The importance of being social

Dublin, Ireland. Two signs. To campaigns. One common denominator: sweaty palms.

Let me explain (and I’ll skip the critique re. the imagery typology of  humans holding hands).

The Rise Foundation is ‘dedicated to assisting families to understand the nature of addiction and the profound effects it has on relationships’. They had this ‘’Rise Week’’ thing in April, and the sign I photographed on the streets of Dublin relates to their week of awareness, fundraising and help. I know little about them but I am sure they do good work, much needed work. So have a look at their website and contribute if you can and want.

Anyway, back to their sign. I went out on Easter Monday (as I have mentioned in a previous post) to find signs of social media within street advertising. I was walking on the Luas line, from Heuston Station into City Centre, passing dozens of posters that advertised events: concerts, theatre plays, new releases and whatever else. I can say that about 15% of them had social media anythings on them.

So Rise caught my eye, with their Facebook and YouTube icons that signalled their presence on those two online mediums. So I went to their website, to see what they are doing... and they are smart enough about it. They can do better, but then again, can’t we all? So, good for you, Rise.

Why ‘’good for you, Rise’’? Is it really that important to be on Facebook and Twitter and all these networking sites where all these eejits are posting their entire lives onto? I am afraid so. More so in a case like this one, where you have a charity that works with people, for people. You have to be where people are. You have to be on their familiar ground. It's simple. So good for you, Rise!

On the other hand, tut tut tut Dublin.Ie. Have a look at their content rich website that has tones of relevant info... but lack any ties to social media. I poked around the website for about 2 minutes, thats all the patience I had, but thats a lot more than the 8 seconds one usually needs online to decide if they are staying or leaving a webpage. I cant see any social media, anywhere. What is that all about? They have a blog al right...  and forums.

I’ll tell you something else they have: a million things to share, useful things... but they are not making use of the free tools that are out there.

So their sign about Social Inclusion Week does not include any social media. Wake up and smell the crowds, Dublin.Ie. Being social no longer necessarily means holding onto someone’s sweaty palm. It can also mean hitting the Like, Share, Follow or Send button.

Seriously.

Toilet paper, tampons and... mouths

Yes, I did watch the wedding. 15 to 20 minutes of it, on and off. I mean, do you need to see more? In come the cars, off they go into the church, they stand, they kneel... and I stopped watching then. I trust I missed nothing. I mean... what I think happened next was that they eventually stood up again and left. So unless everybody inside the church broke into song and dance... I think I’m safe to say, yes, I saw the wedding.

But I digress.

Ever heard of SCA? What about ZEWA toilet paper?

The Group (SCA) develops, produces and markets personal care products, tissue, packaging, publication papers and solid-wood products, and has sales in more than 100 countries. In 2010, SCA had annual sales of SEK 107bn and about 45,000 employees. They are Swedish. Apparently one of the most ethical corporate entities out there, but that’s what their website states so let’s keep our brows raised and pants on.

Early this year, SCA, like any other company, had their annual kick off conference where they  presented to their employees the company's marketing strategy for 2011. I got some insight into that through ways that I’d rather not mention but yes, their main focus this year is: word of mouth. And how are they going about talking about toilet paper and diapers or feminine care? Through social media, of course. That is their main focus for 2011. And it shows. They are on Facebook, they are on Twitter, they are on LinkedIn, Flickr, on YouTube, you can download their stuff off SlideShare or Sribd, they have podcats and whatever else. They engage the audience, they have a very localised strategy... and it probably pays off (I will be interested in having a look at their yearend figures).

So if a colossus that hires 45 000 people is engaging in social media and recognises its relevance... why aren’t others more clued in?

P.S.: I just checked, ‘’SCA reported a 6% increase in sales for Q1 2011 as we've seen stable demand in mature markets with good growth in emerging markets’’.

Mr. Tayto be more sociable please

I grabbed my camera on Easter Monday and decided to go out on a hunt, looking for signs of social media in Dublin City Centre street advertising.  Some of the things that I have stumbled upon are found below.

What is missing?

Have a close look at Tayto’s billboard.  What is missing?

First of all, a few words about Tayto. They are a major Irish crisps and popcorn manufacturer. I bet you didn’t know that they have actually invented the first cheese and onion crisps, they also came up with the process of seasoned potato chip/crisps.

Tayto have used their marketing tactics very well, they are rather guerrilla, if you think of some of the stuff they have done – I will only mention The Man Inside the Jacket, a fictional autobiography of Mr Tayto.

Tayto also own an adventure park. Located in South County Meath, Tayto Park  is a pretty interesting hangout: Teahouse in the Tree House,  The Potatohontus (lol, you got to love silliness and learning, combined) Native American Village, Tayto Plains, Mr. Tayto Critter Country, Pet-Tayto Corne and Buffalo Ridge.

After seeing no signs of social media on their outdoor (conveniently located close to the Zoo – they get points for targeting), I had a look at their website, curious about... if and how they are using social media marketing.  They make use of Facebooks Share tool, they have a YouTube channel and they post their pics onto Flickr.

What would I do?

See... when it comes to existing on the web, owning a www is simply not enough. I want to blog about this topic a bit more so I wont get into too much detail... but simply put:  only using your website as contact info on whatever you put your brand on is like claiming to be a fashionista but not bothering to wear accessories. Something is missing, you end up confusing, creating doubt and you are just... not good enough. Not whole enough.  (note to self: what is the world coming to when you are less of what you are if you are not on Facebook *laughs*).

So what would I do?

When it comes to their outdoor, I wouldn’t dream of excluding the social media that they use as part of their marketing suite. Slap a paint of Facebook onto that blue and green background. I know you can do it.

When it comes to their website, I’d make better use of Facebooks webmaster tools.  But thats another story, I don’t want to get into that now.

Excluding social media tools when advertising for a place where one goes to be social is just not smart.

Moving on... I find this at a Luas stop: Knorr playing with social media call to actions... offline.

One question comes to mind now that I have mentioned the lack of wholeness (is that a word?) when it comes to using only www as part of your online contact info. Can you use Facebook as your only contact info?

I think you can.

The online evolves, different environments emerge and enter our culture and some have their coolness and freshness, enabling them to stand on their own feet, independently. So you can not present a fashion show and wear no accessories and have bad hair, but you can claim to be a fashionista by wearing that one thing that is popular, makes you look cool and brands you as belonging to a certain hip something.

So Facebook can work alone. And it might just work... standing around, waiting for the Luas.. .What else would one do if not going online on their smart phone and checking out soup on Facebook. Maybe.

Unilever should pay more attention to social media. Knorr Quick Soups allow their blogs to be shared, they have some tiny widgets at the bottom of their blog content pages but thats pretty much it. Why not allow users to Like your soups? Why not allow them to Like recipes, Send recipes (Facebook launched a new button, a Send button just a couple of days ago actually)... Anyway... I'll come back to this in a while and I'll let you in a little secret about toilet paper. Mhm.