

Missing the MySpace boat?

by Brandon on Jan 26, 2007 • No Comments

I’ve blogged about the opportunities on MySpace before, but the other day I was looking to see if I could find the World of Coca-Cola here in Atlanta on MySpace.  What I found was Pandora’s box – a box filled with missed opportunities for Coca-Cola.  Not only did I NOT find the World of Coca-Cola, what I did find was unbelievable.

Just for one second, go and check out www.MySpace.com/cocacola.  Or how about www.MySpace.com/coke.

Yeah – unbelievable!!!  Two American teenagers were first to the punch and got them.  Wow!  But it gets better.  Do a search on Coca Cola, Coca-Cola, etc. and you won’t believe how many profiles are on the site that presumably have nothing whatsoever to do with the brand.  It really blew my mind!

Remember back in the 90s when everyone was snatching up URLs for their companies?  And the lucky ones got the .com for their company before someone got it first and charged them out the wazoo to buy it at a ridiculous price.  But what about the MySpace URLs?  Small businesses have been taking advantage of this incredible resource for years now, but why not the big guys?  Just last night I walked down to the local pizza joint in my neighborhood and handwritten on a paper plate was their MySpace URL – www.MySpace.com/villagepizza.  Granted they are just starting out and don’t have much on the page, but man – they got it!  They understand that most (if not all) of their customers have MySpace accounts.

So back to my boat analogy – perhaps the decision makers at the big companies think of MySpace as a ‘kids site’, or let’s say a Disney Cruise.  But in reality, it’s probably a mix of a Disney Cruise and a Carnival Cruise.  Either way, people are having fun with it and the big guys are missing out.  The ‘All Aboard’ was sounded long ago.  Are you on board?

Social Media Strategy

Help them help themselves

by Brandon on Nov 9, 2006 • No Comments

I was reading an article the other day on the debt that our youth (college students in particular) are growing up with, and it made me think about the fact that youth today expect more out of life than previous generations.  They have grown up with a sense of entitlement, and this has translated into huge amounts of debt for the average college student.  That got me thinking about how important it is to not only make things easy for customers, but also to provide added value in the experience itself.

More and more, the niceties of a user’s experience are now expected, so we must continue to reinvent and reinvest in order to keep our customers coming back.  Resting on our laurels is not an option, and customers will move on as soon as something else perceived as better or cooler comes along.  Anyone who has doubts should revisit the Friendster and MySpace phenomenon.  MySpace built a better mouse trap and blew past the established market leader with lightning speed.  But, I digress.

The key is to stay out in front and consistently provide more and better services without getting behind the competition.  Once you are playing defense, it’s harder to climb back on top.  Part of this requires some dedication to good old fashioned Research and Development.  There is no question that research is one of a Marketer’s most valuable resources, so it should be kept top-of-mind when decisions on budget and resource allocation are considered.

Get inside the minds of your target consumers and think of ways to help them help themselves.  Show them that you are thinking about them and they are more likely to respond by being loyal.  The alternative is frightening to say the least.

Social Media Strategy

How many marketers really ‘get’ MySpace?

by Brandon on Sep 29, 2006 • No Comments

It occurs to me that MySpace is still an enigma to most marketers.  Sure, everyone knows that there are a bazillion people in the network, but how many people know how to use it effectively?

Talk about a wide open field – MySpace is perhaps the biggest resource for social anthropology that exists on earth, at least for the youth market, and it’s free to use!  What makes this such a unique treasure trove is that everyone on it freely volunteers a detailed window into their minds.  But how do you capitalize on it?  There’s always the ‘easy’ way with standard advertising, but is this the most cost-effective?  I suspect not.

This morning, I saw a clever use of product placement/ad that was tacked onto the end of a video, which was distributed via a MySpace bulletin.  This particular clip was so well done that it almost seemed like an extension of the video itself!  The product didn’t beat me over the head or make me wait to see the video that I was there to see.  Instead, they made the message so relevant that I was engaged enough to watch it through to the end without losing interest.  How many brands can say that about their interruptive advertising?

There are endless ways to use MySpace to spread the word about your brand, but you have to really work it!  Get creative.  Think about how your target is using the site and get in the game!  You’d be surprised how level the playing field is in this medium.

Social Media Strategy

How many marketers really 'get' MySpace?

by Brandon on Sep 29, 2006 • No Comments

It occurs to me that MySpace is still an enigma to most marketers.  Sure, everyone knows that there are a bazillion people in the network, but how many people know how to use it effectively?

Talk about a wide open field – MySpace is perhaps the biggest resource for social anthropology that exists on earth, at least for the youth market, and it’s free to use!  What makes this such a unique treasure trove is that everyone on it freely volunteers a detailed window into their minds.  But how do you capitalize on it?  There’s always the ‘easy’ way with standard advertising, but is this the most cost-effective?  I suspect not.

This morning, I saw a clever use of product placement/ad that was tacked onto the end of a video, which was distributed via a MySpace bulletin.  This particular clip was so well done that it almost seemed like an extension of the video itself!  The product didn’t beat me over the head or make me wait to see the video that I was there to see.  Instead, they made the message so relevant that I was engaged enough to watch it through to the end without losing interest.  How many brands can say that about their interruptive advertising?

There are endless ways to use MySpace to spread the word about your brand, but you have to really work it!  Get creative.  Think about how your target is using the site and get in the game!  You’d be surprised how level the playing field is in this medium.

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