Badoo.com, a popular European social network, is making its way to U.S. shores with a new ad campaign that aims to show what New Yorkers want, rather than just what they’re doing. “Badoo is a social network, but it’s not a social network in the way [of most other] social networks,” Jessica Powell, the company’s CMO, tells Marketing Daily. “We’re all about connecting you with new people that you can meet in the real world. When we there thinking about launching in the U.S., it was working in this offline element for us. It was really important to show how we tie things into the real world.” The effort, from Exposure America, began in March, with what the company calls “The Badoo Project.” In late March, about 1,000 New Yorkers gathered in various locations to have their profile pictures taken by noted fashion photographers. The idea was to showcase a heightened profile picture to differentiate from other social networking sites where people use typical (and often ill-thought) profile pictures (such as girls making “kissy faces” or guys showing off their abs, Powell says). “One of the problems all social networks have -- it’s pictures,” Powell says. “You get all of these things people do that they think makes a great profile picture, but doesn’t.” From there, 26 people were chosen to appear in an advertising campaign, which has just begun appearing in New York City (and will run through May). The pictures are coupled with the phrase, “I want” (a signature of Badoo, much like the Facebook status update) and their personal answer. Some of the winning phrases: “I want to wake up in a strange city.” “I want to find answers.” “I want a juicy burger with you on the side.” “At Badoo, one of the first things you do is say what you want to do,” Powell says. “We really view ourselves as a platform where all these people can meet. You define the experience you want to have. We thought the “I want,” [phrase] was a core part of the site. It’s all these winners telling New York what they want.” On Monday, the company will also launch a series of digital shorts appearing on YouTube, Facebook and Yahoo as well as Zoom, panel and taxi TVs in New York. After reviewing the results, the company will determine how it will move the campaign to other markets, Powell says.
A new study by mobile application company Tapjoy and market research firm Interpret polled 2,000 consumers on mobile app attitudes and usage. The study found that adults 25-34 are more likely to value the influence of advertisements, and they recall seeing more ads while using mobile apps, particularly video ads or fully sponsored/branded apps. They also recall a larger number of ads per single app use: seven, compared to six among the total population. Once members of this age group saw an ad within an app, half of them decided to click on it, versus 45% of typical app users. Twenty-eight percent of people 25-34 and 29% of those 18-24 have followed an ad to download another app, compared to 24% of total app users. Over one-third of adults 18-34 have downloaded an app to earn rewards, compared to 29% of typical users. Although the most sought-after rewards for general app users are cash and gift cards, adults 25-34 are much more likely than the total to express interest in earning premium content, game credits and new apps. The study breaks app using into several groups. One group, about 21% of the respondents, are "premium essentials" who are willing to pay for apps; they have a lot of apps and prune their number to eliminate the ones they don't like or use any more. The study said they find apps from word of mouth, and browsing the app store, but not by advertising and promotions. They are most likely to try a free version -- and if they like it, upgrade to the paid one. They also over-index for mobile games, are willing to pay for premium games and pay up front. Another group, "researcher purchasers" -- about 29% of the respondent group -- uses social networks and recommendations to find apps, per the study. They also are more likely to respond to TV ads and promotions to learn about new games, movies, and automobiles as much as from suggestions. They have the most paid apps. A third group of app users are "gratis only," and comprise 26% of the respondent pool. The study says once they have downloaded a free app they tend to stick with it instead of paying for a better version. They don't like ad-supported apps, however, although few are willing to get rid of ads by paying. Finally, "fermium users," 24% of the population of app users, download a lot of apps but are very price-sensitive. The study says 88% download only the free versions of apps. More than three-quarters of them, per the study, make price the principal driver which app to get. App users in the 25-to-34 age range said they saw on average seven ads per app use. The "premium essential" group and the "fermium users" were more likely than any other group to report seeing ads in apps. But of those who reported seeing an ad the "researcher purchaser" group was morally likely to click than anyone else. A quarter of premium essentials and fremium users were willing to download an app to get a reward, a higher number than any of the other groups.
Birds Eye Voila! is running a new “Try It. You’ll Like It” digital campaign employing its social and online community to drive advocacy, coupon-sharing and trial of the fast-prep skillet meals line. The brand is rewarding consumers who join its community via its site or Facebook page and become brand advocates by progressing through a tiered loyalty program. The brand’s site features two promotions: one a registration button, and one a link to its Facebook page. Bird’s Eye incentivized site users to register for the community by offering them a $1.50 coupon toward their next purchase of a Voila! skillet meal once registrants reached a 25,000 goal. That goal was reached in under two weeks. (Offering existing members a $2 coupon for inviting three friends, by email, to join the community also helped drive registrants.) Clicking a “Try It, You’ll Like It” button takes site users to the Bird’s Eye Facebook page, where “liking” the brand triggers eligibility for one of 50,000 $1.50 coupons that will be distributed once a goal of 100,000 likes is reached. (The site also features a streaming Facebook feed.) Community members can also earn digital badges through activities such as sharing or rating a product, commenting on a product, or building a shopping list; these go toward qualifying them to receive additional coupons. In addition, Twitter followers can earn tweet-related points and badges by re-tweeting an @BirdsEye tweet, using hashtag #BirdsEyeVoila, or tweeting supportive messages about @BirdsEye from the Web site. Followers who earn a designated number of tweet-related points will be awarded an array of Twitter skillet badges, from bronze to platinum, good toward coupons or rewards. "Digital media is an extremely relevant and efficient medium to reach our consumers, because it's where they spend their time to shop and interact with brands," said Kristen Thompson, senior brand manager for Birds Eye Voila!, which offers 17 different skillet meals. "We've learned that when people try Birds Eye Voila!, they really do like it, and want to talk about it with friends and family. So we’re leveraging that word-of-mouth power through activations that elevate and celebrate our consumers' advocacy."
Hiscox has launched a cross-platform campaign promoting its customized small business liability insurance offerings. The campaign, from Tribal DDB New York, aims to raise awareness about Bermuda-based Hiscox’s small business insurance for professional services and to drive business owners to get a customized quote. Hiscox currently is the only U.S. insurer to enable small businesses to purchase business insurance direct and online in real-time, according to the company. "The Right Insurance, Right Now" features a video, "Anthem," illustrating the unique aspects of being a small business owner, such as a photographer working outside of the confines of an office, an IT professional bringing solutions to his clients, and an independent consultant striking a work/life balance. The campaign also features 15-second and 30-second online video spots, website updates, and a series of online media executions. The objectives of the campaign are to raise awareness, motivate people to visit the site for a quote, and convert previous site visitors into customers. Rich media executions feature online video and an interactive, animated series of stories tailored to different professions. Online advertising appears on websites such as CNNMoney, Slate.com, Inc.com and Fora.tv. It drives users to http://www.hiscoxusa.com/small-business-insurance/. Advertising will continue through the fall with ad optimization throughout the campaign based on creative performance. The campaign targets entrepreneurs, start-ups and small business owners across a range of professional service industries. The company says 65% of businesses in the target demographic have an existing policy with a broker, and the rest probably have no insurance. Creative focuses on our specialization in specific industries like consulting, IT, design and real estate, said Phil Thorn, head of marketing for Hiscox’s small business insurance in the U.S. “We don’t just say we specialize, we prove we understand a business owner’s individual needs by highlighting the toolkits of professions in our target industries,” Thorn said in a release. “We hope this new campaign continues to build brand awareness and differentiate us from the competition.”
Like most retailers, Kohl’s knows that shoppers expect their favorite stores to give back, and the chain has long been committed to women’s health and children’s educational initiatives. The Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based company says its latest is a tie-in with TED, the non-profit group devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” providing $1.25 million to create a website teachers can use to build lesson plans around TED-Ed video content. The TED-Ed channel, which launched about five weeks ago, has already drawn 2.4 million views, and the retailer says it hopes that teachers will use the tagged videos and supplementary material to use a new functionality called "flipping." That allows teachers to edit the materials and create lessons on a new, private web page, where they can then track individual students’ progress. Teachers can also incorporate any video from YouTube that permits third party embedding (the majority), and combine them with the material, and then offer lessons for wider distribution. The best of them will be made available on the TED-Ed site. "'Flipping’" is intended to indicate propelling the spread of a video, but is also a respectful reference to the concept of "flip teaching" in which teachers can expand overall teaching time by assigning homework on video,” the company explains in its announcement. “Currently this is hard to do for many teachers, but the tools offered on TED-Ed ease the task and open up new possibilities.” A full launch of the site is scheduled for September, with the start of the new school year. Separately, the company, which has made breast cancer initiatives a centerpiece of its cause-programs, will host the "Wish for a World with Less Breast Cancer and More Birthdays" party next week. It says it plans to decorate Milwaukee’s lakefront with 8,000 pink cake pops, balloons and giant birthday candles, in an event meant to celebrate the cause. (In 2010, it committed nearly $5 million to the American Cancer Society's Midwest Division over three years.) And finally, it says it is renewing its partnership with the Wisconsin State Fair and the Wisconsin State Fair Park Foundation, creating the second annual Kohl's Family Value Day, offering discounts to all fairgoers. Since 2000, Kohl's and the Kohl's Cares program have “combined to give approximately $47 million to support charitable initiatives in the metro-Milwaukee area,” it says. And in the past 12 years, its Kohl's Cares kids cause merchandise program, which sells plush toys and books, has raised more than $208 million to benefit children's health and education initiatives nationwide.
Bombay Sapphire gin is sponsoring a short filmmakers competition in association with the Tribeca Film Festival. "'The Bombay Sapphire' Imagination Series' Short Filmmakers Competition" was announced at the festival, which ran April 18-29, by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher. Other key sponsors of the film festival were Heineken and American Express. The competition aims to celebrate endless creativity and the brand's belief in the power of imagination. Budding filmmakers can view the script at http://www.imaginationseries.com and can submit their interpretation of Fletcher’s script on the site starting May 8. A global judging panel, including Geoffrey Fletcher and other industry leaders put together by the Tribeca Film Festival, will select five winners from a short list of entries who will then go on to produce and direct their own individual films to view at a star-studded international premiere in early 2013. Fletcher said the script he developed can be interpreted in a “kaleidoscope” of ways. "The short script I wrote for The Bombay Sapphire Imagination Series is stripped of details like character description and locations," he said in a release. “It leaves room for filmmakers to interpret parts of the story as they wish. The characters can be human or otherwise. The locations can be of this earth or elsewhere. The types of filmmaking can be live action, animation, drawings or whatever form best expresses their concept." This is the third year the brand has partnered with the Tribeca Film Festival. Supporting creativity is a key part of the brand’s marketing plan. "Just as we infuse the 10 botanicals to give Bombay Sapphire its unique taste, we are infusing an Academy Award-Winning screenwriter's script with people's imagination to create unique short films to show that imagination can take you everywhere,” Bombay Sapphire Global Marketing Manager Joanna Botwood said in a release. The contest is being promoted on the brand’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BombaySapphire.
Automakers have been posting first-quarter earnings, and they suggest the market is gaining speed -- as participants and observers had predicted would happen. General Motors' largest division, Chevrolet, sold 1.18 million vehicles worldwide in the quarter -- which the company says represents a 6.5% increase over the period last year. Chevy also says this was the sixth consecutive quarter of record-breaking sales worldwide for the brand, bringing global share to 6.3%. General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson said in a company statement that GM has more than 20 major vehicle launches happening around the world in 2012, with Chevy represented by the Chevy Sail in Asia, the Colorado in South America and the Spark micro in North America. The Chevrolet Cruze compact led the brand with global sales of more than 180,000 in the first quarter, per GM -- a nearly 20% increase over 2011, making it the best-selling Chevrolet nameplate around the world. The automaker has said it plans to bring a diesel version of the Cruze to the U.S., which is emblematic of how far we have come from bad memories of domestic diesel. They are only about 3% of U.S. sales -- but that's up 35% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, per GM. Across town, Chrysler Group's net income in the quarter increased by a factor of four to $473 million with operating profit up 55% to $740 million. The automaker reported that its global vehicle sales for the first quarter totaled 523,000 -- up 33% from a year ago. It also saw a big increase in U.S. market share to 11.2% from 9.2% in the year-ago quarter. The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based company attributed the increases to its 40% increase in U.S. retail sales. Also, Chrysler said that for the first time ever, it was the quarterly market leader in Canada, getting 15% share there in the first three months this year. Ford's news is mixed because of weaker sales outside the U.S. The automaker posted first-quarter pre-tax operating profit of $2.3 billion, a decrease of $544 million from the first quarter last year. In the North America market, however, Ford's pre-tax profits were $2.1 billion, an increase of $289 million from first quarter of 2011. Ford said the North American results represent its highest quarterly profit since at least 2000. Jesse Toprak, VP of market intelligence at TrueCar.com, said the automaker's earnings were also hurt by market share declines in the U.S. He also said Ford has a production problem, and it's not the one Detroit has been saddled with for years: oversupply. Ford actually has too few vehicles to meet demand."The old problem of over-production is now turning into an under-production issue -- neither of the scenarios are ideal for a carmaker," he said. But he points out that the automaker now has the best balanced portfolio in recent memory -- a fact that highlights the domestics' refocus on cars over the past few years. "Ford’s brand image has also improved dramatically in the last few years. Ford is on a solid footing with a positive long-term outlook, just as long as they are better able to align their production with the actual consumer demand." Honda's first quarter saw net income increase 60.7% from the same period last year, with global automobile sales at 988,000 units, up 14.9% from last year. In Stuttgart, Daimler AG is lauding its Mercedes-Benz unit for driving a 20% net profit increase. Said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars (and one-time head of Chrysler): "We are on schedule to meet our targets for this year as well as our medium-term targets." In the first quarter of 2012, the Daimler Group sold 502,100 cars and commercial vehicles worldwide, surpassing the prior-year number by 9%. The corporation said Mercedes-Benz hit a record for unit sales in the first quarter, posting a 9% increase to 338,300 units globally, with Europe and the United States driving its volume performance. The company said the Mercedes-Benz C-Class segment -- its highest-volume car -- and SUVs drove sales.
Originally the domain of scrappy startups, social media has definitely hit the big time -- or at least has become the province of big companies. The recent Social Media Fitness Study reported that large and mid-size brands significantly outscored their smaller counterparts, filing respective scores of 57 and 56 versus 44 (with 100 being the maximum score). While these results may surprise some, a deeper dive into the reasons behind the gap reveals intriguing insights into the overall state of social media fitness. Big companies have more resources to commit That large sucking sound you hear is not from jobs leaving the U.S., but rather the time that disappears because of planning, executing, listening, responding and reporting on social media -- time that small businesses find hard to allocate. Nelleke Kloet, marketing director at fast-growing startup TagMan, notes: "Social media done right requires resources in terms of money as well as people, which bigger companies have more of." Social media has matured into a “must-have” asset While small companies are focused on getting the right people on the bus and their next big “pivot,” thereby making social less of a priority, large companies are three times more likely to see social as a transformative proposition for their enterprise. Explains Constance Walker of PPL Electric Utilities, who weathered a storm-caused outage in 2010 by communicating to customers via social channels: "That nailed it for our management as far as the importance of social media." Recognizing the need for a designated driver It takes a certain level of maturity to realize that just because you have car keys, it doesn’t mean you should get behind the wheel. In the past few years, larger companies have evolved their approach to social, replacing “twinterns” with professionals, and are four times as likely to have a designated social driver. Grant Johnston, CMO of Pegasystems, notes: “We’ve added another dedicated full-time resource to further our social media efforts, and we’re confident that this role will continue to increase.” Social media is not all fun and games Large companies are increasingly aware of this fact and therefore are five times as likely to have a disaster plan developed -- or in the works. Greg Tirico, senior social media manager at Sage, explains: "We are in the lucky majority of social media participants that have had the opportunity to learn from others' mistakes. It seems very natural to have a disaster plan, much like a company would put a business continuity plan in place." A little training goes a long way With social media, a little training can make a huge difference, yet nearly half of the small companies surveyed had no training in place. One exception to this finding was a non-profit organization called God's Love We Deliver. Em Findley handles social for GLWD and served up this explanation: "By training our staff in the basics of having an account, retweeting our work and sharing our posts, we're further involving them in spreading the message about the work that we do." Power to the people doesn't play well in big co. land The one area in which small companies seem to be ahead is their willingness to encourage all employees to be involved in social media. In fact, while half of small companies encourage this behavior, only one-fourth of big ones do. While this may be done out of necessity for small companies, big companies that restrict access to social media nonetheless are missing out on a huge opportunity to unleash an army of advocates for what Sage’s Tirico calls an “overall customer-centric market approach.” It's hard to get ahead if you don't know where you're going Four out of 10 small companies have yet to develop a road map, preferring to "wing it." This is obviously a mistake. As Erin Bush of Neustar summarizes: “They don’t put the time, effort and resources against it in the proper way and they expect to see results immediately. I like to remind folks that if you have no social media presence at all, it'll take 18 months to see results.” For a full copy of The Social Media Fitness Report or to see how socially fit your business is relative to other companies, click here.