Twitter is one social media platform; is it right for your business?

August 28th, 2010 by Daniel Young | 1 Comment | Filed in Public Relations, Social media, Technology

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A recent research project by Edelman and Brandtology identified Twitter as the top channel for technology brand mentions in Australia.  The Whirlpool and Overclockers forums ranked in second and third place respectively.  I believe that these findings are reflective of a mature social media environment for technology brands in Australia.

Google, Apple and Microsoft ranked as the most talked about technology brands in the study which uncovered more than 154,000 mentions of 60 major technology brands across 581 influential online channels between April and June 2010.

The survey found that 27 of the 60 technology brands researched did not have a local presence on Twitter.  This represents an ‘opportunity for brands to…become smarter about communicating through this channel,’ according to Edelman.

But is Twitter the right channel for all technology brands?  I don’t think so.

Take the enterprise tech sector as an example (the study covered: ‘Internet and Software, Consumer Electronics, Mobile and Telecommunications, Business and Consulting and IT and Technology brands).  This  sector of the IT industry is characterised by complex technology and business issues that aren’t well suited to the  open Twitter platform limited as it is to 140 character updates.

Enterprise tech brands tend to be most interested in reaching senior decision makers within medium to large organisations – individuals that are less likely to be spending time on Twitter.  These brands need to demonstrate authoritative positions on commercially sensitive and strategic issues.  Twitter just isn’t designed or suitable as a platform for this sort of discussion or engagement.

With these facts in mind, I would be inclined to recommend that enterprise tech brands seek to establish online communities where customers can engage with experts and product specialists but also – importantly – share ideas and experiences with other customers.   I would look to the social media platforms where these targets are already active, the most obvious one being Linkedin.

It’s important that organisations monitor conversations about their brands across all forms of social media, including Twitter, but the most ‘active’ channels aren’t necesarily the best places to actually engage your target audience in a meaningful way.

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Wagon Wheel campaign: It’s certainly Random. But is it right?

August 23rd, 2010 by Daniel Young | No Comments | Filed in Advertising, Social media

Arnotts announced the launch of an integrated campaign in support of the Wagon Wheel in early August with the positioning ‘Random. But Right’.

The campaign is asking consumers to help reinvent the Wagon Wheel with a big social media play.

The objective of the campaign seems to be to create a new more youthful audience / consumer for the Wagon Wheel.

One observation is that the retro 1970s angle seem more tightly aligned with the original consumer (now in their 30s), rather than the new. It is nostalgic, the prizes (a random selection of iconic yet low value 80s products and games – there is an $8008 ‘Random. But Right’ cash prize on offer) take us back to our childhood, more innocent days that probably featured the Wagon Wheel.

WagonWheelThe campaign is fronted by four crusty fictional characters (the Production Innovation Team) that I don’t think  resonate, engage or amuse. In fact, they simply reinforce the perception that the product is dusty, out-dated and un-cool.

Arnotts acknowledge the passion that consumers have for the brand (in this case ‘mums’):

“It really is an incredible brand that consumers have an amazing amount of passion for. And one of the main attractions in the acquisition was the fact that it hadn’t been looked after as much as we would like to look after the brand. It hadn’t had a great deal of investment.”

But does the campaign look after the brand? The older audience for this campaign (grocery decision makers now) are asked to reinvent something that they love. They’re being asked to change something that holds a special place in their hearts (by Arnott’s own admission).

Consumers can enter the competition via the microsite, either by submitting their own design for the ‘reinvent-ion of the perfect wagon wheel’ or by combining a variety of options to create their own version. They can chose from a variety of shapes (snowman, football, triangle, flower, dinosaur etc.) and select a flavour (chicken, pizza, white choc, marmalade) and then opt for one of six coatings, including white choc, dark choc, cheese and honeycomb.

Who is this campaign aimed at – the competition entry mechanic might appeal to a young teenager but its not going to work for the community that is famliar with the Wagon Wheel.

There are some tactical errors in my opinion as well. The campaign seems to carry too many ‘labels’. We have the ‘WagonWheeler‘ Twitter profile, the ‘EatZeeWagonWheel‘ YouTube channel, the ‘WagonWheels‘ Facebook Page/ ‘Wagon Wheels‘ campaign microsite (including images, which can’t be downloaded) and ‘Random but Right’.

The integration between the various social media elements seems haphazard, there are 5 videos on the YouTube channel but only two of those are included in the Facebook Page. The Community Guidelines are very formal, they’re not presented in the voice of any member of the Product Reinvention Team. The Info Tab on the Page looks like a cut and paste, it bears no resemblance with the campaign or its messaging.

The microsite does pop up in the first page of Google Australia search results for ‘Wagon Wheel’.

The social media elements of the campaign seem to have stalled from what I can see. The Twitter following(49 followers/following 57) is not going anywhere fast and the Facebook ‘likes’ are at a similar point to my last check a few weeks back. The most popular video on YouTube has received just under 1,500 views in a week (not bad). The microsite has gained 165 Facebook ‘likes’ since its launch a few weeks back.

This is just one part of an integrated campaign for the Wagon Wheel. It may all come together in a coherent package at some point but, for me, the various dots aren’t yet lining up. It seems like someone had a lot of fun creating this but I don’t think the result is engaging or compelling for the target audience, whoever that is.

Arnotts, as an Australian brand, has huge potential to do some fun stuff in social media but this feels like a campaign that is looking for an audience.

It certainly lives up to the ‘Random’ part of its catchphrase but is it ‘Right?’

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Are you a leftie if you believe in the power of social media?

July 29th, 2010 by Daniel Young | No Comments | Filed in Media, Politics, Social media, Technology

Over the weekend I listened to yet another great podcast from The RSA.

Clay Shirky presented on the topic of a ‘cognitive surplus’ for his book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organising without Organisations. He said that approx100million hours has been invested in the creation of Wikipedia.  By contrast, there are trillions of global hours available within ’surplus’ every year.  The premise for the presentation was that humans are generous creatures and that new technology presents huge potential for altruistic, collaborative behaviour that delivers a greater good.

This idea is the basis for many aspects of the Social Web (for want of a better term, as this is broader than social media).  The notion that efficient networks without geographic boundaries will  act as the vehicle for human endeavour in the pursuit of positive economic, creative and educational outcomes has great appeal.

The idea of a cognitive surplus is also fascinating in the context of widespread budget deficits but don’t expect any major policy announcements from Gillard or Abbott on this topic just yet!

The presentation got me thinking about the question of a political culture within the realm of  the Social Web.  If Social is about sharing, co-operation and contributing to community then is it safe to assume that a left leaning political culture underpins the ‘movement’?

Is it important for the community to acknowledge in some capacity the presence of a common political ethos within the Social Web or the perhaps to acknowledge the lack of one?  Does the Social Web transcend traditional notions of political affiliation or realisation?  Are creativity and collaboration apolitical forces in 2010?

Most importantly, can our positive vision of a Social good delivered by technology and the Web be achieved without a political consensus?

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Think It, Do It: A Mantra For Getting Things Done

July 5th, 2010 by Daniel Young | 1 Comment | Filed in Life

michael_jordanTwo years ago I sought professional help in order to overcome my chronic personal procrastination.  I worked with a life coach who helped me develop strategies for setting personals goals and achieving them.

Until that point, I had excelled at procrastination – I took the opportunity to avoid taking action better than anyone I knew.  My personal development, health, finances, relationships and direction had definitely suffered. Read the rest of this entry »

RSA Animate – Crises of Capitalism (David Harvey)

July 3rd, 2010 by Daniel Young | No Comments | Filed in Politics

Brilliant brilliant content. Via Cameron Reilly and Richard Laksana.

More on David Harvey.

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