Corporate Eye

...compare, compete, excel

Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius

The Real Reasons People ‘Like’ Brands on Facebook

A report released by ExactTarget reveals some interesting insights into the real reasons why people “like” brands on Facebook.  In an April 2010 survey reported by eMarketer, ExactTarget asked participants what their motivations were for “liking” a company, brand or association on Facebook.

The main reasons according to the study are listed below:

  • 40% = To receive discounts and promotions
  • 39% = To show my support of the company to others
  • 36% = To get a freebie such as free samples or coupons
  • 34% = To stay informed about the company’s activities
  • 33% = To get updates about future products
  • 30% = To get updates about future sales
  • 29% = For fun or entertainment
  • 25% = To get access to exclusive content
  • 22% = Someone recommended it to me
  • 21% = To learn more about the company
  • 13% = For education about company topics
  • 13% = To interact, share ideas, and provide feedback

The most interesting point about this data is that three of the responses are related to receiving discounts and coupons (40% want to receive discounts and promotions, 36% want to get a freebie such as a free sample or coupons, and 30% want to get updates about future sales).  These results aren’t that different from prior research reports related to why people follow brands and companies on the social web.

The biggest takeaways from recent studies related to why people follow brands are:

  1. People want access to discounts and freebies.
  2. People want information about upcoming products before products hit stores.
  3. People want to have fun and be entertained.
  4. People want to learn through interesting, exclusive content that adds value to their lives.

That’s what you need to do to get people to like your brand on the social web.  Give people the four things listed above.  If they get those things, they’ll “like” your brand.  They’ll tell their friends about it.  And they’ll even join the conversation.  Why?  Because you’re engaging them by delivering what they want and need in an interesting, entertaining manner.

In other words, take the social web down to its most basic level.  What do customers want?  Those things are listed above.  Give those things to the online audience, and you’ll have taken your first step to social media marketing and online brand building success.

Social Media Use Among Older Adults Nearly Doubles in One Year

If your brand is targeted to older adults, and you’ve heretofore thought that you didn’t need a social media presence because older adults don’t spend time on the social web, you’re wrong.

A new study from Pew Research Center tells us that use of social media among older adults in the United States, age 50 and older, has nearly doubled over the past year from 22% to 42%.

But there’s more compelling data…

According to the Pew Research Center study, 47% of Internet users between the ages of 50-64 (that’s 1 out of every 2 people in that age group) and 26% over the age of 65 (1 in 4 people) use social networking sites.

And this is not a group of people who isn’t making use of the various tools and features available to them.  On the contrary, they’re using social media to share, “links, photos, videos, news and status updates with a growing network of contacts.”

Facebook and LinkedIn are the most popular social networking sites for older adults.

But wait.  There’s still more…

11% of Internet users between the ages of 50-64 (that’s 1 in 10 people) and 5% over the age of 65 use Twitter or a similar service, “to share updates about themselves of see updates about others.”

Still not convinced that brands targeted at older audiences should be on the social web?  Then consider this…

Older adults aren’t just signing up for social network or Twitter accounts and never using them again.  According to the Pew Research Center study, 20% of Internet users between the ages of 50-64 (1 in 5) and 13% over the age of 65 use social networking sites everyday.

So what do you think now?

Advertising Standards Authority Expand Authority to Online Space

asaThe Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the U.K.’s independent regulator of advertising across all media, including TV, internet, sales promotions and direct marketing. The ASA’s mission is to ensure ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful by applying the Advertising Codes.

According to an article from the BBC today, the ASA will expand its power to apply its Advertising Codes to online ads beginning March 1, 2011.  Additionally, the ASA will have the power to ban marketing messages from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The ASA’s power will only apply to websites, online ads and online messages that are intended to sell products and services, so online publishers and journalists will not be subject to the ASA’s oversight.  The BBC article noted that 75% of complaints to the ASA are related to misleading messages in ads, and beginning in March 2011, not only will the ASA have to power to restrict and ban online ads that are found to be misleading, but they’ll also have the right to purchase ad space themselves advertising other companies’ non-compliance with ASA standards.

For brands that are used to practicing truth-in-advertising and don’t mislead consumers, the new ASA reach to the online advertising space should be welcome.  Now, advertisers will be placed on a level playing field in terms of assertions and claims.  However, the online space is very, very big, and the ASA won’t be able to catch all advertisers who disregard the standards.  This is a step in the right direction though, and consumers should benefit from it.

You can follow the link to read more about the ASA’s newly extended authority in the digital space.  While most consumers are likely to be happy about the ASA’s announcement, there will undoubtedly be some people who believe this kind of regulation and oversight in the online space is unwelcome and excessive.  What do you think?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts as a consumer and as a business person.

Brand Museums and Factories Become Popular Tourist Destinations

There are few companies in the world that have such powerful brands that the brand and all of the tangible elements of its history can be turned into a museum which people around the world actually want to visit.  Similarly, there are factories that power brands which are strong enough to draw visitors from around the world.  Today’s post highlights several of those branded museums and factories that have become popular tourist destinations.

1. The World of Coca-Cola

At the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, Georgia visitors can taste Coca-Cola products from around the world, see a real bottling line, buy Coke merchandise, and more.

2. Hershey Museum and Chocolate World

Okay, Hershey’s makes chocolate, so there are some perks to visiting the Hershey Museum and factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania, including free chocolate.  And the Hershey’s theme park helps, too.

hersheys-factory-tour

3. Ben & Jerry’s Factory

Again, it’s hard to resist ice cream, but the Ben & Jerry’s Factory tour in Waterbury, Vermont is popular not just for the ice cream.  The unique flavors that make the Ben & Jerry’s brand famous take center stage in this tour and visitors love it.

ben-and-jerrys-factory-tour

4. The Henry Ford Museum and Ford Factory Tour

Visitors to Dearborn, Michigan can tour the Ford Rouge Factory and visit the Henry Ford Museum which is filled with history and pieces of Americana.  The trip can also include a visit to Henry Ford’s hometown, the historic Greenfield Village, as well as the Henry Ford Research Center.

ford-factory-tour

5. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Theme Park

There is already a Ferrari museum featuring all the cool cars you can imagine in Italy, but coming in October 2010, Abu Dhabi will be the home of the new Ferrari World Theme Park complete with displays, driving experiences in real cars and on a real track, and the world’s fastest roller coaster.

ferrari-theme-park

What do you think?  Have you visited a brand museum or factory?  Is your brand powerful enough to be a museum?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Branded YouTube Channels to Benchmark

There are a lot of brands on YouTube, and many of the companies behind those brands have created branded YouTube channels where consumers can view video content related to those brands.  Sometimes the content is informative, sometimes it’s entertaining, and sometimes it’s promotional.  The following branded YouTube channels are included in this list of branded YouTube channels to benchmark not for the content of their videos but rather for the design and use of brand identifying elements in that design to make the channel unique and representative of the brand promise.

1. Disney Parks YouTube Channel

The Disney Parks YouTube channel includes the colors and graphics you’d expect from the world’s most popular family vacation destination, but it’s included in this list for the great use of links in the top navigation bar and the design of those links that make it very clear where visitors will go if they click on them.  These are the destinations you’d expect visitors to be most interested in going to after viewing the Disney Parks’ video content.

youtube-channel-disney-parks

2. Kraft Foods YouTube Channel

The Kraft Foods YouTube channel is included on this list because of the two navigation bars of links at the top of the page, which take visitors to a variety of useful information.  Also, the content in the Kraft Foods videos is incredibly useful and includes recipes, cooking demonstrations, and more, all of which are appropriate matches to the Kraft brand promise.

youtube-channel-kraft-foods

3. Old Spice YouTube Channel

The Old Spice YouTube channel is included in this list for one reason — excellent use of a viral and hot marketing campaign to draw viewers, recognition, and conversations.

youtube-channel-old-spice

4. Verizon Wireless

The Verizon Wireless YouTube channel is included in this list for its great use of the brand’s color palette and the fact that the channel highlights a product that is currently very popular — the Droid.  The link in the top right corner of the page gives visitors access to more product details.  Also, visitors can scroll down the page and view videos by category rather than simply browsing through them by date as most YouTube channels are set up.  This is a great way to deliver relevant content to specific segments of Verizon Wireless’ broader audience.

youtube-channel-verizon-wireless

5. Harley Davidson

The Harley Davidson YouTube channel is included in this list for its visually appealing link graphics in the page header as well as for the use of the categorized video slider features that enables visitors to self-select the types of videos they’re interested in before they even scroll down further to see the more traditional YouTube channel layout and features.

youtube-channel-harley-davidson

6. Pepsi Refresh

The Pepsi Refresh campaign is very popular, and the Pepsi Refresh YouTube channel is included in this list for its seamless integration with the overall campaign as well as the great use of color and graphics that are very recognizable for the Pepsi brand.  Also, the YouTube channel is a great example of one that encourages comments, conversations, sharing, and subscriptions as part of Pepsi’s larger social media marketing initiatives.

youtube-channel-pepsi-refresh

What branded YouTube channels do you think are good enough to be benchmarked?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Creative Ambient Media for Local Retailer Works

When Romtelecom (the largest telecommunications company in Romania) needed to tell local customers that one of its brick-and-mortar stores moved to a new location, they turned to Graffiti BBDO out of Bucharest, Romania to help them spread the word.  The creative team at Graffiti BBDO decided to make use of a nearby intersection to not just spread the word locally but also cause an online conversation that gave the business a boost from all directions.

Check out the video below which tells the creative story and shows how this clever bit of ambient media grabbed the attention of people on the street and around the world.

The goal for Romtelecom was simply to ensure the local store didn’t lose business after its move, but this creative ambient media got people talking about the brand.  In other words, it achieved far more than its original objective by creating a conversation and word-of-mouth marketing that reached a larger audience via the social web and brought the brand in front of more people than a few signs and local ads ever could achieve on their own.

What do you think?  Are you (or should I say, is your leadership) brave enough to use creative ambient media like Romtelecom?  Leave a comment and share your thoughts.