Media Week

In a sign of the rising influence of Twitter, PepsiCo turned to Twitter after users began posting criticisms of a Pepsi Max advertisement which depicted a cartoon calorie committing suicide.

Huw Gilbert, communications manager for PepsiCo International, posted a public message apologising for the creative and saying it was totally inappropriate.

Advertising execs who might want to use Twitter to publicise ad campaigns in the future might want to check out a new book about Twitter called 'Twitter means business' by Julio Ojeda-Zapata

http://yourtech.typepad.com/twitinbiz/about-twitter-means-business.html

Despite the rising interest in Twitter - about three million accounts - it is still  highly vulnerable to hacking. Barack Obama's account has just been hacked into even though it has not been active since it was used to publicise his presidential campaign.

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An Australian court has allowed a lawyer to use Facebook to serve legal documents on a couple who defaulted on a housing loan in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.

Mark McCormack, a Canberra solicitor - a keen Facebook user himself - sought permission from the court after more conventional attempts to reach the couple failed.

Users on Facebook who are worried about being approached by lawyers can adjust their optional privacy settings to prevent anyone from outside their personal network contacting them. Which would prevent someone like Mark McCormack getting in contact with them.

What this shows though is how far our lives are moving online and that it is not going to be long before judges etc are all going to join in. While Facebook might see itself as a reliable medium in light of this judgement, the Australian court action is going to raise privacy issues and concerns among social networking site users.

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The Evening Standard carried a report last night about M&S ex-workers badmouthing their ex-employer on Facebook.  There's a group called 'I used to work at Marks and Spencer and detested almost every second of it'. There are even attacks on the customers who are called 'snobbish'. Woolies does better with people trying to save it through Facebook.

I wonder if M&S has got a Facebook policy or strategy? Or is it just one of those places behind the firewall which M&S executives don't believe matters to them?!! There is going to be a massive shift next year in social media communications as companies wake up to the fact that social media communications could be a pretty good cost effective replacement for traditional advertising. However, communications through social media are not one way. Companies like M&S need to develop strategies for Facebook engagement which could be highly valuable for them in terms of gaining customer feedback. They also need to equip staff with clear guidelines in order to protect the reputation of their brands. At the same time, they are going to have to learn to live with criticism rather than being able to remove it. Social Media is real people talking about real things. Social media represents a return to a real marketplace where customers talk directly and honestly to producers. It calls for new models of corporate communication.

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I am not referring to the TV show but there are plenty of companies thinking of engaging with Facebook and they are worried about being too intrusive. If you have a group of fans on Facebook and you want to engage with them by creating your own Facebook presence, what is the best way to approach existing fans? As fans, are they automatically going to be pleased to hear from you? Are they going to be a bit taken aback that you are getting close to them? Should companies just leave positive facebook groups alone? Or does it come down to a question of style? How you approach people? It's a question of being sensitive, isn't it? Personally I think that fans will be keen to hear from companies that they are fanatical about but they are going to require more than standard corporate messaging othewise the relationship will go nowhere. It needs to be personal. What do other people think?

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I think advertisers have to accept that there are limits to advertising on social media sites. As the Economist points out (edition 29 Nov- Dec 5) in a piece on internet trends, people go to social networking sites to socialise not to shop. 

The Economist reports that five per cent of online time is now spent at YouTube and Facebook.

There is no escaping the fact that marketing managers have to change the way they operate if they want to engage with consumers using social media sites. The fact of the matter is that consumers are no longer just going to corporate sites. They are going to user generated content sites for news and views.

I have met quite a few apologetic corporate PR managers who say that the culture of the business is conservative and they cannot embrace social media for a variety of reasons. They are living off past successes. The old way of working has served them well. But companies who do not embrace social media will become culturally irrelevant or be outwitted by more nimble and progressive competitors.

And of course so many talented corporate PR/marketing managers cannot even see what is being said about their brands online because the board does not get social media and some reactionary IT executive has put up a firewall which makes it impossible for them to do their jobs properly. How can marketing managers and PR people do their jobs if they cannot participate in social media? How long will this farce continue for? Naturally the clever marketing and PR managers will take more innovative courses of action and there are a lot of them around as well - thank goodness!

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Twitter - the micro blogging site- which is becoming increasingly fashionable has held talks with Facebook about a possible takeover.

The FT reports that negotiations have valued Twitter at $500M! That's not bad for the company that created 'tweets' and which has been lampooned by bloggers for having technology which is not too reliable. And also Twitter has not made any money! I can't imagine what the Dragons Den team would make of this proposition!

A bidding war could be about to break out for the micro blogging service which inspires a passionate following. Despite the efforts of Gordon Brown, Obama, and Nasa to engage with Twitter followers, there are still plenty of marketing executives out there who do not know that Twitter exists or how Twitter can have an impact on their brand. Maybe Facebook's acquisition - if it goes ahead - could change that. We'll see.

 www.itsopen.co.uk

Google is trying out a new approach to advertising on YouTube that is closely modelled on its successful AdWords system. Under the new arrangement, advertisers will be able to bid to have their videos displayed in a new sponsored video section of the site when visitors to YouTube search for particular keywords.

But will it work? It is a fascinating idea. There are already a number of YouTube channels which have been set up by companies wishing to leverage the viral power of YouTube and talk directly to stakeholders. I think that companies should become more involved with YouTube. Sponsored videos could work to an extent. But unsponsored videos will probably have more credibility with consumers. There is clearly an audience for company YouTube videos. I have seen some B2B ones which have attracted more than 50,000 views. At the end of the day, it comes down to quality of content. If it's sponsored but the video is dull, it will not go anywhere. Being a natural part of of a social media network as far as possible is probably best for a corporate rather than paying to take further steps to grabbing attention. Although an initial sponsored video burst could be good to generate interest and help launch a new initiative. Once this gets going - if it does, it will be highly competitive.  I'd be interested to know what other people think? Could sponsored videos work? Or will people be fed up with corporates trying to gain their attention in an area where they like to feel free to search for what they want on their own terms?

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Josh Bernoff, one of the co-authors of Groundswell, the best-selling Forrester book about social media technologies, talks about how social media fits into the mix during an economic downturn.

He argues that social media communities/blogs are relatively inexpensive compared to many other marketing activities and can help companies generate positive word of mouth. If you haven't read the book, I'd strongly recommend it.

http://loispaul.typepad.com/blog/2008/10/an-chat-with-groundswell-author-josh-bernoff.html

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The Financial Times has put together a good microsite about beating a downturn which includes independent research by the likes of McKinsey which shows that companies who continue to advertise and market  in challenging times tend to do better than their competitors in the long run. It is well worth a read and an excellent antidote to the relentless gloomy stories. I recommend that all agencies start publicising the microsite to their clients. It is in all of our interests!

http://www.ftadmin.co.uk/downturn_web/index.html

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The Today Programme responded to an article in Wired magazine yesterday which had suggested that blogging was finished and is being superseded by services like Twitter.

 You can read The Wired piece here:

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/16-11/st_essay

And listen to John Humphrys discussing it here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7685000/7685883.stm

 Clearly blogging isn't dead. It is still a great publishing tool for sharing ideas and opinions. The tone of the Today's programme piece was playful. The BBC itself invests heavily in blogging. With most of its correspondents having blogs because it knows it's a great way to enhance the brand and spread its content across the web.

 www.itsopen.co.uk

Having innocently registed on Barack Obama's campaign site, I am now receiving regular emails urging me to get the vote out.

First I had one from Obama himself, now it's the turn of his running mate Joe Bidden. See the message below. Emailing is being used agressively to get donations all the time and to make sure the democrats get everyone they can out to vote. McCain and Palin are probably doing the same.

This is the message I got early this morning from Joe Bidden:

Anyone who tells you this election is already decided is dead wrong. Let's not
forget the 2000 election, when Al Gore was up by double digits in October.

The surest way to lose a race is to slow down with the finish line in sight.

We're taking no chances. We've planned the biggest get out the vote operation in
history, and we need to make sure that every voter has their voice heard.

That's why we've set the goal of bringing in 100,000 new donors by Friday at midnight.

If you step up and make your first donation today, it will be matched by a previous
donor.

Will you make a donation of $5 or more today and double your impact?

https://donate.barackobama.com/octmatch1

This campaign has fought for every inch, and now is not the time to take anything
for granted.

To get out the vote, we need to knock on hundreds of thousands of doors and make
even more phone calls.

This campaign has built the largest field operation in history, and we need to
mobilize it in these remaining days to get every single voter to the polls on
Election Day.

Because that's what it comes down to -- counting every last vote.

Make a matching donation today to make certain that when everything is on the line,
we are stronger than ever:

https://donate.barackobama.com/octmatch1

We've come too far to hold back now.

Thank you for everything you're doing,

Joe


Donate: https://donate.barackobama.com/octmatch1

Last night I registered on Barack Obama's web site and got the following email. It's an interesting insight into how he's using online marketing to rally the troops for the final push against McCain.

The message starts here: 

I just finished the last debate before the election.

Now the outcome of this campaign is up to you. I need your help to get our message
out -- and to get out the vote.

I wouldn't ask for your support if this campaign didn't urgently need it.

Your donation of $5 or more today is essential to our unprecedented get out the vote
operation in these final days:

https://donate.barackobama.com/finaldebate1

The most dangerous thing you can do right now is nothing.  Your support and hard
work are exactly what we need between now and Election Day.

While he didn't mention the middle class, John McCain chose to repeat the false,
negative attacks that make up 100% of his advertising these days.

The truth is that his choices say more about his campaign than they do about me.

But John McCain and his allies are not going to stop fighting -- or attacking --
until the very end.

We're doing this a different way. Tonight I talked about the real problems ordinary
people face during this economic crisis and concrete ways that I will create jobs,
cut health care costs, build a new energy policy, and get our economy moving.

But time is running out. Our strength and our success in these last 20 days depends
on you:

https://donate.barackobama.com/finaldebate1

Thank you for all you do,

Barack


Donate: https://donate.barackobama.com/finaldebate1

A lot has been written about Obama's use of social media in the US Presidential nomination campaign. Use of new social technologies could be crucial to both candidates in the next few decisive weeks. I have dug up a post from the Summer from Forrester's groundswell blog (see below) about Obama and his social networking. Why this is interesting is because it highlights how supporters often complain openly to Obama through the social technologies he has made available. Forrester argues that as a leader you cannot always be led by what people say on social networks but you have to get into the network, justify your decision and also be looking to support other ideas that come up. How much time will Obama and McCain spend listening to what is said online in the next few weeks and what impact will it have? Could this be the first US presidential election where social technologies really came to the fore? We will see but clearly they have already made an impact with Obama being credited for using social technologies to energize a younger vote.

The challenges that the US presidential nominees face mirror the ones that organisations face. If you set up your own social networks, how far should you be led by what your customers and stakeholders say? Should you always act on the basis that you know better than your customers and stakeholders? Listening to social networks is crucial as you never know what can be brewing and participating in them is essential I believe. Even if you disagree with what is being said you need to be in there explaining your views and you need to be seen to be adopting and taking on good ideas and suggestions. The online audience is an influential stakeholder in the reputation of your business.

http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/2008/07/barack-obama-vs.html

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In yesterday's Guardian famous blogger Jeff Jarvis told journalists that they must take responsibility for declining sales and he challenged the notion that a newspaper is an immutable product http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/oct/13/digital-media.

 He acknowledges that some journalists know they must update their sites with Twitter, social networking, Google Maps and video, but believes there is a greater need and opportunity to rethink and reinvent journalism.

'The internet is not just a glittery gadget. It presents the circumstances to change our relationship with the public, to work collaboratively in networks, to find new efficiencies thanks to the link, to rethink how we cover and present news'.

It made me think how applicable this attitude is not only to journalism but all business sectors. It is one thing to update your website but it is a different challenge to look at how you can use the internet and the latest social technologies to reinvent your business and transform the way in which you communicate with important stakeholders.

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I thought Starbucks was getting it together when they launched their MyStarbucks platform http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/apex/ideaHome

The idea is to get ideas from people online, share and vote on them.

 So what's going wrong?

1 They launched a large in-your-face campaign about their environmental credentials which ignores the social media rules of advertising: act like a person and be personal. Don't shout. Don't broadcast.

2 Would anyone in their right mind walk into your front room and start shouting about how environmental they are? I walked into Starbucks and saw posters in the shop as well. How about being a bit more humble and a bit more conversational?

3 Before launching your ad campaign, why not test it on MyStarbucks and see what people think first? Let your customers create your advertising with you.

 4 I am having second thoughts about MyStarbucks. It is too impersonal. Where are the people behind Starbucks? Who are they? Where's the individual passion for coffee?

5 The founder of Starbucks is meant to be passionate about coffee. How about video-ing him visiting coffee shops in Italy or talking with people in Starbucks? How about podcasting about the environmental work of Starbucks? Get more involved online, share more and create some meaningful content people might actually be interested in.

6 If you consulted with bloggers and people online about Starbucks would they say that what's really missing from Starbucks is a commitment to the environment. I don't think so. The people I know who have gone off Starbucks say it doesn't taste that good any more. That's the crucial point. Focus on the taste of the coffee. Talk about the flavours. Bring the coffee making process to life online.

 7 Let's see the real Starbucks online, don't hide behind billboard, shouting ads about how wonderful your green credentials are and be surprised that someone or some thing trips you up.

8 Listen more to what people are saying about you online. Listen a lot more.

9 We all see those community noticeboards in Starbucks but why not create a real community online or use social media to really support local communities in a meaningful way

10 Why not use Mystarbucks to get people to recommend which coffee they like the most when they don't go to Starbucks. Then check out that coffee and see if you could learn from them...

 Social media is changing advertising. Advertising needs to be more personal. Advertising needs to be co-created with customers. Mystarbucks is a great idea so put it into practice. Ask mystarbucks visitors to create the next ad, listen to what they say, incentivise them to take part, and I bet the campaign will be a lot more effective than the environmental one which is just back firing.

 www.itsopen.co.uk