inside envision

advertising + branding blog

IKEA uses Facebook photo tagging to promote new store in Malmö, Sweden

Every day, marketers are discovering new ways to leverage the power of social media. To promote the launch of their new store in Malmö, IKEA turned to one of the most popular features on Facebook…photo tagging. The following video details exactly how it worked. Word-of-mouse marketing is alive and well!

–Greg

Welcome to the social media revolution.

At The Envision Group, we've been embracing social media as a powerful marketing and branding tool for quite some time. We've successfully leveraged it for our own brand as well as for those of our clients. And, we've yet to think of one business that couldn't benefit from some sort of social media component in their marketing and advertising mix. However, there are still skeptics. One of the most common questions that we get from them is, "do you think it's a fad?" Having seen the power of an effectively-executed social media marketing campaign firsthand, I'm of the belief that it's here to stay…at least until the next revolution arrives. It's completely changed the way that businesses engage with their customers and shows no sign of slowing down. This video paints a powerful picture of the rapid growth of social media. So, do you think it's a fad?

–Greg

Is It Possible To Become Internet Famous Simply By Being Annoying?

My saintly mother often remarked that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. That is to say, if you complain about something loudly enough, and for a long enough time, you will eventually achieve your objective. She obviously did not consider herself subject to this rule, however, because, as a child, my squeak-to-oil ratio seemed to disprove her theory.

Regardless, it is a pretty fair assessment of basic human relations that the more vocal you are, the more attention will be paid to your endeavor. Of course, the results of continuous outspokenness may not always be the most desirable.

Although recent protests certainly raised global awareness, and may yet yield reform, “getting the oil” in Iran means also getting bullets, clubs and axes. For a liberal Russian journalist, “getting the oil” might be a euphemism for being poisoned. Uygurs in China are “getting the oil” right now, and their Tibetan neighbors have been getting it for decades.

Even in the US, the loudest leaders of popular causes garner as many character assaults as they do followers. Take note, Squeaky Wheels. The oil for which you thirst may be bitter, indeed.

On a more frivolous level, I have noticed that social-media-site-popularity is definitely commensurate with squeakiness—specifically on the Twitter. Hashtag strategies and courtesy follows notwithstanding, it seems that the best way to “get the oil” and attract a crowd of fans is to remind them of your existence hundreds of times a day.

The most successful nobodies on Twitter or Facebook are the ones whose fingers seem never to leave their keyboard or mobile device. There is a ton of advice out there about providing useful information, entertaining content, and shrewd insights, but it really seems to be the quantity of squeaks that “gets the oil.”

It’s not hard to spot the squeakiest wheels. Your feed is littered with their avatar. You know all of their food and beverage preferences. You know what music they like, and who their “friends” are. They are annoying and mundane, but compulsively addictive.

The Über-Squeakers employ a component of consistency in social media self-branding. Whether their patterns are inadvertent or intentional, the repeated themes seem to tip the oilcan dramatically. How else can one explain the exuberant and voluminous response to ritualistic pictures of bedhead and near-daily pants lamentations? (Not that there is anything wrong with brand consistency, or repetition to the point of exhaustion. This IS an advertising blog, after all.)

So, perhaps the best way to become Internet famous, at least in the social media sense, is to make the most noise possible about your three to five favorite topics.

Post status pictures of your inbox every hour.

Write daily updates about the shapes you see in your pet’s poop.

Alert everyone to rush hour conditions in your metro area, in the morning and at night.

Squeak away, squeakers, and open wide for the WD-40.

—Lisa

Social Shopping!

Over the past few years, social networking web sites, such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have begun to generate more web traffic than traditional web protocols. According to Ad Age, a new social shopping technology called “Fluid Social” allows friends to make purchase suggestions via Facebook, and AIM. This technology is now available at Vans.com. It allows consumers who are building custom shoes on the site to invite friends to chat about product design. This type of interaction will be a very valuable tool for online stores to incorporate. Product recommendations and feedback that come from peers are the most trusted!


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—Sara