IWOM Watch Compilation 2011

IWOM WATCH

网论观察
2011

IWOM WATCH COMPILATION 2011
IWOM WATCH
© 2010 CIC
2012 IWOM WATCH COMPILATION 2011 IWOM WATCH

CONTENTS IWOM WATCH

LISTEN KNOW PARTICIPATE
 About IWOM Watch page 3
 Executive Summary page 4

 Developments in Net Culture page 5
 Evolution of Viral Video page 12
 Spread of Social Commerce page 23
 Campaigns Capturing Events page 30
 Maturing Crisis Management page 39
 Understanding SoLoMo page 47

 Appendix – IWOM Watch 2011 & IWOM Mark 2011 page 59

IWOM WATCH IWOM WATCH COMPILATION 2011

ABOUT IWOM WATCH IWOM WATCH

What is IWOM Watch:

A monthly digest of the hottest trends, creating the biggest buzz, reflecting China‘s unique online culture. CIC‘s exemplary
case studies and detailed analysis of the month‘s most significant online marketing campaigns allow you to listen, know,
and participate in China‘s unique digital community.

As the industry‘s thought leader and pioneer of Internet Word of Mouth (IWOM) and social business in China, our finger is
always on the pulse of the hottest online issues and influential IWOM. Since 2006, our monthly Watch reports have been
distilling social business intelligence that not only keep our retainer clients on the leading edge of China‘s IWOM, but also
inform their strategic planning with insights into platform development, netizen behavior and social culture of the world‘s
largest, most dynamic and fragmented digital landscape.

In this IWOM Watch compilation, we have collected and categorized 25 articles that bring 2011 into focus. For marketers,
this is a year in the life of China‘s social Internet.

Copyright Statement
The majority of the pictures and related quotes are from publicly available information.
This report is copyrighted material owned by CIC. Any improper use of this document or its content will be considered a
violation of CIC IP copyright and CIC has the right to take legal action.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IWOM WATCH

From Social Media to Social Business

Looking back over 2011, we can draw on a number of examples that highlight a sea change in China‘s IWOM environment; the
evolution from social media to social business. At CIC, just as we pioneered the industry implication of IWOM in China, our
championing of the social business concept is a conscious, ongoing effort to drive our industry into exciting new areas. The first
installment of our three part white paper series, ―From Social Media to Social Business‖, was released in March of 2011. It was our
aim to inspire and encourage enterprise to embrace a golden opportunity to transform the relationship between commerce and
communication. Not only that, we wanted to show how social business intelligence can inform the strategic remodeling of
communication and relations, not only between brand and consumer, but also corporate organization and overall business
operation. We can now begin to reflect on our claim that the business model of every enterprise and organization in China would
eventually evolve to meet the age of ―social business‖. So, at this opportunity to take stock of a transitional period for enterprise in
China, to what extent is business now social business?

A fundamental building block of this evolution from social media to social business and the most significant development in the
digital landscape in the web 2.0 era has certainly been the rise and rise of the microblog in China. The Chinese microblog, or weibo,
has gone from relative obscurity to revolutionizing force in digital communication during 2011. A collaborative white paper from CIC
and Sina, the Chinese internet giant and key player in the tussle for weibo platform supremacy, was published in October of 2011.
One feature is an examination of the way weibo facilitates a business‘ ability to own their voice in social media. The implications of
this are immense. Social media is no longer solely about monitoring and proliferating IWOM in a conventionally PR context. Brands
can openly and authentically participate in the online community, while maintaining their traditional brand values.

There are many other ways that weibo has transformed the mechanics of digital marketing; the peerless route to viral, the refreshing
of the content ecosystem, integrating multimedia elements and facilitating more immersive and engaging cross platform campaigns.
However, the mechanics of this kind of activity are rooted in the how of social marketing. The why behind brand engagement, the
basis of effective strategy, hinges on an ability to listen to consumers and know the context in which their conversation tak es place,
before participating in the community. In this compilation of 2011‘s greatest hits, we‘ve selected cases that encapsulate the evolution
in social media mechanics and importantly, the meaning for marketers.

IWOM WATCH
Developments in Net Culture

The dynamic vocabulary of China‟s online community reflects changes in the
digital landscape. 2011 saw the explosion of weibo and the increasing
synchronization of China‟s social platforms, promoting faster adoption of net
culture trends. To keep in step with this fast moving, digital society, China‟s
netizens capitalize on recognizable trends and pictorial communication.

 Illustrating the 3 Characters of Chinese Youth - Normal Youth / Cultured Youth / 2B youth

 New Modes of Net Language - Speaking Through Pictures & Recreating Classic Styles

 „Paoxiao Format‟ Became Extremely Hot Online

 „Acting Cute‟ is Universal - „Meng‟ Represents Young People's Dreams for an Ideal World


Illustrating the 3 Characters of Chinese Youth - Normal Youth / Cultured Youth / 2B youth
On the 24th of October, an activity was launched via China‘s highly creative,
part BBS / part social network, Douban. It encouraged netizens to upload
pictures that would help to illustrate the three main character types
amongst young Chinese netizens; „Normal youth‟, „Cultured Youth‟ &
„Eccentric Youth‟.

As is often the case, this creative activity originated on Douban but then
spread to other platforms, collecting netizens‘ pictures and perceptions of
Chinese youth in society.

Normal Youth: The average, regular, young person.
1
Cultured Youth: Those who pursue a more sophisticated lifestyle.
Eccentric Youth: The odd or offbeat.

Douban: 13,904 netizens, 6,739 pictures
Tianya: 857,350 page views, 3,940 replies
Sina Weibo: 613,295 tweets

A Zhengzhou newspaper used this format to
mock the first local Starbucks store opening .

Summary
Douban is the most creative of China‘s mainstream social platforms and as such, a common of inventive content. The event page photo
album attracted thousands of participants to upload their take on the 3 characteristics of China‘s youth, reflecting their peers‘ behavior in
a way that resonated with them. As understanding of these characteristics and the general concept grew, netizens developed their ideas,
involving brands that expressed these 3 traits. This phenomenon also highlighted brand image amongst young people; Apple has a
significant degree of association with ―cultured youth‖.

IWOM WATCH IWOM WATCH COMPILATION 2011 6

New Modes of Net Language - Speaking Through Pictures & Recreating Classic Styles

Smurf Model - popular since the
TVB Model - netizens
movie was on in Chinese cinemas,
making sarcastic
netizens have been rewriting the lyrics
comments by imitating the
of the classic theme song to voice
style of delivery that have
complaints about everyday life.
become hallmarks of TVB
TV series.

1 link

Whale Model - since the
message box on the iPhone
looks a little like a whale,
Table Model - visual, viral and very creative netizens have been
popular on weibo recently, it generating all sorts of
describes how someone thinks about different whale-like
someone else, laid out in an easy to ―emoticons‖ and posting the
follow table. Simple and effective. best to the internet.

Summary
Creative, dynamic net language has been a hallmark of China‘s digital culture since the beginning and continues to capture the current
trends and enduring qualities of community and communication amongst China‘s netizens. Of course, the word ―netizen‖, or ―网民‖
(Wǎngmín) is itself an invention of a self-defining digital society and the latest modes of net language continue to act as barometer of net
culture, netizen behavior and psychology. The dynamic vocabulary of China‘s online community reflects changes in the digital landscape.
Weibo and the increasing synchronization of social platforms promotes faster adoption of cultural trends. So, in this fast moving society,
China‘s netizens capitalize on recognizable trends and pictorial communication .

7

„Paoxiao Format‟ Became Extremely Hot Online

The different
version of ―You
should not harm
the people who
learn XX‖ at
Tianya (Link)

Faye Wang
retweet the ―You
should not harm
Microblog of ―You should not harm the people who learn the people who
French‖ (Link) like Faye‖(Link)

Summary
The ‗Paoxiao‘ model (writing a message as if you were shouting or yelling it out) was initiated by Douban‘s ‗Paoxiao‘ group, then
spread virally on Sina Weibo by the tweet, ―You could never ever hurt the people who are studying French.‖ (学法语的人你伤不起)

The entire social media world, including BBS, SNS and Microblog, quickly became flooded with ‗Paoxiao‘. In addition to the average
netizen, some net stars also adopted this format and its popularity increased exponentially.


„Paoxiao Format‟ Became Extremely Hot Online

The real estate agency – Upeast use The spoofing of VANCL advertisement
―Paoxiao format‖ to make the advisement

The online application that generates ―Paoxiao‖
automatically (Link)

Sample quotes
咆哮体生成器。。。果然高手在民间。(Link)
They actually programmed the web application that
generates ―Paoxiao‖ automatically? Well, the savvy are
just anywhere. (Link)

CIC View
With popularity of ‗Paoxiao‘, there was soon an online application that could automatically convert normal language to ‗Paoxiao‘.
Rather than just making some fun on the daily life, this rapid changing online behaviour trends is evolving to an internet culture. What‘s
more, it showed the netizens‘ creativity and passion towards life, the perfect control of text and characters.

The ever increasing volume of hot net language means brands must continually strive to keep pace with Internet culture and netizen‘s
originality. This isn‘t about continually running to catch up. Brands should consider integrating net language into their interaction with
netizens so as to build a closer, more authentic relationship. So, tailor formats like the ‗Vanclized‘ advert or the ‗Paoxiao‘ format to suit
your marketing tactics.


‘Acting Cute’ is Universal - ‘Meng’ Represents Young People's Dreams for an Ideal World
Self portraits and pet photos became very hot on
What‟s „Meng‟ ? Sina Weibo, showing various means of ―acting cute‖.
―Meng‖ originated in Japan and essentially means
―lovely and cute‖ in relation to people (girls and boys),
animals or objects, which is not considered to be their
normal behaviour or situation. So, all of these
expressions, actions and designs can be described as
―Meng‖, essentially ―acting cute‖ (Link)
This photoshopped physics diagram looks very ―Mo-eh‖.

A netizen designed Chinese word "萌― (Mé ) is constructed
ng
with 4 separate words "十", "月", "十", "日" (meaning the 10th of
October). So, the 10th of October was proposed to be "Acting
Cute" day. All those who love "Meng" culture were compelled
to "Act Cute" with their photos and posts that day.
McDonald‟s go ‟Meng‟: "Uncle Cat" (named by Chinese netizens) is a super-star cat
from Japan. With his big head, blinking eyes and carefree
―…accompanied by Hello Kitty, every day is "Acting cute" day. demeanor, this 9 years old (50 in people years) is very famous
Bring them home with 12 RMB plus for any set meal.…‖ (Link) and loved by lots of people. (There are many weibo accounts
that specifically share "Uncle Cat‘s" life through photos, such
as "篮子猫-猫叔").
During the 2011 earthquake in Japan, many netizens worried
about the safety of "Uncle Cat", even Yaochen posted to
weibo to express her concern about it.
Because of "acting cute", "Uncle cat" has already become the
spokescat for several brands. The picture third from the left is
an advertisement for instant noodles.


‘Acting Cute’ is Universal - ‘Meng’ Represents Young People's Dreams for an Ideal World

Left: mobile phone advertisement for the
"Meng" culture has a great impact on young people,
Galaxy Nexus from Japan (Link)
especially girls, because "cute stuff" can increase people's
feeling of warmth towards brands. If this suits the brand,
they could utilize this phenomenon in their marketing
strategy and campaigns for a closer emotional connection
with consumers:

1. Invite some "Meng" efluencers as brand
spokesmen.
2. Invite "Meng" pets like "Shunsuke― (a famous
Sample Quotes ―Meng‖ dog) or "Uncle Cat―, to star in commercials.
3. Combine "Meng" style Internet slang into
方彬Grace: Can't be more "Meng‖! (Link)
advertising.
乖乖的大梦龙: Such a cute "Loli-face"
4. "Meng" styled package design.
while unlock the screen, domestic mobile
advertisement can be tedious. (Link) Gender ratio mentioning "Meng" in SINA Weibo
Above: Advert for Ford telling an "adventure
Chrisaiai蛋奶星星: Utilize little girls to
story" about a toy bear bringing the lost car
attract ―uncles‖ to buy this mobile phone?
keys to it's owner, this "Meng" looking bear
(Link) Male
certainly lead consumer's good feeling about
Ford. (Link) 28%
李瀚文: Nice advertisement！Although I Female
doubt it's real usability, our life would be 72%
more fun with more smile every day. (Link) Right: 72% people mentioning "Meng" in Sina
Weibo are female. (32,000 tweets until 1st Dec).
Source: IWOMcooperator


Evolution of Viral Video IWOM WATCH

The video format is the most engaging execution of these trending behaviors and
allows them to be caricatured and exaggerated even further. In 2011, brands from
7-Up to Alibaba.com.cn cooperated with acclaimed net video director Hu Ge. The
tone of these videos is satirical and humorous, which resonated with netizens but
is only suitable for brands with the right culture.

 Ku6 Share Advertising Revenue with Contributors - Crowdsourcing Quality Content

 How Brands Can Engage with Self- made Drama by Video Sharing Sites

 Extra‟s „Love Journey - Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy‟ - Themes that Resonate with Your Audience

 Crystal Orange Hotel‟s Zesty Viral Video - Maintaining Social Shelf-Life

 „Desert Circle‟ - BMW‟s Suspense Marketing is Out of this World


Ku6 Share Advertising Revenue with Contributors - Crowdsourcing Quality Content

Ku6‟s New Profit Sharing Model: Video content creators are cordially invited to join Ku6.

Factors Affecting Contributors‟ Income:

Summary
Ku6 first announced their plan to share advertising revenue with those who create and upload content in late August. Netizens could can
sign up to three degrees; ―contracted shooters‖ (not to be confused with ―hired guns‖), verified creators, or regular uploaders (essentially,
newbies). Ku6 embed commercials into their videos and pay them according to the traffic they generate, the quality of said traffic, the
advertising rate and the uploaders' level.
In the past three months, Ku6 started collecting fulltime content creators. In the words of one contributor, this is both a way to make a
living and make a film-making dream come true. At the heart of Ku6‘s successful strategy is the quality and enthusiasm with which these
contributors have taken to their role. A role which emphasizes the creativity and craftsmanship of China‘s netizens.


Ku6 Share Advertising Revenue with Contributors - Crowdsourcing Quality Content

Ku6‟s New Portal: All the sections were filled with
original, user-generated content, driven by the ad
profit share plan.

Social Influence
Video Content

Contributors

CIC View
Sharing profits with creators has proven to be efficient in stimulating fresh content. In an age of social media, the distinction between professional
and amateur producers have become blurred. The availability of high quality equipment and distribution route has given more creative netizens an
opportunity to be seen. The act of incentivizing this activity helps but for the vast majority, the financial reward won‘t be enough to give up the day
job, but there are huge psychological bonuses involved. In an era when anyone can be a filmmaker, photographer or author, recognition and social
influence are the real reward.
It is true that, Ku6's approach pushed the creators to promote their own videos, thus driving more traffic and gaining more profit. This boosted
Ku6's profile in the contributors‘ social networks. Crowdsourcing this creative content empowers individual netizens and monetizing their
contribution gives their output increased credibility, which they will champion and promote within the wider community.


How Brands Can Engage with Self-made Drama by Video Sharing Sites

Miss Puff (泡芙小姐) Qian Duoduo Married Record (钱多多 That Love Comes (疯狂办公室)
嫁人记)

Engaged Brands Engaged Brands
Engaged Brands

Utopias Office (乌托邦办公室)
Eleven Degrees of Youth (11度青春) Crazy Office (疯狂办公室)

Engaged Brands Engaged Brands Engaged Brands

Summary
Platform produced dramas have been growing in popularity since 2010. Naturally, this new media provides brands opportunity to publicize
their products. Quality content attracts netizens and where netizens go, advertising spend follows. So, where some video sharing platforms
are buying licenses for popular American imports, others are focusing on producing their own programmes. For advertisers, brands can get
involved at many stages, from production to product placement.


How Brands Can Engage with Self-made Drama by Video Sharing Sites
Successful Cases

Eleven Degrees of Youth (11度青春) & Chevrolet Cruze (雪佛兰克鲁兹)

Youku, China Film Group Corporation and Chevron Cruze have co-created the 2010 drama, ―Eleven Degrees of Youth‖. It successfully
presented Chevrolet Cruze‘s ―Youth and Struggle‖ theme from different angle. Youku backed it up with the ―Eleven Degrees of Youth‖ official
website, further publicizing the theme by encouraging netizens to upload their own ―Youth and Struggle‖ videos.

Crazy Office (疯狂办公室) & Dongfeng Citroen C-Quatre (东风雪铁龙世嘉)

Sohu launched the drama ―Crazy Office‖ in 2011，cooperated with Dongfeng Citroen C-Quatre. The target audience are dynamic, ambitious
twenty-somethings, perfectly in line with Dongfeng Citroen C-Quatre‘s target consumers. ―Crazy Office‖ introduced a new formula for marketing
the brand, ―V+E+S‖. V stands for ―Video Marketing‖, E stands for ―Entertainment Marketing‖ and S stands for ―Sohu Matrix Marketing‖. Sohu
integrated ―Crazy Office‖ with celebrity news, auto.sohu.com, their blog and microblog in order to achieve this matrix marketing .

Utopias Office (乌托邦办公室) & Nokia E7 (诺基亚E7)

Tudou created ―Utopia Office‖ in 2011, with sponsorship from Nokia . Nokia mobile phones, OVI shops and applications were placed in this
science fiction themed drama. Nokia also invited the cast and crew of ―Utopia Office‖ to talk about their understanding of the theme of
―achievement‖ to help publicize the core message of Nokia‘s E7 campaign, ―Make Achievement by Wisdom‖(成就我智造).

CIC View
 Engagement with platform produced content is currently most suitable for brands targeting young people. However, when considering
this kind of promotion, there are another two important points to take into account.
 First, the thematic content of the material should align with brand values.
 Secondly, other social media should be integrated with the activity, to maximize the influence and increase the potential for making
the content viral.


Extra’s ‘Love Journey - Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy’ - Themes that Resonate with Your Audience

Sample Quotes

小小的感动，却深深地撼动了我们
心中的那一丝丝浪漫(Link)
I am a little moved, but deeply
shake our small romance.

朦朦胧胧的感觉，那个面馆的美女
老板很丌错嘛，在哪里？我要去找
她吃美食！(Link)
鹿港小镇 I have a foggy feeling, the
beautiful boss of the noodle shop
is nice, where can I want to find
her!

Summary
―Love Journey‖, the series of four ads by Extra, have been widely shared and discussed online. The basis of this extensive discussion
is not anything frivolous though. Instead, it has inspired netizens to discuss their emotional reaction to the love story they have
watched unfold. The four episodes, Sour, Sweet, Bitter and Spicy, have maintained netizen attention and intensified their connection
with the story. All this from a chewing gum commercial. So, although the brand identity is neither sensitive nor reflective, they managed
to provoke such an emotional response to the content of their viral video.


Extra’s ‘Love Journey - Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy’ - Themes that Resonate with Your Audience

Sample Quotes

益达的酸甜苦辣都出来了，拍得
太好了～谁想出来这样卖口香糖
的(Link)
Extra‘s Sour, Sweet, Bitter &
Spicy… the movie is excellent~
Who came out with this idea?

恩，创意丌错。同感！益达广告
鹿港小镇大片酸甜苦辣之——完整版(Link)
The creative idea is great. I feel
the same! This is Extra‘s whole
movie, about its sour, sweet,
bitter-spicy

CIC View
The viral success of the Extra video was chiefly driven by its theme – love. Thanks to this theme, the brand could build a strong
emotional bond with their target audience; young people who can closely associate their own experience of the ups and downs of the
―love journey‖. In recalling their love experience and recounting it to their social media peer group, netizens would also forward the
video to aid in the expression of their feelings. So, not only did the content ring true for the target audience, evoking a strong personal
response, it also provoked conversation and sharing amongst the wider net community.


Crystal Orange Hotel’s Zesty Viral Video - Maintaining Social Shelf-Life

Summary
Crystal Orange, a modern twist on the 5 star hotel, released a series of videos via Sina Weibo, which are essentially modern twists on
astrology. Particularly popular amongst women, chatting about horoscopes is always pretty hot online. Combine that with another
perennially hot topic, men‘s ―love and passion‖ performance, and you‘ve got content with good viral potential. In fact, these videos gained
250,000+ retweets on Sina Weibo and 25,000,000+ page views on video sites within 2 months. As a measure of increased profile, Baidu
searches for ―Crystal Orange Hotel ‖ rose from 0 to an average of 400 per day after the videos were released.
Crystal Orange released new episodes of the video once a week. To maintain appetite for the new release, netizens could take part in
competitions to win prizes, the list of winners being released the next week. As a result, we observed no significant drops in netizen
attention over the 2 months of the viral video campaign.


Crystal Orange Hotel’s Zesty Viral Video - Maintaining Social Shelf-Life

Prolonged Performance of Crystal Orange Viral Videos, 2011.5.30 – 2011.7.31
Unit: retweet
60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0
5/30 6/6 6/13 6/20 6/27 7/4 7/11 7/18 7/25
Retweets of video first launch Retweets of video review
Total retweets of Crystal Orange viral videos released via official Sina Weibo account ―桔子水晶‖ (Link) 2011.5.30 – 2011.7.31= 289,868
CIC View
1. Serialization:
Serialization of the videos helped maintain netizens‘ attention and added momentum to the viral sharing and buzz around the brand.
2. Engaging Content:
Interesting subjects and the combining of traditionally hot topics, like astrology and passion in this instance, helps to grab netizens‘
attention and fuel gossip and conversation that benefits the brand by proxy.
3. Reference and Review:
Between video releases, reviewing what‘s come before and incentivizing conversation with prize campaigns helped Crystal Orange to
prolong the shelf life of their videos, promote upcoming releases, increase buzz and generally improve campaign performance.


‘Desert Circle’ – BMW’s Suspense Marketing is Out of this World

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Sample Quotes:

原来UFO事件是你们整出来的？牛逼！地
球人都被你们忽悠了。。。 (Link)
The event of UFO was created by BMW?
Awesome! The Earthlings have been
cheated by you.

宝马还能这样玩儿~~帅呆了~ (Link)
BMW could even play like this! Cool!
A weibo influencer More influencers Netizens thought it BMW reveal the
announces the forward the tweet, could be related to Desert Circle was 太过分了，欺骗天文爱好者的感情! (Link)
discovery of the gaining a lot of UFOs. Link created by the BMW It is a way out of line! BMW cheated the
Desert Circle Link attention Link emotions of our star gazers!
1 Series.Link

Summary
The Desert Circle was one of the hottest weibo topics in August, achieving more than 360,000 tweets. It was initiated by one influential
photographer (@摄影ER Link) sharing a video about the Desert Circle in Qinghai to his personal Weibo account. This tweet was then
forwarded by dozens of influencers, like Huang Jianxiang (Link), which led to a huge weibo wave. Netizens expressed a great deal of
interest in this issue and thought it could be related to extraterrestrials. After the event had become a really hot topic, BMW‘s official
microblog account announced that they were behind it and that the circle had been created by the BMW 1 Series. The announcement
caused yet another peak in the buzz volume and although some UFO enthusiasts actually leveled accusations of fraud towards BMW,
netizens spoke highly of the great idea of the campaign and the impressive performance and control of the BMW 1 Series.


‘Desert Circle’ – BMW’s Suspense Marketing is Out of this World

Leveraging influencers was a key The ―UFO‖ related topic
ingredient in maximizing impact sparked netizens‘ interest
Sample Quotes:

充满梦想和活力的广告！(Link)
Great advertising full of imagination and energy!

这起营销事件让人看得目瞪口呆，也丌得丌佩服！
(Link)
This marketing event surprised all of us! You
have to admire BMW!

缜密的创意+拍摄的魅力，这就是宝马的形象！
(Link)
Comprehensive idea and attractive
photographing skill shaped the image of BMW!

CIC View
As increasing numbers of brands grasp the potential business impact of microblog in China and set up official weibo accounts, the gap
between brand and consumer continues to shrink. However, besides the ever popular forwarding campaign, the best means of
leveraging the platform are still being explored. In this case, the ‗water-cooler‘, gossip-sharing nature of the microblog medium was
utilized to great effect by BMW; UFOs and extraterrestrial sightings set netizens‘ imaginations running. Building on this, BMW also
leveraged efluencers like Huang Jianxiang to further motivate the discussion and add momentum to the initial impact.


Spread of Social Commerce IWOM WATCH

2011 saw some big steps forward for social commerce, as platforms, advertisers
and consumers began to focus on the practical ends of social media
engagement. With Tencent‟s Micro-Store, we‟re witnessing the first attempts in
monetizing China‟s hugely popular microblogs, a process that will be key to
development in 2012.

 Tencent Micro-Store - The First Step of Social Commerce

 „Sina Luxury‟ Brings Added Dimension to eCommerce

 Dell on Facebook - Customized Social Business


Tencent Micro-Store - The First Step of Social Commerce

Source here

Summary
On the 14th of November 2011, Chinese Internet giant Tencent launched their ―Micro-Store‖ function for businesses utilizing their
Enterprise Weibo accounts. Thus providing a direct marketing and sales channel via the microblog medium. The first enterprise
to embrace the opportunity, online shoe shop Haolemai, started with a ―retweet to save‖ campaign. Similar to group purchase,
the campaign fully leveraged the collective power of weibo users, where each retweet dropped the price by 0.1RMB. It was a
great success. A Converse deal shoe was retweeted more than 1239 times, lowering the price by 47.62% and selling out their
stock of 50 within five hours.


Tencent Micro-Store - The first step of Social Commerce

Engagement

Exposure
Organic
Purchase IWOM

Site
Traffic
1 2 3 4
Official Enterprise Weibo Consumer Retweet
Message Spreading Traffic and Purchase
+ Commerce function + Lower the Price

CIC View
Weibo, although still a hugely popular medium, is still posing questions about monetization to enterprises looking to explore the
commercial value of its user base of hundreds of millions of netizens. Although not the first to attempt integration of commerce with weibo,
Tencent‘s Micro-Store does provide a great example of the mechanics of social commerce, as based on weibo interaction characteristics.

The ―reweet to save‖ tactic makes tangible savings for a single click, which effectively promotes participation. The viral quality of weibo as
a social platform helps boost brand exposure, engagement, organic IWOM, and site traffic; all contributories to actual purchase.
Integrating the purchase process more closely with weibo, rather than directing consumers to the official website, makes the process
smoother, while facilitating the spread of positive IWOM about the ease of the experience, all within a single social platform.


‘Sina Luxury’ Brings Added Dimension to eCommerce

Summary
Sina, the China internet giant recently much celebrated for its Sina Weibo microblog platform, recently launched a B2C ecommerce
platform focused on the luxury market, unsurprisingly called ―Sina Luxury‖ (l.sina.com.cn). Prominently featured at the top of the Sina
Luxury page is a ―100% Guaranteed Genuine‖ stamp, regarded by many as a jibe at the issue of piracy/counterfeiting that plagues rival
e-commerce sites and is especially rife in the C2C sections of Taobao and Tencent‘s Paipai.com.

As was recently attested to in our white paper, ―The Voice of Luxury: Social Media and Luxury Brands in China‖, China‘s luxury market is
huge, with an estimated 175 million middle-to-upper income Chinese consumers. As CIC Chairman and Founder Sam Flemming says,
―An essential requirement for understanding the wealthy elite in China is to understand how they influence and are influenced by the
massive, unique, fragmented and dynamic social media landscape in China‖.


‘Sina Luxury’ Brings Added Dimension to eCommerce

Microblog Account Stats for China‟s Luxury eCommerce Sites (by Sept. 5)

CIC view
• Luxury is the next big thing in the ecommerce sector: Recently, luxury ecommerce sites have created a lot buzz and continue to
receive significant investment; in December last year, Ihaveyou.com won 11 million USD in first round funding; in early 2011,
Vipstore.com received around 10 million USD in third round funding and Xiu.com won 20 million USD from KPCB China; in July,
Shangpin.com and Ihush.com raised 50 million and 43 million USD respectively. After massive development of 360buy.com and
Taobao.com, coupled with the estimate that China will command a 20% share of the global consumption of luxury goods by 2015,
investors are understandably active.
• Social media will play a big part in luxury e-commerce services: These luxury e-commerce sites recognize the value of social
media and all of them have official accounts on Sina Microblog (as shown in above diagram), employing them both as a customer service
and marketing channel. As we see an increasing number of brands employ social CRM and make huge advances in social marketing, fully
integrated social commerce can only be a matter of time.


Dell on Facebook - Customized Social Business

Social Shop Tag Cloud Referrals E-commerce Site

Sample Quote
“great stuff !!!!
its great fun to hav this
laptop & that to at
gr8 price.. the machine is
super cool ... i luv it..‖
(link)

How Dell Develops Facebook
1. An engaging strapline: ―Get the scoop on how real people use & rate their computers and electronics.‖
2. Dell provides a clear, simple tag cloud to describe things like laptop function.
3. By clicking tags, netizens find their best-fit laptop and all the relevant accessories.
4. Genuine users‘ experience and reviews are easily shared, helping to convince others.

Sample Quote Dell Sells Via Social Shop
One
―Marie, 1. Clear Tag Cloud
Question
I am sorry that you are – Vivid, descriptive, attractive
having an issue with your 2. Convincing User Experience
system. Can you please – Genuine, peer recommendations
reply to the message I sent 3. Timely Customer Service
you directly? Many – Quick response from a real person
Regards, Answers 4. Low Maintenance Costs
John‖ (link) – Netizen source answers, always on


Dell on Facebook - Customized Social Business

Dell Style Quiz: Flow of Online Influence

Style Quiz Customized Product Share on Facebook E-commerce Site

Products

Designer

Conception

The Dell Style Quiz on Facebook Brand SNS Campaigns
1. Interactivity
To promote the latest Dell Inspiron R laptop lids, Dell added the Style – The content must arouse netizens‘ curiosity and
Quiz campaign to their Facebook page(link). First, users click the Like encourage some kind of response
button (increasing Dell‘s followers to 727,911 by the 5th of September 2. Sociability
2011); after a quick quiz, users get the results of their best-fit lids; – Interesting content netizens will share with friends
users can share the result to Facebook with one click buy through the 3. Purchase Channel
Dell ecommerce site with another. – Attract netizens to make purchase on ecommerce site


IWOM WATCH
Campaigns Capturing Events

“Sacred Singles‟ Day” sales generated a record-breaking 3.3billion RMB for
Tmall.com; matchmaking website Century Home effectively incorporated the
excitement of Halloween; Vancl‟s sensitive and successful leveraging of Steve
Jobs‟ passing – 2011 brought a greater understanding of cultural sentiment, as
well as online consumption habits, amongst Chinese consumers.

 Marketing Halloween to Mainland China - Engaging China‟s Youth with Festive Campaigns

 Selling „Sacred Singles Day‟ - Singles Day E-commerce Promotion Lacks Fairytale Ending

 7 Key Elements of Meituan‟s Valentine's Day Microblog Campaign

 Vancl‟s Marketing via Steve Jobs


Marketing Halloween to Mainland China - Engaging China’s Youth with Festive Campaigns

Halloween
promotions in
China.

China
1
V.S. the US The Big Bang Theory Halloween Special

Some young
people in Halloween
China are parties in
ready for the Disneyland
occasion!

Summary
In mainland China, it is viewed as little more than a pre Singles‘ Day sale, with some decorated stores and half-hearted, clichéd
promotion. However, young people are increasingly getting all dressed up for it. It seems that Halloween, and some other typically
western festivals, are rapidly growing in popularity amongst young Chinese.
In the US, Halloween is a long-standing tradition. It‘s a major reference point for advertisers and is almost guaranteed to account
for one episode in any ongoing TV series during October. So, as Chinese youth are exposed to evermore Americana, particularly
TV shows like The Big Bang Theory and Disneyland style theme park festivities, the more they‘ll associate with typically western
holidays like Halloween (link).

Marketing Halloween to Mainland China - Engaging China’s Youth with Festive Campaigns

1

Century Home’s Chinese Halloween Party Justin Beiber and Lady Gaga at Halloween

CIC View
Understanding consumption habits of China‘s youth is key to marketing performance. Matchmaking website Century Home did a
great job in combining the excitement and theatrics of Halloween with a singles party.

The reinvention, self expression and escapism of Halloween make it a great time to engage with young people. The aspirational
quality of festive marketing is amplified by celebrity endorsement as it can often add some much needed credibility to a brand‘s
activity. Chinese youth continue to associate with western culture and celebrities like Lady Gaga and Justin Beiber‘s involvement
with Halloween campaigns can create international buzz. Of course, these are celebrities that can find a natural connection with
this theatrical kind of holiday. Brands also have to consider whether they can comfortably associate with this kind of activity.


Selling ‘Sacred Singles Day’ - Singles Day E-commerce Promotion Lacks Fairytale Ending

Sample Complaints:

百丽太坑爹了, 我喜欢的款式丌参加
活动，直接下架了。。。Link
Belle is so tricky, my favorite
products were all out of stock…

坑爹的淘宝商城啊，打5折还贵到什
么一样啊！！！几百几百的，这丌是
忽悠人嘛。。。 Link
What a cheater! The price after
discount is unreasonable.

Substantial 坑爹的淘宝商城，上哪说理去！Link
2011-11-11 Tmall Sales Exceed Tmall.com freaking sucks! Where
Ecommerce The Aftermath
‗Sacred Single Day‘ 3.3billion RMB should my complaint go!!!
Opportunity

Summary
The concept of ‗Singles Day‘, being the 11th of November (11.11), has been widely spread via social media in China. So, to mark the
extra special ―Sacred Singles Day‖ of 2011-11-11, e-commerce went all out to build on previous successes. The result was a B2C
sales volume for Tmall.com of an amazing 3.3billion RMB, which was 3.5 times higher than that of the previous year. Sadly though,
that wasn‘t to be the happy ending that ―Sacred Singles Day‖ looked to be sailing towards. Instead, the happily ever after finale was
soured by poor customer service. It wasn‘t a single complaint that undid the good work, but a deluge of disgruntled consumers who
had been let down by insufficient stocks, delayed delivery, cancelled orders, missing invoices and a wide range of product quality
problems. Their complaints piled up in social platforms like undelivered packages, a backlog of which lasted for well over a week.


Selling ‘Sacred Singles Day’ - Singles Day E-commerce Promotion Lacks Fairytale Ending

Satisfaction
Expectation Customers Complaints:
• 光棍节买的鞋到现在还没有货，
Promises: link 还要等到30好才有货! Link
• Logistic capabilities The shoe I bought on single
day is still in delivery, I have to
• Reasonable delivery schedule wait until 30th November.
• Launch the penalty provision.
• 客服态度差、发货慢、态度差, 而
• Client services working overtime. 且退款退货等N久~~ 实在无语了！
• Set up a call center. Link
Bad attitude of client service,
• Mobilize all employees to act as tardy delivery and long waiting
customer services. time for refund~ It really sucks!

CIC View
Great sales volume, like the 3.3 billion RMB achieved by Tmall.com, marked out ‗Scared Singles Day‘ as a great success for e-
commerce. However, in terms of social business, there were some pretty glaring mistakes. Although customer satisfaction may not be
reflected in the record breaking revenue generated, the long-term damage to consumer confidence is yet to be seen. A simple search of
weibo for the keywords ‗freaking cheater + single day‘, returns 29,804 results. It is evident that promises of service were made based
on last year‘s experience and these were not upheld. The majority of problems and broken promises related to the logistics and
execution of the sales, especially the cooperation with delivery companies and merchants. As an example of best practice, 360buy‘s
devotion to building out its own delivery infrastructure, rather than relying on others, helps to ensure they don‘t make promises they
can‘t keep. Of course, mistakes can be made but proper customer service will minimize the fall-out.

7 Key Elements of Meituan’s Valentine's Day Microblog Campaign

@美团 #valentine's day# Retweet this weibo and @ your
lover's name with a love letter. The best one will be posted
on meituan.com on 15th Feb 2010. Your confessions will be
witnessed by millions of people. link

Event Time：14th February Valentine‘s Day 2010
Event Rules：Retweet, @ a lover with a love letter
Event Reward：the best love letter will be posted on
Meituan.com (in all the cities)

Summary
It‘s no secret that brands are using the microblog to promote themselves. Microblogging campaigns are becoming more common,
with raffle draws for iPads and the like cropping up all over. These promotional methods are tend to require a user to retweet the
promotional message and @ a certain number of their followers. After the initial hype died away, doubts about their authenticity and
complaints of spamming started to become more and more popular. In a vote hosted on SINA Weibo, over 8400 users called for
tighter regulations.

For Valentine‘s Day last year, Chinese group buy site Meituan.com launched a special promotion for lovers to ―Express Their Love‖.
Within 24 hours, it was retweeted 3596 times.

7 Key Elements of Meituan’s Valentine's Day Microblog Campaign
7 Key Elements of Microblog Campaign Planning:

How to identify your event‟s theme?
In Meituan‘s case, it‘s leveraging Valentine‘s Day and ways to express
love.
How to motivate user participation?
Expressing their love on this special occasion is exactly what users
want to do.
How to set the entry level bar?
Both "Micro-Novel" and "Micro-Love-Letter" were easily accessible to
users.
How to choose right reward?
The reward should match the event‘s theme, not just the trendiest
product.
Left：Timing is everything, Valentine‘s Day and ―Micro-Love-Letters‖ is a How to use third party applications in campaign?
perfect match, especially when users are accustomed to writing micro- Meituan had the choice of utilizing existing on-site (Meituan.com) blogs,
stories via Sina‘s own event ―Micro-Novels‖. avoiding the need to host everything solely on SINA Weibo.
How to explore extra promotional channels?
Right：The winning love letter, posted on Meituan.com, not only Meituan posted the event information to it‘s regional SINA Weibo
promoted the user but also the site itself. accounts, simultaneously promoting across the country.
How to transform events into revenue?
To find out the final result, users have to click through Meituan‘s group
buy site.
CIC View
Initially, brand accounts are focused on number of follows and retweets, often neglecting their real brand values. That can result in a
failure to present the right information and increase sales. This phenomenon is referred to as ―Pure Account Marketing‖, not Brand
Marketing.
―Pure Account Marketing‖ overlooks user experience, making it difficult to communicate high quality information and bringing accusations
of spamming.
This is a common practice in microblog promotions. Planning ahead is crucial to campaign effectiveness. Hopefully, our 7 key elements
can aid this process.


Vancl’s Marketing via Steve Jobs - Netizens’ Mourning for Steve Jobs

Apple logo redesigned
by a Hong Kong
student evoked
numerous replies.
Some Apple related
accounts also used this
logo. (Link)

Sample Quotes:
今天买了本乔布斯传！欣赏一下改变世界的人的一
生 (Link)
I bought Steve Jobs’ biography today. I want to
(Link) know more about his legendary life.
Sina launched an official campaign to encourage and 我终于把乔布斯传看完了！每个成功的人都有丌一
facilitate netizens‘ remembrance of Steve Jobs, 样的成功道路！乔布斯永远只有一个！ (Link)
watermarking posts as being from “Jobs’ iPhone/iPad”. I‘ve finished reading Steve Jobs’ biography. There
117,690 retweets 19,824 comments. (Link) are various routes to success, but Jobs‘ is unique.

Summary
Steve Jobs‘ passing away on the 6th of October 2011 caused widespread outpouring of emotion and significant volumes
online discussion amongst China‘s netizens. The man behind Apple, a brand with considerable youth association and a
cornerstone of 21st Century consumer technology, was a charismatic role model to people all over the world.
China was no exception. We have seen the way in which Apple products have captured the personality of China‘s ―Cultured
Youth‖ and the Jobs‘ philosophy of ―stay hungry, stay foolish‖ particularly resonated with a youth culture striving for a sense of
self. As such, many young people voiced their intention to read Steve Jobs biography in order to learn from him.


Vancl’s Marketing via Steve Jobs - Marketing that Captures the Current Sentiment

Combination of Online and Offline Attractive Promotion Method

The use of fresh and
lively language on
Renren.com, which
On the 21st of October, was surrounded by
Vancl achieved a 70% young people. (Link)
share of the vote in an
online survey of where
Vancl packages included limited
people would buy the
edition Steve Jobs T-shirts and
autobiography. (Link)
lapel pins with book sales. (Link)

CIC View
Capitalizing on this outpouring of emotion, Vancl.com, a website known for selling clothes and consumer electronics, as well as
their cool, net-inspired advertising, saw the popularity of Steve Jobs’ Biography as a promotional opportunity. Expanding their
business into the book market, Vancl caught the eyes of young people with a series of sales promotions, including package
sales and free gifts.

Naturally, sensitive handling of this type of activity is very important. Brands should seize current trends but in so doing, have a
keen understanding of the cultural sentiment, then act quickly and authentically, with originality and attractive communication.


IWOM WATCH
Maturing Crisis Management

Brands developing their presence in China‟s digital landscape must address
possible risk, as well as significant opportunity. Throughout 2011, there were many
platform developments that shortened the distance between brand and consumer,
facilitating more direct conversation. Thankfully though, we also witnessed more
mature methods of monitoring, assessing and responding to potential crises.

 Dispute Between Brand and Group Purchase Website

 Siemens Customer Care Leaves Consumers in the Cold - Courting Influencers for Feedback

 Talks between Brands – Friends rather than Competitors

 Weibo Complaints – A Challenge to Brand Image


Dispute Between Brand and Group Purchase Website

The original statement and related documents
are still available on the Meituan website link

link

Summary
Meituan, which is one of the most popular online group purchase service providers in China, failed to honour a deal to more than
12,000 buyers that could potentially have triggered crisis on the eve of Consumer Day, March 15th. Meituan launched a Dairy Queen
(DQ) coupon that bought 50 RMB worth of DQ products for 29 RMB. This promising ice cream deal soon went sour though, when DQ
announced on its official website that they had never done any deal with Meituan and no DQ stores would accept the coupon. So, not
only did this lead to arguments but also made people re-evaluate the risk of this business model altogether.
Finally, after negotiating with DQ, Meituan accepted the failure and decided to compensate the buyers. Those who made the deal were
refunded 50 RMB to their Meituan accounts, at a cost of 250,000 RMB to Meituan. However, the quick response and admission of
liability prevented any Consumer Day criticism.


Dispute Between Brand and Group Purchase Website
Where does this business dispute come from?

1 2
The risk and return ratio of this new business model The asymmetric information exists between different
has not been recognized by the Netizens functional departments of a company
PR
Return Risk
Brand Exposure Negative Buzz Distributor
Higher Turnover Fail to deliver
Sales
Sales Promotion Price War
Marketing
…… ……

CRM

CIC View
Currently, the majority of businesses utilizing group purchase are limiting their view to driving sales volume. However, by implementing
a unified social business strategy, it becomes easier to evaluate the risk and return of such activity, with the support systems in place to
address any potential crisis.
As such, we see an increasing requirement for a central hub that can integrate social efforts and ensure delivery of the right social
media intelligence, to the right stakeholder and in a timely manner.


Siemens Customer Care Leaves Consumers in the Cold - Courting Influencers for Feedback

Sep, 2011 Oct, 2011 Nov, 2011 Dec, 2011

Sep 27th Oct 15th Nov 20th Dec 4th
Luo Yonghao posted a tweet
expressing his frustration Siemens released a Luo smashed three Siemens China president
about his Siemens refrigerator statement, saying that they Siemens refrigerators apologized for the failure of
//Link would take returns and outside Siemens‘ China doors and pledged that
Retweet: 3,675 ，Comments: service products that were headquarters in Beijing. Siemens would provide free
1,132 found to have problems. //Link onsite servicing. //Link

Sep 29th
Siemens published an
Luo Yonghao posted a 1
telephone conversation to
announcement: Siemens
outline his request -“Siemens
have no quality problems
should provide free onsite
Retweet: 7,000 ， Comments: Nov 25th
servicing”
3,700 Siemens home appliances‘
Sep 30th leader responded that
Luo Yonghao published the "whether you want to fasten
faulty video on the door or not” //Link
Youku //Link
PR: 170,000

Summary
On the 27th of September, influential blogger Luo Yonghao posted a tweet to Sina Weibo telling his followers that it was frustratingly difficult to
close his Siemens refrigerator door. This tweet evoked 3,675 retweets and 1,132 comments, as netizens expressed the same frustration with
their own Siemens refrigerators. However, on the 29th of September, Siemens released a statement that their products had no quality issues.
Naturally, netizens responded angrily, feeling Siemens had dodged complaints and ignored consumers. Luo went on to smash
Siemens refrigerators in a very high profile piece of product feedback and hugely viral display of disgruntled consumer power on the 20th of
November. The result? On the 4th of December, Siemens, now suddenly aware of their problematic products, apologized and promised
free onsite servicing for consumers.

Talks between Brands – Friends rather than Competitors

VANCL, is it your shoes?

That‟s right. VANCL canvas
shoes. Great combination
with Durex on rainy days.

Dear VAN, these shoes and
condoms seemed to fall in
love.

Looking forward to the
next rain.

One netizen‘s creative usage of Durex condoms Durex and Vancl retweeted the post and started an
during Beijing‘s heavy rain on the 23rd of June. Link interesting conversation on Weibo. Link Link

Summary
A rainstorm hit Beijing on the 23rd of June and one netizen use his Durex condoms to protect his shoes from getting wet. The picture
he uploaded to Sina Weibo caused huge impact, receiving more than 90,000 retweets and 17,000 comments. The official Durex and
Vancl accounts took this opportunity to engage in an interesting conversation via Weibo, generating a lot of attention for both brands.


Talks between Brands – Friends rather than Competitors

To Fiat: You are 2 years older than me but I
entered Chinese market 8 years earlier than you.
Link Our famous contact is in the movie The Italian Job.
As a pioneer and competitor, welcome to China,
the culture here is fascinating and the fans are
enthusiastic.

Ciao Mini: After we appeared opposite each other
in that movie in 1969, I‘ve waited for you ‗til the
21st century. I‘ve met lots of old friends recently
and finally we have this chance for a reunion. It‘s
Link not too late.

CIC View
Different from interaction between consumers, conversations between brands are more sensitive and can be even more influential.
The right content and wording and can help brands promote themselves and each other, which is a win-win situation.
Conversation between competitors, like Mini China and Fiat, is another example of this brand to brand conversation and as a
competitor, Mini China used humor rather than a provocation to welcome Fiat into Chinese market. After watching this dialogue,
particularly the attitude of mutual respect, both brands were highly praised by netizens.


Weibo Complaints - A Challenge to Brand Image

Increasing numbers of brands are employing the microblog as a means of increasing interaction with their consumers. Of course,
this increased accessibility means they are inevitably using their microblog to field consumer complaints. Brands embracing social
business must view this as a great opportunity for socializing CRM.
Event Review

10:43 ,21st June 10:37 ,21st June

―我是杜芸‖post a complaint to M18. ―Nov甯栤 ―post a complaint to Gaopeng.
Content: a broken needle was Content: a product bought from
found in the new pants bought for Gaopeng is nonconvertible. The
a 2 year old child. link consumer requires explanation link

13:16 ,21st June Up to Now
M18 made a reply to ―我是杜芸‖.
Content: we fully understand the Gaopeng made no reply.
feelings as a mother. High attention More consumers joined in the group
will be paid to this event. link of complaining about Gaopeng .

Results
Timely Feedback Ignorance
- to gain understanding from consumers - comments full of unresolved complaints
- To promote authenticity - ultimately, consumer defection


Weibo Complaints - A Challenge to Brand Image

On the main Weibo page
of M18 , there is a link to
―麦考林_客服‖,a dedicated
consumer service account.

These customer service
intermediaries help
brands to gather related
information..

Suggestions for Brands Handling Weibo Complaints

Dedicated CS Account Clear Positioning Detailed Requirements Intermediary Worth Noticing

1. Dedicated CS Account - a dedicated customer service account, separate from the main brand account, should
be set up to specialize in handling enquires or complaints.
2. Clear Positioning - this customer service account has the sole purpose of serving the main brand account. It
doesn‟t matter how many followers it has.
3. Detailed Requirements - consumers expect a customer service account to serve as a utility; efficient,
professional and responsive.
4. Customer Service Intermediaries – brand agnostic intermediary accounts collect consumer complaints and
brand customer service accounts can increase efficiency by following them.


IWOM WATCH
Understanding SoLoMo

The way netizens actually use social media, incorporate multiple devices, engage
with multiple platforms and adapt their behavior to suit their dynamic online
environment, is an ongoing evolution in integration. For marketers, the result is a
concept which grew to prominence throughout 2011, “SoLoMo”; the
convergence of Social, Local and Mobile.

 The Future of Business is SoLoMo

 Renren‟s 2011 User Trend Review

 Shanghai Mobile Teams Up With Tudou

 OPPO Find: Open to a Little Mystery

 HotelVIP.com – Mobile Booking Bargains


The Future of Business is SoLoMo

In February 2011, Venture
Capital maven John Doerr of Get Smart with Giveaways
Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield &
Byers coined the acronym Kong worked with Renren
SoLoMo; Social Local location to promote their new
Mobile. flavors of beverage - DailyC
Anyone using a phone to check-
Social for communication
and connect with friends.
in at an authorized vendor is
Local for real time activities awarded a badge that can then
based on current location. be redeemed for a beverage.
Mobile for engagement (events page on renren)
anytime, anywhere. 16 cities 39 Check-in places
In 12 days, there were more than 10,000 check-ins and 90%
generated a product trial. This is typical of SoLoMo activity.

Marketing a fun new car in a fun new way
Volkswagen designed an app to promote their new model,
the Scirocco (link)
People compile the photos of their night‘s parting and share
on renren.com. Special badges are awarded and all
participators are in with a chance to win a coupon, a model
of the car or 1 year‘s driving.


The Future of Business is SoLoMo

In most cases, ―LBS (Location based Service)‖ are the platforms most keenly reflecting SoLoMo but they‘re not the only ones.

Other services employing “SoLoMo”
Groupon launched it‘s real-time group
purchase service: 1st, set your location; 2nd,
choose the categories you like; 3rd, buy the
service around you within the limited time. All
you need to do is download the mobile app
In China, Nuomi have also set up their own
real-time group buy service as well. (link)
What‟re the benefits?
1. Flexibility for coupon / discount providers; different promotions based on real-life situations.
2. Splitting visitor traffic; better control of the service quality.

A British apparel store, ―Tory Burch‖, posted a Facebook and Twitter logo in their shop
window. (Link)
1. Location based mobile marketing enhances connection with the brand, expands the
social network and facilitates faster sharing.
2. Opportunities present themselves to brands ready to engage with consumers in
relevant, intelligent ways, providing useful application and real solutions.


IWOM Watch Compilation 2011

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IWOM Watch Compilation 2011