Category Archives: Word of Mouth

PEPSI ‘CAN’ ADVERTISING AT THE SUPERBOWL IN FAVOUR OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN

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Posted by Amy on January 8, 2010 – 10:29 am
Filed under Consumer Social Media, Word of Mouth

Reuters recently reported that PepsiCo had unexpectedly decided not to advertise at the Super Bowl in February for the first time in 23 years.

Pepsi has changed the focus of their communications strategy and will be focusing around a more social and cause related strategy. Pepsi has just launched their “Pepsi Refresh” campaign, featuring a new, interactive microsite where people can submit suggestions about refreshing their local communities to make the world a better place.

There will be a vote taken on 1st February, and the top rated ideas will be funded by Pepsi. The company report has over $20 million in the pot for such activity.

It works on the same basis as My Starbucks Idea, but is much more community focused. Asking for suggestions to improve communities rather than the Pepsi product seems much more genuine and I think it will be very successful.

The blog section is very informative and features environmental, health and charity news from across the world. This is an interesting way to run the blog, as opposed to posting about Pepsi and the drinks industry; it will broaden the appeal and make the whole campaign seem much more genuine.

The microsite is being backed up with other social tools such as a Facebook group with almost 300,000 fans and a Twitter account with 20,000 followers. Not only are these tools available, but consumers are being actively encouraged to use them

When someone registers a project they are prompted to enable voting on their personal blogs, Facebook or Myspace page, or Twitter accounts. The site also generates a specific URL which people can forward onto friends and family to increase their votes.

This is a fantastic example of using social media to spread online word of mouth and I’m sure it will generate lots of offline buzz too. In my opinion, this is so much more innovative, creative and effective than a 30 second ad that most people will fast forward though via the power of recordable TV.

Super Bowl ad prices have been running close to $3 million for a 30 second slot, so it’s no wonder brands are looking for an alternative. Doritos and Anheuser-Busch InBev are still advertising at the sporting event, but it will be interesting to see how this pans out in 2011.

M&S introduce ‘green’ receipts, why not go one step further?

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Posted by Amy Johnston on April 15, 2009 – 12:25 pm
Filed under General, Word of Mouth

I’ve just read an article in the Guardian about Marks and Spencer introducing a new, more environmentally friendly receipt using “thinner paper and 8% less pulp.”

On the surface, this sounds like a great step forward and I think M&S should be applauded for their efforts to be environmentally sound (their Plan A campaign is brilliant). However, as a cynic - one who has worked in the retail sector - I’m a bit dubious.

Is it the law for retailers to provide a receipt? I didn’t think so - if you go to a small shop or market stall you don’t get one.

Surely, if the large retailers asked each customer if they required a receipt, they would cut the number the needed printing in the first place by hundreds of thousands. I personally have about 15 receipts gathering at the bottom of my bag from lunches, drinks etc that I will inevitably bin when I have the motivation to clear out my handbag.

The supermarkets have been under a lot of pressure to cut carrier bag use, and as such have taken steps to remove them from the tills. People have to ask for bags now and this has seen numbers drop dramatically.

Could they not operate the same policy with receipts? The article says they use a lot of paper for receipts – so surely any savings would be good for the environment and for their profits? It would be interesting to find out if this is possible, and if so, why more retailers aren’t doing it.

How to create a successful social media campaign

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Posted by Amy Johnston on April 7, 2009 – 12:40 pm
Filed under Consumer Social Media, Public Relations, Word of Mouth

Conversations about brands are already happening, whether they like it or not. Brands can’t control their marketing and PR message the way they used to.

Consumers are in control and have an incredible power over a brand. Some companies are still scared about this, but it can be used to their advantage. By engaging with these consumers, brands can become involved in the conversation and built customer loyalty in a completely new way.

As social media gathers more momentum, marketers are integrating social media tools and using tools like blogs, social communities, forums, video content on You Tube and photo galleries on Flikr to add impact to their offering.

This means people can not only find out information about products, brands and services, but become part of the process. When it comes to building a community or outreaching to bloggers - an individual approach is key. You cannot generalise or use a blanket approach.

You must know your audience and this takes time. The space must be fully evaluated and the tools your audience uses, the things they talk about and the format they us must be noted. Only then can your offering be relevant and impactful.
For example, simply setting up a facebook group for a new brand or product is not enough. Social media (the clue’s in the title) is social. People love to talk about things they’re passionate about. If consumers are passionate about something, they’ll already be talking about it.

For example, Soap and Glory (who I’ve talked about before on this blog) have a facbook fan page with over 1,700 fans. This has been set up by consumers because they have passion for the brand.

Are Soap and Glory aware of this? It’s hard to say from the look of the page, there is a link to their website but that’s about the only clue. What is for sure is that they’re not using this tool to their advantage. There is hardly any content. No photos, no videos, no interaction or conversation with fans.

This strikes me as a wasted opportunity. Why not use the fan base as a research tool? Find out what they like about the brand, what new products they’d like to see. Or how about offering discounts and special offers?
The key to successful community building is responsiveness and personal engagement. Consumers want to see that Soap and Glory is a human organisation. If they engaged with their fans, they would increase their word of mouth online, have a direct line to their key audience and build a truly beneficial relationship with them.

Mamma Mia and the power of word of mouth

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Posted by Amy Johnston on November 28, 2008 – 4:34 pm
Filed under Word of Mouth

Mamma Mia has defied the initial critics to become the most successful British film ever.

Now, in the interest of transparency, I have to admit to being a fully fledged Mamma Mia fangirl - one who saw the film, owns the DVD, bought the soundtrack and is often found singing ‘Does your mother know’ when I think nobody’s listening. However, on a professional level, I’ve also been blown away by the impact that word of mouth has played in the success of the film.

Mamma Mia had a very low-key opening; the premier was held in London and then a European launch followed a few weeks later. There was hardly any hype before the opening and the film was supported with limited advertising and PR beforehand.

In comparison to its opening week rival, The Dark Knight, (which executed a truly amazing social media campaign throughout the 12 months prior to opening) marketing for Mamma Mia was practically non-existent.

To be honest, I’m surprised that a low-budget film starring a singing Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth even survived, considering it opened:

  • a) the same week as the most hyped film of the year, which featured a surely Oscar winning performance from the late Heath Ledger, and
  • b) during the worst economic crisis of the past 15 years - the papers claimed that people didn’t have enough money for bread, let along musicals!

However, the film became the unexpected success story of the year and many actually credit its success to the timing. Not only did Mamma Mia offer an escape from our dreary summer, but it also offered some light relief from the highly publicised economic crisis. The sight of sun drenched beaches, beautiful people, great music and a happy ending certainly cheered me and my friends up on a cold Wednesday night!

WOMMA believe that word of mouth marketing is now the fastest growing and most in-demand set of marketing practices today. The power of word of mouth is immense and it’s something that consumer brands need to consider and take very seriously. The basic premise of word of mouth is that people like to talk to other people - and they certainly enjoyed talking to other people about this film!

Universal have since capitalised on the buzz surrounding Mamma Mia by creating a sing-a-long version currently being shown in cinemas around the UK - and it’s also included as a bonus feature on the DVD. (Cue lots of girlie trips to the cinema after a couple bottles of wine, or the perfect way to finish off an evening of X Factor.)

This clever modification gave people another reason / excuse to go and see the film again and experience it in a totally different way, whilst doubling the ticket sales, hence the record breaking stats - and also appealing to the current karaoke craze sweeping the nation thanks to games like Sony’s SingStar and dozens of new karaoke bars appearing in our cities overnight.

Mamma Mia has not only smashed box office records and given PR people a fantastic WOM case study, but it’s also allowed thousands of people to escape a recession - if only for a few hours. Just don’t mention “Money Money Money”.