Social Media's power

Recent post by Jason B. who just started working with us:

I just started with MINDWISE this week, and while I have had some previous exposure to nontraditional, and social media marketing I have learned much more about the industry in general since I began working here.  It fascinates me how much marketing power there is on the internet.  By now, most people are convinced that they can use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the internet in general to effectively market their business, but it seems businesses have not quite figured out how to harness that power.  Some have had successful internet and social marketing campaigns, but I don’t believe that anyone has been able to grasp the full power of social media marketing.

It seems the real power on the web lies in the hands of those who don’t care to use it for commercial purposes.  Social media has grown extraordinarily fast, not because people want to be able to connect to businesses and marketers, but because they want to connect to friends and family, and be entertained.  This can horribly bad news for businesses, or a fantastic way for them to get positive worldwide exposure, depending on the side you end up on. 

Recently a few Domino’s employees posted a video on YouTube of one of them sneezing on a sandwich, sticking food up his nose before it was sold, and a number of other dirty deeds back in the kitchen. (more)  Though the video cost nearly nothing to make, it had a bigger impact on the minds of consumers and the general public than many of the expensive campaign that are being ran on the web by big businesses.  It was simply entertaining and interesting enough for everyone to pass on.

Now Domino’s is trying to combat the effects of that video by posting a YouTube video of Domino’s USA President telling us all about what they’re going to do to remedy the problem.  But somehow that video doesn’t have the same viral affect.  I just can’t picture many high school or college students would pass around the video of a CEO reading a scripted apology.  But that video of the kids screwing around in the kitchen?  Sure it’s gross, but I would be a lot more likely to pass that on to friends.  It’s entertaining.

Ford is now running a promotion that is trying to take advantage of any and all social media platforms. (more) They chose “agents,” that had a significant presence in the social media arena and gave them new Ford Fiestas to drive around in.  They essentially are letting the agents do what they do best: have fun and tell all of their friends and internet followers about it.  Videos will be uploaded onto YouTube, they will be blogging about their adventures, and sending Twitter updates like they normally do, getting great exposure for the new cars.

Ford is definitely taking the right approach on this one.  They are not trying to control the social media beast but they are feeding it and trying to point it in the direction that best suits them.  They are getting a number of influential people on their side and watching to see how it all plays out.  They don’t know enough to do more than that right now; nobody really does.  This will be a fantastic learning experience for them, and for anyone who cares to watch- take notes.

Jason B.

MINDWISE

Who says this is Guerrilla Marketing?

I just read an article in AAAA Smartbrief (an Adweek article) with the headline of: T.J. Maxx, Marshalls team up for TV, guerilla effort

So as we specialize in Guerrilla Marketing, I naturally gave it a read. After chuckling at the classification of Guerrilla Marketing, I thought I'd offer my 2 cents.  Although I agree the platform and message are creative, labeling this as "Guerrilla Marketing" seems a little too far fetched. Let's call this what it is: Outdoor. (Out of Home even) It seems with all the buzz about Guerrilla Marketing, many brands, agencies and others want to jump in the sandbox and start playing...although they don't really know the rules.

Here's a few suggestions on what we would have done: What if they had this same group of women "intervene" with real shoppers on the streets of these large cities, with Marshalls and T.J. Maxx shopping bags...directing shoppers to stores with promotions, coupons and special offers. And how about static displays of these same women- only this time as mannequins, in public areas sporting the shopping bags and directional messaging...and what about teaming up with non-competing businesses to lease their window displays (live mannequins?) all promoting the "intervene" theme...now THAT would be Guerrilla Marketing.

read the article here.