Welcome to week 4, Group 4!
Only five more weeks to go.
This week's assigned readings focus on utilizing the web and social
media to attract target audiences' attention to companies, products, causes,
websites, etc. Using web-based communications to reach buyers directly is
critical in today’s market. David
Meerman Scott states, “I’m fond of thinking of the web as a
city — it helps make sense of each aspect of online life and how we create and
interact. Corporate sites are the storefronts
on Main Street peddling wares” (Scott, 2013, p. 54) .
The web is like a city, but a giant city that can be hard to navigate if
you don’t have the right directions or tools to get you where you need to go. If the directions aren’t clear or your sign
isn’t catchy, it’ll be hard for people to find your store/company/website.
It is also important to be present on
the web where your customers are. That
way you can track their interests, what they’re saying, likes/dislikes, and other
key decision-making data. Scott
mentions, “If you actively participate in the online communities that your
customers frequent, you will earn their sympathy and patience when things go
wrong” (Scott, 2013, p. 67) .
1)
Complete
this week’s assigned readings in our week 4 ‘Lesson’: Unit Two Social Media Plans.
2)
Choose
a company, institution (college/hospital/or similar), cause, product, or campaign
(other than Starbucks, as it was used as an example in Scott, Ch.11, You Are
What You Publish: Building Your Marketing and PR Plan) and create a blog post
to convey how they excel using social media to attract and infiltrate their
various target markets. You may also
choose one that does the complete opposite, does a poor job of using social
media for marketing, and create a new marketing plan for the company to
improve.
Talking
points:
1) Explain
why you chose the example you did.
2) What
is the focal point? If you’re not able
to identify what it is, how could they change this?
3) Identify
and discuss the target market(s).
4) Which
platforms do they use well, or should they use?
5) If
they have a website, is it appealing and does it do the trick? If not, why and how would you improve it?
6) Discuss
the strengths/weaknesses.
7) Make
recommendations for improvement.
8) Discuss
and reference any data you’re able to find.
If you have any questions regarding the assignment,
please reach me using any of the contact info provided in the Wiki, or by
posting them as ‘replies’ in our week 4 ‘Forum.’ I’ve already spoken with Mary via text.
The assignment can also be found on my blog here: https://andrewthemaher.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=AFShc0sBAAA.U_2VIycwEL23o2Um6xmw7g.ETVJAXuEFCQ86UK0nTW9cA&postId=5941212302048709450&type=POST
I look forward to reading your posts and communicating
with one another as the week unfolds.
Good luck!!
Works Cited
Scott, D. M. (2013). The New Rules of Marketing
& PR: How to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs,
news releases, & viral marketing to reach buyers directly. (4 ed.).
Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Week 4 Summary:
ReplyDeleteMembers of group 4 were asked to choose a company, institution (college/hospital/or similar), cause, product, or campaign (other than Starbucks, as it was used as an example in Scott, Ch.11, You Are What You Publish: Building Your Marketing and PR Plan) and create a blog post to convey how they excel using social media to attract and infiltrate their various target markets. Each of the participants ended up choosing a company: Mary chose Red Bull, Loren selected Barbasol, Shawn went with Dunkin Donuts, and Lori Nilson opted for Jet Blue.
All of the members were challenged to convey whether or not they thought the current web and social media approach was working by the company of their choice. They were asked to explain why they chose the example they did, the main tactic used by their company, the social media platforms being used, explain the presence of the website and if it is working, the strengths and weaknesses, and areas of improvement.
Mary Leonard described Red Bull’s ability to sell a lifestyle and not just an energy drink. Red Bull targets a market of 18-34 year-old males who are extreme sports lovers. Red Bull’s promotion of its products are essentially built in as subliminal messaging within their extreme videos or events. Red Bull is effectively broadcasting their videos, images, etc. across Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube. Mary eluded to the fact that, ‘Red Bull has gone a step above the current marketing trend of connecting with individual consumers by making customers feel included in the overall brand experience.’
Loren Mack chose Barbasol, traditional company focused on remarketing their shaving products to younger men so that they, “Shave like a man.” They target 18-25 year-old males using YouTube videos and directing traffic to the videos using Twitter. Barbasol focuses on manly men, i.e. men who cut down trees for a living. We discussed Barbasol’s issue of attracting traffic to its online content (especially videos) and came up with ideas such as celebrity endorsements (used by some of their competitors) and leveraging other social media sites to direct traffic to their valuable content. Celebrity endorsements from manly activities and sports like NASCAR, could help Barbasol. Mary mentioned the fact that Barbasol is made in America, which is always a plus for US-based consumers.
Lori Nilson opted to use Jet Blue as her example. Jet Blue has their own social media tool called SoFly. It uses it to reach its large base of employees and customers to assist in everything from unhappy customers to sharing flying tips between customers. They’re looking to bring the humanity back to air travel.
Shawn Lawlor used Dunkin Donuts as his example company this week. DD uses catchy phrases such as, “America runs on Dunkin,” to promote its brand. Shawn found that DD relies a lot on its customers for their marketing content and inspiration. Shawn’s conclusion was that, “Dunkin needs to ensure that their execution of delivering the product is just as good as their social media engagement.” I think this is a strong testament demonstrating how well DD uses the web and various social media platforms to its advantage.
A very solid performance overall by the team on this week’s blog assignment. I’m very pleased with the group’s communication and execution of the questions provided at the beginning of the week. Thank you everyone for your hard work and participation. I look forward to the final two blog assignments in the coming weeks.