Online media and social networks have opened up completely new avenues for individuals to express themselves. Brands, hoping to take part, have been coming up with new and inventive ways to position themselves and their products almost as long as individual users have. Brands with the wherewithal and clout have recently gone in a different direction: stand where people are already looking. By engaging during public events and with public figures, brands can amplify their messages by ingratiating themselves with the public or simply acquiring a new audience. The difficulty, however, will always be remaining authentic.
Social Media
Adweek: What Does It Take to Win the Super Bowl on Social Media?
After recent successes by companies such as Samsung and Oreo at big events, brands are ramping up efforts to make the most of massive audience opportunities. Events like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards have led some companies to even establish “situation rooms” in order to monitor and capitalize on the significant and unexpected moments that will inevitably happen. But more importantly: does it matter and is it worth it?
DigiDay: Full disclosure? How brands label their social media influencer marketing
While using hashtags and capitalizing on public spectacles is one way to get your product seen, brands have more recently taken to hiring ambassadors with already built-in audiences. While this is effective, the public can be turned off if the posts appear to be inauthentic. DigiDay argues that if companies and their influencers are upfront about their practices, relationships such as these can prove mutually beneficial.
B2B
Practical Ecommerce: 9 B2B Companies that Excel at Social Media
Using social to advance B2B enterprise has long been a difficult undertaking. Several companies have succeeded in the space, and they are not just online-based. While every company is different, the success stories of companies such as Maersk and John Deere are interesting and inspiring.
Analytics
ClickZ: Why Dark Social Could Be the Next Big Thing in Digital Marketing
Analytics has become an integral part of any digital campaign, showing where the conversation is, who is engaging in it, through what channels, at what times, and so on. But what about the conversation that happens behind the scenes? We’ve all received that one link in an email that we just had to forward on; how do brands measure that? New tactics, such as trackable URLs will soon help shed light on “dark social.”
Just For Fun
Ad Age: Check Out These Totally Tubular Brand Tweets Themed to ’80s Text Messages
After the hashtag #80sTextMessages began trending on Twitter early on Wednesday, several brands jumped into the game with their own take. Some, like Jimmy Johns and the Sacramento Kings chose to take the opportunity to educate fans about their history, while others like Motorola took a more irreverent approach. Either way, it was a great opportunity for brands to show off their personality and engage with their fans.
What GFM Blogged About This Week…
Applying Yoga to PR
Should journalists or sources hire PR firms when stories turn out false?
