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Coke vs. Pepsi 2.0: Social Media Shakes Up the Cola Wars

4
February
2010

As Coca-Cola and Pepsi divest from this year’s Super Bowl ad lineup, top dollar from these two top brands is stirring the social media space into a fizz.

Blake Bowyer (@BlakeBowyer)
Media Program Analyst

The Super Bowl will feel a lot more social this year. And not just because the NFL has failed to put a muzzle on tweeting players or the Saints’ “Who Dat” may be the focus of a trademark lawsuit. No, it’s because the 30-second slices between Sunday’s timeouts and touchdowns will be a lot less caffeinated: Coca-Cola is downsizing its presence during the game and Pepsi is pulling out entirely. Where then will you get Super Bowl-sized updates from the people who brought you delightful parade balloon wars and inspired Dylan/Will.i.am duets? On social networks, of course.

That’s right. If you’re still a new media evolution denier, look no further than your Facebook feed for a jolt and the return of the Cola Wars … 2.0. Remember when a blind taste test was as social as it got in heated rivalry between these tin-can titans? Well, as we’ve seen time and time again, where one may go, the other may follow and this time the path leads away from the Super Bowl and into your digital experience.

It was big news last December when Pepsi let the world know it wouldn’t be taking part in the ad game for XLIV. Even with the Pepsi Throwback campaign in full-swing and ripe for Super Bowl exposure, Pepsi decided its money was better spent elsewhere. For $3.01 million for 30 seconds (plus production costs, etc.), it’s hard to argue – even the announcement has garnered a lot of attention for the brand’s surprising audible. Pepsi spent a whopping $33 million for last year’s face-off and will now commit that money (well, part of it) to an online cause marketing campaign: Pepsi Refresh (which will reportedly cost a mere $20 million). The project will let consumers submit ideas – or in Web 2.0 lingo, “crowdsource” – for where donations go and focus on driving traffic to RefreshEverything.com for voting.

Pepsi Refresh Project - Google Chrome 222010 54238 PM

Coca-Cola, meanwhile, is taking a double-pronged approach by teaming up with Facebook to support the Boys and Girls Club of America and augmenting those efforts with two game-time ads. The spots will direct viewers to the company’s Facebook fan page and encourage them to share virtual gifts, each of which will result in a $1 donation to the youth organization. The effort will be tied into Coca-Cola’s current corporate campaign theme “Live positively”. The company’s Chief Marketing Officer offered some insight as to why Coca-Cola is part of this year’s ad parade: “The Super Bowl … brings families and friends together to celebrate and create memories. It’s a perfect time to open a Coke …  and giving folks a chance to help others through our ads makes the experience even better.”

Facebook Coca-Cola - Google Chrome 222010 45828 PM-1

So, that’s the new media Cola Wars battleground and, while the brands’ playbooks may seem similar – online, philanthropic, social customer involvement – they’re actually quite different. And, from a strategic social media marketing perspective, only one wins the coin toss: Coca-Cola.

Why? Simply, Coca-Cola is being social. The company is bringing – but not broadcasting – its message to fans, not requiring that they come to it. While one could argue that Pepsi is smart to drive traffic to its site, expose millions to its content, and show off what is admittedly a pretty fantastic online experience, they’re pulling tricks from the same old playbook. Coke is right there every second you’re on Facebook and allowing you to share the easy way you just supported its mission of giving back. Coca-Cola has built a thriving and respectful Facebook fan page, on which most of the content is from fans sharing stories about how Coke is part of their lives. Coke is embracing social media through Facebook and Pepsi is pretending to through a project that is convoluted, inward-facing, and even open to potential abuse and security issues.

This year we don’t have to wait until the ads roll to pick a winner. If 2010 is the year of big brands embracing social media, Coca-Cola sets a golden standard by balancing share of voice, embracing a flattened landscape, and exuding authenticity. Even if opening happiness is a bit abstract, the company’s mission is clear. In fact, it’s on your Facebook wall – pass it around.

Sources: NY Times and ESPN.

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Your Gatherers: Giving ‘Em What They Want

25
January
2010

It’s time to stop thinking of social media peeps as fans and followers. They’re gatherers and you may not be giving them enough to come back.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

I’ve never really liked the terms “fans” or “followers” for Facebook and Twitter users, respectively. It’s the kind of marketing vocabulary that seems presumptuous. As a verb, someone may have fan-ed your brand or followed your company, but that doesn’t mean they’re a fan of your online presence and you don’t have anything to prove. As much as it pains me to throw another term in the mix, “gatherer” is more appropriate and meaningful. For some reason, this mob has approached your brand after an encounter in another medium or possibly through a tangible interaction. They could have read about you, they may have purchased your products, but now they’ve found you online.

What do you do next?

Act. Give them what they want. New fans and followers expect something, but not the same old something. They could get that from where they’ve been before, but they approached you online for something else. What can you give them? How do you keep the gatherers from dispersing? Know what they want and what they expect from you.

eMarketer gathered some recent information from a small MarketingSherpa study on Reasons for Friending or Following Companies Through Social Media and this table shows the results:

110430 Your Gatherers: Giving Em What They Want

Additionally, a Razorfish study exploring the Primary Reason US Internet Users Follow a Brand on Twitter isn’t identical, but in the same vein:

1085511 Your Gatherers: Giving Em What They Want

While these responses seem intuitive (coupons provide instant, tangible benefits through savings), they’re important nonetheless. Your brand has gatherers because – surprise, surprise – they’re looking for an added benefit; they want value. Being a fan or follower is akin to being a member of an exclusive club or a loyalty program. Your gatherers are wondering, “I’ve found your brand and have chosen to show my support. What will you give me in return?” They’ve done something through social media that other media would never facilitate – they’ve reached out their hands and want to make a deal. Those are the three defining attributes of effective social media marketing: efforts are reciprocal, two-way, and both parties benefit to make it work.

They’ve gathered, now bring them back. You might be counting fans and followers, but seeing those terms as literal is old media thinking with new media execution. They’ll butt heads eventually and your gatherers are more likely to lynch your brand than advocate it.

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Foursquare: Not Just for Playgrounds Anymore

18
January
2010

Why the preeminent location-based social network is spearheading social space evolution by encouraging its users to act like loud-mouthed kids.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

I’ve never run for elected office, but I still got appointed mayor last week. In fact, I’m the mayor of six places including my neighborhood Subway, a couple of local restaurants, the Daniels College of Business, and two coffee shops. What does this say about me? Well, other than the obvious pronouncement that I spend most of my time enslaved to homework and caffeine, it says I’m an active evangelist of each of these places. I’m not just the mayor for bragging rights, I’m the mayor because I believe they deserve my business and I want my friends to know the same.

Wow, it sounds like Foursquare just turned me nto an unwitting evangelist for two of my favorite Denver haunts: Café Europa and Greeks Gone Wild. I thought I was just having fun and showing off.

This is social media marketing guerilla style. Sure, I’m a fan of tons of places on Facebook, including Waffle House and Black Box Wine, but the nearest Waffle House is a 15-mile daytrip into the badlands from my house and I can’t remember the last time I had cabernet from a spout on my counter. Building enormous Facebook fan followings and stagnant presences on other social networks doesn’t mean that much really. I don’t interact with those brands and I don’t mention them on my Facebook page. The last time my 719 friends saw those two pages pop up on their feeds was when I became a fan. That’s not doing much for these brands’ presences and it’s not being social at all.

Conversely, I checked into Monaco Lanes last night at 10:30 and every one of my friends had the potential to see it. They’ve also watched me check in to – and be crowned the mayor of – Café Europa the past three days. However, the fact that the names of these places show up here and there at varying degrees of regularity isn’t the point. The profound effect is that I am literally interacting with these establishments – I am physically there, spending money, and giving them my stamp of approval with every visit. Friends might come see me or they might not, but if I have any kind of credibility and influence on where they eat, drink, or study (ugh), I may be pushing that business to the top of the list – and top of mind.

Now, that’s clearly a marketer’s perspective, but I find it a valuable one. While many social networks are scrambling to find internal ways to monetize and gain sponsorship, Foursquare is slowly building its presence from the outside-in. Savvy businesses will eventually figure out that people are voicing their support through check-ins and tips. They’ll gain valuable information on visitors, customers’ habits, and take advantage of location-based specials (all of which Foursquare could easily charge for). I just checked in to Café Europa, but I might not be in the mood to deal with an excruciatingly long line for lunch. Thankfully, Carmine’s On Penn – hypothetically – just sent me a lunch special via Foursquare, so I’ll sidestep the line and sit down to some gluttonous Italian food. And that’s where social media self-actualize: asymmetrical two-way communication benefits.

Checkin @ CE

Recently, Foursquare has attracted a lot of other chatter about badges and frequency cards to attract businesses and keep users active. But, I think the truism of transforming a regular like me into an advocate because I like to think I’m cool and go cool places, that’s the crux of Foursquare and its ilk. Now, who wants to challenge me for mayorship of Tokyo Bowl? That one I’m willing to give up. Find me on Foursquare and take my crown: Blake on Foursquare.

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Why 2010 Might Be Marketers’ Final Shot in Social Media

23
December
2009

Next year, marketers must evolve with social media and ditch the old games.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

While the sun sets on 2009, year-end lists and predictions are coming at us in droves. We’ve even discussed a few of our own on the INSIGHT blog. They’re practically irresistible – fun, brazen shots in the dark with big upsides and risks their authors will hardly be held accountable for. The same can be said for social media, for which the prognosticating generally states that social media will grow up, online marketers will figure out how to better use it, and “2010 is the year of social media ROI.”

While all of those predictions are fine and well – and hopefully true – here’s why I think 2010 will be so important for social media marketing: we can’t blow this.

Social media is undoubtedly revolutionizing marketing, just as technologies that came before it. A media revolution only comes around once in a generation at most and this era might be the biggest opportunity marketers have since, well, the printing press. And, as much possibility and power and delusions of branding grandeur we hope to realize from them, social media could slip through our fingertips in 2010 if we fall off the wagon and ease back into our old roles.

While luminaries like the Ad Contrarian will profess that TV (and often other mass media) isn’t dead (warning: foul language) – and they aren’t, by any means – social media, and new media in general, gave beleaguered hucksters and carnival barkers a fresh face. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter allowed everyone to trade in tweed suits and storyboards for flatteringly small avatars of profile pictures and impenetrable 140-character messages so brief they’re hardly vulnerable to criticism. And that’s the temptation: to use these sparkling new mediums to bathe ourselves in the cleansing ideals of “engagement” and “dialogue” and pretend like we’re doing customers a favor … when, in fact, we have the tendency to talk at them like we usually do.

Permission marketing is fantastic in theory, but a spade is a spade and marketers market. It’s not just the old school of marketing theory, that’s THE SCHOOL of marketing theory. The only one we currently have. For every manifesto on social media marketing and customer experience management that gathers buzz around the internet, there remain throngs of marketers and agencies using new tools for old devices. Don’t get me wrong, we should use social media for marketing – ads, promotions, etc. – but the potential is so much greater.

With TV and radio, marketers can only do so much. Both are – literally – machines used as distribution platforms for content to attract eyeballs for advertising dollars. But interaction is minimal (if absent), the ability to solve problems is limited, and possibility of converting customers into the marketers is unrealistic – unless you want to count the gents who did last year’s Doritos commercial for the Super bowl. (I don’t.) We truly can use social media marketing to create communities and foster trustful relationships between monolithic brands and the people that pay their bills. It’s beautiful.

And it doesn’t have to be disingenuous. Every day I watch customers interact on Facebook with firms as big as Coca-Cola and as small as Boise Fry Company. And they’re DELIGHTED to share experiences with those companies and, as a result, with all of their friends, fellow fans, and miscellaneous eyeballs that cross those pages.

Fullscreencapture12232009111335AM 1 Why 2010 Might Be Marketers Final Shot in Social Media

While the predictions of social media maturity are exciting and necessary, I hope it doesn’t mean marketers figure out how to treat social media like their predecessors and wring the trust – and fun – out of another opportunity. Social media gives us a chance to think differently about the way we talk to and interact with customers, for the benefit of everyone. We’ve lost customers before with other media, and now we have to fight increasingly hard for even a moment of their time. Social media can change all that or we can wait for the next revolution if you want. Personally, I’m stoked about this one. Don’t let it slip away in 2010.

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Twitter Went Down Today, Could You Still Engage?

6
August
2009

When social media has a glitch, make sure your organization remains in the conversation.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

August 6, 2009, a day that may live in social media infamy. Even the fail whale wouldn’t emerge from the vast oceans of system overload.  Twitter refugees sought bursts of chatter and explanations on Facebook, but then it started acting up. Soon, the world of social media went black and legions of tweeting, Facebooking netizens sat at their computers and watched an idle cursor …

It was scary and, hopefully, it was also a wake-up call. Online and interactive marketers have convinced thousands of organizations and professionals to embrace social media. You will engage, you will interact, you will connect, and you will go viral. The promises are infinite and, if executed correctly, social media can launch you and your products into the conversation. The potential is true and attractive, almost irresistible.

But, what happens when social media fail? I don’t mean fail as in not work strategically, but not work AT ALL. It may seem like an unlikely question, maybe even an unthinkable horror, but it happened today. It was only for a short time, but it could happen again – tomorrow or a week from now. Ask yourself: how did you react? What were your online marketers doing? How does your company stay involved when the lights go out in the crowded room of social media?

That’s the problem with relying on one communication vehicle, or a handful in social media’s case. Research is released daily to support the adoption of social media, but it’s not smart to put the lion’s share of your eggs in one basket as some firms are doing. Even worse, these aren’t just eggs from the hens in the marketing department, but in the customer service and technical support arms as well. Many important functions of customer relationship management are being funneled into social media for good reason: they’re cheap, interactive, personal, and they can provide instant gratification. However, they can’t be your only option.

It’s easy to see why creating a Facebook page is a lot more appealing than opening a call center or launching a PPC campaign, but companies can’t build and sustain effective relationships solely through brief online conversations. It’s not only risky, but it will eventually lead to dissatisfaction. The reality is that, while the base of customers engaging on social media is growing rapidly, not every problem can be solved, not every coupon be served, nor every customer be reached through a tweet. All media, including the newer ones, are part of an integrated marketing effort.

In the end, social media is an answer, not THE answer. So, next time this happens and you find yourself staring blankly at the screen, don’t curse the fail whale because you’re the one lost at sea. 

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You Don’t Have to Give Up the Farm, but Social Media Marketing Demands a Peek Inside the Chicken Coop – Part 2

17
July
2009

Engaging in the conversation is at the heart of social media marketing, but why would anyone want to talk with you?

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

| Read Part 1 |

Previously, I talked about getting comfortable with the concept of FREE (giving away ideas, products, and experiences) if you or your organization wants to fully embrace social media marketing. Coincidentally, Stan Schroeder at Mashable (a news and opinion hub that is becoming the social media standard) wrote the article “You Think ‘Free’ is Only About the Price? It’s Not.” The piece has a great explanation of costs to the customer that aren’t measured in dollars and suggests these new models might be part of a cycle and that ‘free’ will force players in the marketplace to get creative. So, check that out if you want a bit more exploration of the costs at the other end of the conversation.

But back to where you come in and how social media demand you to be a bit more generous.

The power of social media comes down to one obvious attribute: they’re social. They’re social in that groups of users can share information they think will be valuable (interesting, entertaining, or enlightening) to their networks. As an individual user of a social network, I’m not looking to bore the people with whom I’m connected. 

That’s where many organizations lose sight of the purpose of social media. On Facebook, you’re not the world’s biggest multi-national or the nation’s most profitable company; you’re friend #432 or fan page #17. You might have twenty times the friends or fans of Joe College Student, but are people gathering to listen or just hanging out? While your brand or logo might have a lot of clout offline, the Internet is used for finding information and solutions, so your social media marketing strategy must come down to providing one or the other.

That said, your organization must be aware of two more obstacles when choosing to spread its message via social media:

  • The audience you want isn’t captive.
  • The audience you want can manipulate its social media experience.

If changing the channel during a commercial was easy, surfing to another of the millions of Web sites is a cinch. Not to mention, even if a message does happen to be at the right place at the right time, it can be the victim of blocking, skipping, pausing, or even the dreaded de-friending. 

Given those two social media realities, it seems a bit trickier than buying ad space and blasting out your message, right? It is, but if used properly, social media is your vehicle for developing relationships when providing value. Offer incentives, ask for/reward suggestions, entertain, inform, and enlighten. Don’t advertise.

In social media, you speak with people, not talk at them. Get used to that.

So, you’re existing in social media, you feel confident about the value you’re offering, you’re engaging in quality conversations, and you’re making good traction with Twitter, Facebook, and the like. But, how do you know? That’s where metrics come in. Join Principle George Assimakopoulos and Media Coordinator Ryan Moss as they practice what we preach and learn how to Effectively Measure Social Media at our complimentary webinar next Wednesday (7/22) @ 11 a.m. with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

Click the image below to register. See you there!

ETMWOMMALOGO 1 You Dont Have to Give Up the Farm, but Social Media Marketing Demands a Peek Inside the Chicken Coop Part 2

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You Don’t Have to Give Up the Farm, but Social Media Demand a Peek Inside the Chicken Coop – Part 1

15
July
2009

Trade secrets are safe, but effectively using blogs, Facebook, and Twitter for marketing requires that you give away a little more than you’d like.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst


Before wide adoption of the Internet (circa the mid-90s), the majority of technical information existed in silos and on microfiche. People had their professions and areas of expertise to which they generally stuck and dabbled in others called “hobbies”; you could fix a watch, your neighbor could build a deck, and the family down the street could film and edit home videos. Those who could do all of the above were polymaths or Renaissance men (and women).

Then the Internet began maturing and suddenly do-it-yourself (DIY) applied to basically everyone with access to a connection. Personally, among other things, I’ve learned how to tie a tie, play a guitar (poorly), and take better pictures. Not only has this stopped me from bugging my dad every time I had an interview, but also from hiring a guitar instructor and buying a photography book. In other words, I’ve developed all of these talents – at varying levels of proficiency – at a fraction of the cost of what I would have paid before the Internet.

Sorry guitar teachers and photography authors (and you’re welcome dad), the World Wide Web stole my business.

You might be thinking this doesn’t apply to you; your disicipline is so specialized and technical that no one could ever substitute your services with gumption and a data connection. Of course, you’d likely be wrong. Aside from sensitive trades like open heart surgery and high-level construction, somewhere on the Internet is a Web site giving away part – if not all – of the information you rely on for revenue. Even worse, it might be that of a competitor who is subsequently stealing business away from you through transparency and providing value.

That’s the key: value. In marketing, one simple equation for value is benefits / price. I.e., the benefits received as a ratio of the price paid (costs of pocket, opportunity, etc.). Knowing that, something might strike you: when the denominator is zero or close to it, you don’t have to give away much to provide value. Now, I’m not saying you should give away the bare minimum. Chances are, someone’s already doing that and you’ll be back at square one touting your generosity when it can be matched elsewhere.

Admittedly, the strategy of giving away value isn’t a new concept (check out Chris Anderson’s related work in the lengthy article Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business from Wired and his new book Free: The Future of a Radical Price), but it’s still a scary one. However, the organizations that become more comfortable with the tactic put themselves in better positions to compete and build on their offerings through trust and transparency. Those that don’t adjust will eventually be outpaced by competitors, user communities, or info-sharing good Samaritans (see: encyclopedias, classified ads, Internet browsers, email clients, etc.).

How well does this marry with social media marketing? Perfectly. To learn how, come back for Part 2 on Friday or scroll to the top and subscribe.

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Week 4: Utilizing Social Media and the Word-of-Mouth Fallacy – Part 2

10
July
2009

Realizing that word-of-mouth marketing can’t be controlled, only effectively harranessed through the strategic use of tools like social media.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

| Read Part 1 |

Ask yourself this: When was the last time you bought a product or used a service after hearing about it from a traditional medium like TV commercial or magazine ad? From another perspective, how do you think clients – from the cellular-deprived consumer who dropped a phone in the toilet to the airline looking to upgrade its fleet – make decisions and find out about you? 

With the scales tipping in favor of new and social media, word-of-mouth is more prevalent and influential than ever. Not only is this message powerful because it’s passed efficiently via social media from trusted sources, but also because the amount of time consumers spend on social media continues to increase. For supporting research and data, check out the Nielsen report “Social Networking’s New Global Footprint" (Note: opens as a PDF).

80% of EyeTraffic Media’s new clients come from referrals, which is basically word-of-mouth. How do we accomplish that? By providing effective, measurable results through the implementation of tactical interactive marketing campaigns, including helping our clients use social media in their favor. That statement isn’t to pat ourselves on the back, but notice that nowhere does it say “by using word-of-mouth marketing”. 

We GENERATE word-of-mouth by providing exceptional marketing solutions for clients. That is, our services are remarkable; our past and current clients are compelled to talk about them. That’s how we, a marketing consultancy executing the lion’s share of our tactics through new media, make word-of-mouth work in our favor.

Abandon the mindset of “using” word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth is an outcome, not a tactic in itself. This type of buzz can be induced by fantastic products, extraordinary service, innovative methods, controversial practices, and a myriad of other reasons people start talking. Of course, word-of-mouth can be negative as well, but don’t let that scare you. From our standpoint, the best marketing advice strangely comes from Bonnie Raitt: give ‘em something (good) to talk about.

In this two-post entry, hopefully you’ve learned a bit about social media. But finding information on social media is like drinking from a fire hydrant. Thankfully, you can continue your social media immersion in t-minus 12 days on July 22 @ 12 EST/ 9 PST when EyeTraffic Media and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) join forces for a webinar – Measuring Social Media Effectively. This 1-hour session will focus on just that: measuring your social media efforts. In the crowded landscape of social media, it’s easy to join the conversation but difficult to know if all the chatter is adding up. Best of all, the webinar is FREE. Bring your thinking cap, questions, and find out how you can take your social media understanding to a measurable level. Click the badge below to register.

ETMWOMMALOGO 1 Week 4: Utilizing Social Media and the Word of Mouth Fallacy Part 2

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Week 3: Curing the Twitter Hangover

29
June
2009

Finding the e-H2O to rehydrate and navigate Twitter’s multiplying flock.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

Every morning I wake up to an inbox full of unread messages. If I sorted them by sender, 95% of them would fall under “T” and 100% of those would be from Twitter. I am greeted by the faces and logos of new followers and their generic welcome messages. Many come bearing gifts, others videos, and a few even make promises: “I will improve your experience on the Internet”, one proclaimed this morning. It’s possible, but how? Like any good marketing consultancy, EyeTraffic Media got started on Twitter a while ago, but has since built a tolerance for that initial giddiness a new follower brings. 

Sigh. After so many tweets, the honeymoon period is over.

But that doesn’t mean the value is gone. In fact, with more experience, Twitter ages like a fine wine in the hands of the right tweeter. Most organizations experience the micro-blogging disenchantment after the initial Twitter-passion subsides. It’s natural. At first, Twitter is a shiny new toy and you ostensibly have access to the eyes, ears, and minds of everyone on the Internet. It’s free, it’s voyeuristic, and suddenly your audience has grown tenfold in two weeks. 400 followers?! That’s more than the number of MySpace friends, Facebook fans, and blog comments you’ve gotten in the last five years COMBINED! 

It’s a shot of social media adrenaline that is addictive, inspiring, and fascinating. Suddenly you’re caught up in the whirlwind tweeting about things you never would have dared to put on your blog. A post about buying new pens for the office? Sure, why not. These people follow you because they want to follow you, right? Your organization’s most mundane activity fascinates them.

Probably not. It’s unlikely that you’re blowing people away with 140 characters about buying pens – unless they’re soy-based and you’re @algore. That’s when users hit a wall. The Twitter pen-talk isn’t increasing sales or driving users to a Web site. Twitter isn’t producing any results, but every morning you sit down to an inbox full of new faces eager to “learn more about you” and totally “looking forward to your tweets!” Suddenly, you feel like you’re being lied to. You’ll discover it’s mutual. You never asked two crucial questions: 

  1. How do I use Twitter? 
  2. What do I want out of Twitter?

But that’s fine. There is still unmined value, but it’s necessary to reciprocate with your own. Your organization might have to give out a few pearls of wisdom for free, but that will attract the eyes of people who actually want to read what you have to say. Best of all, you can benefit by the millions of others who are playing the Twitter karma game. You can’t decide who follows you, but, if you tweet it, they will come.

The number one rule: follow value and lead with value.

Get value from @eyetraffic and we’ll help you shake the Twitter hangover.

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Fortune 100 CEOs Thrive in Life, Stagnate Online

26
June
2009

Executives with the biggest bullhorns barely make a peep on social media.

Blake Bowyer
Media Program Analyst

In business, CEOs are the celebrities, and the Fortune 100 is the VIP list. These execs get into the hottest clubs, invited to exclusive retreats, and asked by Presidents to serve on advisory councils. CEOs have followings that go far beyond their stockholders and employees. Take Steve Jobs – mobs of Mac fans await his gospel every time he foretells the future of Apple and turns water into iWine. The same can be said for moguls like Richard Branson, Michael Dell, and, to a certain crowd, Bill Gates. These are the boardroom equivalents of @britneyspears, @aplusk, and @THE_REAL_SHAQ. The problem is, with all of the followers they have offline, few Fortune 100 CEOs are using their rockstar status to engage their customer base. Why are CEOs falling down on the job?

In last week’s post, I briefly discussed how the private sector is surprisingly slow in integrating social media as a component of marketing strategy. Imagine the lack of surprise when this article popped up, labeling Fortune 100 CEOs as “laggards” in social media.  From the story, these numbers stood out:

· 2/100 are on Twitter

· 19/100 are on Facebook

· 0 write blogs (!!)

Those are staggering figures. Despite this dearth, one might ask: Why should CEOs waste their time on living on Twitter or in the blogosphere? Don’t their companies have departments for that? The likely answer is an obvious “yes” to the latter, but the answer to the former is only obvious when pointed out: people will listen. No disrespect to Ted in the Online Marketing Department at XYZ Global Conglomerate, but more people would rather know what Warren Buffet ate for breakfast than your musings on cloud computing.

I understand CEOs don’t have scores of time on their hands, as does the author who cites that as the most likely reason that CEOs aren’t active online. But with a built-in audience – from the sycophants and superfans to the product users and passersby – CEOs should be active on social media for the sake of their companies. Even a few tweets, a status update, and a blog post per week would gather crowds around their Web sites and draw more attention than a TV ad ever could. Executives write books on leadership, give keynotes at colleges, and break ground around the world, but are still more globally visible from cyberspace.

For now, social mediums are still looking for a C-level champion. Sir @richardbranson is giving us the best example with 125 tweets, a regular blog, and a thriving Facebook fan page, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with his bombastic style. Most people aren’t buying biographies to hear from the ambitious, erudite, and eccentric men and women at the top of the world’s most powerful companies. Engage your consumers, because they’re ready to listen. If you’re a CEO, add this to the job description: “Social media personality” and give the long line behind you a glimpse behind that velvet rope.

P.S. Mr. Buffet, let’s at least narrow it down: Grape Nuts or Cocoa Pebbles?

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