Using sweepstakes and contests for marketing

At exhibitions and events, sweepstakes and contests are a popular marketing strategy. It is a great way to get leads: visitors submit their business card and the winner of e.g., a trip or iPad is announced.

At a sweepstakes, the winner is chosen by the luck of the draw. At a contest, the winner is chosen based on some merit, such as best photo, most votes on a video, best slogan, etc.

In the U.S., federal laws governing marketing promotions have been in place for decades. But also many states regulate sweepstakes, such as Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia that all ban tobacco-related promotions. California, Tennessee and Utah highly regulate promotions involving alcohol.

Every sweepstakes and contest must have “official rules” and they should be easy to find by the public. The easiest way is to link to the rules where it is easy to find and read them.

What should the rules entail?

• “No purchase necessary.”
• The alternative method of free participation.
• Geographic area of the sweepstakes and/or who is eligible to participate in the sweepstakes.
• Opening date and scheduled termination date of the sweepstakes.
• Complete name and address of the sponsor and promoter of the contest.
• Number of prizes, the accurate description of each prize, the retail value of each prize and the odds of winning each type of prize.
• Whether all prizes offered will be awarded and how the prizes will be awarded.
• Manner of selection of winners and when a determination of winners will be made.
• Where and when a list of winners can be obtained.

From a marketing standpoint it is clever to limit the value of the prize to e.g., an eBook, a voucher of $25 for an online store, or a free product to avoid tax complications for the winner.

Sweepstakes and contests ate a great way to promote and grow business or promote a corporate blog. It is also used on Twitter and Facebook to get followers.

How to Tweet Wisely

Is Twitter just for people who can’t shut up? Many tweets are irrelevant, and it takes some digging to get to the good stuff. That way, it’s not any different from looking for a good book. Between shelves of Dan Brown fluff, there are literary gems such as “The Perfume”, “Madame Bovary” and “To Kill A Mockingbird”.

Companies (and individuals) can of course choose never to send a tweet into cyberspace. But the problem is that companies will be left behind and their competitors will have the competitive edge.

Tweets are short (140 characters) and resemble sms-speak (not surprising, considering the original twitter concept) and have huge marketing potential.

Following is a short guide to tweeting (courtesy of www.ReputationManagementFor.com with some of my own additions).

1/ Tweeting
When you tweet, you’re sending a message to all of your followers (see 2/) and displaying the message on your Twitter Feed (a list of your tweets). Now, it’s extremely important that you bear a few things in mind when tweeting, as you can end up wasting a lot of time for zero productivity. Don’t over-tweet, but don’t tweet sparingly either. A Tweet a week does not an interest garner. These are some important things you’ll need to keep in mind while tweeting:

• Don’t treat Twitter like an SEO exercise. Nobody cares for unexplained, uninteresting links, and if all you’re doing is linking back to your website, people will generally ignore you.
• Don’t make ridiculous spelling mistakes. Tweets are only 140 characters long, and typos and other errors will reflect badly on your company. Spell it right; sell it right.
• Try not to be too personal, or emotional. You’re marketing your brand, and while that doesn’t mean you should be robotic, attention-seeking will ultimately reflect badly.
• Develop your own style, but unless you’re a professional comedian don’t make every post into a joke.
• Make sure to hashtag important keywords in your tweet (see 4/).

Ideally, every time you tweet you want your followers to re-tweet (RT) your posts. That way, you are reaching the followers of your followers.

2/ Following
When you follow somebody on Twitter, it means that you’re going to automatically get updated with every tweet of that user. You can opt to get as many people to follow you as possible, or to expand your brand awareness and market influence to targeted users (journalists, institutes, bloggers, magazines, etc.).

The easiest and simplest way getting followers is to include obvious links to your Twitter account on your website, and any email correspondence you send out. If you don’t tell people to look for your Twitter account, you’re relying on people looking for you speculatively, and that can be a slow process. Also, you can enter your contact list from GMail, AOL, MSN, Hotmail and Yahoo! accounts to see if the people you already speak to use Twitter. Following people you know on Twitter will encourage them to follow you.

3/ @Mentions
If you have a look at your “homepage” on Twitter, you can see a few tabs below the Tweet box. One of these tabs says ‘@Mentions’. A @Mention is when somebody puts a ‘@’ sign, followed immediately by a username. When somebody @Mentions you in a Tweet, it’ll show up both on their Tweet Feed and on your @Mentions page (which your followers can’t see. A @Mention is useful:

• to engage other users who are not in contact with yet. They’re then more likely to return the favor.
• if you’re Tweeting their material. Their details do show up on a RT, but a @Mention will show gratitude and let the person know you’re passing on their content/posts.
• when tweeting original content. Start the post with “RT” and end it with @yourtwittername. .It makes it easier for people to find you and associate your Twitter account with the content being (re)tweeted.

4/ The #Hashtag
While we have already mentioned that this shouldn’t be an SEO exercise, that doesn’t mean that none of the same principles apply. The #hashtag is the king of Social Media Optimization – an opportunity to make use of ‘keywords’. People searching Twitter for posts on specific subjects will generally find #tagged posts first. Tips to use #hashtags:

• If you want to talk about a #subject, #location or #person (without linking to their Twitter account), use the #hashtag.
• A #hashtag can be used to emphasize a specific part of your tweet, and generally adds context to any content or comments you might be posting.

Twitter posts show up in Google search results. Although it is unlikely that a Twitter post will outperform a highly contested keyword by normal SEO standards, a clever campaign on a specific subject will get attention.

5/ Trending
Twitter keeps track of when a term (or #term) is being used a lot on Twitter. It records Trends that appear by geographical demographic, and a general worldwide tracker. Thus, if a #term (with or without the #hashtag) is popular in e.g., the US; users who’ve set up their “Trend Feed” to the US will automatically see a list of the “Trending Topics” for that country. Users can also click on a topic that is trending (e.g. budget cuts).

There are many innovative ways to turn social networking and social media profitable for business. On your Twitter homepage, you can link to your own website. You can also add Twitter to your website homepage. Your tweets will now automatically be displayed.

6/ Shortened Links
As mentioned before, tweets are limited to 140 characters. Most website links (e.g., to articles you RT) take up a lot of character space. To solve this problem, there are several free services around that automatically shorten your links. The most popular are tinyURL and bit.ly.

Wishing you Happy Tweeting!

(Cartoon courtesy of Johnny Ancich of Past Expiry)

Wikipedia Needs More Contributors

David Daw published an interesting article in PCWorld. He writes that Wikipedia is not yet fading away, but could do with an extra dose of contributors to give it a much-needed shot in the arm.

At Wikipedia's annual conference this week, founder Jimmy Wales warned that Wikipedia is slowly losing contributors. He said the issue was an important one that Wikipedia needed to focus on.

Wales blamed the drop in contributions on Wikipedia's editing guidelines, which many users feel have gotten more complex in recent years. While longtime users are busy in edit wars about the minutia of Wikipedia entries, new users are often left in the dark or chastised for not creating articles in the proper format.

The best solution is to make edits easier for new users. Wikipedia also is trying some other fixes.
Among them: Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation nonprofit that runs Wikipedia, said the organization is working with college professors to have students assigned Wikipedia articles as class work. Users can now also send each other virtual badges in a program called WikiLove to encourage more participation.

It's unclear how effective these strategies will be, though Wales also was quick to point out that some of the attrition is natural.

The typical Wikipedia user, whom Wales described as "a 26-year-old geeky male," is bound to move on to other things eventually and, after ten years, there simply aren't as many things for new users to add.

Wikipedia has more than 3 million entries, but by March had only about 90,000 active contributors, according to The Associated Press, which reports that Gardner says the goal is to add another 5,000 by June of next year.

For the original article, please go to www.pcworld.com/article/237452

(Cartoon courtesy of Brian Fairrington, Cagle Cartoons © Cagle Cartoons)

Nine Effective Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

Small businesses (SMEs or SMBs) need marketing as much as large corporations. The good news is that there are various cost-effective marketing tools around. These tools are a mix of traditional and new – together, they are highly effective.

1. Have your Own Website and Blog

Every business needs a website. Potential customers are searching online to find out what your business is all about. For branding and to position yourself as a leader, you also need your own blog. Blogs are easily created using Wordpress or Blogger - free of charge!.

2.Use business cards

It is still worth while to hand out business cards. A printed business card stays around, which is good for your branding. At exhibitions and at a first business meeting, business cards are still handed out.

Depending on your target audience, make sure that it has the correct format and language (e.g., Chinese at the reverse side of your English one. Pay attention to the format of your phone number; make sure to include the country code for clients abroad.

3. Brand your collateral

Use your invoices, receipts, proposals, price quotes, and order confirmations to brand your company. Put your logo, slogan, tagline, and contact details on documents that you send out.

4. Create brochures, flyers and PowerPoint presentations

A brochure, flyer or PowerPoint presentation will explain who you are and what you are offering in an appealing and easy to grasp way. Once you turn them into a PDF, they are easy to distribute by email and to post online (LinkedIn, website).

5. Create and update your own website

Potential customers want to check you out. They expect you to have your own website. Your business domain name is ideally the name of your company. In case you cannot register a .com, try .biz. Make sure that you update your website regularly and also check that is opens correctly in all major browsers.

6. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

To reach potential customers, you need to be found. Online searches are the key; people search on search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) and on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, forums, blogs, etc.). SEO helps you to be found by potential customers that are searching for you or your product/service.

7. Use social media

LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are the main social media to reach your target audience. They provide a highly effective way to interact with your target audience. It is also easy to spread news about your company and announce special offers.

8. Provide freebies

People like to get free information and advice. One way of leveraging this, is by having your own blog and to post your own articles (e.g., on ezine) that provide useful tips to the readers. This not only positions you as an expert in your field, but also builds brand loyalty. Other excellent marketing tools are having a free download on your website for white papers and free webinars.

9. Make Yourself Visible

Attend seminars in your area, promote a cause your target audience care about or sponsor a charity event. People need to get to know you and your business. If your business is completely online, opt for a (humorous) YouTube video.

These nine tools provide a great way to promote your business - success! Please leave a message how if works out for you.

(Image courtesy of directory.ac)

Guideline for Conducting Your Own Marketing Audit

You put a lot of effort in your marketing, so you want to know how you are doing.

A marketing audit will show how you are performing.

Following is a guideline on how to conduct a marketing audit.

1. List all the social marketing media you use:

• Website
• Blog
• Forum
• LinkedIn (corporate page, own group)
• Xing (corporate page, own group)
• Facebook (corporate page, groups)
• Twitter
• Newsletter
• Webinar
• White papers
• Articles

2. List your target audience for each one:

• Customers/clients
• Potential partners
• Investors
• Media (newspapers, journalists, reporters)
• Analysts
• General public
• Employees

3. List what your business, sales & marketing goals for using social media are:

• Reaching new customers (lead generation)
• Retaining customers
• Communication with customers (announcing news, special deals, updates such as recalls)
• Entering new markets
• Market research
• Branding

4. Compare your social media with those of your competitors:

• Do they use the same social media?
• Do they reach the same target audience as you do?
• What social media do they use that you don’t?
• How frequent do they post, tweet, hold a webinar, publish newsletters?

5. Rate how your SEO and news coverage score compared to your main competitor(s):

• Are you covered mainstream (e.g., Yahoo news, Reuters, FOX) and industry media?
• Are being blogged about?
• Are you being covered by analysts and journalists?
• How many followers do you have?
• Do people leave comments for you (e.g., on your blog)?
• Do people share your content with others (LinkedIn, retweet, Facebook wall post)?

6. Rate the quality of your content.

• What content does your target audience like to see from you?
• What are they in general interested in (e.g., discounts, product updates)?
• What is the responses?

7. Do you have a social media policy in place?

• Did you formulate goals?
• Do you measure results?
• Do you have a crisis management plan?

8. Who conducts your social media?

• Internal employee (Marcom, business development, marketing)
• External expert (e.g., Tip Top PR)
• PR company

9. Are you happy with your social media?

• Yes, it does what I want it to do!
• No, it does not contribute to my branding
• No, too many negative reactions
• No, not enough new leads

Once you analyze the answers, you will be able to take action. It will tell you if your social media campaign fits your company and how to improve and/or adjust it. Success!

Posted by Tip Top PR at 6:00 PM

Perfetti Van Melle Uses a Perfect Mix of Social and Traditional Media Marketing

For its US product launch of Mentos UP2 stick gum, Perfetti Van Melle started its advertising campaign on social media. Mentos UP2 has already has a Facebook fan page, at facebook.com/up2u. The first 1,000 visitors who clicked on the “like” button got free gum. Up till now, already more 96,000 people “like”. In July, the company plans to post an invitation to on the fan page. People who “like” will be asked to provide the name of friends so they can also get free samples.

The logic behind the Mentos UP2U product name is as follows. Each 14-stick package contains seven sticks of one flavor and seven sticks of a second flavor. The slogan is: “2 flavors. 1 pack. You decide.”

According to Mehmet Yuksek, executive vice president for North America at the Perfetti Van Melle office in Erlanger, Ky, the strategy to introduce Mentos UP2U “is very much 360-degree marketing, starting with very compelling and unique social media content.”

The idea is to first create media buzz on social media, followed by advertising in traditional media like television. The social media are handled by Martin Agency in Richmond, Va., part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. Perfetti Van Melle is also using Lizzie Grubman Public Relations in New York to distribute samples of Mentos UP2U at events in locations like Las Vegas and Miami.

Social media are empowering consumers with greater control and they aren’t shy about posting their feelings online about products and brands. The UP2U marketing campaign illustrates once more how important the combination of digital and traditional marketing has become.

Louis Vuitton’s ad “mistake” or a clever marketing move?

Louis Vuitton (LVMH.PA) has launched a beautiful advertisement as part of its “Core Values” campaign. It features Angelina Jolie sitting on a barge, informally dressed with a big Louis Vuitton tote bag by her side.

The photo was shot by Annie Leibovitz in the Siem Reap province of Cambodia and first appeared in WWD, followed by the International Herald Tribune, Vanity Fair and a slew of other news, general interest and lifestyle publications. It is expected to run for at least 18 months and will also feature a video interview with Jolie filmed on location. The campaign will run alongside a few other recent “core values” personalities, including Bono his wife Ali Hewson (in Africa) and Sean Connery (in the Bahamas).

Vuitton launched its “Core Values” campaign in 2007 to reconnect with its travel roots and thus reach a broader audience. According to Pietro Beccari, Vuitton’s executive vice president, “Vuitton gives a travel message through personal journeys which is a fundamental one for the brand.” Other personalities who have features in the campaign are Mikhail Gorbachev, Keith Richards and Catherine Deneuve.

However, there is one oddity in the Jolie ad: the Alto carry-on bag shown in the ad (Jolie's own) is about six years old, and is no longer available in stores.

A mistake? Quite likely not - Beccari commented that Vuitton is considering a "re-edit" of the Alto carry-on.

My take on it is that Vuitton will wait to see what the demand for the “Jolie tote bag” will be and then restart production and sales if expected to be profitable.

If I am correct, this would be one of the most cost-effective market researches for Vuitton. Let’s wait and see!

How Spirit Airlines uses Weinergate for it Marketing

Spirit Airlines is known for its non-traditional marketing. Even before social media took off for promotion, Spirit made it a habit to leverage controversial trends (MUFF, MILF) and scandals (Tiger Woods) to advertise its low fares.

The current Anthony Weiner scandal (dubbed “Weinergate” by the media) fits nicely into Spirit’s marketing strategy. On Tuesday, June 7, Spirit Airlines sent an email to its customers containing the following sales promotion: “Check out our Weiner Sale boasting fares just too hard to resist! This scandalous sale is no secret so get socially connected … book now before this sale gets hacked!” The company’s homepage offers more Weiner puns.

The promotion has been picked up by The New York Daily News, CBS, The Wall Street Journal and MSNBC.

Arun Sharma, a marketing professor at the University of Miami, explains that Spirit has packaged the promotion well by prominently mentioning its low-cost fares. For a value brand like Spirit, cheap fares are its key selling point. He does not foresee a possible backlash from customers who are uncomfortable with the sale’s theme. "These kinds of promotions do not seem to offend the general public," Sharma said. "They chuckle over things like this."

Previous Spirit marketing campaigns include its 2009 campaign when it ran its “Eye of the Tiger Sale” to leverage the Tiger Woods scandal. The airline’s homepage featured a tiger driving an SUV into a fire hydrant to promote its $9 fare sale.

During the BP oil spill disaster, a Spirit ad featured a sunscreen-covered sunbather and the teaser: "Check out the oil on our beaches."

Spirit Airlines also put a new twist on trendy acronyms. In February 2010, it ran a promo called MUFF to diving destinations. MUFF stood in this case for Many Unbelievable Fantastic Fares. MUFF followed on the heels of the MILF promo. According to Spirit, MILF stands for “Many Islands, Low Fares.”

A few years ago, Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza explained in an interview that the company practices "shock marketing" to keep advertising costs low: "People get the e-mail and forward it to their friends. ..."

Shock marketing and campaign going viral obviously work for Spirit Airlines. Let’s see what the next campaign will entail...

General Pants Raunchy Ad Campaign – Stunt Marketing Gone Wrong

Australian fashion retailer General Pants has been forced to censor its provocative ad campaign for the fashion label Ksubi. General Pants carries several Australian and international brands for young men and women. Its main focus is on youth culture and street wear.

The retailer’s latest in-store campaign is “Sex! & Fashion” for denim label Ksubi. It featured half-naked mannequins and provocative videos and posters displaying the word “Sex!”. Staff was asked to wear badges featuring the phrase “I love Sex”.

Shoppers were not happy and bitterly (and effectively) complained. Australia's NSW has a Minister for Women named Ms. Pru Goward who stated that the retailer “clearly overstepped the mark”.

General Pants responded by covering the posters with black “censored” strips, but kept the posters and badges will remain part of the promotion, which ends on May 16. General Pants chief executive Craig King remarked it was a “bit of a stretch” to suggest the campaign may encourage young people, particularly teenagers, to have sex.

General Pants division manager Jacquie Vuleta added that Ksubi is perceived as a polarized brand and the campaign is therefore in line with the retailer’s image. She stated: “They’ve always been a very bold brand and try to make a statement with the campaigns that they do. We did not go into this campaign to offend anybody; it was meant to be a play on the fashion industry and the fact [that] there is sex in fashion.”

Stunt marketing tries to be quirky while avoiding being too cheeky or crass. Especially start-ups like to launch controversial campaigns to get noticed. However, the campaign must be in context with the brand image.

The main marketing lesson? Be careful using “stunt marketing”; if it backfires, brand and budget are burnt.

Marketing blunder or clever marketing ploy?

The upcoming Royal Wedding is a marketer’s dream promoting memorabilia ranging from tea towels to tea bags. There are obviously no limits to products that can be given a Royal Wedding twist.

Verdict, part of the Datamonitor Group, predicts that wedding merchandise sales could “easily” top £26m in the UK alone, with food and grocery retailers raking in £360m, while an additional £216m could come from travel and tourism.

There is one item that stood out – a commemorative royal wedding mug that should feature the bride & groom. But although the description details Prince William as the groom, the picture just above the text “Wills” features the groom’s brother Prince Harry.

Producers Guandong Enterprises state on their website that the mug is "a beautiful cup to commemorate the most beautiful occasion" and an "esteemed limited edition heirloom." It could be a mistake, not unlike the ones that were made in Chine de Commande a few centuries ago.

However, it could also be a clever marketing ploy; an effort to create an oddity that will have additional value since it will be rare.Did they want to create a collectors/spoof item? Regardless of the motive, the company got great (and free) publicity!

U.S. Senate panel to hold hearing on Vermont Branding

Vermont has been marketing itself as "the beckoning country." The Vermont Brand promotes maple trees, high-quality food products, and an enviable way of life with clean air, trout streams, and unspoiled forests.

Made In Vermont stands for quality of goods and foods - from Maple syrup to cheddar cheese. Protecting Vermont Brand has long been a top priority for Vermont’s state officials.

Other (out of state) companies try to leverage the Vermont Brand; McDonald's restaurants promoted maple flavored oatmeal much to their peril.

Vermont is defending its brand – even at Federal level. Thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will come to Vermont for a hearing. It will hear testimony to find ways to protect and promote Vermont’s unique brand. Leahy is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and set the hearing, titled “Strategies to Protect and Promote Vermont Brands".

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hear testimony from representatives from the Vermont Wood Manufacturers Association, Cabot Creamery, and state Commerce Secretary Larry Miller among others.

Stay tuned to find out if Vermont will be able to protect its brand.

The marketing behind Barbie & Ken rekindling love

Barbie and Ken met on the set of their first commercial in the spring of 1961. couple, they were an item through the’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s — with wardrobe, gadgets and makeovers to adapt to changing customer preferences.

Sales were steadily declining, so the people at Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) came up with a clever plan – a on-off relationship. It started on Valentine’s Day 2004 when the couple announced that they were going to spend time apart. Barbie began dating Australian surfer Blaine. In 2006, Ken got himself several makeovers, but just remained friends with Barbie. Then the couple was cast in Toy Story 3.

Mattel listened to its customers. Lisa McKnight, vice president of marketing at Mattel, explained that people were really pushing for Ken & Barbie to get back together again.

“We got a lot of formal petitions from brand fans, Barbie fan groups, asking for them to get back together. I think there was one group that sent in a three-page letter, expressing how they felt and how they never should have broken up in the first place and they’ve just got to be reunited. So there’s a lot of passion there. They really are the sort of ultimate ‘it’ couple. So everyone’s rooting for them to get back together.”

Mattel closely monitored customers’ reactions on the website www.barbieandken.com. Both Barbie and Ken also have their own Twitter accounts and Facebook pages and are active users. Fans could leave comments and also vote on if the Love-O-Meter if the couple should hook up again on Valentine’s Day 2011.

As part of the marketing strategy, Mattel launched a new product on 14/2: the Barbie and Ken Gift Set.

Mattel’s marketing strategy has already generated a lot of exposure in the main media. But what will be the deciding success factor is the bottom line – will sales of Barbie products increase….

Tweeting in the courtroom? Yes we can!

The Lord Chief Justice in the UK allows journalists to report some court proceedings by using Twitter, texting and email. He made it clear though that it would not happen if it could influence witnesses.

Media organizations and journalists can now apply for permission to use social media on a case-by-case basis. Non-journalists could still be barred in order to ensure the "proper administration of justice". This would prevent distractions in court and limit the potential for interference with courts' own recording equipment. The guidance applies only to courts in England and Wales.
For now, anyone who wants to tweet in court needs to get the judge’s permission. In criminal trials tweeting will quite likely be forbidden when there is a risk that witnesses who are out of court would be able to find out what is happening inside.

The Lord Chief Justice explained: "The judge has an overriding responsibility to ensure that proceedings are conducted consistently with the proper administration of justice, and so as to avoid any improper interference with its processes. There is no statutory prohibition on the use of live text-based communications in open court. But before such use is permitted, the court must be satisfied that its use does not pose a danger of interference to the proper administration of justice in the individual case. Subject to this consideration, the use of an unobtrusive, handheld, virtually silent piece of modern equipment for the purposes of simultaneous reporting of proceedings to the outside world as they unfold in court is generally unlikely to interfere with the proper administration of justice."

Interesting enough, the Twitter guidance comes days after WikiLeaks Assange's court hearing. Mr Justice Ouseley ruled during that hearing that supporters and journalists should tweet about was happening in real time. At an earlier bail hearing, district judge Howard Riddle did allow tweeting from Westminster Magistrates Court, saying journalists could send messages if they were discreet and did not interfere with the judicial process.

If the same policy would apply to let video cameras in court, justice would be seen on TV, online and on mobiles. Is this the way to go?

On the other side of the Pond, U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Marten allowed in 2009 a reporter to Twitter court proceedings in a trial of six Crips gang defendants taking place in his Wichita, Kansas courtroom.

"The more we can do to open the process to the public, the greater the public understanding," the judge said when asked about lawyers' concerns that jurors might be influenced by the tweets.

So where will it end? Does tweeting serve a purpose in court room?

To quote Andrew Cohen: “The difference between a reporter tweeting in the courtroom and a reporter doing the same during the breaks and phoning it in is not that great."

Ita Est

(Image courtesy of Courtoons & David E. Mills)

Facebook's Titan Messaging System Reviewed

Facebook announced its new Titan Messaging System (aka Fmail) on 11/17.

In an official blog post, Facebook software engineer Joel Seligstein explained that the service is different from email as we know it:

"There are no subject lines, no cc, no bcc, and you can send a message by hitting the Enter key. We modelled it more closely to chat and reduced the number of things you need to do to send a message. We wanted to make this more like a conversation."

In the video below, CNET editor Rafe Needleman (of Red Herring-fame) tried it out and talks about the features.

Not without my IP lawyer – Nexocial’s painful marketing lesson

The company Nexocial was forced by Apple (AAPL) to change the name of its nPad-tablet. Apple argued that the product name infringed on its trade marks. Nexocial also had to discontinue its nPad-website. It is unclear what new product name will be chosen by Nexocial. Hopefully this time they will check it with an IP lawyer first.

Nexocial was wise to comply with Apple’s demand. The nPad is the brainchild of Hugo Leijtens, the Dutch CEO of Chengdu–based Nexosial. He believes that the iPad lacks some important features. His tablet therefore is Windows 7-based in order to enable multitasking and support Flash. The tablet also has a USB-port and has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. However, the battery life is only 4 hours; about half of Apple’s iPad. The two products also look uncanningly alike - which puts Nexosial in hot legal water by default. By blocking Nexsocial to use the nPad product name, Apple effectively prevented it from entering the market. By losing the momentum, Nexosial decided not to enter the consumer market anymore, since it is now (over)crowded. The company stills sees possibilities in the enterprise market, where a few companies are experimenting with it.

Legal actions, including patent trolling, are used as marketing techniques to prevent market entrance or market expansion by competitors. Companies, and especially start-ups that could be a threat for behemoths such as Microsoft, Google or Apple, need to seek legal advice before launching a product or entering a market.. The fallout could otherwise break the company.
Will Nexocial be able to weather this storm? Not likely, unless Leijtens has another marketing ace up his sleeve...

Silly Bandz marketing success

Silly Bandz is a great example of how marketing of a fad item works.

Silly Bandz are silicone rubber bands in the form of animals (e.g., tree frogs, dolphins, geckos), objects, letters, Barbie, and Justin Bieber. They can be worn as bracelets, and revert to their original shape once taken off. They are mainly aimed at Tweens, who collect and trade them. But boys and girls as young as 5 have start wearing (and trading) them.

Robert Croak is the rubber band man who came up with the idea after seeing a similar product designed for Japanese offices. His business has grown 10 times in the past six months. Croak is currently shipping millions of Silly Bandz weekly.

What contributes to the marketing success of the Silly Bandz fad?

Appeal

The shapes and colors appeal to te target market. The bands are coveted by both boys and girls (the picture shows a 5-year old boy showing his collection), and several ages groups (from 5 up to 15). The appeal is global, which explains its quick adoption in non-US markets. The bands also give their owners a certain status and bargaining power among their peers.

Product strategy

Silly Bandz cleverly discontinues less popular shapes, while introducing new ones (e.g., Justin Bieber, Helllo Kitty, and iCarly).

Collecting and trading

Collectability always extends the lifespan of a fad. The longer the bands are collected, shared, and traded, the longer its product lifecycle (and income stream) will be.

Affordability and packaging

In a US retail store, Silly Bandz sell between $3 for a pack of 12 to $5 for a pack of 24 items.
The product is affordable for the target group that has the spending power. As Croak puts it: "Let's face it. In a tough economy, any parent can afford to spend $5 to get their kid something they really want." The packaging is a small, no-nonsense, transparent plastic bag; "what you see is what you get".

Promotion

Croak uses social media for marketing buzz, including a blog. The Silly Bandz Facebook page has over 700,000 fans. Its Twitter feed has more than more than 15,000 followers. As Michael Lewis, CEO of Forever Collectibles points out: "it's 100% viral. When one kid finds it at a store, in two seconds the kid or his mother is on the phone texting that they've found them."

Additional Products

In addition to Silly Bandz, there are also Silly Ringz, Silly Necklace, SillyBandz Caribinerz, and Silly Buttons.


But Silly Bandz is facing two major threats:

1. Some schools have banned the silicon bands since they could pose a distraction (e.g., kids trading in class) or pose a physical danger (e.g., used as rubber bands to snap others).
   
2. Although Silly Bandz is trademarked, it was only a matter of time, until other brands would appear. Silly Bandz has its share of imitations/competitors, e.g., Zanybandz and Crazy Bands.
   

But for now, Silly Bandz are still selling like crazy. Silly Bandz also seem to enter the adult market - as a flirtation tool. Singles at bars and clubs are slipping the object of their desire a Silly Band to show that they are interested in a stranger that they just met there. This could open a whole new market segment for Silly Bandz.

Disney launches its user-generated (UGC) marketing campaign

Disney (DIS) is leveraging user-generated content for its marketing. The new Disney Parks’ campaign will use visitors’ own home videos and snap shots. Disney dubbed its new marketing campaign "Let the Memories Begin".

It works as follows. Consumers can post their content (photos, videos) on the website Disneyparks.com/memories or via the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Facebook pages.

This content is used (with permission of its creators) for a TV spot dubbed "Hugs" that premiered on the Today Show and will air on several networks, including CBS, ABC and Animal Planet. It consists of a video collage of happy children at Disney parks, with the tagline "Where Dreams Come True."

The print ads will appear in the November/December 2010 issues of People, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple and Parents, among others.

Disney will also collect memories from consumers during a tour in major cities. A Disney vehicle will make appearances to conduct interviews with consumers.

The “Let the Memories Begin” campaign embraces all aspects of social media: messages are shared on the website, including photos, videos and texts that are categorized by theme, emotion and location. Participants can register on the new site and then a user is offered the ability to opt-in for future Disney e-mails that include “Let the Memories Begin” updates and other information on the parks. The functionality will also be a part of the Disney park pages on Facebook, YouTube and MySpace.

The next piece of the campaign will be when photos taken daily in the parks become projections at night on the Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort or “it's a small world” at Disneyland resort. Disney photographers will capture guests and will display about 500 photos per location per day.

Disney states that it got the idea for the campaign from its customers – according to Leslie Ferraro, Executive VP of global marketing, Disney Destinations: “the inspiration for this effort came from our guests. Each and every day people are making memories at our parks, posting them online and sharing them with friends and family."

Will it work? According to Forrester Research, consumer-generated content is still a fairly niche market.

But Disney is killing two birds with one stone. Firstly, Disney expects that its consumers will relate better to real people with real experiences, than to professional ads with professional actors. With the popularity of social media, a UGC marketing campaign is the way to go. Secondly, using (free) UGC saves a lot of marketing budget.

All in all, lots to gain with not much to lose....will this be the future of B2C marketing?

New social networks for enterprises: move over Yammer, Podio is coming!

A friend of mine in the Netherlands told me about Yammer, a new social network for enterprises. She was checking it out for her organization (Visio). On behalf of several companies I worked and freelanced for, I have been looking for a secure “in-company” social media platform. It seems that I finally found some.

Yammer is sort of a hybrid version of Facebook and Twitter that helps members of an organization to let their workers interact and collaborate. Yammer works according to the freemium-model: to start a Yammer network is free; but in order to own, control, and administer the data and content, it will cost between $3 to $5 per user/per month.

Yammer claims that it is being used by more than one million users and 80,000 companies worldwide for their internal communications. It offers access in three ways – through web login, a desktop application, and mobile apps.

According to an excellent article on TechCrunch, Yammer (aka Twitter for business or as an enterprise microblogging platform) is facing stiff competition from Podio. Podio describes itself as a ʻsocial work platformʼ similar to Facebook for companies. It claims to be a full work platform with messaging, calendars, tasks and contact management. It gives users the ability to build their own ‘apps’ without any technical knowledge, and allows for almost endless customization. According to Podio, over 2,000 apps have already been built by users, which include CRM systems, meeting planners, process facilitation, recruiting, contract drafting, and employee feedback.
To quote TechCrunch, Podio “is a full work platform with messaging, calendars, tasks and contact management, – not just another project management space.”

But Yammer is not giving up, and announced the launch of Yammer 2.0. Yammer’s CEO and founder David Sacks believes that the ability to create a go-to corporate social network is a Facebook sized opportunity.

Another new social network to watch is ZYB. It describes itself as a mobile phone utility and social networking site. It started in 2005 as a European service to provide easy back-up services for mobile phones. ZYB leveraged the data set into building a social networking platform with Twitter-like location-based functions.

For now, the race between Yammer and Podio to acquire enterprise customers is on. Depending how it will pan out, both Yammer and Podio could be targeted for acquisition by companies such as SalesForce or Google.

Relauching a website – the Doctor Who case study

The recent relaunch of the BBC Doctor Who website is an interesting one for many reasons.

The BBC team in Wales was aware that the entire franchise was going through something of a regeneration. The new Doctor, his companion and the creative team on the show meant that changes to the tone of the brand were coming that had to be reflected in the website.

BBC’s brief was a simple: 'make the site the no.1 destination to experience the world of Doctor Who, past, present and future'. In web design terms, this translated into extending the reality of a show with such rich subject matter.

The website was then built in a way that became a platform to distribute originated content associated with Doctor Who. The goal was to ensure that Doctor Who would be more than the Saturday night TV program. It transformed into a 24/7 experience of which the online element is a key component.

From a technology point of view, the team utilized the new BBC Platform. The use of this new platform opened up a new suite of development tools. It enhanced the speed of the site and it allows for producing more dynamic and customizable content.

The new Global Visual Language enables to (literally) think big with designs, using the metaphors of time and depth within the site.

Together with R&D , the web design team realized a powerful way of engaging with narratives online, which helps to explore how to tell stories that don't fit into single Doctor Who episodes.

For content, the BBC accrued feedback from its audience from its 'red site'.
Feedback included:

• The audience loves monsters. For this reason, a brand new section in the site for viewers to explore and learn more about them. Iconic foes like Daleks and Cybermen have had repeated encounters with the Doctor which is reflected within the sites designs.
  
• The Doctor Who site is the destination for Doctor Who fans and the news section is important for two reasons: to deliver level production news (which is a key request from users) and to break important Doctor Who news stories.
  
• The Fun & Games section of the site has a major priority; it's also extremely popular with the younger audience. A brand new look and feel was introduced to this section to keep it visually engaging and entertaining. The BBC is also working on the development of its own Adventure Games.
  
• Past series are unlocked from archives and content is migrated to the new site.
  
  The first phase is completed and the new site is available online now.

Startup providing “kwedit” to people without credit or debit cards

Kwedit (pronounced qwe-dit) is a new startup. Its focus is to help teenagers and other people without credit or debit cards to buy virtual goods online. It works like credit: a buyer promises (Kwedit Promise) to pay later in order to get an item now. If the buyer keeps his (or her) promise, the buyer’s Kwedit score goes up. This will enable the buyer to borrow larger amounts of money. If, on the other hand, a buyer doesn’t fulfill his/her promise, the score will go down.

Since virtual goods have no “real” value, buyers real credit score (for credit card applications or for buying a house) is not affected and the debts are not enforceable. Kwedit can be paid off through the mail, by paying cash at 7-Eleven stores, or by using a credit card from a friend/parent.

According to Danny Shader, CEO of Kwedit, it could broaden the market for virtual items and even teach kids about real credit. Shader headed Accept.com (a developer of online payment systems) before Amazon.com Inc. bought it in 1999.

Kwedit is not the first company to come up with a payment system for those without credit or bank accounts. San Francisco-based Boku Inc. lets users pay for virtual goods using their mobile phones. And many stores sell prepaid cards that can be used for online purchases. Kwedit is currently available on 100 social games, and also as an option on Social Gold.

The target audience for Kwedit and Boku is large - according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., an estimated 9 million U.S. households have no checking or savings account - and thus no debit card to go with it.

The idea of virtual buying is appealing to many. Just look at the popularity of games such as "Farmville" and "Pet Society" where users play for free. It’s the sales of virtual add-ons such as seeds and farmland that rake in millions of dollars. According to social games developer Zynga said its players raised more than $1.5 million for Haiti earthquake victims in five days by purchasing virtual items.

If Kwedit’s business model will be successful, gaming companies will be quick to follow. But also companies providing virtual goods and services, such as online music, will embrace the concept. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch wrote: “I’d love to pay for music on iTunes or MySpace music via Kwedit. At some point, we may just be able to.”

We will have to wait and see…..