Bold Flavor Experiment

The latest social media campaign launched by Frito Lay invites consumers, via Twitter, to participate in a challenge which they have titled "Bold Flavor Experiment."  Consumers are advised to check their grocer's chip aisle over the next several weeks as Doritos is introducing three new mystery flavored Jacked chips.  The chips will only be known as numbered test flavors.  But here is, in my opinion, the best part.  Consumers are challenged to try all three of the test flavors and vote for their favorite for a chance to win a daily prize of $1,000 in gold. :-D

Needless to say, I think that this is an excellent way for the brand to engage consumers and to get them to actively participate in their taste test.  I am not a real fan of Doritos, but I am a fan of contests awarding cash prizes.  This campaign has totally lured me in.  I am absolutely inclined to purchase the new chips, and cast my vote for my favorite.  I will also likely tell my friends about challenge.

Livescribe Echo Smartpen

The Livescribe Echo Smartpen allows you to record audio while you're taking notes, and then play them back later.  You can save and share interactive notes to your computer, iPad or iPhone via a micro-USB connector that also allows you to recharge your pen.  The memory storage holds 400 or 800 hours of recorded audio, depending on the model, and includes an OLED display that makes it easy to navigate smartpen apps.


While this technology cannot be connected to business in a marketing context, I would consider it a must-have for business executives and administrative professionals responsible for scribing accurate and thorough meeting notes.  


Additionally, this technology would be extremely useful in an academic environment.  Sketchy and/or incomplete lecture notes would virtually be a thing of the past!

ChowNow - not later!

So, I have noticed a huge trend in online food ordering with GrubHub and Seamless, but there is a new sheriff in town and they are even more convenient than the others (which I did not know was possible). Unlike GrubHub and Seamless who give you the name and information of the restaurant of your choice, ChowNow went straight to the restaurants themselves to make their own customized apps for online ordering. So now instead of calling a busy restaurant and being put on hold for several minutes only to not be able to hear when they pick-up to take your order, you can go directly to the website or restaurants Facebook page and order through ChowNow. Chicago restaurant group Four Star uses ChowNow at all of their 8 locations.

This service allows customers to customize their own orders. Since ChowNow is an app based program but can also be used on a computer, they offer the restaurants a wi-fi enabled tablet to use to receive the orders on. Four Star Restaurant Group has seen an increase in online to-go orders and it has definitely alleviated a lot of extra work for the hosts who would normally have to take the orders via phone. There is a set-up fee of $299 per location plus $99 monthly fee. However, you get more than just unlimited on-line mobile, web, and Facebook ordering. This new technology also includes: online marketing support, on-call customer service, plus custom iphone/ipad ordering app and one on one training.

 When you don't have time to cook, don't wait, ChowNow!

Do Us A Flavor

One of my favorite online advertising campaign is from Frito Lays called "Do us A Flavor."  This campaign give the public the option to submit flavor ideas to the company.  This campaign is a contest for a new flavor to be voted on by customers who purchase and taste the flavors.  To make a flavor suggestion go to https://www.dousaflavor.com After visiting the Frito Lays website you have to like them on various social media platforms before gaining access to where flavor suggestions are made.  you can search and vote for ideas you have, which may have been submitted previously.  Lays also has a youtube channel where commercials for the campaign can be seen.  This Idea Frito Lay had intrigues me, because while I've never made a flavor suggestion, I have friends who watch, track, and make suggestions, and while listening to them read of submitted flavor I find myself with countless mmmm's and why's. As I mentioned before this is a contest, with the winner receiving the honors of having the winning flavor, and 1% of net sales from a predetermined sales period. While I do enjoy a plain lays chip I like this campaign from Lays giving its customers the ability to be heard, and responding by producing what the masses like most.  I have purchased, and tried the finalist from last year Sriracha, Chicken, and Waffles, and Garlic Cheesy Bread, Chicken and Waffles was my favorite.  

Viral Social Media Campaigns

Social media campaigns extend beyond Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. One particular example of this can be seen within the various companies who have tried to establish Viral Videos as a social media based marketing medium. These companies use the virility of particular orchestrated videos and their consequent public attention to drive product sales.

One company that encapsulates this well is Red Bull. In their Youtube marketing strategy, they sponsor  experienced daredevils. These supposed daredevils then put on shows that border on the extreme. This rallies the virility of the videos, and all the Red Bull logos are just part of the picture.

Red Bull has a philosophy of value trading marketing, they believe that in their marketing they should be able give something to the customer (extereme entertainment), and get something back in return(sales of its product). They believe that this strategy should be carried out across all relevant media
Red bull Youtube campaign summarized into a TV commercial.

Another cool example of advertisement through social virility, that I liked was done by the makers of "Carrie", a horror film. In this video the producers put together a prank, at local coffee shop, in which the all the customers were part of the prank. I for one knew about the youtube video before I ever found out about the movie

Carrie movie prank  

Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM)

If you look back ten years ago before cloud storage, before Facebook advertising, before twitter, really, before the Internet was used for basically everything for business; you would see offices full of faxes, sticky notes, and contact rolodexes all with scattered information on clients. The rise of   web 2.0 has brought a fantastic and almost necessary tool for keeping all this information on clients and outputting very useful data for targeting markets, this software is called Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM).  I have personally used this software and seen the amazing data that it can output just from all the data being in one system. CRM’s can help marketing departments really get to know their customers and remarkably target certain markets.

So what exactly is a CRM?

According to Salesforce, the largest CRM software company in the country, “At its simplest, a CRM system allows businesses to manage business relationships and the data and information associated with them. With CRM, you can store customer and prospect contact information, accounts, leads and sales opportunities in one central location”. This ability to store all customer, B2B, and internal information allows for companies to create reports that can output data on any information that has been collected. With the huge serge in Internet speeds over the past 5 years, CRM’s have also been going completely cloud based, allowing for information to be added and stored

 anywhere, IN REAL TIME!  These CRM systems now are also being integrated with all social media platforms too. This is allowing marketers to know when the perfect time to target a single particular customer is on social media. Can you imagine that? A targeted ad can be sent to just you, automatically, by just giving the system a set of rules.

            

This is just me guessing, but soon enough marketers are not going to exist. Once these CRM systems get smarter, and they are, the system will know exactly the correct wording, exactly the correct email, exactly the correct time of day to send an email, and exactly what product/service to offer a client, all just by knowing what the client is talking about on social media. If your interested in what I’m talking about this is a great video to watch.

            

Nice Job, Viva!

I was watching TV the other night and I saw a commercial for new Viva vantage paper towels (linked below). I have previously seen other products, like Wheat Thins, use positive twitter posts from their pages as a TV marketing tools, but I’ve never seen a company use someone else’s positive posts (especially not a competitors) for their own marketing benefit before, and I found the result remarkably fascinating!

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7Bph/viva-vantage-towels-new-best-friend

After seeing this commercial, I couldn’t seem to shake the contemplation. I wondered first, if you were a Bounty user would this make you think about switching or would it make you feel betrayed? Then I wondered how Bounty felt about it and how Viva got the rights to use their name. The next thought was how do current Viva customers feel about it, maybe “our posts aren’t’ good enough you have to steal Bounty’s”? I eventually came to the conclusion that it didn’t’ matter; I definitely wanted to try this new towel and see what all the hype was about. Believe it or not, the very next time I was at the store I actually bought some Viva Vantage towels!

So I guess all I can say is this - hats off Viva marketers, you did your job, you switched over a competitor’s customer and used relevant social media to boot.. now all I wonder is how many more like me are out there… What do you think? Does this TV spot make you want to try Viva?

Taco Bell Breakfast

The New Taco Bell Breakfast

Finally, for all of those late-night, early morning hungry people in search of breakfast drive-up food besides McDonalds and White Castle.  How clever of Taco Bell and their new marketing campaign to offer breakfast fast-food and finally enter the competition?  Not only are they competing, they even borrowed Ronald McDonalds nationwide to star in their commercials to advertise for Taco Bell.  Openly admitting (without costume) how much they love “Waffle Tacos” for breakfast and LOVE it!  Praising how “crispy the hash browns are in the A.M. Crunch Wrap”, and how Taco Bell has a new breakfast that EVERYONE can love, even Ronald McDonald!  I have seen these commercials on YouTube, direct through their website, comments on Facebook by random consumers, Twitter, and Instagram.  I feel this is one of the most effective marketing campaigns out in the market right now.  This campaign makes me want to try Taco Bell’s breakfast.  Whether I will enjoy it or not is soon to be discovered.  Either way, word of mouth and advertisements seem to give me the impression that this quick, on-the-go breakfast has been very successful.

New Technology and Business application - Debit MasterCard Tag

BMO Harris Bank Debit MasterCard Tag: "You just stick----and go".


This Financial Institution has created an innovative "Debit Tag" for those consumers that are constantly on the go and in need of saving time wherever possible.  It is an excellent idea being offered to market the convenience of banking to consumers.  Instead of the consumer fiddling around with cash, check, or their purse/wallet at the register, it is as easy as scanning the back of your phone at a cash register.  

This MasterCard tag is one that is "stuck" like a sticker on the back of your phone, and is widely accepted at many major retailers.  It allows one to make purchases from a personal checking account, but uses a different number than your regular debit card.  The company claims it is as safe as a regular debit card, and is just as convenient as a regular debit card while shopping in the fact that the phone never leaves your hand during the purchase.  

To ensure consumers feel safe, the organization ensures that you will have the same MasterCard Zero Liability protection if fraud were to take place.  Furthermore, to make matters more convenient, many merchants would forego issuing receipts in order to speed things up a bit more as well.  An email will be sent with the details of the transaction.

https://www.bmoharris.com/promo/debittag/?WT.ac=INT4095_ad6e_BHpp_6s

They are marketing the BMO Harris Debit MasterCard Tag  at local retail branches, on the radio, Google, Twitter Facebook, and directly through their website at www.BMOHarris.com.

Red Bull The Monster Of Social Media

Red Bull has been a social media mogul ever since the popularity of social media took off. Their ever so cool social media presence attracts not only Red Bull drinkers but people who have never drank Red Bull. Red Bull uses all social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Red Bull’s Facebook has nearly 43 million likes on its official page. Red Bull has a constant stream of videos, images, and contests which engages its consumers and draws in a new cliental that enjoys the way that Red Bull interacts with its consumers.

On Twitter Red Bull has a stunning 1.4 million followers. On Twitter Red Bull is known to re-tweet and reply to its followers on a daily basis, showing its interaction with its fans. On Twitter they are known to post pictures of talented athletes demonstrating their bold and dangerous moves. 

Red Bull’s Instagram has a solid 1.2 million followers on its page. On their Instagram page they hold contests, post pictures of famous athletes, and even post about their new events coming to your town. Red Bull’s latest stunt in Chicago was the Red Bull “Crashed Ice” were artists around Chicago created unique ice coolers placed around different locations in the city and provided free Red Bull to anyone who walked by.

From social media to marketing campaigns Red Bull is the leader in this category! They attract Red Bull drinkers, dare-devils, artists, and everyone under the sun for their campaigns. All of Red Bull campaigns are incorporated into their social media, whether it’s a hash-tag or posting a picture, Red Bull wants its consumers to stay happy and most importantly drink Red Bull.

Old Spice Viral Campaign

Many companies dream of executing a viral campaign, yet only a few are successful . One of the companies that was able to create a viral campaign was Procter & Gamble with its brand Old Spice. This campaign, which was launched by the advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy, featured  a former NFL player, Isaiah Mustafa, in unexpected and catchy commercials.The Old Spice campaign also utilized social media sites such as YouTube, uploading short, comical videos of Isaiah Mustafa replying to consumers' tweets.

The results of the campaign were astonishing. Not only did Old Spice get major brand exposure, the YouTube videos received over "236 million views," making the Old Spice YouTube channel "the number one most viewed sponsored channel on YouTube" (Bullas). Furthermore, Old Spice got "80,000 Twitter followers in 2 days, Facebook interaction increase 800%," and "sales increased by 107%" (Bullas).

So what exactly made the Old Spice campaign so successful? 

Much of it was due to the innovative and creative concept the advertising agency came up with. Most of it, however, was due to the fact Old Spice utilized social media to interact and engage consumers, something no other company had done before. In this case, Old Spice made viewers feel they had a voice, seen with the YouTube video responses uploaded on YouTube. This clearly impacted consumers in a positive way, making them eager to share their opinions with Isaiah Mustafa.

In my case, this campaign not only encouraged me to buy Old Spice, but it also made me have a positive brand image of the company. This is due to the fact the campaign was fun, hip, and creative,  which is something I look for in a company. I also liked that the brand interacted with consumers and listened to what they had to say.

I have to admit the campaign, as well as Isaiah Mustafa, will be on my mind when I find myself shopping for body wash!

Schocktop - Final Challenge

My boyfriend and I got into a talk about bucket lists the other day. We started writing down all the things we want to do together and realized that they were kind of boring. So we started coming up with crazy scenarios like "kissing while skydiving and then landing in a boat and floating off while drinking champagne." At first, we were just messing around and then we started thinking about ways that we could actually make some of our ideas happen. Enter, Schocktop!

Shocktop, a beer company, has this awesome contest called the "final challenge." People from all over send in their "last wish" so to speak or "biggest dreams" about what they want to do most. They do it through an application and things like "having a beer at the top of a mountain with friends" are a usual request. Shocktop goes through these "dreams" once a month and they pick the best one and grant the wish.

Using consumer dreams to make your company thrive is GENIUS! Out of this app, they get facebook, twitter, and all other social media recognition. They also get commercials and other advertising out of this one campaign. I think it's brilliant.

Look for me in their next commercial as the contest winner! We will come up with something awesome for this! Hope to see some of your ideas on this as well!

Dream big everyone!

If anyone wants to check out an example of this heres the link:

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7SVu/shock-top

Converse

Converse is a company that is using social media to its advantage. When looking at its Facebook and Twitter, there aren’t many posts that ask questions to have people respond, but what they do instead is just as effective. First, they update on a regular basis, always updating on holidays or showing a new style that someone created. There are tutorials and a generator where you can go online and design your own shoes. These posts give the people a link to where they can design shoes all on their own, and it’s very simple to use.

Converse also keeps up with local music venues, artists, etc. and documents these things, telling people when tickets go on sale and which bands they are hanging out with this week. Most of the concerts and items going on are hosted by converse, but they really reach out to those people who like wearing sneakers and who enjoy music/concerts. Converse also doesn’t have just one hashtag for their company either which allows people to keep a conversation going that doesn’t just have the converse name in it. These hashtags include: #converse, #chuckhack, #WearSneakers, etc. YouTube is also updated on a regular basis and can show the different interviews or advertisements that Converse creates. This vehicle isn’t used as well as Facebook and Twitter, but videos are still uploaded almost every week and over 10,000 people see each video that is posted. Facebook also has a section for videos that are regulated constantly so that makes up for the YouTube channel that may not be used as much or seen by potential customers.

When many people think of chucks, they think of the simple black and white high-tops or ankle shoes. Seeing the posts on Facebook and Twitter just goes to show that converse are diverse, allow creativity with all people, and they are perfect for all people out there. If you need a shoe, converse has created the exact design you need or you can create your ideal look yourself.

I think that since Converse gives this visual aspect of each shoe created and gives you the option to create your own, me and others are likely to go onto the website and play around with the simulator. We may not buy shows right away, but it’s generating likes, followers, and clicks on the Converse website, which will eventually lead to more people buying the products and choosing Converse as their first-stop-shop when purchasing new sneakers.

Google Docs and its business application

Google Docs is a web-based office suite based in Google Drive. Google Docs is a great technology for someone who needs to work on documents on the fly or needs to be able to share them easily. Documents created using Google Docs are stored in the cloud, which is accessed only via the internet. Documents can be shared via the Google Drive, and the creator can determine whether a document is “read-only”, or if it can be edited by another person.

While this technology is basic, and most likely will not completely replace traditional programs and saving methods, it is helpful for people who need to share information to do so without cluttering up e-mail inboxes.