If this year has shown us one thing, its that no matter how much people bemoan the use of such Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter (to name the most popular), their growth and power is undeniable.
…now every regular Joe to most celebrities regularly tweet their fans/followers.
In the past week we’ve seen even more proof that social marketing, when done correctly, is an extremely powerful tool to have in your arsenal. A Facebook group, which I’m proud to say I was part of, managed to alter the normal Christmas routine of the X-Factor winner becoming number 1 in the Christmas chart race. The classic rebel record ‘Killing in the name’ by the mighty ‘Rage Against the Machine’ was plastered all around Facebook and Twitter encouraging people to buy a copy in an attempt to stop the usual predictability of X-Factor being crowned number 1 for Christmas…we did it and it felt really good.
Now we have Pepsi scrapping its usual Super Bowl ad campaign for a $20 million Social Media campaign called ‘The Pepsi Refresh Project’ which is aimed to encourage users to submit ideas on how to ‘refresh’ their own communities and make them a better place for everyone to live. There will be a cut off date for idea submission, at which point a vote will be cast and the winning projects will get funded by Pepsi.
This is a significant change for a company the size of Pepsi who have become synonymous with the Super Bowl weekend and their extravagant celebrity endorsed advertisements. To make this huge leap into Social Marketing puts a lot of weight behind the power of such forms of marketing and promotion. It’s not like Pepsi are dipping their toe in the Social pond to see what happens, they are putting a stop to all Super Bowl advertisements and committing 100% to a Social Media influenced campaign…well done Pepsi, and good luck…
I think these two examples speak volumes on their own. I’m excited to think what 2010 will bring us both from design and technology on the internet through to the ever increasing power of Social Marketing. In closing I’d like to wish you all a great Christmas and a peaceful and productive New Year…
