A creative ad caught my eye on Facebook today. A young man used a Facebook flyer to ask prospective employers to hire him. When you click on his ad, you arrive at his YouTube page with a short pitch (see it below). I love the concept of job seekers targeting prospective employers with creative techniques like these.
I am impressed with GM’s social media strategy. Their new website, GMnext, is a good example of company and user generated content coming together to tell the story of brand. The site intertwines video, photos, events, chats and podcasts. The wiki is my favorite part. It divides GM’s history into different phases: creation; acceleration; emotion; revolution; globalization and transformation. It invites registered members of the site to contribute. Registration takes about :30 seconds and there’s plenty to explore once you’re a member.
Friend and expert cameraman David Tames provides his perspective:
One of GM’s stories:
In college instant messenger was ubiquitous. At three a.m. my buddy list was buzzing with life. I would have three instant messenger windows open at once. In one window I would be studying for calculus with a friend, in another window providing relationship advice and in another talking with my roommate about what food we wanted to order. Signing online was connecting to my world. Day or night I was never alone.
Some of the best conversations happened on instant messenger during finals. The more stressed out people became the more they wanted to confide online. We often shared ideas and feelings we would never say in person. Many good friendships and relationships started and ended in this way.
I haven’t been able to recreate this environment outside of college. While I have have several hundred friends on Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, I have nowhere near the interaction of instant messenger several years ago. It’s possible that I am confusing technology for time period. If I were in college right now maybe Twitter and Facebook would provide just as opportunity as instant messenger. Or perhaps not. And for the most part, I’ve found, speaking on Twitter is like having a conversation at a concert with someone who is half listening and can half hear you.
Skype provides me with a reason to believe that there is something to my observation. I’ve seen many business people who work for international companies form unusually close relationships with the coworkers over Skype. I think much of this is in part to that fact that they know that they nearly always has a group of people they can speak with at any time of the night or day.
Have you experienced a change in your social group because of a change in technology? I’d love to hear your story.
KISS’ Clear Channel LA executes a strategy our company calls “client as content.” Our underlying belief is that advertisers who provide a service or value to their customers see a greater return from their advertising (a concept also know as branded utility). KISS LA invited advertisers trying to market to their listeners to do so by recording podcasts. The podcasts contain audio commentary on the topics on which the clients are experts: health, legal, auto, etc.
I think this idea could be taken to the next level if advertisers interacted directly with listeners. Build a forum on each AsktheExpert page. Create a blog for the advertiser the excepts public comments. Create a live chat—and sell advertisers a package of streaming commercials and banner ads to advertise for it. Use Qwizzy to build a free Q&A forum. Invite listeners to send in their questions directly to the experts, or to record a video of their question and post it publicly. Not only will advertisers connect more with the listener, but the website will also become more of a community. And you need conversation for that…
If you’ve ever wanted to watch 20 minutes documenting ever step of a LASIK eye care operation, narrated by an attractive blond celebrity, now you can–and from the comfort of your own Facebook account. The folks at LASIK did an great job of using Facebook to identify leads and change perceptions about the surgery.
People are curious about how LASIK works.
They have questions, and the site answers them in the form of short webisodes documenting OC’s Kristin Cavallari experience. While watching you can leave comments on the discussion board, browse pics of Kristin, or become a member of her LASIK group.
The discussion board is public. Half of the people on it are insulting Kristin and her “fake” webisodes. The other half are running to her defense:
“She’s documenting her story for other people…she’s trying to help people out,” said Kylee, a High School student.
If you’ve had LASIK, you can share you story as a video testimonial for a chance to win $5,000. Doing so takes you to a separate microsite: Reality Lasik. Here you’ll find more webisodes, and a brilliantly executed “locate a doctor” feature. I am surprised they did not use a unique tracking number for each doctor.
Is the campaign successful? Looks it. Here’s what I would measure to know for sure:
Compelling content (video) drives this campaign. People on the Facebook identify with the Kristin and are curious about the procedure. They are welcome to comment about the advertising, and it’s integrated nicely into the Facebook site and separate microsite.
So nice job LASIK team…although I’m still too squeamish to touch my eye!
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