Month: March 2013

Social media is quickly becoming a marketing norm for many businesses. Social media, notably Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, allow companies to advertise products, raise brand awareness, and interact with current or potential consumers, in a way that was not possible even a few years ago.  These days, a Facebook/Twitter/YouTube (or any other channel) link on a company’s webpage is not unusual. But, before we get too ahead of ourselves, Brian Solis raised an alarming concern in a recent blog post.  Mr. Solis highlights an increasingly important issue for consumers: “Are businesses invading consumer privacy by listening to social media conversations?”

Not only are companies able to participate in social media conversations with their markets, but they are now also able to “listen” to what consumers are saying without the channel user knowing. This is becoming the new “standard in community engagement”.  Is this a good thing? On one hand, being able to ‘eavesdrop’ on consumer conversations allows companies to nurture stronger relationships with customers, encourage loyalty and support, and act upon problems. However, “creeping” into what consumers are saying about a certain brand, product or service where these conversations are not intended for the company is being seen by some as a potential breach of privacy. So, what do you think? Are there boundaries to how businesses should use social media? What would constitute abuse of social media by a business? Share your comments and views.

International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated on March 8^th. The idea of choosing a day to celebrate women’s rights, and women’s contributions to society came in 1977, when the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on member states to proclaim a day for women’s rights and international peace.  In Canada, IWD carries a special theme each year.  This year’s theme is “Working Together: Engaging Men to End Violence against Women”. Support for and recognition for IWD has grown dramatically over the past decade, and “it has also evolved into a massive day of social media activism, with campaigns popping up throughout the social web”.

One campaign related to IWD that I found especially powerful was the “WeAreEQUALS” Facebook App. EQUALS is an organization comprised of leading charities in the United Kingdom and the United States (such as Save the Children, Oxfam and Women’s Aid) that come together to promote a more equal world. IWD is certainly an important day for EQUALS and in light of the day, the WeAreEQUALS Facebook App was launched. The app “represents an agreement between two friends to equality, presumably between the sexes”. Upon downloading the app, it will ask you to upload an image of yourself and an image of the person who commits to being equal. The app will then merge the two images to create a split frame photo, similar to the ones in the image below. The app encourages you to post and share the image along with your pledge to equality. Examples of pledges include: People will think society is gender equal “when the tears of a woman are tears of joy” or “when the figures actually speak for themselves”.

The WeAreEQUALS Facebook Equalizer App is just one of many media campaigns that support IWD. We need to continue to develop initiatives to promote an environment where women and men are equal in every aspect of society. In North America, we have made progress, but as this year’s IWD theme attests, we still have work to do.  In addition, there are many countries around the world where gender equality is still a dream. Although not the only way, the web is a fantastic means to promote the cause, raise awareness and contribute to change. 

I recently read Gemma’s Blog, “How Users Interact with Pinterest”, and since I have had quite a bit of experience using Pinterest both personally and professionally, reading it made me reflect on the  social media channel and the questions Gemma raised in her blog.

As Gemma points out, the delicious pictures of food and the dreamy travel destinations lured me into signing up for an account about a year and a half ago.  I typically go on Pinterest to browse through great images; I rarely post or re-pin. I became a lot more familiar with the channel last summer when I was an intern for ivivva athletica.

Ivivva athletica is a new brand that targets young girls who love to dance. The brand was created by lululemon in 2009, and is still in the early stages of raising brand awareness and developing a loyal customer base. As an intern this past summer, I was responsible for managing the brand’s social media channels, Pinterest being one of them. Ivivva was new to Pinterest and I was in charge of growing its presence. Over the course of my internship, I noticed  that Pinterest is so small in comparison to other social media channels (eg. Facebook and Twitter), that it is extremely difficult to develop a following.

Based on my interaction and experience with Pinterest through ivivva, and in response to Gemma’s comments on whether or not Pinterest is an effective advertising tool for companies, in my view Pinterest is more effective as an avenue for users to browse images pertaining to their interests rather it is a place for corporate advertising. Personally, I find it refreshing to log onto Pinterest and simply see images…no brand names or logos. Therefore, to answer Gemma’s question at the end of her blog, I believe that currently, there are more effective marketing means for companies than Pinterest. Pinterest users are a niche market and therefore it may be challenging for any particular company to gain a significant following using the channel.  Having said this, I am also very aware that not that long ago, people thought computers were a ‘fad’. So, while today Pinterest does not have the reach to be dominant element of a marketing plan, I have no doubt that some companies will soon find a way to capture their customers through this channel, and move Pinterest from a “tool for collecting and organizing the things you love” into a marketing machine.