Poll: Where would you look… company website or Facebook?

Put yourself in my shoes for just a moment.  You are in the market to buy a new smartphone for your Sprint wireless service, but you don’t have a clue what are the latest “must-have” features that are included in today’s phones.  You are at your computer and ready to start your research.  You have two options for finding the info that will help you make the right choice for a phone that’s right for you.  Where online would you look to learn more about what smartphones Sprint has to offer?  Would you visit the Sprint company website or would you start with the Sprint Facebook page?

Before the introduction of Facebook, we had been trained for years that the easiest way to find info about a product is to type in a company’s name followed by a “.com” which would hopefully lead us to the correct company website.  But now, are we spending so much of our time already in the Facebook social environment that it is easier to type the company’s name in the Facebook search space to then be lead to a page displaying products and services along with consumer commentary?

Reports tells us that a majority of Americans (58%) begin their purchasing experience by doing online research to compare prices, quality and the product reviews from other consumers.  Experts predict that by 2015, the number of Americans researching for and purchasing products online is expected to surpass 200 million and 90% of the population’s internet users. So when you go online to look for that new phone, new car, new tablet or even dinner later tonight, will you be visiting the company’s website or finding their presence on Facebook?  It’s time for you to chime in!  Let me hear from you.

 

Social media is good for social change

Many companies are investing time and money in developing a social media presence that will help them connect with their current and potential customers. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube have become valuable tools in a company’s efforts to promote a brand. But just as social media can bridge the gap between a company and its customers, it can also lead the masses toward a common goal of supporting a good cause and bringing social change. The viral nature of social media and our internal need for sharing ideas lends to the success of nonprofit organizations gaining support from a growing number of followers.

Some of the notable nonprofit organizations currently seeing support grow through social media include:

• ASPCA (over 1 million “Likes”)
• Ronald McDonald House Charities (currently over 172,000 “Likes” on Facebook”)
• Charity : Water (nearly 220,000 Facebook “Likes”)

Also, take a moment to browse through the many great causes that are featured on the Facebook page for causes.com. The fan page currently has an audience of over 9 million fans. Some of the “causes” listed on the page range from supporting Operation Smile to vowing not to text and drive to donating to the East Africa Child Hunger Crisis Fund.

Take a look at the infographic below to see just how social media has made an impact on support for nonprofit organizations and international causes.

 

Fan-made videos that make BIG buzz for brands

At the beginning of the Emerging Media course that I’m currently in, we had discussed how technology allows marketers to deliver their message digitally to consumers. But now more than ever consumers are able to help brands build buzz by creating their own user-generated content that supports the brands we love. Just spend some time looking on YouTube and you’ll find several ads and movie trailers that were created by the fans.  Many of these fan-made spots and short films appear to be produced with such high quality that they rival spots produced by some of the nation’s top advertising agencies and movie studios.

One notable video that I am compelled to share is a fan-made short film by Dan Trachtenberg that is based on the ‘Portal‘ video game franchise which debuted in 2007.  This video is so good at reconnecting me to the Portal universe, that I’m going to have to pick up a copy of Portal 2 which was released last year.  You see, marketers do benefit from fan-made digital content that supports their brands.  Check out this amazing video “Portal: No Escape” for yourself.  Since its upload to YouTube in August 2011, it has had over 7.8 million views. It’s viral buzz at its best.

Marketers are reaping the benefits of having consumers with such creative talents by urging them to produce home-made commercials for a chance to win a cash prize and their spot to be aired on television. If you’ve watched the Super Bowl over the past few years, you’re likely to have seen some of the best fan-made spots promoting Pepsi and Doritos.  Through their annual Crash the Superbowl contest, PepsiCo provides an outlet for talented fans to create Pepsi and Doritos brand TV spots to air during the BIG GAME.  So, what do the brands get out of it? — An arsenal of fun spots promoting their brand with relatively little to no big budget production costs and most importantly lots of buzz.  This “Man’s Best Friend” Doritos ad has gone viral with over 2.5 million views on YouTube since it was posted in January.

 

Pop-Unders: Annoying or Brilliant?

The week, I discovered the actual name of a form of internet marketing that I have been noticing for quite some time, probably years.  The “Pop-Under.” If you’re reading this, you’ve probably encountered the pop-under on several occasions and like me called it a pop-up ad.  But the big difference is when you visit a website that has a pop-under advertisement linked to it, the new browser window that features the web advertising opens up hidden under the browser window that you’re currently viewing.

Unlike pop-ups, when pop-unders open they wait patiently behind the scenes for you to close the current browser window and then present the ad on your desktop.  It is not as intrusive as it doesn’t interrupt your current browsing session and will not take you away from the original site that you were visiting.

I have to admit, that I don’t mind getting served up pop-under ads.  I have actually paid more attention to them.  They work because once my regular web experience is done and my browser is closed, they are prominently placed on the desktop and are not competing for my attention with any other media. If I like what they are advertising, I click and learn more.  If not, I close it and move on.

Netflix has been using pop-unders as a major part of their internet marketing strategy for years. I have noticed them on several occasions.  Some people consider them to be annoying.  Here are a couple of samples of their pop-under windows:

In the right hands I think that pop-unders can be a useful marketing tool to enhance a brand, especially when coupled with behavioral and keyword targeting. Just as long as they are simple pages that invite you to inteact with the message as show above with Netflix.  Pop-unders that include flash with sound can be just as bad as any old pop-up.  Just keep it simple (and tasteful) and it’s less likely to annoy us.  Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts.

Related Links on Pop-unders:
How Pop-Under Ads Still Work Despite Pop-up Blockers?

Pop Under Advertising