‘Smartphones have transformed computing astonishingly quickly and about a billion devices with Google’s Android software were activated in just five years.’ states and article from the MIT Technological Review. It is incredible to see that no other technology in this world has ever drawn as many users as fast! And although the market is already huge, what is even more surprising is how much room to improvement there is, in addition to the opportunities!

Soon enough these numbers could also be representative of tablets which are aligning themselves with the state of comfort and convenience as well as even educational activities!

But importantly what has changed drastically through mobile devices is the use of social media through them. More and more apps like the newest Vine and Snapchats have become so popular on our phones. I will have to admit they are a ton of fun and it is therefore why businesses are often trying their best to enter those social platforms to engage and connect with their customers.

It has now become beyond having a Facebook page and Twitter account active. Innovation through viral videos, and fun shots are what everyone wants to see and catches the attention. Take for example Oreo’s 100 years campaign to see below. Using Vine companies can announce new products or play around with them. Taco Bells created a rather simple short video but that gained awareness quickly because it was different and easy to watch. I find it very entertaining so see what many brands out there have been doing, by visiting http://brandsonvine.com/.

Through Instagram companies can now share with their customers what is it like to work in their office which consequently brings interest and positive feelings towards a brand who is sharing. More importantly they share their brand culture. Look at Nike for example, their Instagram account features positive message, motivational thoughts and show a strong belief that their customers will use their product to simply become awesome. http://instagram.com/nike

Through this mobile world, brands who will take the advantage that we are constantly connected looking for entertainment, will win as they grab our attention and make us smile.

Oreo Daily Twist Case Study from Ron Ceballos on Vimeo.

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Sometimes I catch myself saying: “Oh wow I getting old, this is brilliant” as a new application or website makes its way to my computer. I was fascinated by the latest update of Google Hangouts, which I had used previously only for the purpose of calling my best friends or school group meetings. Google Hangouts can now do so much more than this and as we have seen in class it has the potential of making one conversation viral.  What is great about Google Hangouts being “On Air” is that now anyone in the world can see what you have to say, of course not everyone is going to watch you but if you are an astronaut, Obama, or a soccer player then it is another story.

Customers questions are answered by a real-person and the person who they mostly want to hear from. It positions them as an expert who is accessible, human and takes the time for its consumers or fans. Hangouts are fairly easy to use, the only thing needed is a webcam, computer and internet connection which a fairly costs for a the visibility it gets. When setting up a Google Hangout on air an event is created through Google +  the date, time and time-zones are crucial and must be clear.

Here are few examples on how it can help a brand and a person gain awareness and improve personal branding.  The Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe, hosted a digital autograph signing Google + Hangout. During the hangout the player had the opportunity to see his fans and sow them his gratitude, answered questions and using an ipad signed digital photos.

For Garance Dore’s Google+ Hangout, she had asked her fans to post questions on the event wall and on twitter. This brought much engagement from the part of her fans which didn’t hesitate a second to see her live on their screens. Because is it live, she was natural and everyone was now with her and saw her personality. The hangouts are then recorded and put on Youtube so that consumers can re-watch them. Cadburry has done a few as well with their Chocolate tasting hangout.

An approachable brand, is a caring brand and through live hangouts like those blogers, astronauts, soccer players and music stars can listen, interact and show they care about their fans.

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Far away are the times when we used to browse through Toys “R” Us magazines cutting out everything we wanted for Christmas, and later gluing them on a letter to Santa. Those were made with an exaggerated amount of glitter and excitement, but today technology and social media help us stay young offering modern versions of Christmas wish lists.

Pinterests has been changing the ways consumers shop, their boards are often representative of what exactly they wish to buy or have decided to buy already. According this an HBR review 29% of Pinterest users have purchased something (in-store or online) after sharing or favoriting it on Pinterest. It is great to see that the social aspect of sharing what one wishes can drive customers to make more purchases; in fact about half of social-inspired purchases are made within a week!

A great example is the campaign Lowes is running using Pinterest. Items on special prices were added to a board called black Friday Deal Reveal, but were disguised. Followers were asked to guess the item, which generated shares, comments and lots of engagement. Has Pinterest become the place to collect holiday shopping list of online consumers? Oh yes!

On the Toys r us website, kids can now create an interactive wish lists, by simply creating an account and browsing through the thousands of toys and game and dragging them to their lists. Once they are done, they can easily send them all out to their family by adding an email address. This really allows them to reach out to everyone and get exactly what they wish for. What I found very interesting is that they can also find wish lists created by other kids and see what they have chosen, get ideas and share their own. They can save and edit any time if they change their mind. There is even a list of trending gifts!

Other campaigns like Nordstorm “Wish List Giveaway” try to go viral by giving their customers the chance to win a $5,000 gift card if they share their lists Facebook and Twitter. In general everyone is trying to generate as much engagement as possible through online campaigns linking websites and social media. Great idea since in the end everyone is looking for the best deals and what works better than word of mouth?

More insights here: http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/ecommerce-eretail/3-tactics-retail-sites-holidays/

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Philips recently unveiled their new logo and tag line. They did so, however, through an excellent social media campaign which fits perfectly to their new brand positioning. By tagging #uncoverPhilips on Twitter or Facebook, customers “acquired” a pixel of their new logo. 14,670 people claimed a spot on of the new shield! It is quite a symbol Philips has created making sure the message that customers are their brand was fully expressed. In 2 days the new logo was uncovered, and on the inauguration date every single person felt as if they were part of the event, they all uncovered it together.

In addition, the new tagline “innovation is you” fits the social media campaign perfectly, it was engaging and made sure their customers/followers on twitter could take part of the change. It is a great example of how user-generated content, in this case the participation of a pixel in the new Philips logo, is used to complete the broader image of showing the company cares and wants to listen to their customers.

Not only will it increase their site traffic, or the visits on their Youtube channel but it will also create a sense of belonging towards the brand which consequently will result in affection. Customers will find themselves more engaged in the brand and could potentially refer it to others thus becoming a brand ambassador. With their phrase “discover innovation that matters to you”, Philips show they understand that people are first, and this always please us.

http://www.uncover.philips.com/en/app

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It is often difficult to sell a product, so imagine trying to sell a whole city! The city of Vienna however, created a great new project to incorporate into their social media channels to increase knowledge about this wonderful city and provide more reasons to why people should visit. They have created the #myperfectday on Wien Info.
Through a dozen interactive videos, where locals show what the perfect day is in Vienna for them, they are able to include consumer generated content into the promotion of the city. By getting filmed locals show who they are and why they love Vienna. It is an insider view of the city, making the message genuine and more believable than any billboard advertisement saying “come to Vienna”. Each video is linked to one another, at some point we see another participant and the video asks you if you would like to switch to this other person’s day. It is quite interactive, each participant is very different, some enjoy outdoor activities more and others more cultural visits. Coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants, museums, parks and a lot of walking around the city, all are shown through those videos. While they are filmed, the locals take the bus or the metro making their experience look like a normal day as a local or a tourist.

Secret tips of the city and interesting spots like rooftops or a hidden view of Vienna are explained by the local. It is not only very well filmed and interactive but also incredibly useful. Vienna Info’s objective is to make everyone who visits their website or Youtube channel an expert of the city. And truly, if one follows their tips and wonderful places they show, I can assure he or she will have a great time in Vienna.

It is often difficult to sell a product, so imagine trying to sell a whole city! The city of Vienna however, created a great new project to incorporate into their social media channels to increase knowledge about this wonderful city and provide more reasons to why people should visit. They have created the #myperfectday on Wien Info.
Through a dozen interactive videos, where locals show what the perfect day is in Vienna for them, they are able to include consumer generated content into the promotion of the city. By getting filmed locals show who they are and why they love Vienna. It is an insider view of the city, making the message genuine and more believable than any billboard advertisement saying “come to Vienna”. Each video is linked to one another, at some point we see another participant and the video asks you if you would like to switch to this other person’s day. It is quite interactive, each participant is very different, some enjoy outdoor activities more and others more cultural visits. Coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants, museums, parks and a lot of walking around the city, all are shown through those videos. While they are filmed, the locals take the bus or the metro making their experience look like a normal day as a local or a tourist.
Secret tips of the city and interesting spots like rooftops or a hidden view of Vienna are explained by the local. It is not only very well filmed and interactive but also incredibly useful. Vienna Info’s objective is to make everyone who visits their website or Youtube channel an expert of the city. And truly, if one follows their tips and wonderful places they show, I can assure he or she will have a great time in Vienna.

– A panoramic view of the Belvedere museum, offered on ViennaInfo.com –

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As we have seen in class, new social media channels have helped companies increase their online presence by focusing on the “Earned and Owned” marketing, spending less money on billboards and printed advertising. Is it not enough to throw money at a project to make it successful: in order for Earned media to fully work it has to become a true word of mouth around a meaningful and engaging subject. However, as there are thousands and thousands of messages out on Twitter and Facebook being generated everyday it becomes harder for one message to stand out. Thunderclap has created a new way of spreading those messages, as long as they are good and wise words. This is where non-profit businesses can benefit from their service, by getting help from such program to intensify their message.

Thunderclap uses your Facebook and Twitter account to create a strong and loud message by posting it at a specific time at a specific date. People will just have to RSVP on a companies’s “event message” by giving Thunderclap the authorization to create a post on their behalf on a certain date. By sending out all their messages at the same time, the campaign will have the chance to stand out. This is called crowd-speaking, and it allows companies to send their message through their fans and actually see it result into something big, unlike most of the time when it simply gets stuck somewhere no one but your close friends will see. Thunderclap helps brands to align their ideas with a good cause without the fear of failure.

A great example was how UNICEF has created a Thunderclap for the International Day of the Girl which addresses the issue that still today millions of girls don’t have the chance to get education. On October 11 UNICEF promoted girl rights and the importance of continuing this fight for gender equality around the globe. With the use of hashtags people could follow the conversation online. It created a sense of community and brought much more awareness than a simple Facebook ad on the right side of your home screen would have. Today, Thunderclap has been used by the White House and celebrities like Beyonce and Lady Gaga to help their good message have a stronger impact and be heard louder. Forbes has said it is the “future of social empowerment”, we will have to see up to where it can go.

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On the @mynewSUB account, the tweets provide students with the latest news on the construction of the new SUB on the UBC campus. Although incredibly inactive, the account is a good idea as it lets students know what is going on with all the noise, steel smells and blocked streets  we have to handle every day. But unfortunately it is not as popular as it could be. The AMS has started a project which calls on every UBC student to participate in the naming of the new SUB. This campaign started in September and everyone is welcome to either write on the ‘Design Cube’ wall or add #namemysub to their tweets or Facebook post.
The Ubyssey is right, students are the largest donors of the new SUB and it is only fair for all of us paying the extra fee in our tuition to participate in the naming of the building. It is a great way for students to feel more apart of the construction and hopefully feel more involved at UBC. Through the use of this campaign on Twitter, Facebook and on the glass walls of the cube, students leave their opinions and share a few thoughts on what could be the next name for the SUB. It is a great opportunity not only to find an awesome name for the new SUB but also for UBC and the AMS to engage and hear what students want.

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Since it launched in 2009, Kickstarter has been funding the ideas of a large amount of artists, engineers, writers and basically anyone with the soul to provide the world with something new. Any project can be placed on their website as long as it includes enough information for potential buyers (or in this case ‘backers’) to understand what it is.The more people are interested in buying the new product, the more they will fund it and ultimately the project will attain its funding goal in order to sell the product. It is a new way of knowing right away if that innovative ‘thing’ you’ve always wanted to create will actually sell. By getting more ‘backers’ which are basically subscribers an incredible idea has much more chance to be successful. And this works through people. Through a large network of flourishing ideas and inspired individuals, they are able to support a variety of activities all online. If the project is not good, then it doesn’t get funded and nothing happens. The feed-back is very quick, it connects the customers and the creators since the beginning of the project. As if when Apple created a new ipod Nano, it had its fans express what they thought about it. It has almost become a non-fail type of entrepreneurship which in the future could push the boundaries of creativity since there is no more pressure to sell the product, and no scare to be left with a huge inventory on  your hands.

The most successful Kickstarter project is The Pebble: a watch that gives you much more than time. It was funded my more than 85,000 people which resulted in 10 million dollars to create the best smart-watch (well until Samsung’s Galaxy Gear). It is a pure example of how the new connection we have online can bring ideas and people together to market and create new products. It gives a chance for everyone to be a part of the start-up project. A huge community was built for a more creative world, and it’s all online.

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Although this blog is about eMarketing, I’ve been wanting to write about this particular topic for a while, so here it is. FOMO – the fear of Missing Out – the concept that will completely bring ideas against social media, but mostly against the way we are using it. Being part of a course like comm464, there is not need to say I am so interested in the use of  social media and new technologies in Marketing, but sometimes… do we go too far? Acting on the moment as a company can have great benefits to your brand, for this there is no doubt but as customers can it bring harm to our actual social life?
I have personally tried to go a few days without them: no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram. It was harder than I thought. Are we therefore afraid of being missing out? Yes!

What I am really worried about is how it will continue to increase as social media does, and what kind of effects it can have on a person. It is true, when we log-in into Facebook, and Instagram we see all the great things people have done, it could potentially make us feel like we are not doing as much or we missed out on this friend’s get-together for example. As a company or as a person, nowadays if you are too late, you might have missed out already.

The key I believe is to know where the limit is!

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Nokia’s latest tweet has become one of the most retweeted brand tweets ever – more than 38,000 retweets! While the whole world talks about the brand new iPhones, Nokia steals a bit of the spotlight to express the similarity between their own devices and Apple’s. This is a clear example of ‘moment marketing’ showing companies moving fast and acting on real-time can be extremely important. Most people saw this as humor, linked to current event and it thus became very popular.

Adapting to the moment and real-time is crucial in digital marketing. “When things happen in the real world they happen on Twitter” – Bruce Daisley

Responding as fast, Nokia was able to react to the current events and engage with everyone online. Similarly brands can act on the very “moment” easily through twitter. They are able to build a two-way conversation with their customers which before was mostly one-way (TV, Radio, Billboards). As we have seen through a immense amount of examples, when a company responds to not only its clients comments online but also to the general events happening in the world, they gain certain trust. Suddenly, they have a voice. They become a personality instead of a money-making business.
I personally think this is the best aspect social media brings to companies: they become more alive. As more consumers share and create content online they expect the companies they value the most to do the same. Consumer behaviour has evolved, and through social media brands can now adapt to it and make the most out of trends, news, opinion and comments.

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