In an attempt to draw users back in, Myspace has begun revamping their site for a comeback. As more and more users shift over to social network applications like Facebook and Twitter, the former leader Myspace has been surpassed while quickly losing market share. With their lack of growth compared to the enormous rise in Facebook users and Twitter boom, Myspace isn’t the juggernaut it used to be. For years they were the undisputed king of social networking but they got complacent and failed to innovate, this presented an opening to Facebook and now they dominate the medium with over four times as many members. While Facebook has taken over, Myspace has remained profitable bringing in about $350million a year mainly from advertising, but this too could change very soon. They have a shared advertising revenue deal with Google currently that has been keeping the company profitable but with the recently announced Google Buzz social networking platform it is unclear if they will renew their deal. Between these problems and a recent management shakeup, Myspace has a lot of work ahead to accomplish their goal, but their strategy seems solid.
Instead of looking at Facebook and Twitter as competitors, Myspace is now changing their strategy and looking towards these once rivals and potential partners for distribution and synchronization. They have already synced services with Twitter so tweets or status updates on one service are automatically posted to the other.
They are also shifting their target market and content strategies. They will now appeal to a younger crowd focusing on music, movies, and games by using the service to discover new music, view movie trailers, and play games in a social environment. Instead of being a “place for friends” their new mantra will be “Discover and be Discovered” moving further away from social and focusing more on the media aspect. This rebranding will include simple, clean pages to avoid the unappealing cluttered pages that have become expected with the original design. They are investing a lot in their gaming channel by working with social-gaming firm Playdom. They have also teamed with Microsoft to improve their mobile web services and revamp its look. Lastly, they are keeping music a main focus.
Myspace Music has been an extremely useful and popular medium for bands to increase exposure and connect with fans. While Myspace’s user base is down compared to Facebook, their music channel is still considered quite successful. If they can continue their success of this channel while improving their video and game channels, it could prove successful.
Many argue that Myspace is already done and their failure to innovate along with other social networking sites has already sealed their fate. With social networking dominated by Facebook, Google’s new social network, and Apple trying to take over distribution of digital media there may not be room Myspace. But with their new strategy to reinvigorate the brand and network, their resources backed by their parent company News Corp, and their still popular Myspace Music channel I believe there still is a chance for them to find their niche and survive, it just won’t be focused on networking with friends. It will be very interesting over the following months to see how they choose to re-brand and if their strategies will work.
I know the technology in the above example isn’t directly applied to advertising (yet), but I think it serves as a great example of how constant innovation is necessary for any industry.
Film has been rapidly evolving with new technologies and techniques like digital video, high definition, IMAX, and 3D to make the viewer’s experience as realistic as possible and engage them to connect with the content. This movie has taken innovation a step further by breaking the “fourth wall” and engaging the viewers directly. As the hype for this movie builds it will be interesting to see its effect on future films. This new technology could potentially change the landscape of movies and how they are experienced in the theater much like emerging 3D technology has with movies like Up and Avatar. Now audiences expect to be engaged and the only way to deliver is through innovation to stay ahead of expectations.
Although they are different industries, this example of evolving technologies and increased interaction parallel the changes in the advertising industry over the past decade. Brands that have embraced innovation and engaged consumers through channels like social media have thrived while late adopters are struggling to catch up. As social media marketing continues to grow and we discover new ways to effectively track returns it has become a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy. As companies like Google reinvent the way data is collected and shared it will open up exciting new frontiers in marketing that simply must be embraced. This is why constant innovation is so important for industry growth and must be embraced for survival.
Chado Advertising & Design is proud to announce we will be volunteering our services to revamp the website for OAME, Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs. OAME was established in 1987 to stimulate community and economic development in Oregon. OAME provides assistance, services, and resources to minority entrepreneurs helping to build successful businesses. Their mission is directed toward eliminating discrimination and racism. This organization does a lot to support new businesses and foster growth so members can realize their fullest potential and their local businesses can flourish.
Chado will develop and execute a comprehensive web marketing plan that will increase OAME’s online presences resulting in increased traffic, awareness, and networking capabilities of OAME. This new site and digital marketing campaign will also help appeal to a younger generation of entrepreneurs who could greatly benefit from OAME’s resources and services. This overhaul on their current website will include a new modern design layout, improved navigation, and integrated new media and social networking capabilities. The new site will continue to uphold OAME’s brand and values but with a more streamlined layout and aesthetically pleasing design. Along with the retooling of the main website, Chado is also developing a social networking system for OAME members called OAME Tube. This will be a fully functioning social networking platform where members can make their own pages and connect with each other by sharing images, video, blog posts, and discussions. This can improve communication and networking among members of the organization to help build a stronger community of members while reinforcing the great support system that OAME has built. Chado is very excited to do pro bono work and give back to this amazing organization.
The Vitamin Water brand continues to amaze me; not only do they have a wide range of flavors that are all very good, they also have some of the funniest and clever marketing campaigns in the beverage industry that have been remarkably successful. Since partnering with rapper 50 Cent back in 2004, the company has been using a mix of celebrity endorsements, intelligent social media marketing, and entertaining advertisements to reach new customers and build a very strong brand. In 2007, Coca Cola bought the company for $4.1 billion and has increased its availability world wide allowing it to quickly take market share from soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and juice drinks alike. They have launched hilarious ads featuring the NBA star and self-proclaimed “Canadian Celebrity” Steve Nash that are truly the funniest ads on TV right now. Their newest ads featuring Nash spoof the successful Dos Equis “most interesting man in the world” ads with Nash as “the most ridiculous man in the world”. Previous ads featuring Nash have spoofed infomercials where he portrays a Billy Mays type of spokesperson praising Vitamin Water with a priceless cameo by 50 Cent. They have also just wrapped a successful social media campaign on Facebook that culminates with the launch of a customer-created flavor available next month. Their latest ad, celebrating the Winter Olympics, transforms bus stops in downtown Vancouver BC into a ski lift with Vitamin Water signage. Taking bus stop ads, which seem to be a dated medium that hasn’t experienced much change or innovation and turning them into a spot for photo opportunities centered around the Vitamin Water brand is a great idea. With Olympic fever and increased tourism pouring into Vancouver these ads are sure to receive a lot of attention. As they continue their media blitz with effective inspired ads across a range of different mediums, Vitamin Water is definitely a company to watch.
To promote their newest product Trident Layers, Trident Gum has integrated fan twitter feedback into their print campaign. This unconventional strategy has successfully merged two very different mediums to effectively carry their message. The full-page color ads with the headline “The People Have Tweeted” displays multiple tweets from users that have used Twitter to share their enthusiasm for Trident’s newest product. Trident found the tweets while using Twitter Search to monitor what people were tweeting about the new product. Recently released it is unknown whether or not this new ad will influence readers more than regular print advertisements but it is an interesting tactic using testimonials from real customers using the popular social networking site.
As brands continue to try to find new ways to connect with customers and shape their product to appeal to them, Pepsi decided to have their customers do all the work with their newest Mountain Dew social media campaign “Dewmocracy 2.0”. Brands like HP and Vitamin Water have already called upon their consumers for branding materials. After all, consumers should know themselves better than anyone. Last year Mt. Dew launched a similar campaign where they allowed consumers to vote for the next Mt. Dew flavor and name, but has taken this branding practice to a whole new level this year. They are now letting their consumers invent and name three new flavors, design the package, AND create commercials. They launched a new website 12seconds.tv where Dew enthusiasts can submit their own commercials and vote for their favorites. Brands have resorted to similar tactics putting brand choices in the hands of the customer but never to this extent. This campaign gives the consumer more control and interaction with their favorite brand. Going beyond simply consulting consumers for ideas they are making them an integral part of creating a new product and marketing it utilizing different social web applications like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. They expect that this will help foster a strong relationship between the brand and the customer because they are now able to have the feeling of owning and being part of the product like never before and brand loyalists are now empowered to be a part of the brand. Only time will tell how effective this new campaign will be but with the brands existing loyal fan base and cross platform social marketing strategy it looks very promising. It will be interesting to see how other brands follow suit utilizing social media to empower their customers to become part of the brand.
Now that social media networks like Facebook have become a commonplace occurrence in our society and literally “everyone and their mother” has a profile, its no wonder that most major brands now utilize it to maintain an online presence and communicate their brand messages. Although there are hundreds of brands using Facebook, only a few have been able to utilize it to its fullest potential. IKEA is one of those brands.
Their campaign to promote the opening of its newest store in Mälmo has been wildly successful. It has been described as brilliant, smart yet simple, genius, and innovative. With a very small budget, Swedish agency Forsman & Bodenfors managed to start a Facebook campaign that was able to grow organically and transcend international boundaries on its own. By creating a basic profile for the store manager of the new store they uploaded images of IKEA showrooms from the new store to his photo albums over the course of two weeks. Those who became “friends” with Gustavsson were encouraged to tag themselves in the photos over products in the showroom images for a chance of winning that particular object. As word spread across Facebook and more people tagged the photo, the showroom images where subsequently shared on all their profiles, links, and newsfeeds with millions of people in Sweden, throughout Europe, and across the planet. Instead of simply placing a banner ad on various websites hoping for a connection, IKEA got people to personally promote IKEA on the biggest social networking platform around. Word of mouth advertising is considered the most effective and sharing on Facebook is the equivalent of word of mouth these days.
The newly redesigned website for Chado Advertising & Design has officially launched. This new site has been redesigned to have a new look similar to this blog, a flash slideshow showcasing recent work, and has additional content added. There are also links to all of Chado’s social media pages, more detailed case studies, team bios, and an added link to XCD, our cross cultural design social network. This new website is easier to navigate and has a new look more consistent with Chado Advertising & Design. Check it out at www.chado-design.com!
Advertising Age recently posted an interesting case study in their About Digital video series about Vail Resorts and their recent shift this season to social media advertising. The video explains how they are abandoning their traditional marketing strategies and opting for new media solution. Specifically, the long lead times associated with the print advertisements they have always relied on as a primary source for advertising is not as effective because their message can change with the weather and social media is the best medium to deliver their message at the right time. They are also posting videos as the season begins, that they refer to as “ski porn” to get consumers excited about the upcoming season and get people talking and planning their winter adventures. The shift to social media has also taken some strain off their advertising budget that primarily is spent before the season even starts. I think this is a great strategy; it allows the resort to connect with customers on a more intimate level and it saves them money that will hopefully alleviate the rising costs of lift tickets. Other resorts have resorted (terrible pun) to social media in their marketing strategies. For example,Mt. Hood Meadows has a twitter account where they can announce specials, weather alerts, new websites, and other items of interest. I know they get cell reception at Meadows so I would love to see an app that reports on snow conditions, trail reports, and the size of lift lines so riders can get more runs out of the day. In OctoberMountain High Resortannounced that they would be the first resort to launch an app that gives weather conditions and ticket information and I would expect to see other resorts following suit. As more and more businesses find new ways to use social media for its advertising potential it is very exciting to see where this new medium will take us.
Chado Advertising & Design just launched a new social networking forum called XCD: Cross Cultural Design where users can come together to share ideas, innovations, experiences, and work in the field of creative communication design, specifically dealing with cross cultural communication where design transcends socio-cultural boundaries for international marketing. Users sign up to enter the new web community where they can upload pictures, videos, and articles to share their work and experiences with design enthusiasts, students, and other creatives. Users can also form groups, post events, and discuss topics in the forum. There will also be short webisodes produced by Chado Advertising & Design called Black&White Discussions where enthusiasts and experts in different fields will come together to discuss current advertising and design topics, trends, and their predictions for the future of this exciting field.
