Building a Community with
Social Media and Web 2.0
A Cisco Product Launch Case Study
LaSandra Brill, Mgr, Web & Social Media
lbrill@cisco.com
Melissa Mines, Mgr, Strategic Marketing
minesm@cisco.com

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World
Create a Two Way
relationship Communication
(not an event) (not one way)
Build
Organic
Communities
(not synthetic)
(not websites)
Being
Integration Everywhere
(not (not just in your
interruption) domain)

Cisco Aggregation Service Router (ASR 1000)
First in New Series of Edge Routers in Nearly a Decade
 Business:
– Fills a gap between 7200 & 7600 routers
– Applies to both SP Enterprise markets
 Innovation:
– World’s most advanced networking Silicon—QuantumFlow
– New IOS-XE to support SP and Enterprise applications
 Launch Goal:
– Creates “cool factor” – show the “fun” side of Cisco
– Deliver an online-only launch that builds over time
– Increase ‘share of voice’ online
Launch Strategy: Involve the Human Network
Use Web 2.0 and video to create buzz and build a
community that is passionate about Cisco products

ASR Launch a Success?

ASR Launch a Success?
CRS-1 Launch ASR 1000 Launch
Virtual, Viral and Visual
Approach: traditional, physical Leveraging Web 2.0
event technologies
No travel ─saved carbon emissions
Travel: required extensive audience equal to 188 tons of coal or 42,000
travel to San Jose, CA gallons of gas
Global: 9,000+ attendance in 128
Size: 100+ attendance in 100 countries
countries
Cost: $20,000+ in airport car Cost less than ONE-SEVENTH of
service alone CRS-1 launch expense
Coverage: 87 articles, 135 press 245 articles, 1000+ blog posts, 40M+
attended events impressions

Lessons Learned
Fish where the fish are
It is OK to show your human side
Avoid hidden costs
Don’t rely too heavily on agencies or outside “experts”
Test, test and test again
Emphasize user-generated content
Not everything will work
Take risks

ASR 9000 Launch
Continuing the Virtual, Viral, Visual Approach

Launch Converse

What was different?
 Embraced more Viral
style for pre-buzz
 Retooled “vehicle” list
– Second Life – cut
– Stylized “reveal” site
 More orchestrated
continuing the
conversation/momentum
– “Aftershock” program

A New Mantra…
Online reveal
VIRTUAL Global reach
Blogs
Pre-launch buzz videos
VISUAL Online (addictive) game
www.cisco.com/go/edgequest
VIRAL
Source: Cisco Social Media Team

Source: Cisco Social Media Team

We ASR 9000
130,000+
Happy
viewings in Valentine’s Day! “This is some serious
metal… meant for large
three weeks service providers sending
I hope it’s
an ASR out vast streams of
9000!!! data….
Strong Field
Reviews Because nothing says
‘forever’ like up to 6.4
“This is fantastic” terabits per second,” says
“I shared it with my the Cisco voiceover in
customer’s CMO…” the ad.
“Keep them coming. This
is sure to attract the right
kind of attention for us.“ “Clever marketing from the
folks at Cisco (CSCO)….
and …Forrester is
creating a case If even only a few them
smile and think of Cisco
study on Cisco’s more as a funny cool friend
Virtual, Viral, Visual than a stodgy IT firm, it
Marketing… was worth it.”
© 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Exponential Marketing: the propagation cycle
Reach Modular
Impression Extensible
Engagement Easy to excerpt
Measure Create
Share Publish
Repository Multi-media
Manual post Reuse Multi-location
Auto-Syndication Multi-stakeholder
Quotes
Summaries
Change media

Identify. Share.
Prep the Net
 http://www.ascentium-lounge.com/demo/rave/
 Encourage creativity and sharing
 Promotes visual and video promotion and participation
 Create online, global “rave”
 Ties directly into popular activities of techies
 Theatre engagement starting and required

Beautifully Engineered Series
NEW video series designed to clearly articulate ASR9k
differentiators
First three available NOW (www.cisco.com/go/asr9kexplained)
1.Beautifully Engineered – Power of the ASR9k platform
2.Right on Queue – Traffic Management Intelligence and Excellence
3.Non-Step Content – IOS

Posters/e-Cards
Conversation Starters
 http://techedgeweekly.com/?page_id=162
 Creative Posters creatively available for printing and forwarding
 Unique way for PR, AR, sales to communicate
 Invitations
 catchy thank-yous
 Continuation of fun, personality-side of ASR 9k

The Journey Continues

Where to go to learn more…
 Product Beautiful ( www.productbeautiful.com/ )
 WebInkNow (www.webinknow.com)
 Dilbert Blog (www.dilbertblog.typepad.com/ )
 David Henderson (http://www.davidhenderson.com/)
 Jeremiah Owyang (http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/)
 LaSandra Brill (www.lasandrabrill.blogspot.com/ )