Sharpie & Social Media November 2008 – April 2009 Susan Wassel [email_address]

Sharpie Situation SHOW INSPIRING NEW WAYS TO USE SHARPIE MARKERS INCREASE PORTFOLIO RELEVANCE Showcase breadth of existing portfolio Introduce new products

What We Did The Social Media Landscape You Tube ranked #2 search engine (Google #1) 30 mm photos uploaded on Facebook daily 640% Twitter growth since November 2007 4 out of 5 bloggers post product reviews Three in four US online adults now use social tools to connect with each other compared with just 56% in 2007 500 fastest growing companies in the US were all reported to have presence in online social sites in 2008 Leverage power of social media to showcase new and existing Sharpie products

The Social Media Landscape

You Tube ranked #2 search engine (Google #1)

30 mm photos uploaded on Facebook daily

640% Twitter growth since November 2007

4 out of 5 bloggers post product reviews

Three in four US online adults now use social tools to

connect with each other compared with just 56% in 2007

500 fastest growing companies in the US were all reported

to have presence in online social sites in 2008

Target: Bold Impression Makers

How did we get there? Social Media

How did we get there?

Sharpie and Social Media 2008 October 2008: Sharpie and Social Media …

2008

… and now!

Social Media – Rules of Engagement Listen to the conversation online Engage with consumers and online influencers Participate in the conversation already taking place

Listen to the conversation online

Engage with consumers and online influencers

Participate in the conversation already taking place

Listening: “Research” Informally identified Sharpie groups on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr Did not do any “conversation mining” to determine what was being said about Sharpie online. Believed most/all was positive Conclusion: Sharpie is being talked about – let’s join the conversation

Engage: The Sharpie Blog

Sharpie Blog http://blog.sharpie.com The Plan Showcase content from real users to inspire and encourage use Build community of Sharpie users, advocates Give Sharpie brand a “human” voice Celebrate Sharpie fanatics Who are they: Passionate “über users” How they use Sharpie and what they have to say about the product is inspiring

The Plan

Showcase content from real users to inspire and encourage use

Build community of Sharpie users, advocates

Give Sharpie brand a “human” voice

Celebrate Sharpie fanatics

Who are they:

Passionate “über users”

How they use Sharpie

and what they have

to say about the

product is inspiring

Participate

@sharpiesusan on Twitter

What We Accomplished

Blog Visits TOTAL: 60,169 Week 3: 66 Week 4: 361 Week 5: 959 Week 6: 507 Week 7: 913 Week 8: 2,967 Week 9: 1,161 Week 10: 1,774 Week 11: 916 Week 12: 1,172 Week 13: 1,199 Week 14: 1,173 Week 15: 2,480 Week 16: 2,519 Week 17: 2,545 Week 18: 2,562 Week 19: 5,516 MONTHLY BLOG VISITS: Nov 08 – March 09 COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT DRIVES TRAFFIC BUT CONTENT IS KING Oscars Email Blast Obama Address: Sharpie Pocket 9,313 views 2,913 views

Google Friends Currently no rewards 90 Google Friends

Twitter Followers

Zappos CEO – one of the most talked about and followed Twitterers – 130,000 followers zappos i was just admiring the stainless steel sharpie the other day, someone sent me a pic of it :) 6:06 PM Feb 18th Highly Engaged Tweeters

Dominos Pizza DPZRAMON @ sharpiesusan http://www.vimeo.com/2895941 WWE Wrestling autograph session done w/sharpies,event I sponsored in Chgo 1.19.09 Highly Engaged

Apple Computer Trainer mike_miley @ sharpiesusan thanks for the Sharpie Pen which is key to my current training. http://twitpic.com/1jy5r 9:23 AM Feb 18th from Tweetie in reply to sharpiesusan Highly Engaged

Fed Ex Trucker roogie @ sharpiesusan Here is how we use Sharpies at a large Freight company, to ID the direction of trailer leg cranks! http://twitpic.com/1lhqb Highly Engaged

@sharpiesusan thanks for the study tools! http://twitpic.com/1l67h Highly Engaged Student

@sharpiesusan thanks for the study tools! http://twitpic.com/1l67h

Highly Engaged Celebrities ; ) Janefonda Please reach out to @ keyinfluencer . That would be great. I appreciate you sending me tweet8:11 PM Mar 3rd

Janefonda Please reach out to @ keyinfluencer . That would be great. I appreciate you sending me tweet8:11 PM Mar 3rd

Participation alone can drive buzz Sharpie and Social Media Make News

Participation alone

can drive buzz

What We Accomplished 60,000 blog visits since October 2008 1,600 Twitter followers 90 Google Friends 40,000 You Tube Visits (Becks video) Traditional Media Impressions > 1mm ALL WITHOUT Traditional communications support Budget!

60,000 blog visits since October 2008

1,600 Twitter followers

90 Google Friends

40,000 You Tube Visits (Becks video)

Traditional Media Impressions > 1mm

ALL WITHOUT

Traditional communications support

Budget!

What We Learned Social media lets you talk direct to consumer with product news The more you can talk, the more consumers you can engage Soft sell Social media builds relationships – loyalty, advocacy, ambassadors, friends Supports Sharpie biz objective: Expose people to the full breadth of Sharpie’s portfolio Share creative ways to use the product Have fun, be real while doing it

Social media lets you talk direct to consumer with product news

The more you can talk, the more consumers you can engage

Soft sell

Social media builds relationships – loyalty, advocacy, ambassadors, friends

Supports Sharpie biz objective:

Expose people to the full breadth of Sharpie’s portfolio

Share creative ways to use the product

Have fun, be real while doing it

Need to Better Define, Understand Measurement and Business Impact

Applying the Learning Social media is an opportunity that can be leveraged by many of our brands: EXPO, Prismacolor, Paper Mate, for starters Education is key: Educate and empower other brands to engage in social media Brand passion is key Minimal hard cost investment / intensive human resource Human resource: avg. 10 hrs/week – plus OT! Opportunity to engage consumers and build loyalty over time Long-term proposition – SM not going away Pave path for receptivity to any branded message

Social media is an opportunity that can be leveraged by many of our brands:

EXPO, Prismacolor, Paper Mate, for starters

Education is key:

Educate and empower other brands to engage in social media

Brand passion is key

Minimal hard cost investment / intensive human resource

Human resource: avg. 10 hrs/week – plus OT!

Opportunity to engage consumers and build loyalty over time

Long-term proposition – SM not going away

Pave path for receptivity to any branded message

Social Media is Global – Sharpie is Global Social media will play a large part in our brand building efforts globally Asia Pacific will account for 35% of global social networking users by the end of this year, followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa with 28%, North America 25%, and the Caribbean and Latin America 12%. Need to understand and activate now in key regions

Social media will play a large part in our brand building efforts globally

Asia Pacific will account for 35% of global social networking users by the end of this year, followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa with 28%, North America 25%, and the Caribbean and Latin America 12%.

Need to understand and activate now in key regions

Social Media Sells Sharpies millic @ sharpiesusan I ordered some personalized Sharpies today for my chef husband!! 25 minutes ago from web in reply to sharpiesusan millic @ sharpiesusan I DID! because I saw you Tweet about it. Chefs LOVE Sharpies, in the kitchen. I liked fun colors, but he likes black 19 minutes ago from web in reply to sharpiesusan

… and a few more thanks for the customized sharpie idea - we're giving out 750 of them. http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/908761/ :) troy redington / troyredington 1mm monthly visitors

The Budget Blog theme: $ 20 Masthead: $1,000 eLance dude: $ 895 SHARPIE BLOG: PRICELESS