American Rock Band Use Social Media To Provide Something For Everybody


The American rock band Devo have never been noted for their conformity. Their art-punk sound was progressive (including use of the sound of a toaster), their visuals highly stylised and their costumes (most notably what look like upturned flowerpots, known as Space Domes, worn as hats) bizarre. All of which secured the band a cult status. The release of their new album on June 15th sees Devo dipping their feet into social media, in typically artful style.

Devo Singer In Trademark Space Dome

Devo Singer In Trademark 'Space Dome'

The appropriately named album, Something For Everybody, has been promoted and even produced using the opinion of fans. In a send-up of marketing research focus groups, the first venture into social media for the band was in choosing a new colour for their Space Domes. After this came the promotional push for the album. The band recorded 16 songs for inclusion on the album and then asked fans to sample the songs online before voting for their favourites, which would then be whittled down to 12 to create the album’s final tracklisting (watch the brilliant video of Devo Inc. announcing the tracklisting).

Whilst a fairly simple idea, their methods have numerous advantages for the band:

The data collected from their fans can be analysed and used to know more about their fanbase for future marketing purposes.

The fact that the album’s tracklisting is devised in a purely democratic way means that the most popular songs only will be included, which means that that album will appeal to the maximum number of people, driving highest possible sales.

By involving fans so directly in the production of the album, it gives each fan a vested interest in the album itself. Their part in actually making the album is far more likely to mean that they’ll eventually buy the album.

By adopting this groundbreaking strategy, the band have ensured a greater level of press coverage for the album than could be expected for a band of their stature.

The use of Facebook and Twitter in the process (once you’ve discovered your ‘Devo colour’ or chosen your favourite tracks, you’re given the option to automatically Tweet it and/or update your Facebook status with the details) means that word spreads through social media even more so.

The band’s label, Warner Brothers, reported a massive increase in traffic to their website after they launched these initiatives. That Devo have created highly engaging content that has been produced in a humorous style which perfectly matches their band image has meant that the band have hit upon a perfect strategy to get the most from their product. The band may well remain firmly rooted within the ‘cult’ band arena, but their continuing progressive approach to promoting themselves looks likely to ensure that Something For Everyone reaches the maximum audience.

About the Author

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett is a Social Media Analyst for Social Media Library, responsible for developing the content within Social Media Library. Paul lives in a world of blogs, blogs and more blogs, scouring the web and plucking out the juiciest information he finds. Previous to this, he worked as a Music Press Officer. He is also a freelance writer, an organiser of Scrabble Sunday and blogs about stuff that he does here.


Paul Barnett, Social Media Case Study


How Brands Can Find Their Way Into To The Mummysphere.


Unless you’ve been working under a rock for the last four years, you’d know what a mummy blogger is. And you would know how important they can prove to be for your PR campaigns (unless you work for Caterpillar, Burton or Carling). No two mummies are the same, so understanding what makes that mummy ticks helps. But overall, apply a certain etiquette and you will be successful. You just need to keep your ears open, come clean and participate in the conversation. Pretending you do (ie, saying you love a blog without having read it ) won’t get you very far.

Cyber Mummy

CyberMummy

To connect with this blog arena, you can also do worse than looking at Cybermummy. The mumsphere will be paralysed on the 3rd of July when bloggers and companies meet to talk about…stuff (blogging, bad PRs, good PRs, SEO, being a mummy, being a blogger, etc). Only bloggers with a £100 ticket can attend but companies can look at various ways of participating in the conversation. One very advisable and cost effective way of doing this would be to sponsor a mummy to be your representative (see FAQ). You just need to pay for their ticket and expenses and they could help you out with insights and by promoting your brand. In that case, just ensure you find a blogger that actually likes your brand, because they won’t be talking up your brand when you’re not around if that is the case!

There are many other sponsor opportunities available, so just send an email to sian@cybermummy.com or reach her on 07894 575 070.

About The Author

Xavi Izaguirre

Xavi Izaguirre

Xavier Izaguirre joined Social Media Library in November 2009 working as part of the Research Team. Prior to joining Social Media Library, Xavier completed a Masters Degree in Marketing and Communications at Westminster University, London. An active user of Social Media platforms, Xavier is very passionate about new trends in communication and Social Media Marketing contributing towards a number of online campaigns within the Educational Sector.

Follow Xavier on Twitter at @Xavi_izaguirre


Social Media Tips and Tricks, Xavi Izaguirre


Consumer Choice And The Power Of Numbers


That there is power in numbers is not in dispute – the way that large organisations like Facebook and Google collect data on where people go and what people like is testament to that. Pownum is the latest website to attempt to harness individual opinion to help consumers and organisations. The website works by inviting users to rate organisations between 0 and 10, based on their experiences of them, as well as allowing a short space for explanation of their decision. Eventually an organisation is given a total score from the average of the total rankings which users can then consult before making a consumer choice and which organisations can react to, if needed.

Pownum

Pownum

From Passive To Active

A site like Pownum is a great advert for the benefits of social media. It proves that a consumer’s opinion has gone from passive to active. Your opinion now counts towards something that can affect the choices of other consumers worldwide and the actual behaviour of the organisations themselves.

Opinion: Reaction

For organisations, this kind of tool can only be seen as an opportunity to gauge public opinion of your workings and to do something about it. Organisations already spend vast sums of money trying to do this so Pownum can give an easy, uncomplicated indication of their standing.

Making The Right Decision

For the consumer, Pownum hopes to help decide which organisation they should choose. By aggregating a large number of opinions, the argument for Pownum is that eventually each organisation will receive a ‘true’ rating and that the cream will rise to the top.

Too Simple?

But, is the simplicity of Pownum actually self defeating? Each user has different needs, different personalities, different likes and dislikes and will have a vastly different experience of an organisation depending on these factors. So, is reducing that experience to a number out of 10 ever actually going to be useful?

Too Much Noise?

The other possible downside of a site like this could be the sheer number of opinions that it generates. As someone looking to make an informed decision, the range of opinions on offer could do more to confuse your decision-making process than improve it.

These kind of sites can undoubtedly be useful tools. My personal experience using a similar site (Trip Advisor, which works in the same way but specifically for hotels, b&bs, things to do and restaurants) resulted in a good experience. But the process of cutting through the noise, finding the right opinions and seeking out the exact type of service provider I required was a lengthy and sometimes frustrating one. Pownum, non-specific as it is, is more likely to succeed if it pitches itself as more of a general corporate indicator for consumers and organisations, rather than a site for consumers to make purchasing decisions and organisations to make actual changes to their behaviour.

About the Author

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett is a Social Media Analyst for Social Media Library, responsible for developing the content within Social Media Library. Paul lives in a world of blogs, blogs and more blogs, scouring the web and plucking out the juiciest information he finds. Previous to this, he worked as a Music Press Officer. He is also a freelance writer, an organiser of Scrabble Sunday and blogs about stuff that he does here.


Paul Barnett, Social Media News


The Perfect Fit…How Brands And Bloggers Can Get Along Just Fine.


There’s been a lot of talk recently about bloggers receiving freebies from brands and PRs and the ethics of it. Most of that talk focussed around so-called ‘mummy bloggers’, those bloggers who share their parenting and family stories on a quest to help each other on a variety of issues. A recent campaign by Reebok, to promote their Easytone trainers (which can apparently tone your bum and thighs whilst you walk), provides a good example of how this relationship between brand and blogger can be a success – for all concerned.

In addition to a TV advert, which this blog termed ‘asstounding’, and an earlier ad campaign that featured Helena Christensen wearing the trainers (and nothing but the trainers), Reebok approached a select group of UK mummy bloggers, inviting them to a an event in London to take part in a trial for the trainers. At the event, the bloggers were briefed about the trainers so they knew how they worked and what they could expect from wearing them. Then, questions were answered by a fitness expert, Reebok’s Marketing Manager and more from their PR team. As Jenny from The Style PA said:

“The whole Reebok team were lovely and really helpful and knowledgeable about the product.”

The bloggers were then given a pair of trainers and a goody bag to take away with them. After this, they were invited to join the Reetalk: Toning community to share their experiences with the trainers. Which, of course they did. Some bloggers reported at great length, others weren’t so sure of the offer at first but eventually capitulated and others ran competitions without mention of any approach from Reebok.

This campaign tells us a lot about the ways in which brands should be working with bloggers and the way in which bloggers work with their audiences. Brands should take an open-minded approach to blogger relations, realising that in any given sector a range of standpoints will exist regarding PR approaches like this. They should expect a different range of responses from acquiescence to suspicion to enthusiasm and all points in between. Reebok’s approach in being open, honest, helpful and likeable wins favours and if not, it doesn’t create animosity. The way in which the Reebok campaign was reported by the above bloggers also shows that in these more transparent times, audiences understand how PR works and interacts with media. Some bloggers are happy to detail their experiences, others actually write about the PR process itself in an honest, often bordering on critical way and others don’t mention it all, acting in a more closed, old-style media way. Each way works for each blogger, depending on the style of their blog and the relationship they have with their audience.

The key here seems to be open-ness and honesty. Reebok have acted with this approach and the bloggers have too and that proves a successful campaign for the brand and gives good, readable content for audiences. Whether those trainers can actually give you a workout though, I’m not so sure!
About the Author

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett is a Social Media Analyst for Social Media Library, responsible for developing the content within Social Media Library. Paul lives in a world of blogs, blogs and more blogs, scouring the web and plucking out the juiciest information he finds. Previous to this, he worked as a Music Press Officer. He is also a freelance writer, an organiser of Scrabble Sunday and blogs about stuff that he does here.


Paul Barnett, Social Media Case Study


Can “the most unfunny children’s comedy this year” Use Social Media To Combat Bad Reviews?


A host of unfavourable reviews have greeted this week”s UK release of the film Furry Vengeance. The story pitches a group of woodland animals against a company of real estate developers, looking to build on their land, presumably with hilarious consequences. Whatever the content of the film, its marketing is notable for a heavy reliance on social media.

Billboard posters for the film invite you to upload a video of your talented pet, which no doubt draws significant traffic to the film’s website. There you’ll find fun games, film clips, photo galleries, quizzes and educational information. These are clearly aimed at children, but the real draw comes when you click the link titled ‘Talented Pets‘. In this section of the site is a competition to win an HD pocket video camera. Entrants upload pictures of their pets and their ‘talents’, which are then shown and rated by other users on the website.

Furry Vengeance Promo Poster

Furry Vengeance Promo Poster

Through their use of social media, the film’s marketers have not only provided good, sticky content for kids but have also provided all animal lovers with a way to interact with their product. By tapping into our love of animals (and let’s face it, the internet is pretty much full to bursting with videos of animals doing funny things), and combining it with ways to get involved yourself, Furry Vengeance is sure to attract attention. Whether this tactic can overcome the poor reviews though, remains to be seen.

About the Author

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett

Paul Barnett is a Social Media Analyst for Social Media Library, responsible for developing the content within Social Media Library. Paul lives in a world of blogs, blogs and more blogs, scouring the web and plucking out the juiciest information he finds. Previous to this, he worked as a Music Press Officer. He is also a freelance writer, an organiser of Scrabble Sunday and blogs about stuff that he does here.


Paul Barnett, Social Media Case Study


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