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Honestly, Social Media Has Evolved and Marketers Need to be Savvy about Brand Authenticity

February 25, 2009

David Reis, President and CEO

Over 85 million conversations conducted on behalf of our clients, including:

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Formation of WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) Started in 2004 100 members in first 6 months Conferences standing room only,

no advertising, just word of mouth

It all began in a room just like like this . . .

2004

Development of the Ethics Code for WOMMA 2005 Co-Chaired WOMMA Ethics Council

Avoid being spam Commended by FTC

Word of Mouth Marketing (now called Social Media Marketing) $50 million industry in 2003 expected to grow to $1.3 billion in 2009, $3.7 billion by 2011

Ethics Code has remained unchanged until today Current ethics are not stringent enough - Hold to an even higher standard.

FTC attempting to revise standards to include social media in “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” which WOMMA is reviewing and participating in the drafting process of as we speak

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The WOMMA Code of Ethics: a Baseline

Consumer protection and respect are paramount The Honesty ROI

Honesty of Relationship: Say who you're speaking forHonesty of Opinion: Say what you believeHonesty of Identity: Never obscure your identity

Respect the rules of the venue Manage relationships with minors responsibly Promote honest downstream communications Protect privacy and permission

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Real World Authenticity “Real people talking to real people”

““When you engage the consumer and show them When you engage the consumer and show them that you have done something that’s unedited, you that you have done something that’s unedited, you

humanize the brand and that’s invaluable.”humanize the brand and that’s invaluable.”

Tyler WilliamsonSr. Brand Manger, Kraft Foods

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Crafting a compelling story you can talk about honestly

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The skinny on how Social Media Marketing helped launch Kraft Food’s new 1/3 Less Fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese

“Adam and Tyler’s

Big Idea”

The Story . . .

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Adam and Tyler’s Big Idea: Social Media Tells the Story . . .

Social Media Engagement Platforms

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Adam and Tyler’s Big Idea: Social Media Tells the Story . . .

Social Media Engagement Platforms

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Adam and Tyler’s Big Idea: Social Media Tells the Story . . .

Social Media Engagement Platforms

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Adam and Tyler’s Big Idea: Social Media Tells the Story . . .

Social Media Engagement Platforms

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Adam and Tyler’s Big Idea: Social Media Tells the Story . . .

Social Media Engagement Platforms

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“Adam and Tyler’s Big Idea”: An Honest Conversation

Social Media Engagement Platforms Social Media Activation Tactics

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Social Media Triggers Offline Media Coverage (PR!)

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Adam & Tyler 4-Week Campaign Results

Results

Sales of Philly 1/3 Less Fat exceeds most optimistic projections in 2008

535,088 direct online conversations via chat rooms, instant messenger apps and message board forums

50,000 + Blog views 8,000+ views of the viral video on YouTube Over 1,000 ‘friends’ added on social networks 56% expressed intent to visit the website National Press Coverage 90% felt Adam and Tyler should get a promotion Website traffic increased almost 400% over

previous year in typically slowest period Q1 Extended 1 week program to over a month Adam and Tyler both got promoted Everything we said was true

Creamcheese.com

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What Kraft Learned - Lessons For All of Us Be authentic. Tell the truth.

Accept some risk; you will not be able to control everything.

Conversations are happening whether you are there or not. If you’re not talking about your product online, others are, and they’re controlling the conversation.

Be where people are getting their information, don’t expect them to come to you

Don’t assume people will come. They probably won’t. Don’t build a Web Shrine

Social Media is not free

People want to feel like they’re being heard. This is not a one-way conversation. When you open the dialogue, commit to keep it going (respond to emails, comments, friend requests, etc.)

Ground support is critical – reach out with real people engaging in real conversations, and stay in the mix.

Commit more of your budget to outreach than development.

Make sure you have a strong social media partner, not just someone who says that they can (or even an agency that never did this before, but all of a sudden, does). Don’t be afraid to ask for real examples and case studies.

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Some New Tools Twitter for sharing weekly specials,

coupon links, products launches, responding to recalls etc

Micro Blogging

Short form gaming

Contextual Search

User Generated Content – allowing consumers to rate and review products/services (home delivery), forums, recipe sharing etc

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Be Strategic: Know your Customer

Source: Forrester Research

Where are they online?

Source: DEIworldwide.com (OTX Research)

Where are they going for information leading to a product purchase?

Social Media AnalyzerTechnographic Profile

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Don’t Forget!

It’s not about technology, it’s about authenticity

It’s about the story

It’s about real people talking to real people

Making the right choices.