How Social Media Makes The World A Better Place

I’ll start this post with a question for all my readers…    
                                   

Would you agree that social media is faster than seismic waves?

Think about the last major earthquake – didn’t a lot of us reading this post tweet the moment we felt the earthquake?

It’s ironic, but instead of saving my life, I was busy tweeting about the “EARTHQUAKE.”

And so did others:

 I don’t know if I should be proud of this, but then the fact remains that as the city of Delhifelt tremors on the night of March 5, I was busier tweeting about it than actually saving my life!

To me, this incident exemplifies how badly we are hooked on social media. Just like the glitterati from the worlds of fashion and business, we Twitterati are busy seeking the attention of our followers on the Twitterverse.

That said, is social media all that bad?

Multiple instances in the recent past tell us that social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have become lifesavers. Through such platforms we are able to connect with our near and dear ones in real-time, and help in some way during calamities like earthquake, floods, fires, etc.

In fact, in recognition of the growing importance of social media during natural disasters and calamities, the American Red Cross, in collaboration with Dell, recently unveiled a new Digital Operations Center.

The Red Cross National Disaster Operations Center is modeled after Dell’s Social Media Listening Command Center, and uses Dell technology solutions and consulting services. In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about how Dell has been listening to its consumers through the launch of a dedicated Social Media Listening command center.

With this partnership, Dell isn’t just listening to what consumers have to say about its brands, but is helping people across the globe at the time of natural calamities as well.

According to a press release issued to announce the unveiling of Digital Operations center, this center will help Red Cross to:

•          Source additional information from affected areas during emergencies to better serve those who need help;
•          Spot trends and better anticipate the public’s needs; and
•          Connect people with the resources they need, like food, water, shelter or even emotional support.

Isn’t it amazing how social media is being used for humanitarian causes? I firmly believe this is a great example of how a social organization can better prepare itself for humanitarian action in the 21st century.

That’s what I think… but what do you think?

Startup Weekend - Transforming entrepreneurship in India

“I want to be an Entrepreneur” Sounds Fancy…Isn’t it? I’m sure most of you agree with me…but it’s easier said than done. Everyone wants to be their own boss but little do they realize the hardship that comes along with being an entrepreneur.

While you may have some great ideas but to execute them is the real challenge. Not only does one need some support and handholding, few ideas need an initial investment which might be difficult for young entrepreneurs to gather and kick start their startup!

There are a lot of factors that restrict the youth of our country to take up entrepreneurship seriously. The common things that I get to hear from people around me include – lack of good mentors and parental pressure which stops them to think and do things differently.

While most of the youngsters are looking for good mentoring to help them formulate their ideas better, there are others who are burdened with the parental pressure on them to become a Doctor, Engineer or a Lawyer! Phew!

But there is a place where all such like-minded people can gather, share and discuss ideas. What can work and what can’t is for the judges to decide…but you get at least one chance to get your ideas heard.

One such group, which will hear you and support you is the ‘Startup Weekend’ - a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities.

Here’s a sneak peek into the Startup Weekend community:

There should be a sigh of relief for the ‘to-be-entrepreneurs’ in our country as Startup Weekend can provide all the support and mentoring one would need. All you need is a Vision and Mission and a great idea!

Startup Weekend India has been bringing together people from across the country on a common platform to present their ideas. These ideas if liked by the panelists which consists of angelists, venture capitalists and the likes from across corporates, support the young pool of talent and handhold them to reach their ultimate goal. Not only does startup weekend provides a platform where your ideas are heard but also supports the entrepreneurs financially.

Startup Weekend India has successfully organized 8 events till now across the country and has been a force behind a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and pursue entrepreneurship full time.

Do you have it in you? Is there an idea that isn’t letting you sleep?? Come, join the group and share your ideas…you might be the next CEO of a $100 billion company! 

How Nissan Micra Rode the Social Media Bandwagon

Finally! I have a new car!

It took me just 24 hours to gather advice from my friends and family and decide which car to buy (unlike how my dad used to endlessly agonize over the same decision).

Social tools have helped break down barriers between people, and information sharing has become far easier and quicker. These days, it moves really quickly… we now get to know about earthquakes around the world on social media platforms even before the news reaches broadcasters.

Facebook is becoming the ubiquitous answer to all the questions you could possibly have. It still doesn’t bet Google, but if you want an opinion from your family and friends, Facebook will give it to you in  real time.

According to a Mckinsey report, social media enables a consumer’s decision-making journey. It further states that monitoring what people say about your brand is important, as it is seen as a core function of social media, relevant across the entire consumer decision journey.

And speaking of buying cars, Nissan Motor Company came up with a social media campaign to engage younger Indian drivers for the launch of its “Micra.”

According to an article in the Economic Times, the Micra, which was positioned as a low-cost car for young Indians, saw sales of a little over 12,000 units in the nine months between July 2010 and March 2011.

And that’s when its Communication team thought that it needed to do something different to engage young Indians to buy their first car.

Like most of companies in India, Nissan signed a Bollywood celebrity (Ranbir Kapoor) as brand ambassador. However, to use a different celebrity approach in their communication and outreach efforts, they created a Facebook campaign to create “buzz.”

Entitled “Nissan Star of India,” the Facebook campaign started in September 2011. What made it different? To reel India’s star-crazy youth in, the company gave people a chance to act with Ranbir Kapoor in a commercial for Micra.

What did the contest entail?

People who visited Nissan’s Facebook page had to upload a video of themselves. After an initial lull, the buzz began when a teenager uploaded a candid dance video of hers.

This attracted a lot of traffic to Nisaan Micra’s Facebook page, and encouraged other young people to participate.

Over October and November 2011, Nissan selected the best videos and picked 20 winners. But that wasn’t all; around the same time, to create buzz about the winners and Micra launch, the company began on-the-ground activities across high street malls in nine cities.

According to the Economic Times article, through this online campaign, Nissan India received 538,712 likes on its Facebook page. A little over 7,400 people on the site were talking about it, and the final 4.5 minute video has been seen by 50,722 (and counting) people on YouTube.

And Nissan sold a little under 31,000 Micras since launch till end-March.

I thought this was a pretty innovative campaign… but what about you? What do you think about the company’s use of Facebook and YouTube? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment below.

When the Bull Barged in on a Lazy Tuesday Afternoon

It was a lazy Tuesday afternoon. 

Everyone was swamped with work, staring at their laptop screens, and all of a sudden I heard, “Do you want a can, Ma’am?”

Red Bull! It really #givesyouwings.

And that’s what it did to me the very moment I saw a Red Bull on my workstation. The cans opened, one by one, and the whole office was bursting with music and energy.

What a Tuesday it was! Without a doubt, Red Bull did a fantastic job of offline PR for its brand.

But while the Bull has managed to energize many with free flowing cans at various offices, it hasn’t managed to capture the same energy on social platforms.

Online and offline PR can (and should) go in sync and, for a particular campaign like this, engaging the audience through Twitter/Facebook/YouTube could have taken the campaign to a different level altogether.

In terms of integrated marketing communications (IMC),  I believe Red Bull is still applying an above the line (ATL) and below the line (BTL) approach for its communication strategy.

While direct marketing, PR, advertising, personal selling, and online processes are imperatives for any company to deliver its messages, it’s essential to deliver these messages in an integrated way.

A unified message has more impact than several disjointed ones.

In the digital age, companies need to showcase what a brand is doing for its audience. And this is where platforms like Twitter/Facebook/YouTube come into play.

For example, things that Red Bull could have done better:

• #givesyouwings is trending on Twitter and the company is doing a great job with it. However, pasting a sticker saying something like, “If it gives you wings, why not tweet about it… with #givesyouwings?” would have engaged people to share online what they were up to;

• Although Red Bull distributed a Red Bull shaped pamphlet with some facts about the drink, the audience could be even more energized and engaged if they had been asked to capture the energy around them through a video after the cans were distributed. These could then uploaded on YouTube, followed by sharing on Facebook and Twitter;

• To engage the audience further, Red Bull could have run a video contest. Those getting the maximum online views and “likes” could get a chance to work at the Red Bull HQ for a month!

• With just a few simple steps, the word could have reached a whole host of people sitting in different parts of the world.

I believe the Bull managed to lure a lot of people in. If the outreach efforts had been in sync just a little more (such as the ideas I suggested above), it would have been a fantastic online and offline PR campaign.

What do you think? Do you think more companies should be following IMC principles as they approach social media outreach, or not? Either way, I’d love to hear your opinion.

Flash Mobs Go Social in India

What the iPhone is to smart phones, flash mobs are to marketing.

As organizations all over the globe try to use smart moves to attract and retain customers, the recent and ongoing turbulence in the global economy has only intensified this need.

While a slew of such campaigns have taken place in India, one that caught the fancy of many is the recent flash mob organized by the IBM OnDemand Community.

If numbers could speak, 19,000 views (and counting) for this YouTube video (on YouTube) is pretty impressive. It is interesting to see how companies – both large and small – are taking the social route to engage audience.

Keeping the IBM flash mob in square focus, while IBM was one of the first technology firms to champion the idea in India, using social media (Twitter) has only helped to further the reach of this effort.

Here’s another example: a flash mob was organized “just for fun” towards the end of 2011, where nearly 200 people in Mumbai pulled off a four-minute jig at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (where the terror attacks of 2008 began).

And in New Delhi, around 50 Delhiites took the city by surprise with a similar tactic. While there were 200 people who participated, there were over 2,500 views online on YouTube.

Flash mobs have a way of engaging the audience. So CMOs globally (and in India) are taking flash mobs to social platforms to give them a new lease of life.

As you can see from these examples, the reach of such activities without the use of Twitter and YouTube would not be as high.

While the key is to use flash mobs to garner attention from the onlookers, social media helps to improve their repeat audience as well as capture fresh eyeballs for the gig.

Over and above that, 19,000 views (going back to the IBM video) also helps the CMO prove a great viral impact to its internal stakeholders – particularly when it only took 75 IBMers to make it happen!

While IBM India pulled together a great show, there were aspects of the event that deserved more attention, particularly on Twitter. While tweets by the IBM team reached a lot of folks on Twitter, the company did poorly when it came to the related hashtag (#IBMFlashMob) trending.

Given the number of employees IBM has in the country, it shouldn’t have been very challenging to bring them together and make the hashtag trend, so that it reached a larger number of Twitter users.

That said, IBM has been one of the tech giants to take a step forward and try to be different in its approach to reach out to the audience.

Do you think others are going to follow suit? Do share your thoughts in the comments.

Measurement In PR - Some Lessons Learnt From #measurePR

Few weeks back I joined a Bi-weekly chat on twitter about measuring PR (#measurePR) and I take this opportunity to thank @Shonali to introduce it to me. I’d also like to thank the few guests who I could connect with through this chat including @alanchumley, @kdpaine and @prtini who brought to the table few very interesting insights on measurement.

#measurePR helped me understand how important it is to measure your campaigns time-to-time. It also taught me the different ways to measure online/offline campaigns, the tools which can help an individual/company measure their activity in much better and quicker way.

While I understood that a sustainable practice to measure PR was the key to success, it was interesting to learn that successful measurement is about measuring the outcomes and not just the outputs. It doesn’t ends there. It is very important to analyze, implement and keep improving in order to achieve goals.

Through this chat I gathered that measurement is not just about collecting stacks of clips and showing it to the client. While the “n” number of clips might sound exciting to share with the client, but if at the end of the day, it doesn’t add value to the client’s business, it is a sheer waste. Hence, I reiterate the fact that measurement is not about stacks of clips.

Digital PR is a next step in the PR eco-system. Having said that, while the number of likes on facebook or followers on twitter is also taken as a means to measurement, at the same time it is also important to engage the target audience through such a platform to achieve better results.

These were few things I learnt through this chat and if you are reading this post, I shall see you at the next #measurePR chat on March 6^th , 2012; 10:30 PM IST!

Till then, stay tuned and share your thoughts below…

The Transformational Journey of Dell - from Hell-being to Well-being

It was back in June 2005, when Dell Inc. received some major complaints concerning its customer support services. Blogger Jeff Jarvis who coined his blog as “Dell Hell” posted a series of negative blogs about the Dell laptop he’d purchased. Within days, his post caught the attention of others who also had bad customer experience and “Dell Hell” began to catch the attention of the mainstream media. While Dell was surrounded in the negative limelight, it continued silence on the issue which resulted in Dell’s dipping sales and reputation.

Listen-engage-act is the mantra of success for companies/brands in the social media space. While Dell was late to realize the power of online communication, but today it has the most sought after social media communication strategy.

A year after the incident, Dell launched its own blog named Direct2Dell. It further expanded its blogging platform by including a blog for employees and investors. According to Dell, in 2006, at least 50% of Dell’s online conversation was negative. A year later, the negative online conversation was reduced to 23%. While Direct2Dell was one of the ways to engage customers in online conversation, Dell recently launched its own dedicated 'Social Media Listening Command Centre' in Texas head office, in order to track, monitor and respond to consumer conversation online including applications like Twitter and Facebook.

The company's command centre has multiple display screens and manned stations which track web mentions across the globe. It’s also remarkable to note that Dell launched SMAC University (Social Media and Community) to train its employees on various aspects of social media and since then it has trained 5000 staff.

Michael Dell, CEO, Dell Inc. said it right that “You want to have big ears and be tuned in to what’s going on out there in the marketplace.” It is fascinating to see that the top management in the organization is realizing the business value of social media and championing the initiative. Dell is an excellent example of how social media can be used by organizations to improve customer experience.

I believe the Social Media Listening Command Centre is an excellent way to listen, engage and act to the customers’ real time. All this totally shows that Dell has made a strong come-back in the online media and learnt from the mistake once made back in 2005! What do you think?