People at ice cream marketer Ben & Jerry’s like to think they wrote the book on experiential marketing, ever since founders Ben and Jerry started touring the country in the Cowmobile back in the 1980s. But maximizing its social media budget has been as perplexing to the Burlington, Vt.-based company as it is to the next advertiser. Jay Curley, integrated marketing manager at Ben & Jerry’s, tells Marketing Daily how using Twitter as an integral part of its sampling program has boosted its ROI. Q: Just about every marketer is using Facebook and Twitter, but not many are sure they are using it well. How did you start the Sweet Tweets program?A: We’ve always used sampling, ever since the Cowmobile. We humbly think we make the best ice cream in the world. But even with social media, we did it in a very old-school way. We’d say, 'Here we are in New York City -- come get ice cream.’ In the course of an afternoon, we’d probably reach a few thousand people. But in the summer of 2010, in just a little part of the program, we flipped it and asked our fans: 'We’re in New York, south of Houston Street. Who wants ice cream?’ It worked so well that by the end of the summer in our New York and Boston programs, 90% of the time we were just taking requests via social media, mostly from Twitter. Q: So you actually deliver?A: Yep. Right away, saying 'Who wants ice cream?’ generates a lot of conversation -- a lot of ways to connect with many fans on Twitter and Facebook. And then, let’s say, we select Bob, and go to Bob’s office with 20 people and serve them ice cream. Bob, of course, is tweeting, and likely has a few hundred followers and a few hundred friends. And we’ve made him the hero. His coworkers tweet. And when they tweet “I love Ben & Jerry’s,” it means more. So this is a much more personalized experience -- it’s more enjoyable … and while we’ve only give 20 full-sized ice cream cones away, we’ve potentially reached many more people. We’re scaling our sampling, so that one sample makes 600 to 700 impressions. And they are social impressions, coming from friends, so they reach people in a much more meaningful way than just seeing a truck on the street offering free cones. We always knew sampling was good and felt right for our brand, but we could never show an ROI like this. Q: And you’ve expanded to more markets?A: Last year, we took the program national and went to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston. This year, we’re adding Washington, D.C., Portland, and Seattle. Q: Is the point really to introduce new flavors? Or just share brand love?A: In the past, we’ve sampled with core flavors. This year we are using sampling to introduce a new line, the Greek Frozen Yogurt. Fans love it, and so it is proving just as effective with a new line as with established flavors. We know we exist because of what happens when people try our ice cream. Those who love us really love us, and we try to love them back.
They are not happy about where the world is going, and they are suspicious of digital technology. More than half of them think everyone should stop sharing personal thoughts and experiences online; they believe society needs to reestablish its privacy boundaries. No -- these are not the ideas of the members of the William Gibson fan club or sentiments of the Trappists -- they represent the view of the mainstream, a broad group from around the world polled by Euro RSCG Worldwide. The firm has completed a major global study with Market Probe International, polling 7,213 adults in 19 countries about their opinion of technology and the future. Millennials are perhaps the most cynical, and 70% of them believe that today’s youth have no sense of personal privacy. A third of Millennials, versus a quarter everyone polled, conceded as much that social networking is making them less satisfied with their own lives. They also said they are jealous of the lives they are seeing others lead via Facebook and other sites. Forty percent sometimes feel they are wasting their lives. Said Marianne Hurstel, vice president of BETC Euro RSCG and global chief strategy officer at Euro RSCG Worldwide, in a statement: “While consumers are embracing all the new technologies and conveniences that are so much a part of the modern lifestyle, they are also wistful about those aspects of life -- including simplicity, intellectuality, and strong ties to nature’s rhythms -- that are slipping away." While only 10% said they believe digital technology will have a negative effect overall on the world, a much bigger percentage said they felt the jury is still out: 42% believe it’s too soon to tell. Half the sample worries that digital technology and multitasking are impairing our ability to think deeply and to concentrate on one task at a time. Around two-thirds believe society has become too shallow, focusing too much on things that don’t really matter. Tom Morton, chief strategy officer, Euro RSCG New York and co-chief strategy officer, Euro RSCG North America, said in the statement that respondents articulated several concerns. “First is the fear that social media and online data collection are chiseling away at our right to privacy,” he said. “At the same time, people worry that hyper-connectivity is actually making us feel less connected. More than half the sample worry that digital communication is weakening human-to-human bonds. As marketers, we have a dual role to play -- to assuage people’s concerns about privacy and to create more meaningful connections.” A majority of those polled said they are tired of over-consuming and are looking to scale back and live more simply. Forty percent said they would happier if they owned less stuff. Nearly three-quarters of respondents around the world are moderately to extremely worried about the growing gap between rich and poor. “We’re going to see more of a push for a sort of ‘hybrid’ way of living that combines the best of the old and new -- keeping current conveniences while holding fast to those traditions and values that are in danger of disappearing,” said Hurstel. “Whether one is spending time digging in the dirt in the garden, immersing oneself in literary classics, or purchasing artisan-made products, people will seek to temper the new with the old, the artificial with the natural, the digital with the analog. And in this way, we’ll create a way of living that offers more meaning, comfort, and, ultimately, satisfaction.”
For the fourth consecutive year, State Farm is the title sponsor of the 2012 Billboard Latin Music Awards, according to Telemundo Media, which announced the deal on April 23. Other featured sponsors of the April 26 broadcast include Burger King, L'Oreal USA, Sprint, Target, T-Mobile and Toyota. State Farm also will sponsor Telemundo’s partnership with Shazam, the world’s leading discovery service’s first-ever initiative with a Spanish-language broadcast network. For the first time ever on Spanish-language television according to Telemundo, the awards show will be Shazam-enabled, allowing viewers and fans to get immediate access to more information about their favorite artists walking the red carpet, including links to artists’ Web pages for videos and pictures, as well as the ability to buy music directly through the Shazam mobile application. Recent Shazam-enabled award shows include the 54th Annual Grammy Awards and “American Idol.” The State Farm sponsorship is under the campaign theme “Sounds of Mi Vecindario” (Sounds of My Neighborhood). For the pre-show and red carpet arrivals, State Farm will have a branded area on the red carpet with Telemundo host Jessie Camacho, who will interview featured artists and ask them how their neighborhoods influenced their music, as well as monitors displaying a designated Twitter wall on Telemundo.com and on the “Premios Billboard” site. In addition, to promoting the State Farm “Celebrity Music Teacher for a Day” initiative, State Farm teen driver safety and education ambassador, singer-songwriter Gustavo Galindo will be on the red carpet encouraging attending artists to autograph guitars that will be donated to the music and arts program of Boys & Girls Club of America. Telemundo will produce an editorial content capsule that will air during the live broadcast and also will produce a piece on “Billboard Extra” featuring the final signed instruments that speaks to the initiative. Telemundo’s broadcast of the 2011 “Billboard Latin Music Awards Presented by State Farm” drew the network’s highest-rated Billboard Latin Music Awards telecast across all major demographics in its 13-year history of broadcasting the premium awards show, according to Nielsen Media Research. The April 28, 2011 broadcast attracted more than 2.3 million total viewers and 1.3 million adults ages 18-49.
As if we needed more evidence that smartphones aren’t just for corporate types any more, LG has come out with a survey noting that the devices have become an important part of parental life. According to a survey of more than 2,200 adults by Harris Interactive on behalf of LG, more than half (57%) of all parents said they relied on their smartphone to keep them on track. Two-thirds of parents who work said the phones have enabled them to achieve a better work/life balance. (At the same time, 62% said they use their smartphone during family time.) But any parent will tell you, a smartphone is more than just a communications device. Nearly two-thirds of the parents (63%) surveyed said they use their phones for their children’s entertainment. Nearly a third (27%) have used their phones to read a book to their children. Using these findings, LG is targeting its new Viper 4G LTE phone directly at moms. The phone, which will be available on Sprint’s wireless network, will include availability of a free app, “Life’s Good Fairytales,” that allows parents and children to customize stories by uploading photos, names and voices directly into the smartphone. The company has also enlisted actress and mother Ali Landy to promote the phone via media appearances.
Godiva Chocolatier has launched its first global cause-marketing initiative, starting with programs at the U.S. national and local levels. The Lady Godiva Program is geared to recognizing women around the world who contribute to their communities and inspire other women to do the same. The program is kicking off this month by naming Lauren Bush Lauren, co-founder of FEED Projects, as its first honoree on a national level. To date, FEED Projects and the FEED Foundation have provided more than 60 million school meals to children living in 62 countries around the world through the UN World Food Programme school feeding program. Timed for Mother’s Day, Godiva is offering “FEED 10” tote bags for sale ($25) in Godiva stores and on Godiva.com. Purchasing a bag will provide 10 school meals to children in African cocoa-sourcing countries, and the bags are being created by women in Liberia -- creating jobs for them, according to Godiva and Lauren. Also through its boutiques and site, Godiva is offering special deals on combined purchases of its Spring Gold Ballotin chocolates and a FEED 10 bag ($5 off for a 19-piece Gold Ballotin box-plus-bag or $10 off for a 36-piece box-plus-bag). Godiva will continue its partnership with FEED through 2013 with additional products that benefit other regions around the world. The program’s next national honoree will be chosen after 2013. At the same time, the company has launched an online community in a dedicated area within its site encouraging women 21 and older residing in the U.S. to nominate women in their communities to receive local recognition/awards. Each season (starting with summer 2012), three finalists/honorees per region (nine total) will be chosen by the public through online voting. Each finalist will each receive $1,000 to be used for her community/charity work, at her discretion. At the end of the year, judges will choose among the local finalists/nominees to award a grand-prize winner, who will receive $10,000 to be used for her community/charity work, at her discretion. According to Godiva, the program will also expand globally through localized programming and participation in international regions.
Ford unveiled the 2013 model of its Escape compact SUV earlier this year in Louisville, Ky. That makes sense, as the vehicle will be built there. But maybe the company should have held out for the New York auto show. After all, New York is the biggest SUV market in the U.S. Say what? That’s right, according to Erich Merkle, U.S. sales analyst for the Dearborn, Mich. automaker --11% of all SUVs are in greater metro New York. Merkle was also in New York last week talking to the International Motor Press Association about Ford product strategy and sales trends. "Our job is to predict needs," he said, pointing out that demographically, booming sales of smaller crossovers like Escape are being driven by Boomers, many of whom are in their 60s. But he said the 80 million or so Millennials, who are currently only about 13% to 15% of new-vehicle sales, are going to be a major factor. "Both Baby Boomers and Millennials need these smaller vehicles," he said. Thus, there is a big opportunity for small-SUV sellers right where the two demographics overlap, per Merkle. "We will see a convergence of needs. The Millennials will form families and require more room, better fuel economy, utility and value, while Boomers are downsizing -- 10,000 Boomers per day are retiring. And that will continue over the next 18 years, so affordability is important to them as well." Sales of small utility vehicles have grown precipitously since 2007, when they were about 700,000 vehicles. "It hit 1.8 million vehicles last year and has, in fact, recovered to pre-recessionary levels," said Merkle, adding that small SUVs -- about 20% of the utility market in 2000 -- are now about 43% of the mix, with large SUVs now only about 8% of total mix of SUVs. Back in the Northeast, small utility sales are over 26% of the market, per Merkle. "Utilities are to New York what pickup trucks are to Texas," he said, adding that in 2004 small SUVs were 36% of the new-SUV mix, and now they are 53% of the mix. Ford sold 254,293 Escapes last year -- a 33% increase versus a year ago -- making it, per Merkle, the best-selling utility in the U.S. Merkle told Marketing Daily that fuel economy -- once a non-issue among SUV buyers -- is now a leading point of consideration for those shopping SUVs, and not just compacts. This year will be a big fuel-message year for the Dearborn automaker, which is launching several electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and efficiency-enhanced gasoline-powered vehicles and engines: the Focus Electric in showrooms now; the EcoBoost (Ford says EcoBoost technology offers 20% better fuel efficiency and 15% reduced greenhouse emissions than traditional engines) is a big message point; and Ford will introduce the C-MAX Energi vehicle this fall -- a crossover that, kind of like Chevrolet's Volt, runs on pure electric until the charge is depleted before switching over to a small gas engine. Ford says the latter vehicle may achieve the equivalent of 100 mpg. There will also be a hybrid version of the vehicle. C-MAX also shares its underpinnings with both the Focus and Escape and is built at the same Michigan assembly plant, which Merkle says allows Ford to go with the flow. "It's our view to make this viable we have to electrify the platform and communize -- make the same products at the same assembly plant -- which gives us flexibility." Ford is also marketing the fuel messaging around Earth Day with its SHFT.com documentary series that focuses on ten green-technology innovators. The company is promoting the Focus Electric car with a social-media “digital road trip.” The fuel focus will matter a lot. A recent Kelley Blue Book survey on consumer sentiment from the first quarter this year says about 66% of new-car shoppers have either changed their minds about which vehicle they are considering, or are thinking about vehicles they normally would not have considered, due to rising gas prices. And the study also found that consumers are not optimistic, with their expectations about the direction of gas prices worsening. Three-quarters of new-car shoppers said they see higher gas prices in weeks to come. In the fourth quarter last year, fewer than half of respondents said that. KBB says that fuel economy is now the second priority on the must-have list when looking for a new car or truck. Number one is warranty as the most important feature.
Mobile search is a rapidly evolving as a critical Web site element that should be a priority for any brand marketer. Growth in mobile search has been enormous -- up over 400% from 2010 to 2011 –--as smartphone penetration nears 50% among adults in the U.S. This is a huge audience that cannot be ignored, for both paid and organic search. Desktop vs. mobile In order to take advantage of this audience and stay current with how users engage with content online, it’s important to understand the differences between traditional search and mobile search. Presently, Google -- which controls 95% of the mobile search market -- does not deliver significantly different search results on desktops versus mobile devices for most searches. Mobile devices provide more information about user location than desktops, leading to more closely tailored results for local searches for brick-and-mortar locations. While webmasters can submit a mobile sitemap to Google highlighting their mobile pages, there are no specific tags that indicate a page as being mobile-targeted or compatible. What, then, distinguishes a mobile search strategy? Mobile users are a different audience The key to good mobile search today is simple: make sure your mobile experience caters specifically to your mobile audience. Mobile users have different needs than desktop searchers. They are often searching at different points in the purchase process, and are more likely to be searching in response to other brand interactions such as offline advertising. As mobile search continues to become more important, building content that is customized for search behavior on mobile devices is the key to success. As is the case with any search campaign, make sure you understand your audience. Use your site analytics to determine what content mobile users engage with, and how they search for your site. Once you know what your audience wants, make sure you give it to them. Create mobile pages that emphasize the keywords your mobile audience is searching for -- and design them for the mobile devices your audience uses. Offer your mobile audience the content they search for most frequently. If you have a local business with brick-and-mortar locations, be sure that you own and optimize your Google Places page and your Web site for local search. This mobile-optimized experience will help both search engines and customers see the value you have to offer a mobile user, improving your rankings as well as what is most important -- your bottom line. Looking forward Right now, there is not much to distinguish mobile-compatible pages. However, mobile search continues to evolve. At the end of last year, Google deployed a specific crawler for mobile. Google has also been focusing more on appearance, layout, and context, as opposed to being content-agnostic, or looking at formatting or page position. As we move forward and search engine technology continues to improve, mobile-specific design and tags are likely to become more prominent and important for search. However, even as search marketing progresses on the technical front, the same basic marketing principles of catering to your audience and giving them what they are looking for will continue to rule mobile search.