Here is a really nice overview over the most viral brands in 2010.
Listed are
-the most viewed viral videos
-the most shared viral videos
-the most viral brands
-what an average viral video looks like
-and lastly: what it really takes to reach the #1 spot of most viral brand!
I am pretty sure you will know most of them – brands as well as virals 😉
Props go to the Viral Ad Network
Here is a very recent commercial for the Nissan Leaf in U.S. featuring a trained polar bear. Obviously the only trained polar bear available… However, TBWA produced a really nice story dealing with the causes of the climate change which in this case force a polar bear to leave his natural environment. His journey takes him through typical scenes of American landscape (even the inner city) and lastly to a typical U.S. suburb where he finally encounters something he can relate to, something that may not be as truly natural as he is, but that respects nature and helps to preserve it – the Nissan Leaf.
While electric vehicles until today have been luxury goods such as the sporty Tesla Roadster or the little cheaper Prius and Honda Insight, the new EVs will hopefully be more affordable and more efficient. When critical volumes are reached, electric vehicles may even bring in more profit than their gas-powered brethren. It remains open when the final big bang comes and every manufacturer will have his EV on the road. As of today, Opel, Renault, GM, BMW and many more already have promising vehicles in the pipeline. And time is on their side. Day by day, technological advances are being accomplished: better batteries, faster charging, more charging stations, less weight, or completely new concepts such as the E-REVs Opel Ampera or the Chevy Volt.
We may not be able to imagine a world dominated by electric vehicles but the time will come.
And other than hybrids which usually take more gas than high-tech diesel engines, electric vehicles definately consume less.
One thing is for sure: this new segment will require large marketing budgets. Not only because the technologies require explanation. But as Nissan show its not only about tech stuff….
Einer neuen Studie zufolge werden Werbebotschaften im Radio auch unbewusst von unserem Gehirn wahrgenommen. Und nicht nur das, auch soll die Kaufneigung bezüglich der beworbenen Produkte sich als Folge sogar erhöhen. Jedoch nicht immer. Ausschlaggebend dafür, dass eine auch unbewusst wahrgenommene Werbebotschaft sich auch im Kaufverhalten niederschlägt sind laut der Studienreihe attraktive Versprechen bzw. Belohnungen. Nur wenn diese deutlich genug sind und die vom Konsumenten wahrgenommenen Impulse stark emotionalisieren kommt es zu einem Kauf.
Es besteht also durchaus noch Hoffnung für Radiowerbung. Es stellt sich die Frage inwieweit die Ergebnisse sich auf TV übertragen lassen.
Mehr zu diesem Thema in einem aktuellen Artikel der absatzwirtschaft online
How to promote paper towels?
Well advertising arguments usually revolve around the same old „soaks up more“ or „more tear-resistent.“
As boring or common as these products might seem at first glance, they represent an industry of attractive proft margins and increasing sales. In the U.S. the big players are Procter&Gamble, Kimberly-Clark and of Georgia-Pacific. In Europe these players are accompanied by SCA and Meta Tissue. The European market alone accounts to EUR 8.5 bilion and makes up one fourth of the global market for hygene tissues. In Germany the consumption of such tissues sees a strong growth and accounts to a stunning 13kg – not per household but per capita!
In Europe and supposedly in the U.S. too, the market can basically be split up in two segments: the low-priced products and the premium ones. Prices differ greatly. A premium brand such as Bounty or Zewa can easily cost twice as much as a low-priced ALDI or Wal-Mart version (although often the production facilities they come from are the same. Have a look at the ZIP Code!).
While the cheap products sell by the price, the expensive ones have grown into strong brands that need to be cultivated in order to maintain their position and of course survive the strong competition. I personally love paper towels because you can use them for anything and once used you can simply throw them away. Organizations such as the WWF of course see these products critically as the production not only consumes a lot of cellulose but also a lot of water. But for many consumers convenience still plays the bigger role and this explains why sales for the premium brands remain strong.
Back to the commercial. Bounty (by Procter&Gamble) here took the old approach of enumerating the benefits into a new look. No longer showing household scenes and mothers cleaning up after their children, the ad seems to address children directly. Although the scene shows a class-room, the students to me look like in their 20s. Maybe it is rather a college class-room than a school class-room (although the name of the school „Central High School“ is displayed). It could in fact address college freshmen many of whom are now for the first time confronted with having to clean their own dorm themselves. And this is where paper towels come in handy. Which brand to purchse if you never before bought cleaning utensils? Ah wait there was that fun commercial for Bounty! Yes, this is how it works…
Overall I must admit I like the fresh approach and I am sure the campaign will be worth its spendings.
Here is a helpful article by RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, to get a better insight into the market for paper tissue
A great example of a modern campaign which did it all: increased awareness, unbelievable word of mouth, direct interaction with its customers, strong brand loyalty, a huge crowd of brand fans and last but not least a significant increase in sales. Congrats!
Wow, just had a look at their facebook page: Incredible consumer reactions! This thing is going trough the ceiling…
I have been thinking about this for quite some time.
Then via Twitter I came across this Adage article about how the internet or let’s say digital media in general is having a desasterous effect on the auto industry.
Sounds far-fetched? Maybe, but there is truth to it as I will prove.
THE RISE OF CARS
Beginning in the early 19th century cars began to replace horse and carriage. Slowly but steadily, and as productivity improved and cars became more affordable (think of the Ford Model T), the success of automobiles could not be stopped anymore. Until now. Sure, cars have not yet been replaced by small convenient electric aircraft or such, but they are under pressure. From a medium no one could have imagined it would be a threat..
HOW THE CAR EMPOWERED US
Some 10, 20 or even 40 years ago, a car was the dream of any young man or woman. Why? It is a symbol of freedom, it allows you to move where you want when you want, and thus enables you to communicate in person with people living too far away to walk. It enables you to haul home goods that you bought elsewhere, it takes you to your job interview and it may be the romantic setting on a first date. You had to have a car or you where nobody.
Still the case today, you might say. Well yes, but only to some extent.
WHERE DID ALL THE DRIVERS GO?
The number of young adults who have no driver’s license is decreasing. Just as the article on adage.com nicely illustrates, this is no coincidence but rather a strong tendency away from the car. This does also apply to my personal network. People don’t get their driver’s license because they are unable to drive properly. No, they simply do not need it and save the money for other things. Coming back to the graphic in the adage.com article you should be aware, that in the U.S a driver’s license is very easy to obtain (financially and concerning the test – if this is good like that? Well the auto lobby surely would not want it any other way). To compare: in Germany an auto driver’s license can easily amount to EUR 1000. This would at least partly explain why less and less people get the license. However, for the US and that is the country the adage.com graphic refers to, it is no explanation at all.
Now why would young adults shy away from all the wonderful possibilities a car offers you? Do they no longer have the needs? They do. But they found an easier, more convenient, yet digital way to cover all the things mentione before:
-symbol of freedom
-go where you want when you want
-communicate in person with people living too far away to walk
-haul home goods that you bought elsewhere
-job interview
-setting on a first date
-be someone
-…
HOW THE (MOBILE) INTERNET TOOK OVER
Internet and mobile internet via your cell phone allows you to be free. You can do anything at any time. From shopping for exotic products to watching a UStream livestream of a highschool basketball final.
You can virtually access any point on this planet via Google Maps and billions of photos and videos at your disposal. You want to see how huge the waves in Hawaii are – surely someone has been there and shares his photos, videos and impressions with you. The internet allows you to communicate with anyone in the world – whether you are somewhere in the Bavarian Alps or downtown Manhattan. Skype and other applications allow to even see each other live. You can literally purchase everything online. From a new car to groceries to a new movie – many goods even come with free shipping right to your apartment door. Job interviews or at least first level interviews can easily be undertaken via video conference. No need to drive60 miles just to find out the position is absolutely not your piece of cake. Dating today does no longer take a car to take the girl to the movies or the diner as we know it from the 50s and 60s movies. Instead online dating platforms have become highly successful and even come with a money-back guarantee (now how weird is that?).
And to some it up. While before identification happened via clothes, your car, your peers, this has considerably moved online. Today, teenagers as well as young adult identify themselves by their myspace or facebook profile, the type of cell phone they have and which b(r)ands they favor. As a recent Southpark episode nicely illustrated: if you have no profile and or no friends you barely exist.
Sure, you can also show off your car. But think of young people and how they are searching for their own identity via brands etc. An iPhone is much cheaper than a car, and very often today, a car does not impress as much as an iPhone, the latest apps or how many friends you have on facebook. Another aspect is that we tend to move to highly populated cities. Who needs a car, when you have some 50 different subway lines, another 50 bus lines plus the train system? You often do not even have the possibility to demonstrate your car to your colleagues because many times you do not know where you will be parking the next day (if there is no company parking lot). And lastly: cars cost you money even when they are standing in the garage. In times of economic uncertainties you would rather not invest too much into a car.
You may have realized that I have spoken of different groups of people i.e. potential consumers. Teenagers who are allowed to drive a car much earlier in the US than in Europe and then young adults and adults in general. The latter may still be the more easy-to-handle target group with a fixed value set in their mind and often times strong loyalty to auto brands (and their heritage). But ask the younger generation! Cars have become much more similar in recent years. It is not longer the US brand vs. Japanese brand fight. The market is much more diverse, intertwined and thus confusing for the consumer. Is Subaru American? Jaguar still British or really Indian now? Does the Mini Cooper really have a Toyota engine? And is it true that Japanes cars are built in the U.S. by U.S. workers?
This industry is chaotic.
AND FINALLY: CARS ARE BAD
The car today has lost some of its power. And the world has changed leaving less space for our cars. What I have not yet mentioned is the entire environmental issue. Cars today are considered harmful. They endanger our future and that of our children. New technologies are being demanded by the public. As the world around us has changed so cars have to change to maintain their role in our lives.
THE CONSEQUENCES FOR CARS AND AUTOMAKERS
What does the changed environment mean for automobiles?
-cell phone-like apps for the car
-connecting the digital sphere with the car sphere (colleagues may not see your car on the road, but on social networks)
-hybrid, e-cell, fuel cell and other technologies to take away the negative touch
-alternatives to owning a car, such as car-sharing
-mobility on demand, e.g. via a rental car when you need one
-cars and auto brands have to go online and into Social Media (Don’t loose touch of future target groups!)
-cars have to identify new „reasons why“ to persuade consumer to purchase a car
-brand facets such as sustainability have to be pursued and must be cemented as core brand facets
-auto brands have to make sure their brand can be understood by consumers
Jetzt ist auch die Deutsche Telekom dem Trend von Dell & Co. gefolgt und nutzt Twitter als Servicechannel. Laut n-tv ist die Deutsche Telekom damit eines der ersten Unternehmen die Twitter als Servicekanal nutzen. Das zeigt einmal wieder, dass deutsche Unternehmen im Bereich Digital Marketing und Social Media doch nur „Follower“ sind. Die Early Adapters sitzen noch immer anderswo…
Gelaunched am 05.05.2010 hatte der Twitter-Account bereits innerhalb eines Tagesüber 700 Follower.
Telekom twittert
Heute am 06.05.2010 sind es bereits über 1.300 Follower, und die Zahl steigt….
Telekom twittert
Jeden Tag von 08:00 bis 20:00 stehen qualifizierte Mitarbeiter der Deutschen Telekom ihren Kunden zur Verfügung wenn es um Probleme in Sachen DSL, Handy, Festnetz und Co. geht. Glaubt man dem Wallpaper des Accounts so stehen insgesamt 8 Mitarbeiter zur Verfügung die versuchen im Rahmen von 140 Zeichen die Probleme der Kunden zu lösen.
Als Erstkontakt und für schnelle Anfragen zu gängigen Userproblemen sicherlich eine gute Sache. Für kompliziertere Themen und technisch wenig affine Kunden dürfte dieser Kanal nicht das Richtige sein. Hierfür steht der direkte Telefonsupport oder der Besuch des Technikers zur Verfügung. Aber in der Regel twittert dieses technikaverse Kundensegment ohnehin nicht.
Personenbezogene Daten sollen über Twitter nicht ausgetauscht werden. Dies geschieht dann direkt zwischen Mitarbeiter und Kunde.
Uns stellte sich die Frage, wie bei der Vielzahl der eingehenden Tweets die Übersicht behalten werden kann. Sicherlich laufen die Tweets in eine Art Datenpool, aus denen sich die Sachbearbeiter einzelne Tweets rausfischen und bearbeiten. Nach einem kurzen Blick auf die einzelnen Tweets der Telekom-Mitarbeiter sieht man, dass diese CoTweet für die professionelle Abwicklung verwenden. Neben der Deutschen Telekom schwören auch Firmen wie Ford, Southwest Airlines, McDonalds und Coca-Cola auf diesen Service.
So wie es aussieht wird das Angebot gerne angenommen. Dem Image der Telekom ist eine schnelle Reaktion via Twitter sicherlich zuträglich, verbindet man Serviceanfragen an den magenta-farbenen Riesen ja in der Regel mit endlosen Warteschlangen und nicht immer kompetenten Sachbearbeitern. Aber es geht auch anders, wie dieser Twitter Account beweist. Und nicht zu vergessen: Oft sind eben jene technikaffinen Kunden, die sich im Social Web pudelwohl fühlen auch die stärksten Meinungsführer. Sich als schwerfällliger Konzern diesen extrem krtischen und anspruchsvollen Kunden von seiner innovativen Seite zu zeigen kann viel bewirken. Und wenn es die Deutsche Telekom tatsächlich schafft guten Service in 140 Zeichen zu packen, dürfte das dem Image sehr gut tun.
Wir werden verfolgen wie die Zahl der Follower sich entwickelt und wie das Feedback der Kunden ausfällt
Upate 10.05.2010:
Das Twitterprofil hat nun schon 1.661 Follower!
Update: 02.06.2010:
Das Twitterprofil hat nun schon 2.679 Follower!
SOM sagt Herzlichen Glückwunsch:
There are numerous examples of companies using Social Media for their business purposes. The most common is to promote one’s brand, to allow consumers to experience the brand, allow it to enter their private sphere and even show their affinity to the brand to their peers. I will not enumerate the psychological motivation behind such actions but rather focus on an example – a regional one – in which Social Media activity is being triggered and even had to compete with classical media, a newspaper.
Case Study: Bischofshof Beer Queen Vote
Bischofshof is 360 year old German brewery based in Regensburg, Bavaria. Aside from their regular varieties the brewery also offers the „Bruckmandl“ which seems to be targeted to a younger yet sophisticated audience (the radio spots use American dialect). Breweries in Germany are struggling with a decrease in demand and in Bavaria in particular, the market is colored by a tough competition between numerous small and medium sized regional breweries. To fight beer giants such as Becks or Krombacher, these breweries have to make sure their regional target groups remain loyal and enjoy drinking a local beer.
Among other marketing activities, Bischofshof holds an annual beer queen election. This year, 10 young women have been elected to fight for the title of Bischofshof Beer Queen – two others will become Beer Princess.
The election takes place in several stages. Two jury decisions, an online pool and a weekly newspapers voting contribute to the final decision. Via online poll and newspaper voting the consumers and brand fans are invited to participate by not only voting for their favorite candidate but also by spreading word-of-mouth and online by sharing the news about the election. On the Bischofshof website, visitors can constantly check the current ranking. Facebook turned out to be a preferred medium to spread the news and to activate one’s peers to vote for the favored candidate. It should be mentioned that the brewery does not (yet) have its own facebook fan page. Given the number of votes in the online poll (the leading girl currently has more than 1300 votes) you can imagine that website traffic must have incresed greatly through this campaign.
The other benefit is that the brand is word on the street, especially in the greater social networks of the 10 candidates: their friends, their colleagues, fellow students, family,….
It remains to be seen how well the competition is being documented on the Bischofshof website. And what is most interesting: It would be very interesting to see which medium resulted in more votes – online media or classical media. We will try to get information on that after the new queen has been chosen.
SOM is voting for Daniela Meidinger! Join the vote today! Thursday 22 April is the last day to participate!
Here is the link:
http://www.bischofshof.de/aktuelles/Wer_wird_die_Bierkoenigin_91x6.htm
More info on Bischofshof:
www.bischofshof.de
After a brief cold that came across my way and totall corrupted my schedule I am back on track. Having barely found the time to provide content for this blog here is a goodie published today on mashable.com.
Social Media still is in every mouth and this is very likely to continue for much longer. These two words combine the hopes of oh so many companies out there, fearing to lose touch of their consumers as times change faster and faster. But Social Media can also be of help in the B2B sector. The only trouble is that solution are not as evident as in the B2C field. Open a Jaegermeister youtube channel or a Nike facebook page. No big deal. But in the B2B area you need to be a little more fact-oriented and less entertaining. To successfully apply Social Media here, you might need more phantasy than in the B2C field. Sounds weird? Well, who would have thought that an electronic devices supplier such as Farnell would successfully establish a community (element14) for its business customers where they can exchange their insights, tips, troubles and so on about Farnell products. And it obviously does work and they do love it!
Another aspect is going out into the existing platforms such as facebook, twitter, and so on. This may not be the ideal place to sell B2B goods, but at least what you can do is learn and find the appropriate partners. Mashable.com’s today article provides you with 10 essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers. If Social Media is a topic in your business you might wanna check their article. But do not forget: in the end it is still you who has to find out if Socia Media does make sense and does generate real profit for you business! Enjoy!
Here is the link:
http://mashable.com/2010/04/08/b2b-marketing-tools/
As most of us had no chance to attend the SXSW, here is a nice selection of presentations that have been held.
http://www.slideshare.net/sxsw2010/tagged/sxsw2010
SXSW 2010 Presentations
