You may have never heard of an “unboxing video,” but it’s a cultural phenomenon where consumers (usually of the tech geek variety) take videos of themselves unpacking new (mostly electronic) products for all the world to see. Most of these videos are pretty standard; however, some people have taken them to the next level as exhibited by the video above.
Milk seems like a a weird thing to be thinking about on a 100 degree day, but I thought this story from Mediapost on the digital rebranding of the white stuff was interesting to all of us who have grown up with the campaign.
After 15-years of celebrity “Got Milk” print ads, the iconic campaign from the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) is finally going digital.
A text messaging component to the campaign will allow MilkPEP to give teens access to an exclusive video of celeb spokesperson Lauren Conrad. Users will snap a photo of the print ad with their smartphones and texting to be granted access to view the video, in which Conrad talks about why she loves milk.
In addition to SMS, another digital marketing effort by MilkPEP will feature St. Louis Cardinals star player in Sports Illustrated’s new iPad edition.
Big news from the Twitterverse, Twittisphere, (or whatever people are calling it these days). Today the Twitter media team blogged that they will most likely launch an embeddable tweets feature tomorrow.
What does this all mean? Well, now instead of tediously taking screen shots of tweets to post on blogs and websites, you’ll be able to easily copy and paste the embeddable code to capture the visual perfectly.
It may not be groundbreaking, but it’s definitely helpful!
We often discuss the effectiveness of ads on social media for optimal results and there never seems to be one clear solution to this issue. However, a recent study conducted by Psychster Inc. and Allrecipes provides new insight on determining which kinds of ads are most effective.
The study, (which can be found here via Mashable.com) tested and evaluated banner ads, newsletter subscription ads, corporate profiles with fans and logos, corporate profiles without fans or logos, get widgets, give widgets and sponsored content on two different publisher websites, Facebook and Allrecipes.
A few key findings from the study suggest:
While sponsored content provided the most user interaction (and was the least likely to be perceived as advertising), it also triggered the lowest level of purchase intent and the fewest viral recommendations.
Corporate profiles are effective but they work better when users can become a fan of the profile and add a logo to their own page.
More people engage with give/get widgets than with banner ads, however widgets do not increase purchase intent or viral recommendations.
Regardless of format, the most effective advertisements were those that were related to the content on the publisher’s website (i.e. a soup advertisement on a cooking website).
Of the seven advertising types, banner ads and newsletter links were the most successful at encouraging purchase intent.
For product marketing, the study suggests that banner ads may be the best choice. However, for campaigns that want to build engagement, corporate profiles or sponsored content seems to be the better option.
Fan Appz launched a platform yesterday to help Facebook page administrators create and distribute brand-specific polls, quizzes and promotions that fans can share with friends to extend brand awareness and drive traffic.
The platform, called Professional, provides built-in social marketing tools for businesses at a monthly subscription fee of about $50. Each time a fan takes a quiz or participates in a poll, responses can publish to their Facebook stream.
Just how much of a game changer are the recent FTC Guidelines to mommy bloggers? The answer: not so much.
Today Mediapost’sEngage Moms blog posted the results of a survey of 130 mommy bloggers, questioning how their blogging practices have changed since the guidelines were introduced. Most bloggers stated that they were already incorporating disclosures and that the number of brands pitching them has remained the same.
A few notable statistics from the survey include:
78% of mom bloggers said they rely on general disclosures for product reviews
68% disclose the value of giveaways when applicable
Half of those surveyed believe that the guidelines seem to single out mom bloggers while outlining fewer disclosure guidelines for journalists (68%) or celebrities (82%)
Nearly all believe it is ethical for mom bloggers to receive samples, giveaways and compensation
However, mom bloggers expressed anxiety about vulnerability to IRS audits, with 75% believing that they may be at risk for an audit if they disclose specific dollar amounts of the product value or compensation
Who’s really getting the most benefit out of Facebook? Divorce lawyers.
Because of fresh connections created with old flames and introductions to new people, it makes sense that social media, specifically Facebook, is conducive to “e-philandering,” the term for online cheating.
According to the article on DailyFinance.com, one lawyer stated that almost one in every five divorce petitions his company processes involves a mention of Facebook.
Even better (for the lawyers) is that much of the inappropriate information shared by guilty parties is traceable and public (make sure you set those privacy settings!).
Whether you love him or you hate him, Gary Vaynerchuck is obviously engaging. His web marketing book called Crush It is actually crushing the bestseller lists.
Anyway, here’s a clip of him being a lunatic on Fox and Friends.
Volkswagen has created a new iPhone application for the launch of its 2010 GTI model. The free app, called “Real Racing GTI,” allows users to compete by racing others and posting their scores on an online leaderboard. Users can also post their racing videos on YouTube if they wish.
How will Volkswagen’s app compete with other brands using mobile, you ask? By offering free cars!
“Players who download the app will be eligible for the 2010 GTI sweepstakes, which gives away a 2010 GTI Limited Edition Model every week for six weeks beginning Nov. 2nd. Each day that a player finishes a lap in the Real Racing GTI game he or she can enter into the sweepstakes.”
Incentives are important, especially in the oversaturated mobile app space.
“The costumes took 3 weeks to build, with each weighing 85lbs and requiring a car battery to be worn between the wearer’s legs. An iPhone 3GS is attached to a 42″ LCD screen (not touch screen, alas), turning the wearer into a human-sized iPhone.”
I must be a sucker for good branding, because I love Google and Virgin (despite my terrible fear of flying).
Knowing that Google has offered to foot the WiFi bill for everybody on board Virgin America flights between November 10 and January 15 makes me love the li’l old monopoly even more.
What does Google get out of this partnership, you ask? As one commenter put it:
“It’s safe to assume that passengers will land on a Google-sponsored landing page (or the Google homepage itself) when they begin their “free” inflight Web experience. This is a great way to feature the Google brand, create buzz around a small marketing spend (compared to TV, etc.), and increase the chance that passengers will perform their searches via Google.”
Whatever Google’s rationale, I’m sure these flights will book up fast!
It all started yesterday, when rumors circulated via Twitter and Facebook that Braff was dead, based on a fake webpage put up by prankster Chris Laganella in 2007.
Braff took charge by posting a video on YouTube to let everyone know that he is very much alive.
This is the kind of “viral” that every company dreams of.
“Social media is about forming relationships and having conversations with customers, not constant promotion.” That’s the motto of Chris Bruzzo, Starbucks’s vice president of brand, content and online, which should hold true in any marketing program these days.
Speaking of Starbucks, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote a fantastic article about how the coffee chain’s social media initiatives have made it the poster child (along with Microsoft) for companies engaging consumers in real relationship-building online. A great read if you have a second.
There was an interesting article in the New York Post this week about the rise and fall of Zagat. It seems that back in the day, the Zagats would not accept a $100 million offer to sell the company and are now regretting the decision, because they cannot keep up with up with the technology and crowdsourcing models of competitors. It also doesn’t help that Zagat charges subscribers $25 to use the site.
Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? My mom says that.
