What role does a company’s communication play in day-to-day
operations? Argenti, Howell, and Beck
argue in MIT Sloan Management Review that “strategic communication is
inextricably linked to corporate strategy.”( http://bit.ly/1aWvfVH)
With the continuing social media revolution and continuing innovations in how
we speak and communicate with each other, company’s need to make sure strategic
use of these new communication tools is effectively used and really become a
part of their overall strategy.
When developing an IMC program, every element needs to align
and create a specific message that best communicates a company’s branding
message and selling point. Social media
is merely a new tool that needs to fit in and be used in an innovative fashion
in order to get the most out of every opportunity. Erik Qualman diagrams several ideal ways
that an organization can structure their social media communications in the
most ideal manner. Qualman’s conclusions
indicate that “the more ingrained social media was within a company, the closer
it came to an ideal structure…it was organized communication.” (Qualman, 2013, pp. 231-232) Each social media communication model has its
pros and cons but one in which the entire organization is involved with a
central idea of what and how they should be communicating over social media provides
the best way to integrate into an organization’s overall strategy.
Aligning these social media channels with other IMC elements
can be a challenge but one that is quickly becoming a regular facet within the
marketing realm. We’ve just come out of
the biggest advertising event of the year: the Super Bowl. Every year, millions are spent on 30-second
ad buys in the hopes that it will produce a conversation and viral Internet
attention that will increase brand exposure.
More and more, however, companies seem to be artificially enhancing
media exposure through social media channels to extend those multi-million ad
buys far beyond what they could have gotten a decade ago. The above Scarlett Johansson ad for
Sodastream was leaked earlier as a banned ad due to an innocuous, easily edited
line about Coke and Pepsi but because they submitted this one first, it gained
a bit of notoriety and they were able to pump out a few extra days of
Sodastream mentions through viral social media mentions.
The above 30 second ad for the new Amazing Spider-Man movie
also played during the big game but conversation about the movie extended far
beyond its initial showing. Sony wisely
placed a Spider-Man hashtag at the end of the ad extending the conversation for
the movie over to Twitter. There, a new
nearly four minute advertisement with even more footage for the movie was
released on the official Sony Youtube channel.
Sodastream and Sony used smart traditional advertising buys
and extended their message out through other communication channels over the
biggest advertising day of the year.
These are just two examples from the day that used a smart IMC plan to
integrate social media across their corporate strategy and create an alignment
between each, separate part.
Works Cited
Qualman, E. (2013). Socialnomics: How Social Media
Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.
Hi Nashid, great post. I liked how you incorporated recent super bowl commercials into your response. Can you think of a company that doesn't really incorporate social media into their other forms of communication, but you feel should?
ReplyDeleteHey Andrea,
DeleteSocial media is so prevalent these days that its difficult to think of any company that doesn't incorporate it into their advertising in some way. Even if its just a throw away hashtag like Adrienne mentions below, most companies are making use of social media.
However, there are certainly companies blundering about with it, not really incorporating it into their message. To look at another recent example that I've mentioned elsewhere as well, look at JCPenney's recent stumble on Twitter. (http://bit.ly/1erBfVp) A failed attempt at being clever led to the company being a laughingstock on social media, failing to create the conversation and attention that I'm sure the company wanted. I think a lot of it had to do with tweeting something that had no relation to any other aspect of their marketing and IMC program thus causing confusion amongst consumers on exactly what the company was attempting. A more organized corporate strategy in which other parts of the marketing machine knew what the other was doing could have avoided this embarrassing little event.
Hi Nash - loved the fact that you included the videos in your blog. I watched the Super Bowl this year, and noticed that almost every ad had a hashtag somewhere. 2014 actually set a new record, with 57% of ads including a hashtag, up 50% from 2013 (Sullivan, 2014). Some made sense (they were the company name, or a hashtag that had been used before - like #Doritos) others seemed a bit more random - like Bud's #UpForWhatever.
ReplyDeleteMany companies, most notably Hyundai, included every social network - Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the company's URL. Do you think that, even though this is clearly an effort to be integrated, that consumers could get "content overload" and be overwhelmed by the messaging on multiple channels?
Adrienne,
DeleteThat's a really good point about social media overload and its something I've been thinking about for the last few years. As more and more social media channels keep popping up (some failing, others sticking around and becoming a part of our regular communication diet) companies need to start prioritizing and picking the right social media channels for the right campaign.
Not every product brand might be right for microblogging like younger-focused companies and not every brand might be right for the community building and sharing that Facebook provides. Integration is good but the right kind of integration that makes sense for each product should be best. A big blockbuster movie like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 certainly lends itself to a big blow-out campaign that can bleed onto Facebook and Twitter. However, I'm sure that Sony probably wouldn't have any use for Pinterest in order to push their male-dominated Spider-Man brand. What other brands do you think could use a more limited social media presence, judiciously applied?
Ack! Apologies! I left off my citation and can't edit the comment!
ReplyDeleteSource for my stat -
Sullivan, D (2014) "New Record For 2014: Hashtags Mentioned In 57% Of Super Bowl Ads" Marketing Land. Retrieved from http://marketingland.com/hashtags-super-bowl-2014-72658
Hey Nash, it was interesting to see that a lot of companies teased their Super Bowl commercial a week before it aired. I agree with you that it definitely built up hype. I'll give you a personal example. A friend of mine shared a video link on Facebook that announced a Full House reunion during the Super Bowl. My nostalgic self got excited and quickly clicked on the link to view the commercial.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching it, I shared it on my own Facebook wall. I think this was a great strategy for companies as they essentially got people excited about their commercial - allowing us to essentially become brand advocates without them paying a dime.
-Amanda
Amanda,
DeleteI definitely noticed more and more companies teasing out their big Super Bowl ads a week or two before they were unveiled. To use another big movie example, I know I've seen snippets of the big Captain America ad that debuted during the game a week before the game. Teasing trailers for these big blockbuster movies has become increasingly common on social media with the latest trend showing brief 7 second clips over the microvideo app Vine.
I also saw that Full House reunion teased around a lot of places in the lead up to the game. It certainly wasn't the only big ad that fed off people's nostalgia but that one was certainly geared towards our generation. In fact, it was not only teased on social media but I saw Bob Saget, John Stamos, and Dave Coulier cameo in a skit on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. That sketch was spread virally as well. Though the ad was never mentioned, it was probably shared alongside the teases for the ad as well.
However, I think this bit may have overshadowed the actual product being marketed. Even now, I had to do a quick Google search to remember that it was an ad for a Dannon yogurt commercial. Though they were successful in creating a lot of attention, it overshadowed the brand and had little connection with what they were selling. Do you think there might have been a way for them to put the yogurt more out in front in the ad campaign rather than relying on 1990s nostalgia?
You bring up a great point. On one hand, it's great for videos from late night shows like Jimmy Fallon or SNL to get shared because the show is getting attention and people might be more inclined to watch the show in the future.
DeleteOn the other hand, you're right I even forgot what the commercial was for. I think if Dannon integrated social media with the commercial, it would have helped them. I just did a quick search on their Facebook page and noticed they haven't even posted on their page since August!
One platform they could have utilized was Instagram. They could have created an Instagram video for each character from Full House sharing the reason why they love Dannon or something to that extent. This would help make the campaign more viral while still focusing on the brand.
That's a great idea, Amanda!
DeleteInstead of a one and done big, splashy Super Bowl ad, they could have extended their investment far beyond and really properly connected the brand with the campaign. This is what social media can do for what was previously just a cumbersome use of resources to gain attention. It's a cost effective way of stretching the message and idea across a wide number of channels, gaining brand resonance through each medium.
Hey Nash,
ReplyDeleteI like when you state, "When developing an IMC program, every element needs to align and create a specific message that best communicates a company’s branding message and selling point." I think that is an extremely important point to make. Creating something uniform is certainly a challenge but it could be the key to succeeding in a campaign. Converging your strategic plan with your intended means of communication is important.
I really liked that you incorporated the new commercials into your post, that was a great idea. It is crazy how much companies spend on these 30 second ads. If companies do not know exactly what their strategy is going to be, spending all of this money on these commercials could be a waste. This is why strategy and communication are so important and go hand in hand. To make their intended means of communication work they needed a rock solid strategy. Do you think any of the companies that had Superbowl ads did not have a solid strategy and failed?
-Michele
Michele,
DeleteI definitely agree with the complete waste of ad money that the Super Bowl can be without a clear strategy and communication idea in place. That's why it always surprises me to see so many ads land with a thud without a clear message or idea behind it.
One that really stuck out to me during the game was for the Maserati's new model Ghibli. (http://bit.ly/Mo3CsV) The ad was designed to introduce the new model to American audiences but "failed to communicate to potential buyers what the new car is about, who should be driving it, and why."(Chernev, 2014) The ad made little sense featuring the Oscar nominated young actress from Beasts of the Southern Wild and really echoed that film a lot. If you are aware of the film, that is quite an odd decision for a luxury car brand as that film deals a lot with the poor and a poverty stricken society. It's a strange connection to draw and really only highlights the odd, confused messaging of the campaign.
Works Cited
Chernev, A. (2014, February 03). Super Bowl Ads: The Good, the Weird, and the Ugly. Retrieved from Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-03/super-bowl-ads-the-good-the-weird-and-the-ugly
I am so glad you mentioned that commercial. That was one I remember and not really in a good way. After it was over all I was thinking was, "What does that have to do with the car?" In fact, in watching the game, I actually said multiple times that it seemed as though only car advertisements were on and honestly it was driving me a little crazy, especially since so many of them did not even seem to make sense.
DeleteYes, I completely agree. Car ads seem to be more about really splashy advertising spends designed to get the most attention and the name of their brand out there in a crowded marketplace. I personally don't think this is an effective use of their marketing resources and this money could be better spent elsewhere.
DeleteI didn't watch the Super Bowl, but I heard about the Maserati commercial on the radio and how it made no sense. So I YouTube'd it and was completely confused. I had no idea what the commercial had anything to do with the car. I don't understand how such a top notch luxury car can drop the ball on a commercial, during the Super Bowl at that.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to see how many of you actually pay attention to commercials while regularly watching tv. Do you watch the commercials or do something else until the program comes back on? If you use dvr/tivo, how often do you skip the commercials?
I think the Super Bowl may be the only time I'm ever actively paying attention to commercials. People will mention great ads to me and I'll struggle to recall it. I am a regular DVR user and often forward through commercials. If I watch live, then that's time I use to get on my Twitter feed or get out my laptop. I know I'm not alone in this behavior. My generation and those younger are definitely splitting their attention this way. That is why effectively getting people's attention through digital means, such as social media, and making extra steps towards getting that attention is so important in today's marketplace.
DeleteHi Nashrid, I completely agree. I rarely watch commercials, but when I hear about a good one, I usually YouTube it to see it. Then ironically I find myself always seeing it on TV. I guess I really just don't pay attention to commercial if I'm not looking for a specific thing.
ReplyDeleteI see more ads on social networks, but many I miss too. For example, I completely missed ALL of the social media marketing done for the first Hunger Games movie. It was word of mouth that caused me to see the movie.
Can you think of an instance when word of mouth was a source of marketing for you?
I'm actually a really big film geek so I would say with movies, word of mouth is my exclusive source of marketing when it comes to finding a movie to watch. I also probably wouldn't have gone to see The Hunger Games if people weren't so generally positive on the movie in initial reviews. I'll watch movie advertisements but they'll rarely, if ever, be a deciding factor in what I watch. I think word-of-mouth and social media go hand in hand and people are more and more reluctant to take any individual marketing communication as the end all and be all of making purchasing decisions.
DeleteWord of mouth also works best for me when it comes to movies also…..I enjoyed your posts this week. I'll be posting in the iLearn forum shortly.
ReplyDelete