In this brave new world of TIVO, Hulu and countless others, it’s interesting to see a brand like Nike using the dreaded commercial to double their digital footprint at Facebook  (550,000 fans to well over 1.1 million).

Don’t get me wrong, the ad is great, as many Nike ads are.  But does anyone else find it ironic that people who are on Facebook hanging “socially” with their friends, would actually be prompted to “like” a page because of a cool commercial?  Isn’t this counter to the school of thought than has us employing spam filters and ad blockers as our virtual body guards?

I personally think it’s genius  - using Internet marketing tactics such as “preview” or “scarcity” (be the first!) to be heard in a noisy sea of “pick me, pick me” strategies. Nike is smart to be using the “re-purpose your content” strategy.  This is a made for TV mini-movie-commerical that they are now making “available” to the public at their fan page.

How great is this?

Somehow Nike has found a way to make it cool for anyone to be their “affiliate.”  By liking the page, any updates from Nike will now show up in your stream.  Their hook is exclusive content you can only get from them. In return, they will be able to distribute their sales and promotional content to up to 5000 of your closest “friends”…for free!

I’m curious to know what your favorite brand pages are right now.  And WHY you decided to click on that tantalizing like button.

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/05/26/nike-football-doubles-facebook-numbers-with-early-preview-of-latest-soccer-ad-on-its-fan-page

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Having spent the last 17 years using direct mail as a renewal and acquisition strategy, with acquisition rates as high as 7% at one point and renewal rates well over 30%, I’ve learned a thing or two about relevancy.

My brand experience comes with an exponent. I’ve worked with clients such as Nestle, Coca Cola, GMAC and Procter & Gamble. I like to tell myself I’ve have a bit of brand perspective. Truth is, I have enough perspective to give me a birds eye view.

Makes me wonder, why are these well “funded” national brands struggling to be relevant?

Sure, these brands are doing better than most, but is there really any doubt that they could do so much better?

Take Disney – wouldn’t a “How to Look Like A Princess For a Day” video series be incredibly interesting and perfectly relevant to their core audience?

Check out this user generated video on youtube with almost 800,000 views!

CINDERELLA: Disney Princess Inspired Makeup Tutorial Icy Blue False Lashes

How hard would it be to hire this user, xsparkage, or outsource a professional to create a fun series like this, except with links to the actual makeup, dress up clothes, accessories, etc?

Hats off to Betty Crocker who  has started to do this with their series of “How to Make A Cake,” which I think is perfectly genius.

Apparently I’m not alone, so do nearly 80,000 other people whenever a new cake gets uploaded to youtube!

How To Make An Inchworm Bug Cake and Bug Cupcakes

Pretty easy to imagine quite a few cake mixes leaving the shelves because of this series, right?

What about the auto industry?

There are quite a few top videos around cars. Just two minutes on YouTube and I was able to find user generated videos that pulling in 100,000 to 12 MILLION views.

Do you believe General Motors could reposition their brand as more cutting edge and consumer friendly simply by using one of their models to conduct any one of the following experiments?

And don’t you think they could take a wild leap from the stodgy and traditional brand box by doing some event based PR/Marketing that showcases local dealerships doing live demonstrations of similar “experiments.”

Bring in your trade in worth $2,000.00 or less and we’ll give it a makeover you’ll never forget!

Wouldn’t that improve customer experience since one of the negative aspects to buying a new car is trading in your old one that’s worth a handful of dollars more than nothing?

Have fun with it, get people engaged…the dealers could even take a video of it and submit it on the customer’s behalf. The top video views gets a new car.

Statistics easily suggest if they downright prove it – these strategies are worth testing

As reported by King Fish Media in their 2009 Survey on Marketing, Media and Measurement:

• 86% of respondents’ companies are currently creating or plan to create original content for their customers and prospects in the coming year.
• 81% believe that brands and companies can create content that is as engaging and informative as content created by media companies.
• 74% feel that original content and media are most effective for generating marketing ROI.
• 70% are spending more today to reach customers and prospects directly with branded content than they did three years ago.

REV Tip of the Day

Take calculated risks that are entertaining and at times invoke a Visceral response.  People take action most when their emotions are engaged!

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Summary of Facebook Promotions Guidelines (http://www.facebook.com/promotions_guidelines.php last revision:  December 22, 2009)

Disclaimer: This post provides a topline summary of the key points you need to know if you are planning on using Facebook to promote/advertise a contest.  The new guidelines limit the use of Facebook’s built in status update and commenting features in promoting and/or advertising a contest.  You should:  (1) consult the guidelines early in your planning, they will impact your timing and structure; (2) early in the process, apply for a Facebook Account Manager; (3) designate a key person as your primary Facebook Account contact; and (4) draft comprehensive contest rules that follow applicable laws regarding who can participate (age, geographic locations) and what can be promoted and offered as prizes/winnings (the Facebook guidelines offer some direction, but are not comprehensive).

(1)  UNDERSTAND FACEBOOK DEFINITIONS:

Facebook  distinguishes between “publicizing” and “administering”  — you can opt to publicize only or publicize and administer

Publicizing:  promoting, advertising, or referencing a promotion in any way on Facebook or using any part of the Facebook platform

( includes:  mentioning the promotion in Facebook advertising inventory, on a Facebook page, or through a status update)

Administering:  operating any element of the promotion on Facebook or using any part of the Facebook platform

(includes:  collecting entries or submissions, conducting a drawing to select winners, judging entries to select winners, notifying winners)

Facebook categorizes promotions as:

1. Sweepstakes:  Based on chance
2. Contest:  Based on skill
3. Competition:  Based on skill
4. Other similar offering: This has been left open-ended.

(2) UNDERSTAND TOPLINE DOS AND DON’TS

3. PUBLICIZING ONLY:

Things to consider:

1. No prior written approval required if only publicizing using Facebook
2. Can use your Facebook page to advertise or reference promotions
3. Can use advertisements to direct Facebook users to the Company’s website where the promotion is hosted
4. Cannot represent or imply that Facebofrok is a sponsor or administrator of the promotion
5. Cannot mention Facebook in the rules or other materials (expect as may be required for disclaimer purposes)
6. Cannot condition entry upon taking any action on Facebook (including, updating status, posting on a profile or page, or uploading a photo)

4. ADMINISTERTING ONLY:

Things to consider:

1. Can only administer on Facebook with prior written approval
2. Must work with an assigned Facebook Account Manager  – apply on the Facebook website – from the page on guidelines for promotions
3. Must submit materials to be used as part of the promotion to Facebook (Account Manager) at least 7 days prior to launch
4. Can only administer using  a 3^rd party application – on the canvas page of an application or on an application box in a tab on your Facebook page
5. Cannot use Facebook functionality
6. Must provide specific disclaimer language (adjacent to entry fields/in the rules of the contest) indicating that Facebook is not a sponsor
7. Must provide a hold harmless clause releasing Facebook from liability (in your rules)
8. Must provide language directing  all questions regarding the contest should be directed to the Company and not FacebookDFACE

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“If we treated our friends the way advertisers treated us, they’d punch us in the face.”

How can you build a virtual communication strategy that is relevant, engaging and is easy to share (be viral!) but doesn’t piss people off?

By AVOIDING 3 Popular Strategies.

1. The Rain Main Strategy
Posting multiple times in one day to the same link to your blog, landing page or product. The person you are talking to is the same person whether it’s offline or online.  The only difference is the medium!

2. The Sally Fields Strategy
Retweeting when someone RT’s you and gives you props. “You like me, you really like me”. Need I say more?

Don’t act surprised and shout to the world when someone finds you interesting. Test your headlines in your blogs and tweets and if you get mention?  Rinse and repeat.

3. The Red Carpet Strategy

Only following a select few but expecting everyone to listen to you.

Does keeping the little people outside the ropes and not listening to them, even though they are the ones that have “made you what you are today” really leverage the power of the web?

Some of the smartest people I knew aren’t a C level exec.  Most can’t afford to even go to the movies, much less be in one.

Popularity never made you smarter in school, why would it now?  Find the outliers who have the nuggets. Then bring it back to the crowd with a unique style that has relevance and reward the “miner” with a shout out.

The power of the web is to engage with others without having to have a time consuming in depth conversation filled with small talk.  But you have to engage to truly maximize your reach.

The moral of the story?

No one walks into AARP and starts the conversation with, “Tell me about the senior market.”  It’s always a trade where you give them something they want and leave them begging for more.

By understanding what your “target” cares about, you will be able to bring value to them through relevant insights.  Then all you have to do is watch, listen and learn.  Quietly.

A wise man once said, “Speak softly, but carry a big stick.”

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According to emarketer’s recent October 2009 report titled Social Commerce on Faceboook, Twitter and Retail sites, 92% of consumers consider “recommendations from people I know” as a trusted media source.  Right now it seems to be a number the brands are trying to hang their hats onto, but is it for the right reasons?

First of all, with any statistic you must understand the context.  So what does 92% really mean? If you look at it a little closer, you’ll notice that 92% of people trust recommendations from other consumers they know and even trust opinions posted by unknown consumers MORE than ads on TV, on the radio, in magazines and newspapers.

So my next question, is why?

Is it that we really trust our friends more than say a trusted, educated, informed, objective news source such as the WSJ?  Or is that we no longer trust the objectivity of the medium?  Shouldn’t the real question be about why our confidence in other mediums has been reduced to such an all time low that to put it bluntly, one shit pile smells better than another?

Unfortunately our crazy Aunt Susan and depressed sister Sue aren’t any smarter than they were 2 years ago, so why the increase in trust?  I’d like to start the discussion that perhaps there isn’t an actual increase in trust of friends, but actually a decline in the trust of media.  The veil has been lifted with the advent of technology, and quite frankly, I think the wizard isn’t as smart as we’d been “sold”.

But then again, neither is our social circle, right?  How many people really walk around talking about how smart and brilliant their friends and family are?  For example, my brother takes risks I’d never take.  My sister wouldn’t take half the risks that I take.  And my cousin?  I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. I even have friends who I love dearly, but the minute they start selling something to me, I tune out.

Yet I do like information.  Quick and easy answers.  Love it.  So it truly comes down to a specific algorithm of quantity and quality, in my opinion.

Take Amazon.  If you find a product you like with a rating of 5 stars and 16 ratings, is it better than a product with 4 stars and 3000 ratings?  Hard to tell.  You probably have to look a little deeper.  Perhaps you go to price point to decide.  Are there only 16 ratings because that version costs 5 times as much so not as many people could afford it?  Or are there less ratings because the product is awful and they could only get 16 of their employees to “stretch the truth”?

The truth is, there are so many more factors than just the rating or recommendation itself.  The ones I trust the most are the ones that tell me what is wrong with a product and what is good about it.  That feels objective to me.  Again, personal preference is the wild card that is very difficult to quantify and can only really be deciphered after significant engagement metrics.  However, it’s the quirks of the consumer that is every brand’s sweet spot because it’s hard to measure, but once you do, it’s invaluable as it plays a huge part when it comes to making decisions to purchase.

What it truly comes down to is that consumers are demanding real access to real time stats from potentially real people that they actually trust.  That’s powerful support for any brand.  Yet, as long as the product (or medium) is of high quality and maintains transparency, then the brand (or medium) can be trusted…no matter what their friends tell them.

In fact, many brand advocates are built due to opposition.  The more someone hates you, the more the others love you; make them love you or hate you, but never leave them indifferent.

Remember: your job as a brand is to create outstanding products, that at a minimum meet a need and at best fulfill a want (more on this later).  But you must clearly say what you do and do what you say, period.  Then you as the brand will become the “friend” and people will trust you.

Bottom line?  No one likes to be sold.  Ever.  For any reason.  An agenda inspired opinion is revolting to most.  People want transparency in their lives.  I believe that integrity still counts for something.  Aren’t most people just looking for the facts so they can decide for themselves?

It comes down to quality choices.  Very few people have the time to become an expert on every topic they have to make decisions around.  Most just want the right information at the right time from people who know what they are talking about, so a better decision can be made.

REV it up tip of the day:  Be Remarkable, Focus on Engagement to Go Viral.

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