Applegate Media Group

Twitter is the shortest form of social media. Its messages are limited to 140 characters and usually consist of a brief comment or a URL. The messages, or “tweets”, are sent to everyone following the account. Companies use Twitter to generate website traffic, produce leads, and drive trials or purchase. According to Marketing Sherpa, people follow companies or individuals for specific reasons. The most common reasons are to learn about specials and new products, but also for pure entertainment or educational purposes.

Dell, who has close to 1.5 million Twitter followers, sells their refurbished products through their Twitter account @DellOutlet. In June 2009, Dell claimed that since launching their Twitter account in 2007, it has generated more than $2 million in sales directly attributable to Twitter. Another $1 million in sales came from people who started at Twitter and then moved to Dell’s website to buy a new computer. In December of 2009, the company released another statement to say that their global Twitter outreach has resulted in $6.5 million in sales, a number that includes purchases of new and refurbished equipment globally.

How did they do it? Looking at Marketing Sherpa’s chart, Dell is just telling their followers what they want to hear. Through Twitter, Dell announces the latest available refurbished equipment, and also sends coupons and clearance event updates to their followers.

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Until 2008, TV ratings for live events such as Oscars and Grammys have recorded a four-year decline. Many saw this as proof that TV as a medium was dying, its death caused by the rising popularity of internet and social media. But in 2009, TV live events in particular have seen significant ratings increases largely attributable to none other than social media. 

More than one in ten people who watched the 2009 Oscars did so while on the internet. Facebook received most of the traffic as the viewers used the site an average of 76 minutes during the Oscars broadcast. An additional 100,000 Twitter messages were sent, or 400 per minute.

Other events were affected by the social media activity as well:

MTV Movie Awards, MTV, May 30 2009

As chatter about “Bruno” and “New Moon” ramped up online, more than 5 million viewers tuned into the show – a 73% increase from 2008. Traffic to the show microsite spiked 205% over the previous year.

BET Awards, BET, June 28 2009

Due to an aggressive Twitter integration and a last minute tribute to Michael Jackson, the show became the highest-rated cable telecast of the year. BET.com recorded a 100% traffic increase from 2008. The site also hosted “Wall of Tweets” collecting all Twitter updates about the ceremony and claiming all 10 trending topics during the show broadcast.

MTV Video Music AWARDS, MTV, September 13 2009

The online chatter about Kanye West’s interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech was so loud that it prompted many viewers to turn on the live show just to see what everyone was talking about and what would happen next.

The Grammy Awards, CBS, January 31 2010

The show had 25.8 million viewers – the most since 2004. This is attributed to real time tweets and a significant amount of pre-show buzz.

Social media sites are an advanced, large-scale form of word of mouth. Their increasing popularity has turned live TV into a multiplatform media experience.

The 2010 Oscars broadcast, scheduled to air on March 7^th is expected to see a decent amount of interchange with the social media. The show organizers have openly embraced the social media aspect for the first time. What do you predict the ratings outcome will be? 

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Among Americans using different “listening” technologies available today, terrestrial radio continues to dominate in terms of the number of people listening for five minutes or more in an average week. 93% of Americans still tune in weekly. Satellite radio was the expected biggest threat to terrestrial radio, but with still a relatively small percentage of radio users actually subscribing (6%), the audience numbers still stack up favorably for terrestrial radio. However, based on the Bridge Ratings study conducted in the summer of ’09, satellite radio listeners are the most loyal as they spend the greatest amount of time listening – 20+ hours per week. They are followed by terrestrial and internet radio at about 17 and 13+ hours respectively, while the amount of time spent listening to MP3 players and HD radio was almost the same, at around 12 hours a week.

Perhaps the greatest concern is in the decrease of terrestrial radio’s popularity over time. When asked if they intend to listen more, the same or less in the following year, 25% said they expect to listen to terrestrial radio less.

Today’s listeners are increasingly more mobile, progressively busier and on the whole, over-stimulated. Terrestrial radio is like most other traditional media forms in that it needs to evolve with the times in order to maintain reach, appeal and effective audience engagement. Regardless of the changing media landscape, their key strengths remain:

– Live and local programming and content

– Ability to build relationships with listeners

• Local DJs interaction with listeners through daily contests and offers

• Radio remote broadcasts

• Event and concerts presence

Experts agree that terrestrial radio needs to showcase these key attributes to separate itself from the competition, create engaging consumer environments and stake its claim inside the 360 degrees of consumer touchpoints.

When it comes to “saving the planet”, most people will say they are all for it. The confusion starts when you ask them how they will do it. Many companies have invented products that support the planet-saving initiatives, but are having a hard time marketing and selling them. Here are some key considerations when building your green brand’s marketing presence:

1)    Be personal: People tend to care more about green issues that affect them directly. Things like water contamination, air pollution and toxic waste will more likely illicit a response rather than a broad issue such as global warming.

2)    Power of collective effort: Many people think their individual efforts won’t make a difference, so give them a sense of the collective, quantifiable impact of their actions.

3)    Offer help: For example, retailers who offer to dispose of dead batteries and expired medication should see an increase in traffic, brand awareness and word-of mouth buzz.

4)    Educate: Green labels are often confusing so even more sophisticated shoppers don’t know the difference between “organic” and “natural”. Educating them is a double benefit – they become more receptive customers and you become a reputable go-to source for green issues.

5)    Tout ROI: In a tough economic environment, consumers care more about value than anything else. People will be more inclined to buy green products if they know it will save them money in the long run.

6)    Tangible benefit: Consumer studies have shown that health and wellness are powerful motivators for people to buy green products. If your product can contribute to their health and well-being, people need to know about it.

7)    Leverage policy: National and international green policy plays a major role in consumer engagement. Monitor and leverage policy when promoting your product.

8)    Run local: How can your product solve a local/regional problem? People tend to relate more on a local level.

In a world of ever evolving sophistication and specialization, in-depth knowledge of consumer behavior is the key to success. Dramatic shifts in the economy and the fact that consumers are savvier than ever when it comes to scrutinizing marketing messages underscore the importance of proving to consumers that green products and services are real, relevant and worthwhile.