Who's Got The Power?

Like millions of other Americans, I am an avid user of social media. I use Facebook on a daily basis, and also belong to Twitter and Pinterest, among others. I use these outlets to keep in touch with friends from high school who I haven't seen in years, friends who have moved away, and even friends who I see on a regular basis. It's an easy way to quickly connect, even easier than a phone call or a text (sometimes!)

Although I "like" some companies like Target, Bath and Body Works and The Gap on Facebook or follow their Twitter feeds, before this course I never really took into account not only the impact social media has on the way that companies communicate, market and advertise to consumers, but the way that the groundswell has shifted power from these companies to the consumers.

In Chapter 11 of Li and Bernoff's Groundswell, they give a perfect example of the power shifting back to consumers because of the groundswell. They share the story of Jeff Jarvis, a journalist and blogger, who shared on his blog the frustration he was feeling with the computer company, Dell. He twice recieved a defective computer and felt that the company wasn't listening to him. Jarvis wrote on his blog:

"Is anyone at Dell listening?...We are in a new era of 'seller beware'. Now when you

screw your customers, your customers can fight back, publish and organize."

 

Dell had a major problem on it's hands. People were taking to social media to trade Dell horror stories, complain about lack of customer service and shoddy computers, and negative attitudes towards Dell were never higher.

 

But then Dell did something many companies fail to do--they took the time to listen. Dell monitored blogs and their own company forms, then started their own blog to address customer concerns. Without the power of the groundswell, it would have been more difficult for the consumer's message to reach Dell.


Another interesting example Li and Bernoff give about power shifting back to the "little people" so to speak, is Best Buy's Blue Shirt Nation.

Blue Shirt Nation was a social media set up by Best Buy exclusively for it's employees. It allowed them to connect with other employees, support each other and also allowed for employees to share their thoughts with the company about how to improve Best Buy.  When Best Buy reduced their employee discount, employees immediately took to Blue Shirt Nation to protest. There was such an overwhelming response from employees, who organized to show their displeasure, that Best Buy reversed their decision and kept the employee discount as is. Without the groundswell, employees of Best Buy would have had a much harder time making such a big impact. Organizing, banding together with stores all across the country would have taken much more time and effort. Using Blue Shirt Nation to their advantage, they were able to make a difference and a change.

Reading Groundswell has made me think quite a bit about the company I work for and Facebook. I am a manager for an early childhood center that has 10 locations across Massachusetts. The company does have a Facebook page that they use to communicate with parents about events, closings and to share general information about the schools. However, employees are discouraged from posting on the schools' Facebook page, responding to their status updates, or even 'liking' their statuses. In fact, today management received an e-mail from corporate asking us to look at the company's Facebook page and see if any teachers from our individual schools commented on recent updates and to speak to them about it.

Perhaps my employers know the power of social media--and how it's given power back to the people. And that, as Best Buy and Dell found out--people can use it bring about change. Something I guess they're just not ready for.







Monitoring Old Navy In The Groundswell

I've been shopping at Old Navy for as long as I can remember. I'm a fan of Old Navy because they have comfortable and reasonably priced clothes--I can buy nice clothes for work and still stay on a budget. Old Navy is a division of The Gap, Inc. and it's first stores opened in 1994. Their clothing is more affordable than their other Gap, Inc. counterparts (Gap, Banana Republic). Their target market is primarily price concious teenage girls and women. Old Navy sells clothes for women, men, infants, toddlers and children, as well as maternity wear.

Old Navy has always had creative commercials and advertising, but I ultimately decided to follow them for this project because of this commercial that recently aired over the summer:

 

 

 

 

The commercial features Jennie Garth, Luke Perry and Jason Preistley from Beverly Hills, 90210--a hugely popular show from the 90's that I loved when I was younger. They also aired commercials featuring Jordan Knight from New Kids On The Block and another featuring The Backstreet Boys. It was an obvious attempt to grab the attention of 30-something women, and for me, it worked!

Over the past few weeks, I have been monitoring Old Navy's presense in social media. I used Social Mention, IceRocket, Google Insights, and Tweetstats, as well as monitoring their website, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest accounts for activity.

- Old Navy has a strong presence in social media, and they use it heavily to promote and market products.

Old Navy's official Facebook page

Twitter

Pinterest
 

Old Navy's Youtube channel

Website


All of Old Navy's social media platforms have similar color schemes and imagery, but each have a different focus. The website and Facebook page seem to be more targeted towards families, while their Pinterest page is definitely more focused on teenagers and women. Which makes sense since most Pinterest users are women. Their Youtube channel almost exclusively features commercials and videos about recent promotions that Old Navy has sponsored.

 

Old Navy seems to understand the notion of building a community to create a buzz and excitement for their product by energizing the groundswell.

 

Most recently, Old Navy promised it's customers that once they hit 5 million fans on Facebook, users would receive a special surprise from the store. They asked their Facebook fans to "like" their page, and then share the video below with their friends to encourage them to like Old Navy's page as well.

 



 

Old Navy was successful in it's goal and they recently hit the 5 million fan mark, and shared this video.

 

 

Both videos show people coming together and being excited to go shop at Old Navy. And as you can see, they used their fans to create the actual coupon that was the gift for reaching 5 million fans.

 

This campaign has been going on since the end of September and ended October 9th when they reached their goal. During this time, there was a definite spike in blog mentions, according to Icerocket. But as soon as the goal was reached, there was a significant drop off in blog mentions. They've since made a recovery in mentions.

 

 

 

 

Google Trends also shows a significant spike in interest during the 5 million fan campaign.

 

Social Mention- October 8th-12th

 

October 15th-21st

 The information I gathered from Social Mention showed that there was a significant decrease in Old Navy's strength of discussion over 2 weeks, from 26% to 3%. However there was an increase in sentiment and passion and a reduction in reach. Most of the sentiment in both weeks was either postive or neutral and very little negativity in the mentions of Old Navy.

 

Old Navy also saw an increase in followers both on Facebook and Twitter, even beyond the 5 million fans campaign. According to Starcount, on October 22, 2012, Old Navy increased their Facebook fans by 14,836 and their Twitter followers by 33.

 

When taking a closer look at Old Navy's Facebook and Twitter pages, the company definitely takes the time to respond to most of it's posts from fans--especially the negative ones. However, most responses are rather generic and refer customers with concerns or complaints either to in-store managers or to call the customer service hotline.

 

Overall, most of the negative posts had to do with the quality of the clothing--or lack thereof. Many people complained that the clothing they had purchased had fallen apart soon after washing them. This is something that Old Navy needs to take heed of. If they develop a reputation of having cheap clothing, that would be something that would be difficult to bounce back from.

 

 

 

 

Most of the positive posts were about products customers liked or wanted to see more of. Those posts were rarely responded to.

 

 

 

 

Although it is important for Old Navy to reach out to disgruntled or unhappy customers, it is also important for them to make the happy customers feel appreciated, so that they will continue to be loyal to the Old Navy brand, and continue to leave the positive feedback that is so important to the company and it's reputation.

 

Most posts from Old Navy on it's Facebook page try to enage customers in discussions about their products. Each week, a new item is featured and feedback about the item is encouraged. Many of the posts also gave advice on how to wear the product or how to accessorize.

 

The Facebook page seems more like blatant advertising and doesn't seek to engage customers beyond showing a product. I think it would do Old Navy well to become a bit more personalized with it's customers.

Over the next few weeks, I want to continue to monitor Old Navy's social media accounts to see if they can sustain their recent success with their 5 million fan campaign. I will also be interested to see if the posts complaining about the quality of their clothing will increase or decrease, and I would also like to see if Old Navy is better able to engage their customers--particularly their target audience of teenage girls and women.

 

 

 

Crowdtap: You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours

In chapter 9 of Li and Bernoff's Groundswell, they discuss the imporatnce of organizations embracing the groundswell and "finding practical ways to tap into customers to help you innovate now to increase the chances of developing something your customers want". By hearing directly from customers what they want, need or like about your product or business, you increase the chance that your venture will be successful. Social media has provided many opportunities for businesses to reach their clients or potential clients easily and cost-effectively.

Crowdtap does just that for businesses, and give customers rewards and incentives to provide feedback.

Crowdtap's slogan is "Where Consumers and Brands Unite", and that is the idea of Crowdtap in a nutshell. The brands get the feedback they need, and comsumers are rewarded. I was first introduced to Crowdtap by a friend when she sent me an invite to an Old Navy event through email. The invite stated that I was going to receive a free pair of jeans if I went to Old Navy at a certain time and date with my friend. At first I thought it was a scam, but after speaking to my friend I found it was not. She had "earned" it through Crowdtap. Sure enough, one Sunday afternoon, we went down to Old Navy, presented our coupons from Crowdtap, and picked out out completely free pair of jeans.

All that was asked of us was to take pictures of ourselves at the store, post it on Old Navy's Facebook or Twitter page and complete a survey of our exprience with Old Navy and the jeans. Since then, I've also tagged along with my friend to get free scarves, skirts, and even a winter coat.

So how does this all work? It's actually pretty simple. You start off by signing up through the company's website. They will ask you to link your account with a Facebook or Twitter account. They will also ask for contact information. The more information you provide, the more points you are given to start off with. From there, the surveys start. They start off asking your interests, age, gender, and what products you use most often. As you take more surveys, you accumulate more points.

As you accumulate more points, the opportunities to cash in the points for gift cards, prizes and opportunities like the Old Navy event I participated in. In most cases, all that is asked of you is to use Facebook or Twitter to talk about the products you recieve or try out.



My Crowdtap "winnings"

Of course, one has to complete many, many surveys to reap the benefits of Crowdtap. But the surveys are quick, mindless and easy, so the points can pile up pretty quickly. As you move up in levels, more prizes are available to you, as well as opportunites to try out products or services.You can also use your points to donate to a charity of your choice.

An example of a few of the prizes.



Crowdtap understands that in order to get what they need from consumers, they need to give them movtivation. And the brands that use Crowdtap are connecting with their customers and getting feedback in order to develop new ideas and improve the products and services they already have. Crowdtap offers an easier way to get in touch with influential consumers and save a lot of money and time in doing so. Plus, since it is so closely linked with Twitter and Facebook, word of mouth spreads more quickly than in coventional ways of advertising and public relations.

As Li and Bernoff point out in Groundswell, "It doesn't matter what business you are in, if you have customers, they can help you."

So what do you think? Is "Crowdtapping" something you would do? And do you think Crowdtap is an effective way for brands and consumers to unite?

"Pinning" Your Way To The Big Day

Recently, I attended the wedding of a friend. At each table was a small burlap-looking bag with coffee in it, and a label written: "The Perfect Blend" and the couple's name and their wedding date, similar to this:

 

 

 

It was a cute and different idea, and I commented to one of the other guests as such. "Oh, she got the idea off Pinterest", she informed me. At this point, I was pretty unfamilar with Pinterest and what it was all about. Come to find out that the bride had used Pinterest for a number of wedding items, including the way she wore her hair and the flower arrangements.

 

 

When I got home, I did a google search on using Pinterest to plan a wedding, and sure enough, blog enteries and webpages popped up, most giving advice on how to use Pinterest to plan weddings, and even giving first hand accounts of how Pinterest made their wedding day special. Pinterest itself had thousands of wedding ideas on invitiations, locations, favors, dresses, favors and themes.

 

 

 

But what I found even more interesting was how many women are using Pinterest to plan their wedding before they were even engaged.And it is mostly women. According to MSNBC, 80% of Pinterest users are women. Exploring Pinterest, I found a whole world of women planning their weddings, with bulletin boards entitled, "Someday My Prince Will Come" or "I Want To Get Married".

 



This particular user entitled her wedding board "Marry Me".

 

So why is it that so many women are using Pinterest to plan their weddings, real or imagined? Is it because our society has become "wedding obsessed"? It certainly seems that way. Anytime you turn on your TV, there are shows like "Say Yes To The Dress", "Bridezillas", and "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding", (a personal favorite).

 

 

Have we gone wedding crazy? Many women start dreaming about their wedding day from the time they are little girls, and some even start "wedding books" , where they clip pictures from magazines to save for "the big day". Pinterest gives women another way to do that, except now something that was once done in private is now very public.

 

 

 

 So what do you think? Is Pinterest just giving a new way to fantasize and plan for a perfect wedding, or is the whole thing just...weird?