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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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.

Social networking has become a valuable platform to showcase cars and provide valuable research tools, and automakers are doing their part to keep you engaged; Ford recently used Facebook to debut its 2011 Explorer. But, if you have no set idea on what kind of car you want or the cost associated, we have some suggestions on where to begin. Edmunds.com should be your first stop. This site has everything from reviews to a finance calculator. Want to know what others have paid for that same car you have your eye on? Visit one of our new favorites, TrueCar. On the go and want to research via your smartphone? Kelley Blue Book has a free mobile app that includes its most popular online tools. Whether you’re looking for a new car or one that’s new to you, keep reading, we have 10 more great resources to help you make the best car-buying decisions.

Online

MotorMouths – Mashable hails this site as the Rotten Tomatoes of car reviews. Simply put, MotorMouths helps you shop smarter for new cars. The site offers an aggregated list of independent analysis and review data. Expert critics from trusted outlets such as AutoBlog, Motor Trend and even Tech Crunch, contributing an unbiased approach to new car information and also provides an overall vehicle review rating.

Autocheck – Looking for a car with a little personality, but no hidden secrets? Autocheck is where you need to be when researching a pre-owned car. Provide a VIN number and a complete list of the vehicle’s history is available to help you make an educated decision to purchase the car or not. The Autocheck service offers much more than its predicessor, CarFax, including unlimited options, Experian-backed data and Autocheck scoring system.

MotherProof – A car blog for women in general, but mothers in particular and written by mom reviewers. MotherProof features reviews of various cars based on the growing demands of the family. Also features the ability to look up which cars would best suit you based on the age of your children – everything from which cars have the best storage, which ones are the most comfortable.

Honk – One of my faves. The creators of Honk understand that buying a car is a pretty big decision for most people and that most like to hear what other real people think about the cars they drive or have driven. Car shopping with a social twist if you will. With a built in community that allows for comments, likes and reviews, Honk helps you find the right car for you based upon what you actually want out of one.

Mobile Apps

Car & Driver’s Buyer’s Guide (iPhone / iPod Touch only) – Based on popular auto magazine, this app features the same resources as its online counterpart, such as search, listings, and advice. It also provides a guide to understanding pricing structures and a My Garage section for users to create and save personalized car search information.  The best part of this app is having all these great resources at your fingertips and on the the go.

Nationwide’s Cartopia (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad) – Now that you know what kinds of car you want, better make sure you have the right insurance. Yes, you can shop for Nationwide auto insurance rates. However, what makes this more than just a branded insurance sales  and marketing tool is it also allows users to compare makes and models based on what is important to them specifically, whether that be safety ratings, gas mileage, color, or the total cost of ownership.

CarTell (iPhone) – This recently launched mobile app goes beyond Blue Book to help consumers find out how much dealers are paying for its used car inventory. Although this app costs $10, it will provide valuable car auction information and prices that will help you negotiate a much better price when at the dealership. The more than 60,000 records (so far) covers all makes, from every day passenger cars to SUVs and minivans.

On Twitter

@MyAutoLoan – The twitter home of MyAutoLoan.com a customer focused service designed to empower consumers with trustworthy and complete information surrounding the researching, financing, buying and driving experience

@StateFarm – A good company to follow on Twitter if you’re a policy holder looking for advice after getting into a fender bender or if you’re looking for information on the  right auto insurance policy for you.

@CarMax – CarMax is the world’s largest pre-owned retailer. The company’s Twitter page offers quick advice, links to customer reviews and from time to time, a contest. Who doesn’t like a contest.

No more are the days of just test driving cars and trusting sales people to get you the best deal. As mentioned at the onset, there are many, many resources that are as close as a few mouse clicks or a tap of your mobile device. It’s all about doing your homework before you even set foot on the showroom floor. Fanscape has given you some of our favorites to check out, what are yours?

• Join the Earth Day Network on Facebook and record your Acts of Green. This green advocacy and action organization is generating year-long engagement and participation through its use of Social Media, starting with Earth Day.

• Save Your Water Calculator. Underwriters Laboratories created this online interactive calculator to help us better understand our water usage and how a few easy tweaks to our daily habits can save water. Living in California we all know that every drop counts, especially during fire season.

• Join Coca-Cola and Ocean Conservancy for Earth Month. Coca-Cola will donate $1 for every person who uses the Facebook app, up to a total of $200,000. It will also contribute up to $50,000 through the MyCokeRewards points program.

• Join Causeworld and donate your karma points to environmental charities. Have an iPhone or iTouch? Download this app and start checking into places you normally visit (ala Foursquare), build your karma points, then donate to the charity or your choice.  Environmental charities include Carbonfund.org and   AmericanForrests.org to name a few.

• Check out Care2.com. Visit this 13+ Million member community and find your own way to make a difference.

About Irene Shin

As Fanscape’s Coordinator, Digital Communications, Shin fully supports the company’s marketing efforts by assisting on the campaigns, developing materials and keeping the department organized.

Shin earned her degree in Psychology & Social Behavior from University of California, Irvine.

From a shoppers standpoint, retailers took the Twitter plunge this year and really stepped up their game. Nordstrom has done a good job with updating their audience as has outdoor shopping center, The Grove in Los Angeles.  Although the promotion is now closed, Sephora’s Sephora Claus campaign granted a beauty product a day wish to 30 deserving customers and even added a $1 charitable donation from every purchase in the last few days of the promotion.

Customer service is playing a big role on Twitter as well. In a previous Digitally Approved post (Customer Service in the Twitterverse), the efficiency of the @BoseService team was discussed in connection to resolving a consumer issue that wasn’t even posted on their specific page nor did it have a # tag.  Nice looking out for your customers Bose!

Massive shoe retailer Zappos.com is looking out for their customer base on Twitter by offering support and positive service, big box retailer Best Buy’s Twelpforce quickly trouble shooting and responding to product questions, and restaurant chain, California Pizza Kitchen, recently sending a follower a $30 gift certificate because of a bad dining experience. In an era of questionable customer service, big thumbs up to our Tweeting retailers for really good customer service.

As a company or a brand, want a way to track and gauge the relevance of your tweets? Give Tweeiator a go. This application is easily loaded to your site and, in real time, you can see where your tweets are going and how they are received.

Couldn’t leave our Tweet round up with out mentioning some of the best in celeb and athlete musings. Sitting at lunch today a few Fanscapers were talking about TV of all things and the Christmas episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia came up and then turned to Danny DeVito’s Troll Foot diaries on Twitter. Will admit, didn’t really know about this, but hell if this ain’t some funny stuff. He takes pictures of his Troll Foot in various places and at various events then posts them to his Twitter.

For some time now I have been raving about the one and only @OGOchoCinco.  He can be very profound like he has been the past few days in connection to the death of his friend and teammate, Chris Henry, but he can also be ridiculously funny (and sure a little self-serving) as well.

You could be one of Ashton Kutcher’s more than FOUR MILLION followers, keep up with the Queen of all Media, Oprah and learn about the Carl’s Jr. menu from  Kim Kardashian, but you’re not going to get the non sequiturs like you could by following Rainn Wilson (of The Office fame). He can easily go from apologizing for being a downer and sharing his experienc in Hati to this:    

Like stated from the onset, 2009 was pretty darn Tweet-tastic. Way too many amazing people, brands and retailers to list, but hopefully this little Best of gave you a few more places to check out or think about.

If you go to www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. A great way to bring so many of us together to say thanks that is FREE and only takes a few seconds.

Volunteering is always an excellent way to make a big league impact on the lives of others and doesn’t cost anything but a little bit of your time. Idealist.org is a great site to check out to find opportunities in your area. The site complies single-day occasions as well as ongoing situations. Be a mentor to a child/youth, go to your local food bank and donating blood at the Red Cross are just a few simple ways you can give this holiday season and beyond.

Want to be a little more social about your volunteer efforts, try Facebook. There are plenty of organizations that have set up pages offering great ways to help out – food banks, children and seniors to name a few.

Sure I said that there were some cool things to do that don’t cost money, and there are, but what if you really just don’t have the time? The perennial favorite is to donate money to your favorite charity. It’s as simple as dropping a little bit into the bucket or bin before walking into a store. If you don’t have a favorite non-profit, you can visit a site like Charity Navigator that helps you find a worthy cause for your donation. Non-profits always appreciate money, but they also love their volunteers too.

Just a little food for thought.

Social media is the perfect venue to catch brands in the act of doing good deeds on the behalf of consumers or the environment, and many brands have embraced the immediacy of social networks to reach consumers quickly and efficiently.  I recently caught Bose in the act of doing something good on Twitter, and as a Bose customer I now have a new respect for their service tactics and involvement in social media.

Last week I was saddened to realize that my Bose ear bud headphones were broken: sound was only coming from one ear bud.  A little bit of cord wiggle action would help, but they were pretty much useless.  I went to Twitter to voice my sadness:

I decided I’d have to buy a cheap pair of headphones to hold me over until Christmas.  Quality headphones come in handy when living with three roommates and battling the monotony of running on treadmills, but my wallet isn’t exactly in the position to fork over $100 for new Bose headphones.

Lucky for me, @boseservice noticed my tweet within an hour and offered their services.  The resulting direct message conversation via Twitter lead me to filing a replacement order. Once I ship out my damaged pair, I will be receiving a brand new set of headphones for half the price, even though my warranty is long expired.

My experience with Bose was pain free and surprisingly easy.  Instead of defecting from the Bose brand and buying a cheaper set of headphones, Bose offered me a deal to secure my loyalty to the brand and hopefully encourage me to tell people about my amazing customer service experience.

Many brands are on Twitter, Facebook and the like.  But the level of conversational interaction with consumers varies with each brand.  It’s not enough to just post company and product information to your followers or fan page members, there needs to be an initiative that seeks out consumer problems or recommendations and digs deeper to develop a one-on-one relationship with a particular customer.  And this needs to be enacted on a daily basis as part of the company’s social media strategy as a whole.

Social media is a great tactic for brands to reach their consumers, and a little attention to detail can strengthen a brand’s image and reputation among brand loyalists. Bose’s high-end products come with high-end prices, but at least you’re getting what you pay for…and then some.

Everyone knows that Barack Obama doesn’t have an official Facebook page and neither does Steve Jobs or even…God. But we can always wonder, “If any of these people had their own profile page, what would it look like?” And furthermore, “what would they be saying?” Thanks to the people over at Mashable, they garnered as many fake Facebook pages as they could and chose 5 of the most humorous profile pages. With over 1810 retweets and counting, that makes this tweet one of the most talked about this week!

Full article found here.

My favorite update comes from Steve Jobs:
“Hey Bill (Gates), you like Apples? I made the iPod, how do you like them apples?”
Response from Bill Gates: “Thanks a lot Steve. Hope you liked the Zune.”

-Christian

Read this recent Ad Age artcile…

Facebook Turns Focus Group With Splenda Product-Sampling App

Sweetener Uses Site to Give Consumers First Look at Its New Mist Spray and Gather Feedback Pre-Rollout

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Sixteen-thousand samples distributed, 3,100 fans professing their admiration and 1,500 product surveys completed.

Those are the results from a first-of-its-kind campaign conducted by Splenda for its Splenda Mist prototype, a pocket-size spray form of the sweetener, which has yet to hit the market. Traditionally, marketers in that situation might peddle freebies at grocery stores, embrace street sampling or organize focus groups. Splenda instead turned to Facebook.

BROWN: ‘It’s another tool in which to explore a product idea … in a very efficient way.’

“Facebook offered us the opportunity not only to advertise with a brand message and a product message but also the opportunity to solicit feedback and to have our target raise their hand and say, ‘I want to sample this product,’” said Ivy Brown, group product director-Splenda.

The campaign used engagement ads to direct consumers to the Splenda Mist page, where through a custom sampling application, they could sign up for a “first look” at the new product. Splenda grabbed names, shipping addresses and e-mail addresses but also demographic data including gender and age range. When consumers signed up for a sample or became a fan of the product, it showed up in their feeds, which Ms. Brown said helped the campaign spread virally. Splenda had hoped to distribute 10,000 samples in 12 weeks; instead, it gave away more than 16,000 samples in two weeks. Starting Monday, Facebook plans to launch a sampling-based engagement ad, the sixth type of “engagement ad” it’s launched.

Read the whole Ad Age artcile HERE