How Big Companies Use Social Media
New York City | April 29, 2009
Ed Nicholson
Tyson Foods
“How Tyson Foods Uses Social Media to Build
Community Around the Issue of Hunger”

How Tyson Foods Uses Social
Media to Build Community
Around the Issue of Hunger
Ed Nicholson, Director of Community Relations
http://twitter.com/TysonFoods
http://hungerrelief.tyson.com

Tyson Social Media Efforts
http://hungerrelief.tyson.com
http://twitter.com/TysonFoods
Hunger Relief Strategy
Goals:
Goals
•Humanize the brand
•Establish the company as a thought leader in the
Establish
cause of hunger
•Grow a community that will recognize our voice
g
as credible—and might defend us when we need it.
•Leverage our in-kind donations toward more than
publicity.
bli i

Tyson Social Media Efforts
Strategies:
•Engage our people in very productive and visible
ways 104K
•Makes them feel good about the company.
•Creates people dedicated to the cause.
• Is another step toward being more authentically
involved; humanizing the brand.

Tyson Social Media Efforts
Strategies:
•Utilize our communications resources to create
awareness and build community around the issue.
Social t
S i l networking tools are particularly effective
ki t l ti l l ff ti
toward this end.
•More than a “campaign” for us.
campaign us

Tyson Social Media Efforts
Strategies:
•Leverage donations to generate more awareness of
the issue of hunger and of people and orgs. Create
events that point to the need and recognize those who
are working to address it.
g

Tyson hunger relief strategy
•Began formally working in hunger relief in
2000.
•Prior to had donated food; also involved in
many other worthy philanthropic efforts.
orthy efforts
•Early approach was very focused; ego-
ce c; b
centric; brand protective.
p o ec e

Tyson hunger relief strategy—brand-centric early approach

Recent Approach---More collaborative, outwardly-focused

Http://HungerRelief.Tyson.com
Online in 2007
Goals—
• Tell stories of people working in hunger relief—
Ours and others’—Archive those stories.
• Expand awareness of and engagement in the
d f d i h
issue
• Help bring the existing community involved in
hunger relief online

Tyson Foods Social Media – Hunger All-Star

Tyson Foods Social Media – Hunger All-Star

Http://HungerRelief.Tyson.com – Live blogging

Engaging employees – RAGBRAI

Engaging the community –Share Our Strength Conference

Engaging the community –Share Our Strength Conference

Engaging the community –Guest posts

Tyson Foods Social Media – Flickr

Tyson Foods Social Media – YouTube Integration
http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/

Tyson Foods Social Media--Twitter
http://hungerrelief.tyson.com/

Tyson Foods Social Media—Comment for Food Efforts

Tyson Foods Social Media—Comment for Food Efforts

Measuring—Blog posts/reposts

Measuring—Blog posts/reposts

Measuring--Retweets

The tools will continue to evolve
Relationships and reputations
transcend and survive
t d d i
technology changes.
There’s continuity in community.

IMHO
There’s a reason they call it Social Media.
A lot of people with phenomenal mass
fp p p
marketing skills understand the media
part they
part—they just don t get the social part,
don’t
yet.

IMHO
• The rules are different—Can’t rely solely on traditional media
tactics for success in these channels.
• Good strategy is still essential. These media are just added
tools to the ones we ve been using for years.
we’ve years
• Social networking tools are generally not effective one-way
channels. They’re not good vehicles to push messages unless
the messages have great content.
• We have to be willing to listen. We need to be willing to listen
to things we might not like or agree with.
with

IMHO
• Agencies can’t develop credibility in the space for us. We
have to be part of the process when it happens.
• What they can do:
y
– Help create strategy.
– Help create content.
– Walk alongside as participants in the conversation. Use their
credibility t support.
dibilit to t
• If key agency people are not participating as thought leaders
in the space, should they be advising you? They need street
cred themselves
themselves.
• Takes time to build credibility and community. Can’t buy your
way in.
• Y can’t “control th message” (
You ’t “ t l the g ” (you never really could). B t
ll ld) But
you can influence it.
– You can control what you say.
– Saying nothing speaks pretty loudly sometimes.
sometimes

Questions? Complaints?
Suggestions?
http://twitter.com/TysonFoods
http://twitter.com/ederdn
ed.nicholson@tyson.com

How Big Companies Use Social Media
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