Digital CPG Blog

The folks at BlackBerry updated their corporate Twitter account one day in May to read “May the 4th Be With You.” (May 4th was National Star Wars Day).

“What does BlackBerry have to do with Star Wars? Not much,” reports Ad Age. But that didn’t stop the tweet from being one of the company’s most effective — a phenomenon Brian Wallace, VP-global digital at BlackBerry parent Research In Motion, had to try to explain to colleagues.”

<<< Oreo strikes a balance between promotion and chat on Facebook.

“I remember getting emails from my peers asking me why we would post such a thing and was this why we created our Twitter channel,” he wrote in an email interview. “My response was that this post reached over 150,000 people, 98% of the posts were positive, most tweets made a positive association with our brand, and it drove a 15% increase in our followers. Now what’s the value of all that to our company? For the cost of $0.00 we have increased positive brand sentiment, generated a measurable earned-media value and now have 20,000+ more people who I can share product-related information to. Not a bad ROI.”

Facebook and Twitter are redefining one of advertising’s core tenets: relevance.

“As it turns out, many people in social networks don’t want to talk about your product, they just want to talk. We’ve long known that inserting brands into social-media channels requires a conversational touch, but many are surprised by just how conversational.”

“When you have ad agencies or copywriters writing your Facebook copy, it ends up being promotional in nature and if you’re not inspiring feedback no one’s going to care,” said Sarah Hofstetter, senior VP-emerging media and brand strategy at 360i. “You can only talk about your product so much. Balance that with you’re not trying to be their best friend, you’re trying to achieve some marketing objective.”

And while the article didn’t come right out and say it, I think it’s obvious that your customers don’t just want to be educated or conversed with, but they want to be entertained. Getting them to like or comment on one of your social media postings is all about provoking an emotional reaction.

So, lighten up. Be yourself. And tweet and update your status with what you find interesting and engaging. Chances are, your fans will agree.

Most young people with mobile phones choose their own device, with price being the main purchase driver. Interestingly, more males than females have smartphones in every country except for the U.S., where women lead the way in smartphone usage – certainly an opportunity for manufacturers trying to target their up-and-coming key demographic.

See the numbers below and read more here. How can you create apps and mobile experiences for Gen Y women?

Do consumers prefer hard or soft benefits from their rewards program?

“According to a Mintel study,” reports Colloquy, “cash rebates — a super-hard benefit — show the most resonance for consumers. But, it also points out that consumers are burned out on frequent flyer programs and the discipline and time needed to accumulate and cash in miles. Instead, spontaneous travel options, like the opportunity to qualify for a trip they would not have been able to take, are more popular. And time-sensitive, unique experiences — the surprise and delight kind — are also desirable, especially related to luxury destinations, professional sports and cultural events.”

Colloquy goes on to say this makes sense because of the overload of discounts and deals, and I couldn’t agree more. Any company can provide a discount, but can you provide a memorable experience from your product, and not just the consumption of said product? I strongly believe the companies who can build a larger story around their product will be more successful.

“Excitement and experiences are, in a sense, even more desired than EDLP (Every Day Low Prices),”  something Colloquy confirmed in their 2008 study on word-of-mouth.

How can you bring the unexpected into your promotions and loyalty programs?