The CBloggers Project gave 20 young community radio broadcasters from around Australia the opportunity to take on the challenge of becoming an online media maker. The 20 rose to the challenge admirably, some embracing online platforms, like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, in the context of media production for the first time. Lesser known phlogging platform iPadio was an instant hit.
Social media gives community broadcasters the opportunity to take their messages beyond their signal radii, especially in the case of rural stations. It’s such a great opportunity to connect with those who share their values, appreciate their programming and showcase their talents to the world.
Over the past 6-12 months we have seen a strong #Adelaide community form on Twitter (see @Prakky’sblog). Week in, week out, #Adelaide is the most popular hashtag in Australia and often in the Top Ten Trending Topics in the nation, according to Twirus.
Many Twitter users contribute to it: promoting events around town, reminiscing on genuine experiences here or even ask questions to their #Adelaide peers like @_SDU_ has:
Based on what I’ve observed in this #Adelaide space, usually a number of fellow #Adelaide Twitter users answer the posed question, in this case suggesting places to “lunch”. In essence, we are seeing the development of a word of mouth referral network, based on people’s real life experience. Increasingly, we are seeing some of these venues (or “answers”, if you like) engage potential customers by participating in this conversation.
#Tweatout #Adelaide!
Taking a similar approach that has brought together this community, #Tweatout aims to encourage Twitter users dining out around #Adelaide to tweet about their experiences. @EatoutAdelaide is spearheading this campaign by actively (almost aggressively) encouraging Twitter and Foursquare users to use the #Tweatout hashtag. At this early stage, @EatoutAdelaide is directly engaging other Twitter users. It is also retweeting the best of these tweets and photos that it finds, adding the #Tweatout hashtag if absent.
This is not a community that will be formed overnight, it will take time… you could do your part to help!
It doesn’t matter if you’re an accredited food critic, a foodie wannabe or an average Joe, When you are out and about, tweet about your dining experiences: the good and the bad, the terrific and the terrible, the cheap and the expensive.
This single tweet from @NathanFillion, star of cult sci-fi series Firefly, resulted in a complete overload of the @arcimotowebsite. This tweet is also the seed of the Arcimoto Angels campaign, where Fillion’s genuine support has played a key part in its success.
Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds of Firefly Vessel, Serenity
The Pulse, an electric vehicle for two, is still in the prototype stages of development, but does not appear to be far off commercial production. Arcimoto is hosting test drive events in the Northwest of the US, and expects to retail the Pulse for about $17,500 [US].
An Example Of @NathanFillion's Transparent Tweeting
Fillion’s honest enthusiasm to help Arcimoto has appealed to his fans the world over. His commitment to reducing CO2 emissions and securing American jobs is clear. His transparent planning and brainstorming of this Arcimoto Angels campaign firmly establishes his belief in Arcimoto, and the Pulse as genuine.
A Snapshot Of The Arcimoto Angels Campaign
The Arcimoto Angels campaign is a fundraiser for Arcimoto (dubbed ‘fundvertising‘), which heavily references science fiction/fantasy myths. People who show their financial support are rewarded with Bronze, Silver, Gold, Mithril, Unobtanium or Wonderflonium wings. Mix in the strong leadership from the iconic Captain of Serenity (aka Fillion) and a pledge to match the first $5000 donated, and voilà!
Many devoted Firefly/Fillion/sci-fi fans respond in droves to this call to action, crashing the Arcimoto website once again. They commit more than their cash: spreading word of the cause through re-tweeting @NathanFillion’s@arcimoto posts. Some dedicated fans, like @MacGrip, have created their own graphics, inspired by Arcimoto Angels and iconic Firefly ship, Serenity.
Engaging an active niche-interest group is clearly a strong way to spread word of your product or cause, especially if you are genuinely supported by a key influencer.
It’s an interesting approach Bacardi has taken with this social media campaign: True Originals. It has been in operation for the past year or so, using only social media heavyweights Facebook and YouTube. It is slowly building a following of spirits enthusiasts.
#1: The Samurai
Traces of the existing Bacardi brand barely exist in this campaign, with the exception of:
Long shots of the green glass Bacardi bottle
Close-ups of the neck of the Bacardi bottle
The shape and colour of the chip at the end of each video
True Originals is a clear example of how social media, specifically Facebook and YouTube, can be used to target specific audiences. In this case, Bacardi seem to be targeting the bartenders and cocktail connoisseurs (read: influencers) from around the world.
#2 The Hummingbird
These high-quality videos seem to be more about branding rum as THE spirit appreciated the world over, and consequently, subtly re-positions Bacardi as a classy spirit. The clever part here is that while creating this alternate identity for Bacardi, the current overall perception of Bacardi as mass-market rum has remained intact. It is also interesting to note that there is no reference to this campaign on Bacardi’s official website.
#3 The Apothecary
Only four videos have been released on the True Originals YouTube channel so far: The Samurai, The Hummingbird, The Apothecary and The Outsider. The Samurai is still the most popular video, drawing the most views as of Thursday, 9th September 2010.
True Originals Video
No. Views
Uploaded…
The Samurai
34,598
11 months ago
The Hummingbird
22,835
7 months ago
The Apothecary
19,358
3 months ago
The Outsider
33,381
1 month ago
The True Originals Facebook page has 1,873 “Likes” (accurate Thu 09/09/10). Although this number is small for such a lengthy campaign, the level of engagement appears very high. Majority of the posts on the wall are from bartenders or cocktail connoisseurs, either commenting on the videos or asking questions for the “True Originals”.
#4 The Outsider
There are very few posts from the page itself, which usually serve to:
promote the new videos upon release
provoke discussion about certain aspects of each video (e.g. bartender flair seen in The Outsider)
announce milestones for Bacardi (e.g. 110th birthday of the Bacardi Cuba Librée)
and ultimately, build a community of “True Originals”
It will be interesting to see how this campaign plays out… do you think it will (or at least has the potential) to reach the dizzying heights of Old Spice? Or would that perhaps defeat its true purpose: only reaching the influencers?
