Social Media

December 18, 2009 | Lisa Wieting

The Pepsi Effect

“Pepsi to Skip Super Bowl After 23-Year Run” – New York Times
“Pepsi Not Advertising in next Super Bowl” – Toronto Star
“Pepsi Takes A Pass on Super Bowl Ads” – CNN Money

CNBC, CBS Sports, NPR, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal the list goes on and on.

PepsiIf you haven’t heard (you must be living under a rock), Pepsi will not be advertising in this year’s Super Bowl for the first time in 23 years. Instead the soft drink conglomerate will focus on a new marketing effort that will appear mostly online. I can’t help but think…NOT advertising may be one of the most genius PR stunts in recent history.

Lets guesstimate that Pepsi spent $20 to $30 million in Super Bowl ads last year. I’m sure they were clever, well produced and probably featured super stars like Justin Timberlake. So, let’s tack on another couple million dollars just for celebrity endorsement, creative concepts and production. This year, Pepsi pulls their ads sending shockwaves through the advertising world. Not only are they focusing on an “online” marketing strategy vs. traditional advertising but also saving millions of dollars. On top of that, by simply announcing this decision, they have generated millions of dollars in free publicity for this yet-to-be-created online campaign. Everyone’s interest is peaked…what could be so big that Pepsi isn’t advertising in the Super Bowl. You can bet that I will be on alert for this new marketing campaign.

Looking at the bigger picture, what does this mean for traditional advertising? If Pepsi pulls out of the Super Bowl, will Budweiser soon follow suit? Is Pepsi realizing the power of online is more powerful than the Super Bowl? Is this truly a publicity stunt? Time will tell if this move will pay off for Pepsi but this football fan is much more intrigued by Pepsi’s “Non-Advertising” campaign than any 30-second commercial with Justin Timberlake.

Follow the continual stream of news about Pepsi’s big Super Bowl decision on Bing News: http://ow.ly/No97

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December 16, 2009 | Melissa Eggert

Giving.

Giving. I always hear this word during the Christmas season more than any other (besides “sale,” “blowout,” and “stocking stuffer”). Sure, it lines itself up nicely for advertisement, drawing out the empathy in consumers and encouraging them to spend their money – on others, of course. But stepping aside from the consumer world, I have been truly amazed at how our nation has been giving this season despite an economic downturn.

CNN.com has been featuring daily stories on giving – have you seen them? Each day I am inspired by people coming together to provide a true Christmas for those that cannot provide for themselves or their families. Have you ever thought about what it would feel like to want to give, and not be able to? Here is one initiative that stood out to me for its unique angle on giving and for its incorporation of social media to make the largest impact worldwide.

  • Help-Portrait_1260983544396The Help Portrait  – Started by Jeremy Cowart, a world-renown celebrity photographer from Nashville, the Help Portrait project provided professional photos to disadvantaged people for the holiday season. Cowart used Twitter, Facebook, and his own website to broadcast a call for help from photographers around the world to set up a Help Portrait site in their own cities. The slogan? “Don’t take pictures. Give them.” The response? More than 6,000 volunteers across the globe took part in setting up the shoots, which took place on December 12th. The impact? Thousands of men, women, and children who had never felt more beautiful or special in their lives. And, a tangible gift for the holidays that showed both the love from their community and the love they held for one another.

eventHere in Denver, Cohn Marketing was able to make a humble donation to the Lewis and Floorwax Annual Toy Giveaway on Tuesday, December 15th. The Lewis and Floorwax Kid’s Foundation raised money and received discounts from Walmart to create a mini “shopping center” of toys at the Ultimate Electronics store in Littleton. The community was encouraged to donate as well; when we showed up with our gifts, we were blown away by the amount of people waiting in line to receive them. From stuffedkids4 animals to board games to water guns, mothers and fathers were able to choose the gifts they knew their children would like most and walk away with a feeling of joy and relief.

I overheard one woman say to an employee, “You really have no idea what this means for us.” While it’s true that I can’t fathom how it would feel to be in her shoes, I know her words moved us at Cohn Marketing and above all, brought the meaning of the word “giving” to a whole new level.

toys kids2

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December 10, 2009 | Melissa Eggert

Social Media Predictions for 2010 from a Social Media Observer

Photo 13I thought writing about social media predictions for 2010 would be an original blog topic, jumping the New Year gun and laying out the foreground for the coming year. But one search on Google and I pulled up hundreds of self-proclaimed social media experts giving their two cents on where we are headed. I wouldn’t call myself an expert in the field, but only because I’m not sure if anyone really can be. In such a rapidly evolving landscape, it’s almost impossible to call yourself an expert; an expert connotes a long-time dedication to the field. And this field has been around for what, one year? What you can be, and what I aim to be, is a social media observer – listening, watching, and comparing newest to newer to new.

So, here are my collected observations about the future of social media.

Read the rest →

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December 3, 2009 | Melissa Eggert

‘Tis the Season to be Social

online_shopping1It’s officially the holiday season, and this year retailers are taking the anticipated shopping frenzy to a whole new level. With the rapid growth of social media in the past year, it’s no surprise that Facebook and Twitter have taken the foreground in helping stores promote their gift-worthy goods. Shop.org reported that nearly half of retailers stated they would increase their involvement with social media for the holidays.

The numbers reported for Black Friday and the new Cyber Monday proved that their involvement is paying off. Black Friday, the largest shopping day of the year, brought $595 million in online sales, up 11% from last year. And Cyber Monday, a new term for the start of the online shopping season following a long Thanksgiving weekend, increased sales by 13.7% from 2008.

Retailers recognize the importance of the online conversation, seeing a positive correlation between their participation and profit. And Twitter is the perfect place to announce sales, hot items, contests, and ongoing promotions. Why? Because it gets the message across quickly in the simplest form to the largest audience possible.

Some Black Friday and Cyber Monday examples:

  • Best Buy’s TwelpForce , which includes 2,500 of Best Buy’s employees in an online question and answer session with customers, was available around the clock for the weekend.
  • Toys R Us created its own Black Friday tab on its Facebook fan page, showcasing its Black Friday deals on toys.
  • Gap tweeted where its “Cheer Squad” would be handing out free merchandise in New York City.
  • The Washington Post created a “Black Friday Sales Twitter Aggregator,” which posted tweets of popular brands by category.
  • @BlackFriday, @BlackFridayWeb, @BlackFridayList, and dozens of other Twitter handles were created solely to tweet on the best bargains.

Social media will continue to be an integral part of the holiday season, with ongoing campaigns advertising month-long specials, custom gift idea pages, and printable coupons. Retailers speculate another jump in online traffic the few days before free shipping or rush shipping on merchandise ends. So, will you be a social shopper this holiday season?

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November 23, 2009 | Melissa Eggert

Video Becomes the Online Star

online-video-distribution-jpeg-image-485x535-pixelsAccording to Comscore, more than 168 million U.S. Internet users watched over 26 billion online videos in September 2009. And it wasn’t just the breaking news or the hilarious family bloopers posted to websites that drove such enormous traffic. It’s mostly that videos have become the main component of online marketing for businesses across the globe. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, video is now the fastest-growing segment in Internet advertising. Online video brought in $477 million in revenue in early 2009, a 38 percent increase from 2008. Talk about taking center stage.

So why the recent rise in online video presence? For starters, video advertisement has a higher level of credibility compared to text or graphics. A teenager is going to be more inclined to buy from Nike if he watches a professional soccer player test out Nike shoes in practice than if he reads an ad in the paper. Video offers visual proof that your brand is what you claim it to be. And thanks to the evolution of the Web into an interactive experience, people can back up your online video ads by sharing them on social media sites or blogging about them.

YouTube has driven the video revolution, capitalizing in strategic partnerships and advancements almost weekly. Take Target for example, who recently paired with YouTube to create the ultimate holiday channel – YouTube Holiday Solutions. One can find seasonal recipes, helpful gift giving tips, decorating ideas, all utilizing Target items and all in video form. YouTube also announced a merge this week with the Spanish Television Network, Univision, to provide for the rising population of Hispanics in the United States. And just the other day, YouTube released YouTube Direct, a tool that allows users to easily submit clips to be considered for news media companies. This will position YouTube not only as a public video host, but also as a liaison between media organizations and reporters.

Video is leading the online experience because in a constantly evolving media market, interaction is key. If a company can create a video that successfully communicates its value to me in an entertaining way, I’m going to pay attention. Better yet, I’m going to post it, bookmark it, email it, embed it, and retweet it.

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