Banyan Branch, which bills itself as a full-service social media agency, just got a little more full service. It has launched a media buying practice that will focus on paid social media ads to amplify and compliment the work on social media programs that it does for clients. Banyan has hired two media agency veterans to run the new practice, including MEC’s Matt Haynes, who has been named director of social strategy and media planning, and Kerry Antezana who has been appointed director of agency services. At MEC Haynes was most recently social media lead and media director at MEC Interaction. Antezana was creative director at JWT Inside before opening a consultancy in 2010. In addition to buying, the new unit will plan out purchase strategies and do post-buy ROI analytics. Commenting on the new buying practice, agency president Blake Cahill stated, “Brands need to amplify their social campaigns, and paid social ads provide an effective and measurable approach for extending reach and increasing interaction with a target audience.” The launch of the new buying practice comes after a recent round of Series A funding in the amount of $1.7 million for the agency. The Seattle-based shop also recently a hired a new senior vice president of client services, Jennifer Blank Hecht and two new account directors. The shop’s clients include Amazon, Fox, Gilt Groupe, Microsoft, Porsche and T-Mobile. Investors in the agency include Bob Gay, CEO and co-founder of Huntsman Gay Global Capital, Bill Bryant, venture partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Geoff Entress, venture partner at Voyager Capital, among others.
Rather than cannibalize “old media,” some online activities can actually boost viewership. In particular, new research shows that social media can significantly increase consumers’ TV time. A majority (58%) of heavy engagers -- i.e., consumers who share related thoughts via social networks at least 10 times a week -- report watching more live TV, according to an iModerate Research Technologies study. Adam Rossow, vice president of marketing at iModerate, says there are several reasons for the synergy. “The respondents in this study consistently remarked that it makes TV more fun,” he said. There is also “the desire to keep up with the conversation” -- especially if and when someone becomes recognized as an online authority on a particular show or genre. An increasing number of viewers also "love the social interaction and frequently add shows to their viewing lineup due to social chatter,” Rossow notes. “That adds up to more time spent on social networks and more hours watching television.” Among some 150 males and females who engage in what Rossow calls “social TV” at least once a week, the emerging behavior has also made these viewers into more active consumers and influencers. To that end, one-third of respondents said their primary reason for engaging in social TV was either to give feedback to the television network or to show support for their television program. What sort of consumers are participating in social TV? iModerate found three specific types, which it groups as “The Spots Nut,” “The Extrovert” and “The Girlfriend.” Sports nuts are 25-54 males who partake in social TV primarily for “big games.” They post more than five times a week on social media and enjoy debating sports, talking trash, celebrating and venting about their teams and showing off their sports knowledge. Extroverts are 18- to-34-year-old males who have a vast network of virtual and personal friends. They make new friends online in chat rooms. By posting about social TV, they consider social friends to be “real” friends. Finally, “the girlfriend” is a 25-44 female who mainly engages in social TV while watching dramas and reality shows. According to iModerate, she relates deeply to her favorite shows and looks forward to the “girls’ night out” aspect of interacting with them through social TV. The study also found that beyond giving feedback and supporting their shows, individuals engage in social TV to be relevant and recognized, be part of a community, maintain relationships, and have virtual “hang out time” with friends.
Here is part two of Marketing Daily'sinterview with Ram truck brand’s Marissa Hunter, who heads up marketing communications for Chrysler's Ram Truck brand. She talks about how the brand is reaching potential customers and using social media and event marketing to do it. Part I ran on Wednesday. Q: In terms of the truck market, how are you defining the Ram customer as distinct from other truck brands? A: We look at our target opportunities in a few different ways. There are definitely lifestyle categories that we want to talk to and there are vocational, work and commercial audiences we want to talk to -- and it's fair to say most, if not all, are competing for the attention of those same people. But we have identified other audience groups we think would be interested in hearing what we want to say and we have started talking to them as well. One of them is our heightened focus with the Hispanic audience. We have had testimonial-style custom campaigns, in language, and we also deliver those campaigns in English-language [to Hispanic consumers]. Q: The Ram approach has always had an attitude around things like the Hemi engine, with those "That thing got a Hemi?" ads.A: Quite frankly, our approach is not so in-your-face and aggressive any more, partly because we recognize candidly where we were a couple of years ago. To find our way out of that situation required a lot of self-reflection and refocus internally: how were we going to build these trucks? How were we going to engineer these vehicles? How were we going to take care of our customers? We had to eliminate the problems, eliminate the apprehensions and give them something they can believe in and trust. Then, how to convey that new approach to them through advertising and communications: different textures, different environments, different words. For example, the involvement of [actor] Sam Elliott as the voice of our brand. All of that was important as we reshaped who Ram was going to be. Q: What are you doing "on the ground" to get prospective customers into Ram trucks?A: This year we have worked very hard to develop and implement more robust experiential events and activations because we recognize that once consumers experience the brand, their perception of the brand changes almost immediately. Q: What are some ride-and-drive programs you've been doing?A: At the Chicago Auto Show, we had a Ram test-drive program we built inside the McCormack Center. In a period of 10 or 12 days during public days, we had throughput of over 27,000 test drives there. And we talked to consumers before and after and have product specialists who talk to them during each of the various elements of the course. We plan to execute ride-and-drive experiences at other key auto shows and consumer events this calendar year and beyond. Q: Are you getting your social media agency involved in these events?A: We are. As you know, our social agency is Ignite. So we are inviting them to more events as well. They were at Chicago on the floor of the show sharing information, tweeting and blogging information that was coming out of experiential test tracks after consumers experienced it. What we are trying to do is capture real-time comments and images and push them out to social networks. And in the process we are inviting consumers to share with their friends, to share with their followers. Q: How important is the digital space for the truck market? A: Generally, we need to be very present in the digital space. That's where we need to build our brand, connect with customers and sell trucks. And we know there are digital elements that serve all portions of the [purchase] funnel; you can use digital to support upper, mid and lower. Q: What are you seeing in that space that intrigues you now?A: One thing we are exploring is ways to create modular online ads, where you have specific models of truck paired with specific environments, for example. Then, based on insights about how consumers are engaging with your advertisement you can auto-optimize the ad: an outdoor truck with outdoor messaging in an outdoor content environment or, a commercial truck at a particular work site based on behavior. These "smart ads" are relatively new technology -- an opportunity for you to be ready to satisfy and serve the needs of many customers based on what you observe to be their natural behavior in the digital space. Consumers are very savvy and have the ability to shut you off. They can fast-forward right over you, so it's even more critically important that you deliver a message they would be interested to hear in a place where they will be exposed to it without shutting you out.
Banyan Branch, which bills itself as a full-service social media agency, just got a little more full service. It has launched a media buying practice that will focus on paid social media ads to amplify and compliment the work on social media programs that it does for clients. Banyan has hired two media agency veterans to run the new practice, including MEC’s Matt Haynes, who has been named director of social strategy and media planning, and Kerry Antezana who has been appointed director of agency services. At MEC Haynes was most recently social media lead and media director at MEC Interaction. Antezana was creative director at JWT Inside before opening a consultancy in 2010. In addition to buying, the new unit will plan out purchase strategies and do post-buy ROI analytics. Commenting on the new buying practice, agency president Blake Cahill stated, “Brands need to amplify their social campaigns, and paid social ads provide an effective and measurable approach for extending reach and increasing interaction with a target audience.” The launch of the new buying practice comes after a recent round of Series A funding in the amount of $1.7 million for the agency. The Seattle-based shop also recently a hired a new senior vice president of client services, Jennifer Blank Hecht and two new account directors. The shop’s clients include Amazon, Fox, Gilt Groupe, Microsoft, Porsche and T-Mobile. Investors in the agency include Bob Gay, CEO and co-founder of Huntsman Gay Global Capital, Bill Bryant, venture partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Geoff Entress, venture partner at Voyager Capital, among others.
Rather than cannibalize “old media,” some online activities can actually boost viewership. In particular, new research shows that social media can significantly increase consumers’ TV time. A majority (58%) of heavy engagers -- i.e., consumers who share related thoughts via social networks at least 10 times a week -- report watching more live TV, according to an iModerate Research Technologies study. Adam Rossow, vice president of marketing at iModerate, says there are several reasons for the synergy. “The respondents in this study consistently remarked that it makes TV more fun,” he said. There is also “the desire to keep up with the conversation” -- especially if and when someone becomes recognized as an online authority on a particular show or genre. An increasing number of viewers also "love the social interaction and frequently add shows to their viewing lineup due to social chatter,” Rossow notes. “That adds up to more time spent on social networks and more hours watching television.” Among some 150 males and females who engage in what Rossow calls “social TV” at least once a week, the emerging behavior has also made these viewers into more active consumers and influencers. To that end, one-third of respondents said their primary reason for engaging in social TV was either to give feedback to the television network or to show support for their television program. What sort of consumers are participating in social TV? iModerate found three specific types, which it groups as “The Spots Nut,” “The Extrovert” and “The Girlfriend.” Sports nuts are 25-54 males who partake in social TV primarily for “big games.” They post more than five times a week on social media and enjoy debating sports, talking trash, celebrating and venting about their teams and showing off their sports knowledge. Extroverts are 18- to-34-year-old males who have a vast network of virtual and personal friends. They make new friends online in chat rooms. By posting about social TV, they consider social friends to be “real” friends. Finally, “the girlfriend” is a 25-44 female who mainly engages in social TV while watching dramas and reality shows. According to iModerate, she relates deeply to her favorite shows and looks forward to the “girls’ night out” aspect of interacting with them through social TV. The study also found that beyond giving feedback and supporting their shows, individuals engage in social TV to be relevant and recognized, be part of a community, maintain relationships, and have virtual “hang out time” with friends.
Here is part two of Marketing Daily'sinterview with Ram truck brand’s Marissa Hunter, who heads up marketing communications for Chrysler's Ram Truck brand. She talks about how the brand is reaching potential customers and using social media and event marketing to do it. Part I ran on Wednesday. Q: In terms of the truck market, how are you defining the Ram customer as distinct from other truck brands? A: We look at our target opportunities in a few different ways. There are definitely lifestyle categories that we want to talk to and there are vocational, work and commercial audiences we want to talk to -- and it's fair to say most, if not all, are competing for the attention of those same people. But we have identified other audience groups we think would be interested in hearing what we want to say and we have started talking to them as well. One of them is our heightened focus with the Hispanic audience. We have had testimonial-style custom campaigns, in language, and we also deliver those campaigns in English-language [to Hispanic consumers]. Q: The Ram approach has always had an attitude around things like the Hemi engine, with those "That thing got a Hemi?" ads.A: Quite frankly, our approach is not so in-your-face and aggressive any more, partly because we recognize candidly where we were a couple of years ago. To find our way out of that situation required a lot of self-reflection and refocus internally: how were we going to build these trucks? How were we going to engineer these vehicles? How were we going to take care of our customers? We had to eliminate the problems, eliminate the apprehensions and give them something they can believe in and trust. Then, how to convey that new approach to them through advertising and communications: different textures, different environments, different words. For example, the involvement of [actor] Sam Elliott as the voice of our brand. All of that was important as we reshaped who Ram was going to be. Q: What are you doing "on the ground" to get prospective customers into Ram trucks?A: This year we have worked very hard to develop and implement more robust experiential events and activations because we recognize that once consumers experience the brand, their perception of the brand changes almost immediately. Q: What are some ride-and-drive programs you've been doing?A: At the Chicago Auto Show, we had a Ram test-drive program we built inside the McCormack Center. In a period of 10 or 12 days during public days, we had throughput of over 27,000 test drives there. And we talked to consumers before and after and have product specialists who talk to them during each of the various elements of the course. We plan to execute ride-and-drive experiences at other key auto shows and consumer events this calendar year and beyond. Q: Are you getting your social media agency involved in these events?A: We are. As you know, our social agency is Ignite. So we are inviting them to more events as well. They were at Chicago on the floor of the show sharing information, tweeting and blogging information that was coming out of experiential test tracks after consumers experienced it. What we are trying to do is capture real-time comments and images and push them out to social networks. And in the process we are inviting consumers to share with their friends, to share with their followers. Q: How important is the digital space for the truck market? A: Generally, we need to be very present in the digital space. That's where we need to build our brand, connect with customers and sell trucks. And we know there are digital elements that serve all portions of the [purchase] funnel; you can use digital to support upper, mid and lower. Q: What are you seeing in that space that intrigues you now?A: One thing we are exploring is ways to create modular online ads, where you have specific models of truck paired with specific environments, for example. Then, based on insights about how consumers are engaging with your advertisement you can auto-optimize the ad: an outdoor truck with outdoor messaging in an outdoor content environment or, a commercial truck at a particular work site based on behavior. These "smart ads" are relatively new technology -- an opportunity for you to be ready to satisfy and serve the needs of many customers based on what you observe to be their natural behavior in the digital space. Consumers are very savvy and have the ability to shut you off. They can fast-forward right over you, so it's even more critically important that you deliver a message they would be interested to hear in a place where they will be exposed to it without shutting you out.
A new day has dawned in digital marketing to moms – or should I say, yet another new day has dawned, with Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest all announcing big format changes in the last 30 days. That of course follows the sudden explosion of Pinterest, the ridiculously fast adoption of tablets and “second screens,” and, of course, the cautious, but now seemingly real, end to this economic downturn. While big brands have had the cash (petty) to relentlessly push ahead with establishing a presence on social media, many mid-size and small brands have only been able to dabble as the drop in consumer demand cut into sales and profits. Now a new day has dawned, cash is again flowing into company coffers and …it’s not 2009 anymore. When I began writing for Media Post a few years ago, launching a social media program required time, influence and creativity. Now of course, all of those things still apply, but it is quite a bit more expensive. What was once, it seemed, an almost magical process driven by influence and first-mover advantage, is now a strategic process requiring copy strategies, tactical ad buys and 360 marketing support. To some extent, it is actually less time-consuming on a day-to-day basis to manage a social media program. Facebook fans now follow multiple brands and really are quite happy to hear from you only once per day. On the other hand, the message must be carefully crafted to cut through the clutter from the other, on average, 10 brands moms follow on Facebook. That’s a lot of messages appearing on a mom’s wall every day … from companies, not people, and as a result, “unfollow” rates can climb drastically if your brand gets it wrong. The same goes, of course, for Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube … by the way, did I mention that it’s now a much more strategic decision than it was four years ago to determine exactly on which platform your brand should establish a presence? “Platform proliferation” has threatened to eviscerate even the most robust of marketing budgets. And, of course, as we are by now used to in the social media world, brands must also maintain the ability to drop everything and make changes every time a new platform emerges or an established one changes the rules of engagement. It’s a whole new world for engaging with moms. Strategy trumps enthusiasm and a headlong dive into social media no longer yields magical results. In other words, don’t party like it’s 2009 … umm … at least don’t approach social media that way!
A few weeks ago, I was asked to keynote at an annual gathering of welding equipment manufacturers. The topic? Social media, which had emerged as the number one thing these industrial marketers wanted to learn more about during their previous conference. Now, if that image introduces some cognitive dissonance, you’re not alone. Anyone I mentioned this to tended to raise an eyebrow and look at me with skepticism. I quickly learned to counter with, “Did I mention that the conference was in Indian Wells, Calif., at a beautiful resort at the end of February?” “Ohh,” they would respond, nodding knowingly, “Well, that makes sense, then.” I wouldn’t press the issue, but I also knew something they didn’t know. Don’t be too quick to judge welders, because they’re a different breed. I know this because life has surrounded me with welders. I have two brothers-in-law that are welders. I worked my way through college working summers on pipeline crews, doing the jobs welders didn’t want to do. I’ve had several years of observation of the welding community under my belt, and it didn’t surprise me in the least that social media would be something they would be interested in. You see, welders are craftspeople. They have a pride in their work, their tools and their community that may seem strange to those from outside their inner circle. I have sat and listened to welders talk for hours about the challenges they encounter on a job site. They care about what they do. In fact, in the hands of some, an arc welder and acetylene torch become tools of artistic expression. If you don’t believe me, check out the work of Craig Palm. How did I find Craig? I found him on the official Facebook page of Lincoln Welders. And frankly, the authenticity and passion of the Lincoln community blows away 99% of what I’ve seen pass as social media marketing out there, from brands that one would assume are far more sophisticated when it comes to digital marketing. But Lincoln has something essential for creating online communities. At the heart of it, there’s something there: something welders care about. It’s not manufactured, spun or contrived. It’s real. It’s common. It’s engaging. It’s the stuff communities are made of. And that was my message to the group. Social does not equal market, just as marriage does not equal stalking. Marketing is defined by terms like targeting, reach and effectiveness -- all implying one party doing something to the other. Communities are defined by terms like belonging, engaged and members -- all speaking of a two-way relationship, where both sides are partners. It’s a much different dynamic, one that eludes those who view social as just another channel to be employed to drive the bottom line. Companies like Lincoln and Miller understood there was already a strong community of welders with common interests and passions. If welding were just a job, welding helmets wouldn’t come in dozens of different custom designs. But they do, because your helmet signals both that you belong to a community, while making a personal statement about you. You wouldn’t do that if you didn’t care. Social isn’t for everyone. In fact, before you start pinning your hopes on social, ask yourself a tough question. Is there something there? Is there a reason to engage? Does your business elicit conversations that could happen over a beer and span an hour or two? If there’s nothing there, then your online community will be a ghost town. I have to be honest. I went to the conference expecting to teach the welders something about social media, but I actually left getting just as much as I gave.
Crap. I’m wrong again. It turns out you can tell a story about anything. As faithful readers of this column know, lately I’ve been obsessed with stories, more specifically, whether some brands, in some categories, will actually have any to tell. If they don’t, this will come as a huge disadvantage in a world in which brands, like people, have Timelines on Facebook. (Sometimes this discussion gets scarily close to Mitt Romney territory -- but please, just roll with it.) Seriously, though, can’t you just picture a brand making a big deal on its Timeline about that new packaging or logo that no actual human in their right mind cares about? Who the hell cares? If telling stories is a problem for you, dear brand manager, the Social Media Insider is here to tell you there’s hope, in the form of a tongue cleaner called Orabrush! I knew nothing about it until it was presented as a case study at OMMA Global San Francisco on Tuesday -- and now I can’t wait to get my hands on one. Like many people in the room, I didn’t even know the category existed until Tuesday. It’s pretty hard to care about something you know nothing about. But as the presenter, Austin Craig -- who also stars in the brand’s videos -- explained, Orabrush has been able to make people care, to the tune of almost 17 million YouTube views for the inaugural video alone, which premiered about two years ago. (You can watch a Ustream of his terrific presentation here; it, too, seems to be wracking up a lot of views.) Orabrush’s brand channel is YouTube’s third most popular, behind Apple and Old Spice, brands that have lots of money and know how to use it. The story told in the original video is one of a halitophobic: someone (Austin) with a fear of bad breath, or more precisely, a fear of other people having bad breath. You have to watch the video, and some of its equally funny offspring, to fully get this, but suffice to say that Orabrush managed to take a product that is unknown, prosaic and is also sorta gross -- a brush for your tongue? -- and give it a story. And, yes, it’s a story that sells. This social media phenomenon caused retailers to call from all over the world. It also caught the attention of a Walmart store manager in Utah, and, within months, the brand -- which featured a retail display that plays off the YouTube videos -- was distributed in Walmarts throughout Utah. But getting the attention of the people at corporate in Bentonville, Ark. was, well, another story. When Bentonville was in the consideration phase of carrying the product on a broader scale, Orabrush created a Facebook ad, targeted only to Walmart employees in and around headquarters. Titled, “Walmart Needs Me!”, it proclaimed, “Walmart Employees have bad breath … Walmart needs to carry Orabrush! It will sell better than anything in your store.” It cost $28. Soon after, Orabrush received an order from Walmart to produce 735,000 Orabrushes. (The product is also carried by Albertsons, Winn-Dixie and others. You know I’ll be buying mine at my home-away-from-home: CVS.) Are you impressed yet? I could go on, but I’ll give the (almost) last word to Gray, who told the audience: “We’ve been very careful at Orabrush about crafting our story. We have a story to tell, and in telling that story, we further the story itself.” Exactly. The story is not over yet, but, when it is, my prediction is everyone will live happily ever after -- partly because their tongue cleaner ensured that they no longer suffer from bad breath. THE END