WHO'S YOUR DADDY? John Edwards!

I came across an article on BBC talking about social media and politicians, and then thought about recent scandals in the news and how social media has exploited them... ahem... John Edwards... illegit child. On one hand social media is bad for the Edwards' scandal because he is susceptible to negative press, for example, the name-calling, "John Edwards, Sleazeball" (he kind of is a sleazeball!). But, on the other hand, Edwards can leverage social media by telling America just what was going on in his head when he decided to make a love-child/sex tape whilst his wife was dying of cancer.

Apparently Edwards has used 24, that's right TWENTY-FOUR, different social media tools (ZD Net). Doesn't seem very effective to me -- it ruins his credibility. 24 just seems a tad excessive. 24 social mediums of communication just multiplies the amount of negative press he will receive and makes him vulnerable to public scrutiny. A more effective approach would be to use a one-way communication tool such as a website to convey an apology; this limits/eliminates the feedback Edwards would receive directly on his website and hopefully untaint his original message.

Social media or not, John Edwards is screwed -- big time! (Especially after Andrew Young's appearance on Oprah.)

Make Up Alley

A great peer-review site that I have occasionally frequented is called Makeupalley. This site is a great example of a peer-review site, and an excellent website in general. Makeupalley features an excellent search tool whereby users can easily search for makeup reviews and browse for reviews if they don't know exactly what they are looking for. In addition to this, the website is comprehensive and very easy to navigate. Review websites can only be successful if there are a large amount of users (networking effect), and the only way to attract these users is by having a good website. Makeupalley is an excellent example of a good website that meets the criteria of a good user interface: quick site, easy site, clear categories and clear product names.

American Idol and Ford Fiesta -- cha cha cha

American Idol has recently marketed the Ford Fiesta during one of the episodes last week. They showed a video of the 12 Idol finalists randomly driving around in a Fiesta (there were a lot of awkward smiles by the contestants in the video, random paint ball fight and really cheesy editing to say the least) and showed some clips of the Idols designing some pretty fugly cars to be won in a contest. If you'd like to win one of these ugly cars go to the Ford Music Video Challenge.

Aside from the cheesiness of the video, Ford scored big with their feature in American Idol. I mean, even I was watching the commercial, let alone the over 30 million viewers that watch the program.

In 2008, American Idol has had a ton of product placements in previous seasons as well. During Season 6 (2007), 4349 product placements, most notably Coca Cola, were featured (according to Nielsen) and, has grown ever since!

It's interesting to see the shift from commercials between TV programs, to product placements and commercials in TV programs. People just aren't watching commercials as much as they used to. Most people are multi-tasking by texting, surfing the web, changing to another TV show, etc. -- our attention is focusing away from commercials! Ford made the right move by capturing over 30 million viewers' attention on American Idol, rather than having a commercial which no one would watch.



... Yes ... I would just love to win this octopus car.

Pepsi and Coke Out of School by 2012

Pepsi is apparently VOLUNTARILY removing all of their "high-calorie sweetened drinks from schools for kids up to age 18 in more than 200 countries by 2012," says USA Today. Coke and Pepsi apparently signed onto this initiative in 2006.

It's quite an enormous move they are making. Kids and teens have always been a huge market for marketers to target as they have substantial purchasing power. Having sugary sodas in schools is a great way for soda giants Coke and Pepsi to hook kids on, continuing the sugary soda binge into adulthood.

Although Coke and Pepsi have much to lose from this move, they have much more to gain. With the current trend towards healthy eating, and the more conscious consumer, Coke and Pepsi have realized the importance of providing healthier options for kids... that's not to say they really care about the health of kids. This move has created much publicity for the soda giants and makes the consumer trust the companies a little more. It also paves the way for new "healthier" (like Vitaminwater... NOT) product offerings. By "pave the way" I mean hopefully make the brands more trustworthy so Coke and Pepsi products can be offered in schools.

Social media done right!

I recently heard about the fabulous jewellery brand Dannijo, and absolutely love their designs (2 sisters founded the NY based company in 2008). I was researching the company and decided to see if they had a Facebook page, and sure enough they did. Since I was very interested in the brand, I joined their fan page and ever since I've been impressed on how well maintained it is.

A major key to the success of their facebook page is consistent updates of their fan page. This ensures that their fans see them pop up in their news feed regularly, and keeps their page highly visible. This is important so that fans don't forget that they are even fans of Dannijo!

Another element they execute well is the actual content of the fan page. The events section is constantly updated with relevant events they are attending. Dannijo also has lots of photos! They don't simply flood their page with magazine ads (which other brands are guilty of), but have actual photos the sisters have taken.

They also do a great job incorporating and intertwining all mediums of advertising. On their fan page they have snap shots of magazine spreads they have been featured in, e-newspaper clippings, photos of jewellery they sell on their website and much more. Consumers can easily find themselves on the Dannijo website or reading articles featuring Dannijo directed from their fan page.

The brand is quite new and prides itself on being a company that hand-makes jewellery with a small entourage of crafters with designs made by the two founders of the company Dani and Jodie. Dannijo is an authentic brand, and shows this brand image through their correspondence with customers. For example, Dani and Jo post pictures from recent trips abroad, and information on bands they like. Consumers can really see the personality of the founders, and this comes out through their jewellery brand.

Dannijo has done a great job with their Facebook fan page, and I am always excited to hear about their next post!

Mommy Blogs

Another interesting statistic I found today on E-Marketer was that 51% of moms in the US read blogs. Furthermore, 27% of moms post to blogs and 15% maintain a blog -- all of which is greater than the blogging activities of non-Moms.

Blogs are a great way of marketing to moms, a multi-billion dollar industry. Especially when purchasing products for their kids, mothers like to read the opinions of others before making a purchase decision (which relates to my previous blog entry). What better way to market to this segment than to collaborate with a blogger? Moms can relate to bloggers, as they often read, post or maintain a blog. Blogs create a personal relationship with the reader, which is something stay at home mothers have a strong desire for. Any marketing strategy targeting this segment could be enhanced by maintaining a strong presence in the "blogosphere"; either through a corporate blog or partnerships with individual bloggers.

One question which still looms is whether this segment will see a trend away from blogs and towards shorter message forms and social media applications (i.e. twitter, facebook) -- which occurred with teens and early adopters of blogging. I am tempted to say that blogs will have staying power with moms; they offer some continuity of thought and a personal connection, while also providing some excitement and fitting easily into a daily routine.

My Personal Shopper

A while back in E-Marketing class, we were talking about what makes a website good, and what creates value for the user. As I was going through my e-mail, it had occurred to me that the only "junk" mail I read is the stuff from Shop It to Me, an online service that brings together sale items from various online stores into one e-mail. And, the only reason why I "read" (i.e. look at pretty pictures) the newsletter is because I am able to customize it to my liking.

How Shop It to Me works:

• Choose what departments you would like to see sale items (Ex. Women's clothing, bags and shoes; Men's clothing; Kids Clothing etc.)
  
• Choose brands that you would like to see in your customized newsletter
• Select the type of clothes and the sizes you want to view
• Create a user profile

Instead of viewing clothes or shoes that don't fit you, you always get only the items that are the right size. This really does create value for the user, who no longer has to sift through useless items that they won't buy.

Being able to customize a newsletter to feature what I want is important; not only does it grab my attention, but it saves me time and energy.

In a time where we are surrounded by information and constantly bombarded by companies vying for our attention, it is increasingly important for online retailers to understand the importance of being on the consumer's side. Force-feeding the customer is no longer the only strategy; providing a tailored service that suits each user's specific desires is the key to creating a strong, lasting relationship between customer and company.