HOT OFF THE PRESS! Burson Marstellar released this report just a few hours ago, presenting unique insight into ways that the Fortune Global 100 companies have been using social media.
25% increase in the number of companies using all four social media platforms studied (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs)
Twitter is the emerging as the predominant social media platform used by corporations.
Increase in the number of social media accounts per corporation (e.g. regional offices creating and using accounts)
Asian markets seem to be embracing social media at a much higher rate than US and other markets.
76% more companies are using “@” mentions and direct mentions on Twitter, suggesting a willingness to engage with their existing or potential customers. Also a steady rise in the use of RTs.
Companies are following more users, customers, etc than before.
40% of corporate Twitter accounts incorporate forms of customer service.
Dramatic increase of Facebook pages per company (watch those Asian markets)
YouTube experienced a surge of content from Asian companies
Blogs seem to be left out – Fortune Global 100 companies have not embraced this form of social media comparatively to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
What are your thoughts? I’d be keen to see some discussion on the Asian markets if anyone has any insight…
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?
I worked as Associate Editor for online Adelaide-based magazine Kryztoff in early 2010. I’ve just written up a case study of sorts, seems more like reflection now… it’s my first one, so I welcome your feedback!
Kryztoff is an online Adelaide-based magazine, established in November 2009. It is aimed at young Adelaideans, aged between 18-35. Each edition covers four main areas, Music, Fashion, ADL5000 (arts/culture) and Film, and features a dozen aspiring writers and photographers.
During the 2010 Adelaide Fringe Festival, Kryztoff previewed about 100 shows, reviewed about 70 and photographed a number of events throughout the Festival.
Direction
The main aims in the early days of this web start-up were to increase awareness (and ultimately, readers) for Kryztoff, and drive more web traffic to the online publication.
The Way Forward
I employed a number of tactics to achieve these aims including:
Kryztoff grew its Facebook fan base from 1273 to 2606 (80 fans per week on average)
Over 5400 videos were viewed on the Kryztoff YouTube channel
Kryztoff demographic revealed a slight female skew (60:40), aged 18-40 and most living in Adelaide
Over 100 posts on the WordPress blog generated over 2 000 unique hits
The domain experienced a significant increase in traffic to the site (over 30%)
Majority of these clicks were traced back to the Kryztoff Facebook page
And Then…
These results indicate that I engaged the target demographic successfully, through this multi-platform approach. Unfortunately, Kryztoff had to scale back its operation in May 2010. Had Kryztoff continued engaging its existing and potential readers in this consistent manner, I strongly believe Kryztoff would have experienced strong growth during the winter months of 2010.
