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MW3: The Largest Entertainment Release in History

Each year, just as the Oscar-worthy movies begin to populate the theatres, an even bigger entertainment phenomenon surfaces, the latest installment of the video game juggernaut, Call of Duty. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hit stores this week and our friends at GameStop saw lines around the block all across North America. Check out the GameStop photo gallery HERE and the promo video HERE .

Interesting Stats We Came Across

In light of Groupon’s recent IPO we found some stats about their business thanks to Statspotting:

• Cost of acquiring each subscriber: $5.
• Avg. Number of Groupons sold per subscriber: .32.
• Avg. Revenue per subscriber: $3.45.
• Non-marketing costs per subscriber in a quarter: $2.21.
• Profit per subscriber per quarter: $1.24.
• # of quarters to earn back acquisition
  cost of subscriber: 4.

Stories We Like

The Great Teach War of 2012

Facebook, Spotify and the Future of Music

The Smartphone Wars are Over

Marketing That Inspires Us

Nature Valley is doing a great job of mapping the world’s hiking trails for us. Imagine hikers with Google-like cameras strapped to their heads. Now eat a granola bar and check this out HERE.

We are paying close attention to the adoption of RFID. RFID is radio frequency identification, which is basically a chip embedded into products that can be tracked or that can activate an engagement. RFID is not new; a 2004 Wired article detailed the positives and negatives of RFID, but we’re just now starting to see RFID enter the mainstream. If you click on the links below, you’ll see some examples of businesses using RFID to enable people to “Like” or “Check-In” and share their experiences instantly on Facebook. We’ve only scratched the surface, some predict that someday we’ll have RFID chips implanted in our bodies (Sorry to go all Sci-Fi on you, but at least we would never lose our kids at the mall!).

Great Wolf Water Park

Ushuaia Hotel in Ibiza

Coke

Renault at the Auto Show

I was so excited when Groupon started. All of a sudden I was trying new things, getting great discounts to places I already loved, and buying my wife massages and museum memberships. But competition crept in and now my inbox is full of Daily Deal emails and the offerings arenÂ’t as appealing as they used to be. Meanwhile, for me, the check-in is slowly going the way of the MySpace friend. But a prediction I made earlier in the year is starting to come true. The two are beginning to merge fueled by American Express’ new Link, Like, Love merchant offering through Facebook and Foursquare’s partnership with Groupon.  It’s all about value. If you can incentivize the check-in and provide the shop owner with an uptick in sales and loyalty from their customers, then this really starts to become a game changer.

The big topic in our world is Google+. What is it? Is it a Facebook killer? Should I be on it? Here are our quick thoughts.  We like it. We’re all testing it at Fanscape and keeping an eye on how it will evolve. Right now there are two glaring questions that cause us to pause before we recommend:

1. Will people add another online destination to their daily rituals? Every day most people check emails and Facebook. There are plenty of those that do other things, but as a whole, will we add it to our daily “must do” list?  That said, if one company can make us do this, it’s Google. With the obvious extensions to search, Gmail, YouTube, and their other properties, Google has more online reach than any other company in the world.
2. What will the brand experience look like? Brand pages have not officially debuted, so we don’t know exactly what the experience will be like. We can get a taste from Ford, but we’re still a few weeks away from the official rollout.  Meanwhile we’re reserving brand pages for our clients and we’ll see what’s possible once the brand strategy goes live.

There are some great posts that explain Google+ in detail here, here and here.

Questions, questions!

“Is the new Google+1 button a success?”

We don’t know yet. But we do know that it recently surpassed the tweet button in about a month since its release. That’s an impressive, and somewhat unexpected, outcome. However, the other new social products, or “projects” as Google would like to call them, will likely determine the long term success of this new social feature from Google.

“Then, will Google’s newest social media platform, Google+, be the one to change it all and finally bring success to Google’s tireless efforts to become something more than a search engine?”

For anyone to even attempt to answer such question right now, he or she would need access to Google+ to experience it themselves or rely on some of the lucky users who have already experienced it only to give a third person point of view answer to the question. But sure enough, Fanscapers happen to be on top it all, again – we already got access to Google+ and personally tested it all out to give you more of a personalized answer to your question. More specifically, we will discuss here our first impression and user experience with Google+; the probability of its success against Facebook; and what brands need to prepare for.

Get ready, set, go.

Eric Fransen – Senior Manager, Social Media Marketing.

It’s not clear whether Google+ is going to be a true contender to Facebook because the product is currently in very limited beta. At a glance, the interface seems very clean and intuitive, which bodes well for Google. The HTML 5 integration is also a plus, making the user experience seamless and speedy. I think the implementation of Circles from the get-go puts them ahead of Facebook lists, as that feature was added too late for people to be expected to go back and organize thousands of contacts.

I’m not banking on brands having a big presence on Google+ yet. Perhaps once the adoption rate is higher it could make more sense, but right now as a pure broadcasting and conversational tool, it does not offer anything above and beyond.

Something I’d like to see with their product is for a company to set up circles for audience segments, and people could opt in to specific buckets of messaging (e.g. FPS, Sports, Puzzle for types of gaming). This could be a powerful tool that would certainly make it more relevant to brands.

So the Circles feature has great potential – curious to see how it develops.

Allie Wester – Manager, Social Media Marketing

I am loving Google+ thus far! I especially love the Android app – it’s gorgeous.  Google+ was a pleasant surprise. I was excited for it, but wasn’t expecting much after the letdown of Buzz. Google+ turned out to be great and I can’t wait to see what else they do with it.

Google+ is a worthy opponent to Facebook and I think the competition is a good thing for both Google+ and Facebook to continue to innovate. Facebook has the upper hand when it comes to user base, but Google has so many existing platforms that people use day in and day out – Blogger, Gmail, Maps, etc. Building a social layer on top of all of that makes total sense. I’m anxious to see how the Google+ vs. Facebook battle pans out. Only time will tell!

Being that Google+ is a completely new platform, brands need to be adventurous and willing to test out what works and what doesn’t work at first. If a brand is very conservative and plays it safe – then Google+ isn’t the place for them yet.

Mike Fein – Director, Research and Analytics

Google + adds another layer of connection between Social Media engagement and SEO.  Google has placed increasing weight on a strong social presence in calculating their search results.  Any brand that is serious about social media, SEO, or SEM should consider how to best use Google +.  Brands also need to be flexible on a tactical level as it is still unknown how consumers will use Google +.

Christy Wise – Social Media Strategist

My first impression of Google + is that it is easy to use and has captured the basic necessities of a social network. Google has found a solution to Facebook’s biggest problem – which is not being able to effectively separate your network into segments of people, which is how most operate in real life. The ability to create circles using Google+ taps into many users’ desire to cater their individual messaging to a group of their choice. I don’t necessarily want my coworkers to see the same messages as my friends or my family. This will also prove great for brands that may have multiple segments within their target audience that they want to cater messages to. Google pages for brands is said to be on its way.

I think Google is a worthy opponent, but I am doubtful it will overtake Facebook any time soon. Many people still do not see Google as anything more than a search engine or a collection of functional, handy tools and applications. Getting people to see it as a true social environment is going to be a challenge.  Also the inability to use Google+ with Facebook is a problem. Though there are solutions around this block, the average user may not recognize them. And if their friends aren’t using it, they won’t either.

To prepare for possible new dominant social network platforms, Fanscape is first doing our research. We are closely monitoring property launches, listening to the buzz surrounding them, and staying on top of news about new changes or updates to existing properties that may be a benefit or hindrance to our clients. Once that information is compiled and collected and we feel we have the best possible working knowledge of a new property or change to an existing one, we will begin implementing this property into our strategic recommendations. As for Google +, we are still waiting for an ETA on when brand pages will launch and in the mean time we are all getting familiar with the product and listening to what others are saying about it before we make the recommendations to our clients to move forward with using it.

According to some of Fanscape’s brightest minds in social media marketing, although everything is still very unclear, Google+ seems to have taken its first step right.

While we are asking brands to remain flexible for possible major changes in their social media marketing strategy, with all of its potentials still up in the air, we are keeping our close eye on Google+ waiting for the perfect moment to integrate it into our marketing mix to create the best possible social synergy for our clients.

I just wrote a quick thought down and gave it to The Marketing Arm agency’s Share Blog.  Check out their blog HERE and I’ve pasted it in below as well…

Larry Weintraub CEO, Fanscape

Q: You blogged recently about the importance of answering the “Why do I care?” question when developing social media campaigns. What are some examples of brands doing a good job of providing their customers with something of value?

A: There is a mad rush right now to get more people to “Like” you on Facebook. Success is being measured as how many fans you have and not necessarily on how much those fans are actually engaging with your brand. There are plenty of ways to get people to “Like” you. You can give them free stuff like Starbucks did originally with their ice cream and like Einstein’s Bagels did with a morning bagel and cream cheese. You can use other platforms to drive “Likes” like Bing did by giving people Farmville cash when they “Liked” Microsoft’s Bing Facebook page. And then there are a host of underground spam merchants that will guarantee you “Likes” for pennies a piece. But getting fans is only part of the strategy, keeping them there is much more important. And challenging!

So what should you do? Simply put yourself in the shoes of the consumer. What would you want to see? What would make you come back again after you got your free stuff or were drawn there by a promotion or piece of exclusive content?

There is a lot of noise out there. The typical person only “Likes” a handful of brands. They have so much going on in their lives and they are engaging with their friends multiple times of day on Facebook, so if you are a brand, you really need to stand out. Some of the brands that are doing a great job with this:

Skittles – For Skittles, it’s all about weird content. Turns out there are about 18 Million who like to watch and interact with like-minded weirdos.

Starbucks – Yes, they are the leaders in social media, but why is that? Because they listen to their customers. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said that last year’s growth was largely due to the fact that they actually listened to their customers and that social media was a huge part of that.

GameStop – A year ago they didn’t have a Facebook page. Now they have 2.5 Million fans and one of the most active Facebook pages of any retailer. Why? Because they have video game fanatics running their social media properties. If you want to see game trailers first, reminisce about games of yore, or get to meet the people that make the biggest games, then you visit every day.

Mountain Dew – Dew drinkers love to live on the edge. They are young passionate action sports fans. Once a year Mountain Dew introduces a new flavor and when they do, they turn to their Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube fans to help them create every element from choosing the flavor to actually making the television commercials. There are few brands that give this kind of power to their fans.

Now step back. What are your favorite products? Why would you follow them on Facebook or Twitter? What could that bar of soap, that denim jean manufacturer, that potato chip maker do for you that would make you come back over and over?

That’s where you start.

Yesterday we wrote about brands starting to engage in random acts of kindness with their customers through social media.

Allie Wester

I asked our staff if they had any thoughts on the matter or if they’d seen some great examples and I got some wonderful responses…

“I LOVE the Pretzel Crisps idea and I expect to see brands do more of this in the future. It’s a smart way to get new customers and reward loyal ones, and of course it has a great pass-along factor to it, too. A lot of brands regularly give out free product as an apology for a bad experience posted on Facebook or Twitter. On the flip side, I would love it if one of the brands I’m loyal to — say, Essie nail polish — sent me a bottle as a “thank you” for tweeting positive things about their polish. It would guarantee my brand evangelism for life, and I’d be sure to tell everyone about it!”

- Allie Wester, Social Media Manager

——————————————-

“Two great examples come to mind…

1. KLM recently did a campaign called “KLM Surprises”. I LOVE this campaign. They basically cyber stalked people who were checking-in at the airport or tweeting about being at the airport for a KLM flight and then surprised them with a little present for their trip right at the gate. These presents were all personalized based on their twitter profiles, check-in comments, etc. and were not even KLM branded. It at first sounds a bit creepy and it’s a bit hard to explain, but they created a great video so I would recommend watching that since it does a great job summing it up. You can watch it here: http://surprise.klm.com/

2. Edge Shaving Gel also did a cool one where they surprised people who tweeted about something that irritated them with a solution. This was all a part of their “anti-irritation” campaign. For example, one man tweeted how irritated he was to be out of cereal and he was surprised with a box of cereal at his front door. Another woman tweeted that the voices in her head were speaking in Spanish — Edge responded with the gift of a Spanish/English dictionary. Here is the link to the Mashable article which gives some good insight on results: http://mashable.com/2011/01/18/edge-soirritating/ ”

- Kate Rafferty, Business Development

——————————————-

“MARS is doing great stuff with their brands. Saw these two…

1. Mars Canada – Random Acts of Chocolate: http://www.facebook.com/marsacts

2. Skittles – Mob the Rainbow: for valentine’s day they surprised a Meter Maid with valentine cards http://bit.ly/iy5Fmp”

- Lisa Warnock, Business Development

——————————————-

“Beyond even calling it “Random Acts of Kindness” – I see this as actually a new form of monitoring. Brands are now going beyond those who follow them/like them to find people simply talking about something relevant and reaching out. I imagine that they are taking a look at who has the most influence before deciding who to reward and who not to reward.

I think this new monitoring trend will become even bigger this year. The mobile extension of this monitoring trend is also forthcoming. Soon, when I check into my Pilates Studio, a brand will reach out to me with a coupon for a smoothie, workout gear, health food, spa treatments, etc. It won’t be just about your location – it will be about your lifestyle.

Check this out: http://adage.com/article/news/kraft-s-jell-o-plans-twitter-mood-monitor/227439/”

- Christy Wise, Social Strategy

There has been an increasing trend in social media marketing – brands monitoring conversations on social media platforms and then surprising consumers with unexpected gifts.  Trendwatching.com recently referred to the trend as “Random Acts of Kindness (R.A.K.)” and called it one of the 11 “Crucial Consumer Trends for 2011.”  It’s no surprise then that brands have jumped on the strategy and many are now seeing successful returns on their investments.   For example, since July 2010, Pretzel Crisps has not only been monitoring and responding to conversations on Twitter, but also taking action and either sending the consumers “in need of a snack” samples or physically delivering the product to their doors.   Pretzel Crisps is also counting on these consumers to then use their own social networks to tell their friends and followers about the “gifts” they receive, thus spreading the company’s goodwill to an even larger audience.  The strategy has earned the brand more than 4.2 million earned media impressions and led to a dollar sales increase since the campaign began.   Read about some other examples of “Random Acts of Kindness” HERE.

Stats
What makes “Random Acts of Kindness” a viable social media strategy?  For starters, consumers are currently disclosing a vast amount of personal information on public forums: about their daily lives, their moods or their whereabouts (whether on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, GetGlue or any other number of social apps).  Secondly, consumers are interacting with brands more and more and they are expecting brands to interact with them in a way that’s rewarding to them.   Last, but not least, brands are increasing the amount of time and resources on monitoring the social web.  Put it all together and you have the makings of a win-win program.

Scott Biggers

When I was at SXSW, I got to share the experience with some great people. My friend Scott Biggers sent me his recap and I asked him if I could share it here. To which he said, “of course!” So here goes…

My impressions of 2011 SXSW.

• Overwhelming. The conference feels too big. Too many locations, SRO sessions, and escalator jams. Too many people, hipster hats and iPads, as well. Aside: When I sat next to some iPad toting developer in a session, he glanced at me with my primitive notebook and phone and said, with a mix of reassurance and condescension, “That’s OK. I’ve got an iPhone, too.”
• The impressive writeups of the sessions rarely matched the sessions themselves.
• Presentations are more informative than panel discussions. Panel discussions are more entertaining than presentations.
• Love the serendipitous meetings and networking opportunities. (Especially when you’re hanging with someone like Larry.)
• Overuse of the mysterious “social graph” term.

Top three quotes

1. “Geospatial reasoning” – Even though the context was the geo-location game session, my geek buzzword siren went off.
2. “Ceding control to the peeps” – Bob Garfield, half-jokingly getting hip
3. “Thinking in real time” – Classic.

My ten favorite observations from the sessions:

1. Check in is a brick and mortar “like” button
2. TV used to be the definition of being at home. Only way it could grow was to escape from the home.
3. Social TV simply mirrors the allure of watching TV together. (Remember the laugh track?)
4. Number of followers and likes in social media is not a good measurement of engagement.
5. Nor is giving a thumbs up or making a comment; that’s not engagement
6. Agencies are afraid of non-fiction for the brands they represent. They’re used to putting Vaseline on the lens.
7. 40 year old mom is the hardcore gamer for Zynga
8. Augmented Reality leads us to the Outernet, where the phone becomes your mouse and everything is clickable. (The Internet of Things)
9. Customers are more interested in talking to your employees than to your brand.
10. Innovation is driven by desires. It used to be driven by companies – but now is driven by consumers. Mobile TV has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with people

To elaborate on that final point:
Amid the promises, explorations, and celebrations of the latest technology at SXSW, there was a constant reminder of humanity. As in technology and innovation only work when they provide a utility and serve the needs of people. Also, that people love stories – and they love to be part of stories.

A few weeks back I shared a note about LivingSocial’s Amazon deal.  My intention was less about sharing a great deal, and more about demonstrating the volume of redemption taking place in this new social commerce space.  Yesterday LivingSocial went global.  In a great way.  Their offer (which has been extended for a two day period vs the normal 24 hours) is a 100% match of your $5 donation to the Red Cross on behalf of the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.  As of the time I’m writing this, LivingSocial members have given nearly $900,000 and with the matching contribution, they are on their way to $2 Million.  One of the best deals yet!