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Below are the reviews of the top 7 marketing campaigns using Facebook. Many of these short reviews feature hard numbers that quantify the success of each campaign. Coming Attractions: The next 3 issues of this newsletter are...
New Social Media Marketing Tools Guide Now Available to My Subscribers: We just uploaded this new guide a few hours ago. It's called "Social Media Marketing Guide: 12 Key Tools." As a subscriber to this newsletter, you're welcome to download your SocMed Guide here . Publisher's Tribute: This newsletter lost a friend and colleague this past week in Gayle Kerley. My tribute to her follows immediately after the reviews. What's Working on Facebook for Marketers? We gleaned through hundreds of FB campaigns, case studies and press releases. Below are our top 7 picks. Now, without further ado, here's Sr. Editor Janet Roberts with the marketing campaigns that best use Facebook. Take it awaaaay, JR... Adobe Students 'Real or Fake' Campaign Consider this a 21st Century update of the 1970s era ad campaign "Is It Live or Is It Memorex?" Adobe's initiative, which ran on the company's Adobe Students Facebook page, asked users to judge whether 10 pictures created with Adobe Photoshop were genuine photos or fakes. The last screen was an offer to buy Adobe's Creative Suite 4 at the student-discount price. The campaign generated more than 14,000 plays, and 6% of players clicked the "Buy Now" button. Adobe promoted the game with a Facebook ad that linked to the game site and made it easy for players to share the game with friends. Although the campaign has ended, you can try it for yourself on the campaign agency's Web site. Ben & Jerry's 'Send Ben & Jerry's to Friends' Application Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream has a textbook Facebook presence, with a big fan base (937,025 at time of writing), and a site full of content generated by fans and company reps. It also has this clever little application that lets a user send a virtual gift of ice cream to friends, often to promote a new flavor. This application has 23,187 monthly active users, not just one-time users. ("Chubby Hubby" is the most popular.) The application and the whole site succeed because they give fans multiple ways to participate in the Ben & Jerry's story. Burger King's 'Whopper Sacrifice' Campaign This campaign, probably one of the best-known if not most notorious Facebook marketing campaigns, dangled a free Whopper sandwich before Facebook users who "defriended" 10 people from their friend lists. The campaign also sent emails to the "defriendees" telling them what happened, a move that led to the campaign's demise. The notification ran afoul of Facebook's privacy policy because Facebook doesn't disclose defriendings. Still, the campaign was enormously popular, distributing 233,906 coupons representing 2.3 million defriendings. It lives on, too, at the companion "Angry-Gram" Web site, where the defriended were invited to send gripe emails to their ex-friends. Dell's 'Social Media for Small Business' Campaign Instead of conducting a one-off initiative with start and end dates, Dell's Facebook campaign sets out to create a small-business community through its fan pages, designed to inform and empower, while minimizing the selling aspect. The centerpiece is a series of eight Social Media guides that users can download and share with friends, covering key aspects of Social Media success (such as "joining the conversation," Dell's "crowdsourcing" concept for ideas, and succeeding on Facebook and other social networks). The pages include an active Wall of comments, questions and shared information. You'll also find vigorous discussions (including one topic titled "Dell's Horrible Customer Service") and links to Dell's YouTube video tutorials and screencasts that walk newcomers through key Social Media applications. Dunkin' Donuts' 'Keep It Coolatta Daily Giveaway' Contest Dunkin' Donuts has devoted customers in the Facebook community (826,742 fans at time of writing). It is rewarding them in this summer 2009 profile-picture campaign by giving prizes and fan-page publicity to users who post creative snapshots of themselves with the donut chain's trademark "Coolatta" coffee drink as their profile pictures. This campaign stands out because it incorporates regular aspects of the Facebook experience—inspiring creativity in profile pictures and dangling the opportunity for publicity within the Facebook community—with a memorable and easy-to-enter contest. FamilyLink's 'We're Related' Application Despite numerous vociferously negative reviews in the users forums, 14 million Facebookers use this application every month, making it one of the most popular. Created by FamilyLink, an online genealogical service, the application allows users to create a virtual family reunion within Facebook with a family tree and private sharing space. It also automatically searches the Facebook user database, using the members you identify as relatives, to find possible relatives. This is apparently what annoys many of the complainers, but users can opt out of email notifications. FamilyLink is a David in the world of Goliath online genealogical services. Company representatives have said the application has increased awareness of its services. Starbucks' 'RED' Card Campaign Starbucks is leveraging its big footprint on Facebook (2.5 million fans, lots of user-generated content and regular updates from company reps) to promote sales of its social campaign (Starbucks)RED loyalty card. Every time the card is used for a Starbucks purchase, the company donates 5 cents to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Results for the campaign, which launched in January 2009 and scheduled to run through Dec. 31, 2009, show at the time of writing that 11,405 customers worldwide had bought 90,843 cards, generating enough money to buy 10,563 days of medicine for AIDS patients. Starbucks used Facebook's Notes application, which users can share with their friends, to promote the campaign. Publisher's Tribute Goodbye Gayle Kerley For over 10 years, Gayle Kerley worked behind the scenes of Web Digest For Marketers. She passed away on June 15, 2009. For a time, Gayle was a writer and an editor for Web Digest. But, she really had more of a yen for doing research for me. I talked to Gayle by phone at least once a week, mapping out research strategies or reconnaissance missions. She was quite versatile. She could prepare media plans or build a PowerPoint that was to accompany one of my keynote speeches on Internet Marketing. I never met her, but I don't think that lessens my profound sense of loss. It was one of those working relationships made possible in part and due to the Internet. I don't even know what she looked like. I can tell you she was one of the few I've known who came from traditional media and clearly understood the changes underway, in favor of online media consumption. She loved newsprint but was excited about the developments of Social Media, Search Marketing, and the other waves of changes that have been washing over our media landscape these past years. She worked on the agency side, for advertisers, in PR, and for publishers. She was the consummate, well rounded media professional. She loved her work, and it was a joy to be her colleague for so many years. When she and I were on the phone for an extended period of time, her part German Shepherd/part Lab Retriever would get bored and start barking. She would placate him with a chewy bone, stuffed with a doggie cookie inside. Ronnie would be quiet for another 10 minutes, and then the cycle would start over again. I will remember Gayle's stories and speak of her often. Goodbye Gayle. Attention Bloggers and Twitterers: You can link to the contents of this newsletter here and know it will live there permanently. |
Internet Direct Marketing Tip of the Week Loyalty Programs in Tough Times Whether you have B2C customers or B2B clients, it can only help to add value above and beyond what is expected. When tough times come around, you want to have ready practices and programs that delight your patron. There's nothing like adding value to say, "We value your business." Think of such loyalty programs as insurance for tough times, which inevitably happen every so often. When customers and clients cut their budgets, value-add programs can help you make their newly revised short list. LC About WDFM Advertising in WDFM Click for WDFM's latest media kit. Housekeeping If you received this issue from a colleague and you want your own subscription, you can get that by visiting Web Digest For Marketers and filling out the subscription form. It takes less than a minute. I encourage you to pass this issue of WDFM along, provided you do not change the copy, you keep the opening and this closing material, and you notify me. OK, you don't have to notify me, but if you do, I will thank you personally. :) Thanks for reading all the way down to the bottom of this newsletter. :) Cordially, Larry Chase: Publisher |
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