Thoughtpick: A unique perspective of the Web and social media...
A unique perspective of the Web and social media...

March 17, 2010

@Anywhere with Twitter

This week, Twitter announced its ‘@anywhere’ platform for websites, which allows site visitors to Tweet and follow from sites including Digg, Amazon and eBay.

Basically, Web-masters (oh don’t you love that word?) will be able to add @Anywhere to their sites with a few lines of Javascript. This would integrate Twitter into their websites so that their users could follow and tweet without having to go to Twitter itself as well as use Twitter to sign into the site.

It could become as Internet-omnipresent as “Contact Us”

This is big. Twitter, unlike many other services, has the potential to become more like email (a tool) rather than like a service. After all, it’s a communication platform, first and foremost. The idea of Twitter revolves around short bursts of text, which people who know each other and do not know each other can use for targeted communication.

With @anywhere integration into anywhere online, brands, corporate websites, newspapers, bloggers, and every other kind of website can start communicating with its users and building communities using the leverage and power of Twitter. It’s interesting, isn’t it?

Twitter is certainly excited about the frameworks, saying in a blog postImagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo home page.”

Here’s the announcement at SXSW:

Twitter is certainly excited about the frameworks, saying in a blog post “Imagine being able to follow a New York Times journalist directly from her byline, tweet about a video without leaving YouTube, and discover new Twitter accounts while visiting the Yahoo home page.”

What do you think? Does Twitter have the potential to become a tool?

March 15, 2010

And The Nobel Peace Prize Goes to…

The Internet!” says the tuxedo-clad Nobel Peace Prize presenter.

Upon hearing her name, the Internet, dressed up in her best attire of a colorful table-based website, and with a flock of blue Twitter birds flying over head, seemed to be really surprised. She quickly got over the shock (thanks to multitude of fans updating the shock Wikipedia entries in her head), and strutted her way to the stage to accept her prize.

She really did look her best, didn't she?

She really did look her best, didn't she?

Oh, wow,” the Internet says, “I‘ve been around for a while but no one ever thought of nominating me for the prestigious Nobel Pea—”

The crowd interrupts her acceptance speech with loud and booming cheering: “W00t! W00t! W00t!

[read full article >>]

March 12, 2010

Fun-List: Top 10 Ways in Which Social Media Can Get You Fired!

According to Proofpoint, an Internet security firm, of companies with 1,000 or more employees, 17 percent report having issues with employees’ use of social media. Furthermore, 8 percent of those companies report having actually dismissed someone for their behavior on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Some other interesting findings from the study:

  • 15 percent have disciplined an employee for violating multimedia sharing / posting policies
  • 13 percent of US companies investigated an exposure event involving mobile or Web-based short message services
  • 17 percent disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies

So, how do you avoid getting fired when using social media? What are the things which will, most probably, get you fired? Here we go with another Thoughtpick fun-fact list with a point:

1. Speak ill of your boss or manager

Example: “I hate my job!! I want to tell my bosses how dumb they are and how meaningless this job is, then quit, and be happy!” Revealed by CNN.com [read full article >>]

March 11, 2010

Tron Legacy Viral Campaign – Learn Social Media by Example

Stat Box

Campaign Name: Tron Legacy Viral Campaign
URL: http://www.flynnlives.com/zerohour
SM Channels used: Twitter, Web, Real Life, SnailMail
Target Audience: Tron Fans
Date: February 2010
Campaign Duration: Ongoing

Tron Legacy

Tron Legacy

Tron is, by definition, a cult classic that spawned a video game, a comic book and an up and coming TV series. The movie was  released in 1982 to mixed critical review, while it had a solid story and featured the first heavy use of CGI in a feature film it never appealed to the critics or the general public. But there definitely were enough neon clothes and light cycle coolness to woo sci-fi fans across many generations.

As time went by and the movie picked up more and more fans, talks and gossip about a possible sequel started to emerge. Maybe a continuation of the original story, some said it might even be a remake that would bring it to the 21st century. Finally, in 2008’s  San Diego Comic Con, and after 26 years of anticipation, speculation came to a head and Disney featured a preliminary trailer of Tron Legacy.

[read full article >>]

March 9, 2010

Harry Potter Tweet – Learn Social Media by Example

Stat Box

Brand: Harry Potter (Entertainment)
Channels Used: Website, Twitter
Appeal: Entertainment
Target Audience: Harry Potter fans and young adults
Date of Campaign: 2009
Website: Harry Potter Tweet

What’s the best way to get buzz going around a movie prior to its launch? Of course, the ways are numerous! It could be a really large campaign, across a multiverse of billboards and digital banners. It could involve fancy dinners, several elaborate websites, or freebies showered across different possible fans.

Yet regardless of how much cash is dished, campaigns often die after the movie has come and gone, which is why I find this Harry Potter Tweet campaign interesting. As this campaign is actually a tool that people can utilize rather than a simple announcement, people are still using it and talking about it, many months after the movie it was aimed to market was launched.

[read full article >>]

March 8, 2010

Is Twitter Finally Choosing a Business Model?

Ever since Twitter secured as much as $100 million dollars funding last year, speculation went wild on what kind of business model they will adopt. In November, Twitter COO Dick Costolo confirmed that the first piece to fall into place is the Ad platform which he described as “fascinating. Non-traditional. And people will love it… It’s going to be really cool.

What We Know So Far?

Now we are getting closer to the day when this Ad-platform will be introduced publicly and it maybe as soon as next month during the South by Southwest Conference. According to the Wall Street Journal, the long awaited Twitter platform will look something like this:

  • The ads will be tied to Twitter search, displaying only the ads that are relevant to the search term.
  • The ads will be 140 or fewer characters, 3rd party applications will have the option to display the ads and Twitter will share revenue with them if they do.
  • Twitter will work with ad agencies at first but will move to a Google like self-serve model later on.
  • Non invasive and will be clearly marked as “sponsored” tweets

What we already know about the Ad-platform leaves a lot of speculations running in everyone’s head in relation to how it will work and what impact it will have on Twitter’s ever expanding user base.

What Will the Ads Look like?

An Ad.ly ad

An Ad.ly ad

Will the ads be clearly labeled like ad.ly’s In-Stream ads? Or will they be more like “I am having the new Italian burger at McDonalds” and “My favorite Chips is so-n-so or the direct in your face kind of “Click this link and 20% off of your next purchase”.

[read full article >>]

March 5, 2010

Marmite: Love it or hate it — Learn Social Media by Example

Stat Box

Brand: Marmite (Food Industry)
Channels Used: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube
Appeal: Sensory
Target Audience: Marmite lovers
Date of Campaign: Late 2009-Early 2010
Website: Marmarati.org

The thing about Marmite (what is it?) is that you either love it, or hate it. There’s no middle ground.

Due to this severe distinction, it is really easy to play on the these two groups feelings of intense love and intense hate for the product.

Marmite has been using this “love it or hate it” thing as a strategy for years, but that’s worth a whole post on its own, so we’ll do that later.

Homepage of Marmarati.org

Homepage of Marmarati.org

[read full article >>]

March 1, 2010

Dove Self-Esteem Campaign — Learn Social Media by Example

Stat Box

Brand Name: Dove
Campaign URL: http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/
Channels Used: Facebook & Twitter
Appeal: Emotional
Start Date: Around 3 years ago
Duration: Ongoing

Thousands of women tend to strut around carrying the heavy burden of being influenced by media and commercials whether they like it or not. The bar of real beauty has been shifted and the price to pay for staying “beautiful” has been raised!

Testimony of Change Due to Dove's Campaign

Testimony of Change Due to Dove's Campaign

Therefore, and through combined marketing methods and in efforts to help in elevating the pressure females, of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicity suffer from, Dove was able to come up with a project concept dedicated to “real beauty”: Dove Self-Esteem Campaign/Fund.

[read full article >>]

February 23, 2010

Learn Social Media by Example: “It Has to be Heinz — Dip & Squeeze” Campaign

Stat Box

Brand Name: Heinz (Consumer Products)
SM Channels Used: Twitter, Facebook & website
Appeal: Emotional appeal
Target Audience: USA bloggers, microbloggers, Facebook users, social networking users and Heinz lovers
Date: February, 2010
Campaign Duration: Ongoing

Previous campaigns

Dip & Squeeze with Ease!

Dip & Squeeze with Ease!

Heinz might be famous for its ‘57 varieties’, but that was a portfolio for a long-lost age, when stores sold your brands, rather than competed via offerings of their own.

Therefore, and in efforts to innovate and freshen up, Heinz has launched its biggest umbrella brand marketing campaign to date, in a £5m push to build on its “emotional connection” with consumers.

The “It has to be Heinz” campaign has been designed to celebrate the way people perceive the food brand.

[read full article >>]

February 22, 2010

5 Ways to Utilize Twitter to Grumble — Effectively!

Each and every one of us, at least every now and then, and for one reason or another, feels the urge to complain, grumble and/or fuss about one thing or another. This is one part of human nature and for your average human beings, the “grass is almost always greener on the other side!”

Wah!

Wah!

Regardless of your reason to grumble, it seems to me that social media has established itself as the trendiest “fashion” of venting and complaining publicly! It is like a confession board available for all to see – a documented manifesto placed into social media users’ hands!

[read full article >>]

Older Posts »