Oct200928
Posted by: Mark Grondin In: eCommerce Best Practices
In working with brands preparing for the holidays, we have been talking frequently about the tactic of getting involved in social marketing. This morning, I received a newsletter from GasPedal noting two great examples that I wanted to share here.
First, is Rubbermaid, who worked with a social network/blogging site BigTent to promote their kitchen products. To engage online moms, Rubbermaid partnered with Leanne Ely, a popular author and nutritionist who leads the popular BigTent group called Saving Dinner. Rubbermaid completed a full kitchen makeover for Ely, who blogged about the experience and offered Rubbermaid coupons to her 50,000 readers.
This campaign resulted in nearly 1,000 consumers downloading a $1 Rubbermaid coupon and roughly 2,500 people linking to the blog. Rubbermaid also received lots of useful feedback and comments submitted by readers about its products, the campaign, and the blog.
This is a great example of a company reaching into the blogosphere in a comfortable, up-front manner (it was clearly a sponsored piece) and being rewarded for it.
Secondly, the newsletter pointed to Best Buy who are going BIG in social marketing this holiday season. The company recently began advertising Twelpforce, a Twitter account staffed by more than 2,500 Best Buy “blue shirt” employees providing immediate answers to consumer questions. Seven commercials are set to air in the near future in which the Twelpforce members answer questions to the sounds of Christmas carol melodies.
Best Buy is also bringing the Christmas spirit to Facebook. The company’s Facebook page has been redesigned to make it easy to ask friends for advice about a product. (Every item the company sells is accessible from Facebook.) And for a new twist, there will be a ’social gift-card’ service called “Pitch In.” E-mail all your friends and relatives asking them to contribute to a fund with which you will buy that new flatscreen you’ve got your eye on.
Hmmm… social-charitable-buying… maybe I can get that Blu-Ray player this year.
Lastly, in what is not really social marketing, but I thought to be a very interesting concept for teenagers, Best Buy is integrating a functionality to their site called “Hint Helper, but which the NY Times more accurately refers to as “net nagging”. “If you want Dad to buy you that new iPod, sign up and he’ll get an e-mail from Best Buy. If he agrees, a cookie will be placed on his computer, and as he surfs the Web, he will see ads saying something like “Billy wants an iPod.”
I think I should keep my kids away from that one. I get enough Santa lists as it is…