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Social media dangerous for the younger generation?

Tonight I attended a social media forum for a volunteer organization I’m involved with (I know, you’re thinking – “Why would a social media expert like myself go to a social media forum?” – because you can always learn more…write that down). Anyway, at the forum, one of the ladies asked a question about how she had read that social media was hurting children because they weren’t learning how to speak to people face-to-face.

Ok, I see her point – barely, however, I believe that this same thing was said about TV, the telephone, cell phones, the internet...I could go on and on. I understand that this creates a new problem for parents. Not only do they have to monitor their children’s cell phones and internet activity, they now have to monitor social media posts and interactions.

But I disagree. I think that social media may actually be a great way for ‘tweens (read: ages 10 to 12) to engage in conversation with others, learn more about the world and other cultures, and overall, learn how to interact with their peers. For instance, one of the main rules of social media is to be interested as well as be interesting. That means that to engage with others, they must be interested in what the other is saying, or ask questions about that person.

Another point is that social media allows ‘tweens to see people’s personalities instead of just their looks. Ultimately it gives them a real idea of what a real person is, the individual personalities, and not just what a person wears.

Parents should embrace the capabilities of social media (just as they did with the internet, the cell phone, etc.) and find a way to teach their child how to be careful with social media, but also use it for the benefits and learning opportunities it can create.

Social media brings us a way to break out of our shells and learn how to interact with others gradually instead of throwing a shy, socially-awkward teenager into a crowded room of people. Honestly I think that social media may help more ‘tweens learn how to become self confident and sure of themselves.

What do you think? Is social media something that should be blocked from the younger generation? Or embraced?

World AIDS Day 2009: One Color Unites Us

In honor of World AIDS Day (December 1), I wanted to commend (RED) for their great branding strategies and ability to engage with the public through social media, advertising, and, most importantly, brand partnerships.

As most of you know, (RED) has combined forces with retail giants Starbucks, Dell and Gap (to name a few - see a complete list here) to create more awareness of AIDS/HIV in Africa (and consequently, it has spread to help those throughout the world). (RED) recently announced their newest partnership with shoe retailer extraordinnaire, Nike.

As most Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising students can tell you, the first thing they learn is that cause branding is a huge way to make an impact, as well as give your company the attention they need - without throwing advertisements in consumer's faces.

Today, on World AIDS Day, many different companies are working with (RED) to make sure we, the public, know about this day of knowledge and protection.

On Twitter posts, you can put the terms "#red" or "#laceupsavelives" and your tweets will show up in the color red.

On Facebook, the (RED) site gives fans a list of things they can each do to show their support and to help fight AIDS, such as purchasing Nike's red laces, posting a video on the Lazarus Effect (below) or change your profile picture to something red (they have a few choices).

Starbucks is offering 5 cents for every beverage made and purchased; Gap is offering 1 percent of all its revenues from US and Canada; and Dell is doubling its contributions until Dec. 2.

Not only does this increase sales for these (RED) partners, but it shows they are willing to give back and gives each a good name (at least for one day). And, I bet, the next time you are out shopping, and notice the (RED) logo, you'll think twice about purchasing something else.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon's failed attempt at advertising

I was reading AdAge, as I typically do, and came across an article on The Twilight Saga: New Moon and the advertising efforts they were engaging in. One particular ad caught my eye and made me think, “That’s a really bad and annoying idea.”

New Moon has partnered with MySpace to post its full page ad that literally takes over a person’s homepage. Not only that, but, pictures of the characters from the movie will appear in the corner of every page. Talk about intrusive – have the advertisers heard of “pop-ups”? Because this ad is looking scarily close to an enormous pop-up. And what do we do to pop-ups? Block them. Why? Because no one cares about them and, frankly, are annoyed at having to click the X in the corner of the pop-up to make it go away while trying to access the internet page they were after in the first place.

Another thing the ad agency should have thought of – its social medium. MySpace? Really? I’ve heard it referred to as the “white trash version of Facebook.” Does anyone even use it anymore? My theory here is that the advertisers approached Facebook about doing this ad on the site and Facebook (quite rightly) said no. So then they went to MySpace (which I understand is trying to reinvent itself as an entertainment-centric social platform - good luck).

Now, they did do one thing right with the ad, and that was to offer a free soundtrack remix through Apple’s iTunes if a consumer buys a movie ticket online. That’s great interaction with a customer and definitely makes the idea of buying a movie ticket online a better alternative to buying in the theater. The only thing they should have thought of was not putting it with one large pop-up on a dead social site.

This ad had the beginnings of a good idea. If the company had put more interactive links on the ad (such as links to character blogs, Twitter feeds – which, come to think of it, I don’t think they even have) and placed it in a better spot, or even its own site, consumers might have been more excited at seeing a large ad pop-up. Perhaps the agency should have looked at another vampire-esque show (True Blood) and taken note of their amazing ad campaign.

Overall, I rate this as a complete fail by an agency to promote, what should be, the easiest movie to promote in years.

Social TV

I've written about social media's impact on television before (check out my postings on Talent Zoo's Beyond Madison Avenue) and now more and more people and news outlets are recognizing the significance that social media is having on everything; not just friends updating friends.

I'm sure you've seen the commercial for Sharetv.com, where you can interact with people online and share your opinions and ideas, etc., about television shows and programs. Studios are taking notice and have invented what they call 'social tv.'

Essentially what this means is that people no longer just want to watch tv, they now want to interact with others who are interested in the same genres (much like traditional clubs and networking organizations).

AdAge wrote an article today on 'social tv' and the benefits its giving to programs. As I'm sure you are aware, watching a tv program in "...the old school fashion..." (i.e. at the time it actually airs and with commercials) is not a common practice anymore. With social media, producers are able to track who is talking, texting, tweeting and facebooking about their show and then use that information to attract sponsors. Many programs, such as Tosh.O on Comedy Central, have incorporated social media into their programs (Daniel Tosh does a regular segment where he answers tweets he receives).

Borrowing a quote from the AdAge article, David Dickman, senior VP-digital media, Warner Bros. Digital said, "Extending the customer base to online is going to broaden your demographic push. The digital aspect is going to broaden out that base and just bring more people into the fold."

Mr. Dickman, you are correct. The face of how we connect with customers, clients and partners is changing and companies are rushing to catch it. Expect a few mistakes, but a ton of successes. It will be interesting to see how social media goes hand-in-hand with, well, just about everything media related. Perhaps we'll see discount coupons through Twitter, contests through Facebook and even a scavenger hunt that ties all social mediums together (imagine how fast that would bring in an audience!).

Southern Comfort targets men with online social sports series

A few weeks ago I wrote about Ashton Kutcher and his Facebook series, as well as the newest trend - Twitter series. It seems that companies are really changing their advertising tactics and heading to the internet instead of the TV.

Southern Comfort is just one of the many who is targeting consumers through online social mediums. They have asked the Break Creative Lab to create an 8 episode web series aimed at men and the holiday season parties, called Social Sportz Net.

The episodes offer tips on party planning and the format is similar to Sportscenter. The ad company can add this to their growing portfolio of 25 other online series. VP Jonathan Small says the key to these series is humor.

“Humor is the universal language of the Break audience. So what works are videos that look like Break,” Small said. “You can’t be too heavy handed. It helps to have a client who is aware of this.”

Lena DerOhannessian, Southern Comfort’s U.S. brand marketing director, said, “This is about showcasing the brand in real situations.”

A night in my life - Halloween

My mom, being the smart lady she is, mentioned something to me on Halloween about my costume. Although she didn’t agree with what I was wearing (she’d rather I went as a hot dog as I have done the previous two years) she told me I should write about my adventures in my costume and post it on my blog. Since I haven’t shared much creative writing with you, my fellow bloggers, I figured mom was right, and I would let you know about my two nights as…well, let me see if I can paint this picture for you.

A group of five of us dressed up and refused to leave each other’s sides all night. We wore long trench coats, fedoras and sunglasses. Underneath our trench coats? Well, we wore boxers and white undershirts. Get it yet? We were flashers…kind of.

The Friday before Halloween, we dressed up to go to the Star’s hockey game. I went to my friends house to get ready and after putting on our attire, getting me to leave the apartment was when it really hit me – my goodness, I’m going out in my undies.

For the next two nights, I was no longer Megan, I was an anonymous flasher, sneaking through crowds of people to unknowing prey. Ok, it wasn’t exactly like that. Actually, people kept asking if we were spys or a part of the Blues Brothers and no one really seemed too surprised when we “flashed” them, although they did tend to laugh.

And sneaking through crowds? Well, Halloween is a busy night, and you can’t even move to get a drink in a timely manner in a bar, forget blending in to the shadows.

Overall, the hype of being a flasher completely outweighed the actual being of a flasher. Perhaps I should try to be a flasher when it is not Halloween and I’ll get a better response…

What consumers want - the change of the face of consumer expectations

Social media has changed a lot about what companies are doing and what consumers now expect in terms of customer service. If a company angers someone, you better believe they’ll blog about it or share that information with a whole bunch of others through any social mediums, including Ratemycompany.com, Jobvent.com, and even Facebook.

Every consumer now has a voice, and doesn’t need to be a multimillionaire to share it with the rest of us. Consumer’s expectations:

1. Hands on abilities and control of what they get (services, items, etc.)


2. A person behind the brand or company


3. A recommendation from people


4. Option to speak with someone directly and, most importantly, quickly


5. Easy search capabilities


6. A good value

This is what social media is all about, creating brand advocates, and companies are scrambling to make it possible. Take a look at an article that AdAge did on EBay and how its reformatting to fit its consumers needs.

Microsoft's ease of use campaign

Typically, little kids mostly annoy me, especially in certain commercials (Welch's grape juice anyone?), but in this commercial, developed by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Kylie is an absolutely adorable little girl - and the campaign has been getting great media attention.

Kylie is a 4 year old little girl who takes the audience through Windows Live Photogallery and demonstrates how easy it is to put together a presentation with pictures, music (my favorite) and quotes she's found on Microsoft, which she dubbs "nice words."

Why does this work? Tugging on heart strings isn't always the best idea, but this commercial hits it right on the nose. First, it engages the audience with probably one of the cutest little girls ever, and modest too! Then, as only little kids can, she shows you precisely what she is going to do, what pictures she is going to send, adds some funny music for a 4 year old, and closes the deal with the mandatory Microsoft line - "I'm a PC and I'm 4 1/2." There's not many commercials you feel you need to watch, but when a 4 year old comes onscreen to show you something, the audience automatically goes into parent mode, and watches patiently.

Cute is not always the best way to go in marketing campaigns, but CPB has executed the commericals perfectly. Cute apparently works as a marketing campaign for Microsoft and the next ones should only get better.

Chic-fil-a: A Chicken above beef patties

Chic-fil-a not only has one of the best advertising campaigns, but its business model and way of conducting business is perhaps one of the best ever seen, and not just in fast food franchises.

I've mentioned it before, and I'll continue to tell you, but, my mentor Griffin Farley says, "Don’t plan for the ones you reach, plan for the ones they reach." Chic-fil-a has built a great brand for themselves through their mascots, the cows, but they didn't stop there.

You'll understand what I am talking about if you've ever been to the drive-through at Chic-fil-a during lunch time on a Tuesday. The line literally reaches the road and looks like it could take at least 30 minutes to get through. But don't fret! Chic-fil-a has hired a great bunch of people (respectful, helpful, and very efficient) to stand outside and take your order so that when you reach the drive-through window, your order is ready and all you need is to pay.

Many fast food enterprises should take note (McDonalds, anyone?). You can produce the best advertising campaigns and contests to entice people to purchase your products, but if the customers who are purchasing from you are not happy with your service, our social mediums give them the opportunity to speak their minds - to millions.

Brand advocates are priceless and Chic-fil-a has realized that - and have not stopped producing the best service even once they reached the top.

So, hats off to you Chic-fil-a, for understanding what the people want (chicken!) and giving us the best service while doing so.

One commercial to throw your glass at

First, let me start by saying, I'm not a feminist, simply a realist, and the one commercial (or commercials) that I CANNOT stand is the Godaddy.com commercials.

The advertisers are targeting the right audience (men) by portraying "pretty" girls as Go Daddy girls, but, other than that, it's a failed attempt at anything other than interesting guys in, wait, I keep forgetting, oh yes, DOMAIN NAMES AND WEB SITES?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't commercials typically need to advertise the product they are selling? It took me two or three commercials before I even found out what Go Daddy sold. And honestly, I'm surprised no one has mentioned these commercials as being as obscene as say, Paris Hilton eating a burger (at least they have the product in the ad)?!

Go Daddy, may I suggest writing and producing a smart commercial? It may get you further than you think.

One awesome commercial to raise your glass to

I like to recognize certain commercials whenever I note that the marketing and advertising department got it right.

Here is one that I absolutely love:

Snapple: Better Stuff (it makes me laugh everytime she says, "We're dating")

Mike's Hard Lemonade Marketing to Wrong Audience

Mike's Hard Lemonade has recently come out with a series of commercials marketing their adult beverage, however, they may be targeting the wrong demographic. Many of their commercials feature men ages 25 to 30 who, judging from the commercials, are manly bachelors trying to decipher how to advertise the drink (my personal favorite is when they bring in a sommelier to evaluate the flavors).

The one thing they failed to look at was what they were selling. Mike's Lemonade primarily sells to women because of the fruity nature of the drink. If they had targeted these commercials towards women aged 25 to 30, I believe they'd have a better chance of increasing sales and consumption.

I understand that perhaps they realize they are missing a large portion of the male population and would like to decrease that gap, but, maybe it's a better idea to focus on the audience who is intersted in your product instead of one that may be almost impossible to entice.

How to keep your spirits up when times are down

Many thanks goes out to EVP of Talent Zoo, Amy Hoover for putting forth some great advice. As most of you know, the economy has not gotten better as so many others tried to say that it was (June was one of the biggest months of people being laid off!), so Ms. Hoover wrote about how the newly (and not so new) unemployed can dust themselves off and attempt to keep spirits up.

1. Review your successes
2. Surround yourself with supporters
3. Recognize help when it appears
4. Try new things
5. Be good to yourself
6. Set small goals so you can feel a sense of accomplishment

"This is the time to be your own best champion," she says. The article is entitled "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough..."

Five Reasons I Love Social Media

I was asked a question today about why I love social media. Honestly, there are so many reasons and it’s hard for me to choose only a few. So I did what any other social media savvy individual would do, and posted the question on Facebook, Twitter and other outlets. Of course, I got the opportunity to pick and choose comments (and it helps that I had written about most of the topics already anyway) but I was able to use social media to explain through social media why I love social media. I think fellow blogger Jenna McWilliams says it perfect when she says, "Social media is not a trend, but a fundamental human urge to communicate," and now we have more ways to do so.

1. 1 800 Customer Care numbers? Consider it a thing of the past. Remember long, long ago when we had to call that 1 800 number and wait on hold for eternity to finally get connected to someone in another country who was so far from executives that we were sure our complaint or problem would never be heard? Social media has changed that. Now companies have to listen to their customers, otherwise, consumers can broadcast their hatred (or love) of the company through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and hundreds of complaint websites, among numerous other sites. It’s no longer a one-way conversation. Some companies have even jumped onto the social media bandwagon (as they should!) and created sites to ask consumers to help create and improve their brand (there are so many, but here are two of the most notable, Starbucks' My Starbucks Idea campaign which prompts consumers to share their ideas directly with the company; and Burger King’s WhopperSacrifice on Facebook, where consumers can trade in 10 of their friends for the love of the Whopper).

2. Networking: It’s not just face-to-face anymore. Look at social media this way – imagine all your customers coming together on a daily basis and talking about topics that pertain to you and your company, thereby spreading even more information about your company and gaining more recognition and consumers. I’m a huge fan of networking and brand advocates and social media gives us several more ways to do it. One of my favorite quotes comes from my mentor and good friend, Griffin Farley of 22squared, “Don’t plan for the ones you reach, plan for the ones they reach.” (Check out more on how brands are building advocates in social media on my post on Talent Zoo media’s blog Beyond Madison Avenue, The Friendship Model, Brandon Murphy of 22squared Gives the Down and Dirty.)

3. Being connected (this was the most popular answer I received after posting this question online). When something happens to ourselves or someone we know, instead of keeping it to ourselves, we share it with others through pictures, comments, Tweets, etc. It’s a new way to get news, support, or advice on anything! Not to mention, the best way to learn is through others, so what better way to educate yourself on advertising and marketing than following someone in that field’s blog, Tweets, etc. Who knows, it could even get you a job (Tweeter Neal Schafer had it happen for him after he started his blog and web site).

4. Creative campaigns. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – If I had a TiVo, all I would record is commercials. I like advertising, but not because I want to learn about products, but because I like the creative ways utilized to showcase a product to consumers. And now with social media, they’re becoming even more creative. Viral videos, Twitter give-aways, Facebook fan pages, etc. I can’t get enough! Old school + new school = awesome, consumer-activity-inducing campaigns.

5. The best thing about social media? It is changing the way we think and is growing exponentially. Not one social media professional is sure where these new mediums will lead us, but I can tell you, it’s exciting to see this conversation connection evolution!

Can I do a plug for myself?

I don't hear anyone saying no, so with that, I'm going to direct you to my latest post on Talent Zoo media's blog Beyond Madison Avenue, You're Not on Twitter Yet?

"It’s out there and everyone’s talking about it. It’s been proven to give companies an edge on competition and the ability to form a bond with customers. So why aren’t you involved in social media yet?..."

Twitter, the mother of all networking sites, is the best way to network with people who share like interests. It's not just for someone to tell everyone what they are doing every second of every minute of every day.

Start networking!

Facebook: The end of an era?

Hillary Rhodes from PC World wrote an interesting article today, saying that perhaps Facebook is past its prime. It's funny that I ran across this today, because I started my freelance social media campaign for Dolphin Blue, Inc. and realized that I was primarily focusing on Twitter. My client even asked me if he needed a personal Facebook page to promote himself (he's a major speaker), but I told him he may not get the mileage he wants out of it. I guess what I meant was, not many people use Facebook to the extent they use the rest of social media, such as the similar, but not as controversial LinkedIn, YouTube, Digg, and the mother of them all, Twitter.

Ms. Rhodes lists the reasons Facebook is losing interest and frankly, I think she's right.

1. Facebook veterans are defecting to Twitter

2. People who actually have lives don't use Facebook

3. In the real world, people often have good reasons for losing touch with old friends

4. Having too many friends takes the edge off Facebook postings (both my parents have Facebook pages now)

5. After that '25 things' note, there's not much left to say

To add to Rhodes' column, it's hard to completely be yourself on the internet. A person has to portray a decent image to everyone since they could be your future employer, someone to recommend you to a job, etc. Now, social media is the thing that connects us all and Facebook doesn't always show us in our best light.

How long until Facebook turns into a "remember when" memory? Not sure, but I feel like it's not too far off.

Evian skating past the competition with new ad

Evian's new roller skating baby ads have established new records. The video has interested more than 14 million viewers to find the video online shooting it to the top of the Viral Video Charts.

Eat Mor Chikin

Not only do I absolutely love Chic-Fil-A chicken nuggets and those awesome waffle fries, but the advertising and marketing campaign developed by the Richards Group is one of the best around.

The campaign features black and white dairy cows persuading burger consumers to "Eat Mor Chikin." The campaign alone has been around since before 2003 and continues to go strong. They have their own football bowl, the Chic-Fil-A Bowl (formerly the Peach Bowl); cow plush toys; cow calendars; the giveaways; and entertaining billboards; to name a few.


Wikipedia notes a particular billboard in Knoxville, Tennessee, where construction has been ongoing for years, along Interstate 40 and featured an orange (instead of white) background with traffic cones and a cow wearing a safety vest. The text on the billboard read, "CHIKIN ZONE NEXT 3000 MILES."


The giveaways are perhaps everyone's favorite (of course!). Frequently, after opening a new store, the chain will give free food to patrons on opening days. Now, Chic-Fil-A is upping its giveaways, planning one for Labor Day and one for tomorrow. Tomorrow's giveaway is the fifth-annual Cow Appreciation Day, where patrons who dress up as a cow receive a free meal. Each restaurant may serve up to 150 "cows" that are the first to arrive and if a patron does not dress as a cow, but has a cow print accessory, the customer may receive an entree.

The good side of being laid off

I’ll be the first to say that being laid off is not easy. It’s hard on your wallet, your ego, and, most importantly, your self-esteem. Although we have the small comfort of knowing that we’re not alone (the unemployment rate is the highest it’s been since the 1980s), it’s still not easy to cope with.

However, there are some good outcomes and opportunities that come with being laid off. Essentially, getting laid off wipes the slate clean and gives you the chance to make the changes you may have been wanting to make, but haven’t had the time, or willpower, to do.

1. Reevaluate your job/career path – You’ll get a chance to look at the career path you have been going on, and realize where you’ve truly wanted to be. Most of my friends do not like their jobs, and being laid off gave me the opportunity to objectively look at my strengths and my passions and find a career that fit with those. I reconnected with my mentor and we were able to decide what I was really meant to do and what I would be happiest doing.
2. Reevaluate your passions – Remember the question, “What would you do if you had a million dollars and didn’t have to work?” Granted, a million dollars won’t give you as much as it would have when you were in elementary school, but it’s a question I’ve always asked myself. Before being laid off, I had no idea what I would do. Now, I know that I love to write. I’ll continue to do that even after I get my dream advertising job.
3. Gives you a step up on others – Most people don’t look at it this way, but, take a close look and notice that you’ll be more resilient after hitting this huge hump. Next time you hit another hump, you’ll be better prepared, both mentally and financially, than those who haven’t been hit with so many unexpected events.
4. Network – I’ve always been a big networker, but having so much extra time on my hands meant that I could go to all the networking events, meet new people and actually spend time listening and learning from the speakers instead of asking myself what I could have been doing at work at that moment. This also meant that I was able to meet people who were able to help me with my career, introduce me to prospective employers and lead me in the right direction.
5. Build upon yourself – Since I was laid off, I’m able to learn more about my writing and ways to improve it, take classes to become a certified personal trainer, and expand my knowledge of my chosen career path (advertising and social media). In other words, now you have a chance to grow your knowledge and make yourself more marketable.
6. Get organized – Remember when you were working 12 to 14 hours a day and could never clean your apartment? Or catch up with all the paperwork and little extras you’ve needed to do? Here’s the perfect opportunity. And when you get that great job, you’ll be able to focus.
   

“Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.” – Bernice Johnson Reagon