Brandvasion!

1. Brandvasion! How businesses are infiltrating online groups and getting it right… or wrong.

2. Why do people join groups? This is my photography group, or at least part of it.

3. "The Internet" I found it on the internet and joined about two years ago. Joining a group on the internet, by the way, can be a lot like finding a date on the internet. Sometimes what you see is not what you get. I went looking for a good time and actually found some of my closest friends.

4. Why do people join groups? Here I am. You’ve probably noticed that in Korea there are an abundance of these sorts of groups, primarily focused around hobbies. As far as I can tell mountain climbing groups seem to the be most common. Regardless of the type of group, the agenda tends to be roughly the same…

5. ONE – Gather… and wait.

6. TWO – Do some sort of activity

7. THREE – Have dinner It’s at this stage that things change a bit. People start to loosen up. They talk about things that aren’t related to the group. They share stories. And then, quite often, somebody ruins the fun. The gregarious new guy who’s never been to a meeting before starts telling people about WHAT HE DOES. And as it turns out he sells insurance and YOU need some. He is…

8. There’s always that guy “That guy” And he’s not really a part of the group. He’s not there to participate. He’s there to sell. And as a result, group members conveniently forget to tell him when and where the next meeting will be. In a minute, we’ll get into the exact reasons why people join groups, but first I want to make one very important point.

9. People participate in groups online for the same reasons they participate in groups offline!

10. Different place, same people. My point is, the medium is different, but the people are the same. Discussing something on a blog, on a forum or on someone’s Facebook wall has more similarities than it does differences to doing it face-to-face. I’m not going to discuss something if it is of no interest to me and of no value to me. If companies want to succeed online, they have to realize this. They have to treat people in online groups just as they would if they met them in person.

11. I studied political science in college, which was essentially the study of why people join groups and become part of factions. We studied groups like this one, but also non-political groups.

12. The exchange theory of interest groups The exchange theory of interest groups rests initially on a distinction between the entrepreneur or organizer and the customer/member. The argument asserts that group organizers invest in a set of benefits which they offer to potential members at a price – joining the group. Benefits may be material, solidary or expressive. In order for the group to survive a sufficient balance must be maintained in the exchange; members must receive benefits and leaders enough return, conceptualized as “profit,” to warrant continued participation. Implications are drawn for such questions as lobbying and intra-group factionalism as well as for the origins, growth and survival of various types of interest groups.1 The argument asserts that group organizers invest in a set of benefits which they offer to potential members at a price – joining the group. 1 An Exchange Theory of Interest Groups. Robert H. Salisbury. Midwest Journal of Political Science. February 1969. p. 1.

13. Even more reasons. Keeping up friendships Making new friends Social pressure from friends Paying it forward The altruistic impulse The prurient impulse The creative impulse The validation impulse The affinity impulse

14. Even more reasons. Keeping up friendships Making new friends Social pressure from friends The affinity impulse Paying it forward The altruistic impulse The prurient impulse The creative impulse The validation impulse Affinity-based reasons Interest-based reasons

15. For those of you who are thinking of other reasons, let’s say safety for example, remember that these are emotional motivations for joining groups and fall higher on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

16. TO RECAPPeople participate in groups online for the same reasons they participate in groups offline!

17. How is this useful for marketers?

18. Analysis of SIX Facebook Pages Taking a closer look

19. Top-level Findings Here are some best practices that help make a page successful: The application must focus on the needs of the visitor, not just on conveying the company’s message. All of the companies in this study do this well except for Dell and Sony Ericsson, which focus more on the company than the visitor. Red Bull may even go too far in focusing on its visitors, with the brand taking a back seat to the extreme content. The most effective applications are fun but also relate directly to the brand or product that the company is promoting. See the difference in Jeep’s application (fun but not brand-related) and the iTunes applications (highly useful, great information, related directly to the iTunes service) Sony Ericsson’s applications seem the miss the mark on all levels, either being boring and overly brand-focused or exciting and not at all brand-focused. Make it easy for people to share what they like. Apple does this the best, with at least eight share links on the page at a time. Jeep does a good job with sharing as well, with a prominent share button. Sony and Dell did an awful job at encouraging sharing, with no built-in functionality for this. 19

20. Apple iTunes 1,825,545 fans A+ http://www.facebook.com/iTunes 20

21. Apple iTunes Apple’s strategy to gain fans and sell music through Facebook is using multiple custom applications that relate directly to iTunes’ core business (music) and make heavy use of Facebook’s share feature. 21

22. Apple iTunes Search for music you like and immediately download it from iTunes or share it with friends. Offers for special free, fan-only downloads that can be shared with friends. Easily find the current list of top songs on iTunes and share it with friends. Search for podcasts and iTunes U content and share favorites with friends. 22

23. Victoria’s Secret Pink 1,415,367 A+ http://www.facebook.com/vspink 23

24. Victoria’s Secret PINK Victoria’s Secret makes heavy use of an application-based custom layout in order to attract fans. Right up front is a call to action, promising “free stuff, exclusive offers, special access, inside scoop & more” to those who become fans of the Victoria’s Secret PINK fan page. To access any of these special offers, people must become fans of the page and connect their Facebook accounts to a Victoria’s Secret website. The incentives for joining are quite attractive: <ul><li>Contests with VC products as prizes

25. Status-oriented group competitions that encourage people to tell friends at their schools to join

26. Demographically-targeted information on how to get the most out of VS clothing

27. Wallpapers/backgrounds that incorporate the same designs available on VS clothing</li></ul>24

28. Victoria’s Secret Pink Call to Action Product Info Resources Contests Exclusive Content Flash Game Events 25

29. Red Bull 1,165,707 fans A- http://www.facebook.com/redbull 26

30. Red Bull Red Bull’s strategy focuses on providing original and linked content that reinforces its brand image and appeals to it’s key customer demographic. The content is of such high quality that it gets a significant number of links and comments from fans. Friends of these fans see the comments and also become fans of Red Bull’s page. While the company has two applications, neither has an overtly viral element to draw fans. 27

31. Red Bull Red Bull uses one application to aggregate its top content and create a better, more interactive user experience. The company’s second application puts all of the Twitter feeds of athletes sponsored by the company in one place. 28

32. Jeep 204,295 fans B- http://www.facebook.com/jeep 29

33. Jeep More than relying solely on applications, Jeep works to harness the enthusiasm among Jeep owners and aspiring Jeep owners. <ul><li>Encourages owners to post photos of their Jeeps on the wall

34. Provides multiple options for sharing content with other users

35. Provides exclusive content for download on the Jeep page

36. Flash-based Boostin’ Nuts game is fun and encourages fans to invite friends to compete, but does not have a strong brand association and is not easy to find</li></ul>30

37. Jeep Typically a small share link appears as the bottom-most item in the left sidebar. Jeep has created a larger share box and placed it much higher on the page, increasing visibility. 31

38. http://apps.facebook.com/boostin_nuts/ Game is well-designed and easy-to-play, but the branding is poor, with the Jeep vehicle only appearing at the end of each round. Jeep Leader board encourages people to keep playing Numerous recommendations to invite friends to participate 32

39. Sony Ericsson 335,363 fans C http://www.facebook.com/sonyericsson 33

40. Sony Ericsson Sony Ericsson uses a range of applications to attract visitors to their Facebook page. None of them seems to be very effective. The applications that are fun to use don’t link to a product or directly relate to the brand. The applications that relate to products and the Sony Ericsson brand lack even a hint of excitement. 34

41. The storyteller application is fun, allowing people to edit their Facebook photos, but it relates more closely to the Cybershot brand than to Sony Ericsson. The world captured in photos application is equally interesting and equally unrelated to the brand. The application that relates most closely to the brand allows people to review phone that they own, but provides them with no incentives for doing so. There are no prizes and the reviews cannot be easily shared with friends. Sony Ericsson 35

42. Dell 37,951 fans FAIL http://www.facebook.com/dell 36

43. Dell Dell’s fan page on Facebook focuses entirely on Dell’s brand and products, completely overlooking the needs of visitors and disregarding the reasons that people use Facebook. The landing page is attractive, but has no functionality whatsoever. It entices people to “join the conversation,” which is hardly a strong reason to join a fan page. 37

44. Dell The applications that Dell uses are not true applications, but rather just HTML placed on Facebook pages. They offer no dynamic content and utterly fail at connecting members to one another. Most of the links on Dell’s page take visitors to a separate website. 38

45. 39 Erik A. Cornelius Digital Strategist Burson-Marsteller Korea Twitter: @erik_bm E-mail: erik.cornelius@bm.com Phone: +82-2-3782-6468 Web: www.b-mdigital.com THANK YOU!

Brandvasion!

Erik Cornelius

Brandvasion!