Some have raised questions about the true value of Vine. For one, it’s a unique content creator that allows both individual users and brands to show off their creative sides. With the viral nature of GIFs, it’s a logical next step: an easy GIF-like video that includes sound.  Its integration with Twitter gives the platform an advantage for brands with well-established followings.

Lowe’s recently unveiled its new campaign: “Lowe’s Fix in Six.” The premise is simple: home improvement tips can you learn in six seconds or less. Lowe’s uses the app to demonstrate quick “#lifehacks” – everything from removing stripped screws and organizing cleaning supplies to keeping critters out of gardens and cleaning baking pans. The campaign isn’t selling anything (though it could!); rather it’s showing that Lowe’s is your home improvement super-hub in a fun and novel way.

PlayStation is reinventing the baseball card with the use of the new medium. In promoting the new game “MLB 13: The Show,” PlayStation shows how to modernize and personalize the outdated baseball card. No, these baseball “cards” don’t have the rarity factor that traditional collectors’ items do, but the ability to RT seriously increases the sharability factor. Additionally, the platform is able to utilize camera angles, in-game footage and unique game audio from the video game to give each Vine a special edge.

The Tribeca Film Festival used the mobile app to drum up the competitive spirit in filmmakers and fans before the annual film festival. Tribeca challenged users to create 6-second films for the “mini- festival” in one of four categories: genre, auteur, animated and series. The festival was able to capitalize on unique and creative user-generated content and remain at the forefront of new video technologies. Shortlisted Vines were recognized, and winners (two of which are highlighted below) were awarded $600. Tribeca managed to use the fun, unique and engaging contest in the perfect way to promote its festival.

Vine, like Snapchat and other emerging mobile apps, demonstrates that with a little creativity, brands can engage fans, provide a unique experience and embrace new technologies. And Vine’s acquisition by Twitter ensures an audience for the 6-second ads.

If that’s not enough incentive for brands to get into the Vine-action — take note that the app currently sits at #4 among free apps in the iPhone store, ahead of YouTube, Tumblr, Snapchat and even Twitter.

When customers of Thelma’s Treats — an Iowa-based cookie company — place orders for delivery, this is what the sweets arrive in:

Kudos to the team who baked up that idea. I bet sales soar just so people can play with the packaging. Now I want to work on a creative box project! (I say in my best Veruca Salt impression.) But seriously, give us an assignment…

(Images from The Dieline)

At MasterCard, a team of 60 people in four locations track social media conversations around the world 24/7. While the sheer scale of this monitoring effort is impressive, even more impressive is what MasterCard does with the information and how it shares it within the organization:

• Employees from across the company are encouraged to visit the suite and even bring in outside partners.
• Teams from PR, marketing and customer service rotate through the command center daily.
• Insights gained through monitoring are used to inform product development, and they influenced MasterCard’s rollout of MasterPass earlier this year.
• The payment network tracks key metrics like regional share of voice and follows influencers.
• Weekly and quarterly analytics are prepared and shared throughout the company.

It’s one thing to track social media conversations; it’s another thing to apply context and analysis. But it seems that MasterCard is going even further and using what it hears in the social space to inform actions across their global organization. This is really putting social into action.

Many financial institutions use social media as part of their customer service strategies, but MasterCard has expanded the idea of what can be gained from listening. It’s not just about the individual tweet or post; it’s about broader trends… and applying them to essential business decisions.

Yelp, in my opinion, is one of the most unreliable of these sites. There have been many, many news reports of potential shady practices undertaken by internal forces (site administrators who get incented to delete negative reviews, for example) as well as external ones (employees who bash a competitor’s business by posing as unhappy customers, for example). Which is why I am always skeptical of what I read there and why I feel it doesn’t provide any value – and why I don’t trust it. (While it’s easy to argue that anonymous users on any site can be whoever they want to be, there’s a lot of solid evidence that Yelp itself – not just its users – contributes to the shadiness by favoring advertisers and filtering/hiding reviews… something many other sites do NOT do or allow.)

So when I came across an article, “Craigslist Yelp Ad Offers Money In Exchange for Good New York Restaurant Reviews,” I can’t say I was really shocked or even surprised… but I was disappointed. Not in Yelp so much, because this wasn’t Yelp’s doing, but in the business owner who posted the Craigslist ad. Plain and simple, whoever it is just doesn’t get it. On so many levels. He doesn’t understand (or care about?) authenticity. Or business ethics. Or how not-easily-fooled so many of today’s consumers really are. Some things worth noting about the ad:

1. Missing from the list of requirements? The Yelp user needn’t necessarily be a patron of the restaurant, it seems. He or she must simply be good enough at writing and have at least 50 reviews under his belt. Because lots of reviews obviously equals credibility. (That was sarcasm, in case you couldn’t tell.)
2. People, by and large, are not stupid. When they see positively glowing review after glowing review – especially ones that include no detail or meaningful information because THE REVIEWER NEVER ATE THERE – they’re going to know something’s up.
3. While paying someone to review something objectively is one thing, paying someone to review something and telling that person what to write is quite another. Lots of bloggers get perks and incentives from companies, stores, etc. to blog about their experiences, but there – by law! – must be a full, clear and easily locatable disclosure of this relationship, AND these bloggers must be free to write whatever they want, good or bad. It’s the company that’s taking a gamble by doing this – it’s on them to have the product or service that backs up their apparent confidence.
4. Let’s take a step back, person posting this Craigslist ad. How about – instead of staging this ridiculous effort that may not even work (or, more likely, will backfire) – you focus on actually, you know, making tasty food. On making your real patrons’ experiences good ones. So they actually enjoy your food and your restaurant. So that they keep coming back. So that they tell their friends all about it. So that they feel absolutely compelled to share photos of their meals on Instagram! In other words: why don’t you actually spend your time and money trying to fix the bad things so bad reviews stop happening.

It’s really a novel idea, I know, that happy customers = positive reviews, and unhappy customers = negative ones. But it’s something that some business owners don’t truly understand or give credence to… and that’s a real shame. And let’s remember this fact, too: the end of the day, one negative review here and there probably won’t keep customers from trying your restaurant. But lots of positive reviews that feel completely phony because they lack any substance or value certainly won’t fool people into coming, either.

All brands – especially heavily regulated financial institutions – should state their social customer service protocols clearly, and the path to assistance should be fast and easy. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. For those who need to update their profiles to contain information about customer service, here are some examples from banks and credit unions:

Twitter bios
Much of the text that appears in the header on a Twitter profile comes from the “bio” field, and many banks and credit unions use that area to announce customer service policies for the platform. For example, Capital One’s bio explains the purpose of its Twitter stream and points followers in the direction of help: “We’re serving up tips, tidbits + treats from travel to sports and everything in between. Need customer service? Tweet us @AskCapitalOne.” U.S. Bank’s Twitter bio spells it out in a similar way.

Twitter backgrounds
Some banks and credit unions utilize background images to convey customer service information. Text in Navy Federal Credit Union’s background image directs followers to its help account: “For products or service questions, follow @NavyFederalhelp.” PNC’s background redirects customers in a similar way, while KeyBank’s  background image features the names and pictures of customer service reps.

Facebook “about” sections
Very often, text within the “about” sections on Facebook tells fans what they can – and cannot – expect in terms of customer service on the platform. Both Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank warn fans it won’t provide customer service on Facebook, and both provide alternate outlets for customers seeking help. Other banks and credit unions seem more open to the platform as a customer service channel. In SunTrust’s “about” section on Facebook, the bank states, “Talk to us, and let us know how we can help you shine today. This page is moderated M-F, 7a-7p ET.” A quick scan of “posts by others” on SunTrust’s Timeline reveals the bank openly answers customer service questions and addresses complaints, only taking it off-line at the point personal information becomes necessary.

Suggestions

• If possible, provide customers with assistance in the same platform they use to request it, as in the Capital One and U.S. Bank Twitter examples. You’ll demonstrate that you respect their time and want to make it as easy as possible to resolve their issues. Not possible? Consider a work-around behind the scenes, like Citizens Bank’s approach. The bank doesn’t support customer service on Twitter, but when followers tweet requesting assistance, the bank asks them to DM contact info so the bank can call them… which takes the added lift off the customer.

• Make service part of the conversation. When SunTrust’s Twitter reps sign off for the night, they tweet where customers can find help in their absence:

• Be clear! Wells Fargo’s Twitter bio tells followers what to expect, but it could use some clarification. It says, “We provide financial education, community news & more. For questions please contact us at Socialmedia@wellsfargo.com.” What kinds of questions can “social media” answer? Is it the fast track for customer service issues or the long way around?

• Know the limitations of featured areas on each medium. Background images can disappear behind Twitter’s main elements at certain screen widths. In addition, if images aren’t high resolution, text won’t appear crisp and clean.

• Go beyond the facts and into branding. In addition to listing customer service hours in its Twitter bio like many of the others, TD Bank also highlights its brand by placing emphasis on human connections and convenience. Its bio also features a link to a YouTube video about its social representatives. The video starts with reps introducing themselves – “Hi. My name is…” – and speaks directly to TD’s commitment to “bank human again.”

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”

It was a controversial statement back then, and now that it has resurfaced alongside claims that the retailer refuses to make plus sizes for women, it is again. In full force, thanks to the power of you-know-what.

First I saw the Change.org petition encouraging others to join in the fight “by adding your name to this petition and asking Abercrombie and Fitch to embrace the beauty in all sizes by offering XL and XXL sizes for women and men!” As of today, it has 22,592 supporters.

Then I read about the teens that protested outside of an A&F store in Chicago on Monday. Not really national news, but a response nonetheless.

Then I saw this video. L.A.-based filmmaker Greg Karber took to the streets in an attempt to take the A&F brand…and re-brand it. With homeless people. The video starts off by attacking Jeffries’ comments (and appearance), then shows Karber handing out A&F garments to homeless people. In the end, he gives viewers this homework: scour your closets for A&F clothes, and donate them to homeless shelters. Oh, and of course, “share what you’re doing on Facebook and Twitter” using hashtag #FitchTheHomeless. The goal? To make A&F “The World’s Number One Brand of Homeless Apparel.”

It’s been three days since it went live, and so far, the video has collected over 4.5 million views and counting, and around 43k likes. Not surprisingly, #FitchTheHomeless has trended, getting RTs after RTs.

Many are in agreement. “Every brand has a target group, that’s fine,” comments one person. “But to be so blatantly proud about trying to exclude certain people is awful. The money of the ‘not so cool’ is just as green. As a company you should aim for your target group and take any extra customers as a plus and keep your uninspired statements to yourself.”

But then there are those who aren’t with Karber. One commenter wrote: “Amazed at how no one can recognize that #fitchthehomeless is just as bad and condescending towards the homeless as the comments made by the CEO of A+F. Don’t try and hurt a brand for being exclusionary by choosing the homeless and deeming them the worst possible representatives you can think of…”

Whichever point-of-view suits you best, we can all agree on something: it’s A&F’s move…right? Will they respond in some way? Will they pretend this isn’t happening? Will they not even care? They have a choice here: React or resume like normal. To all the marketers and brand representatives out there, what would you do? (And if you can’t answer that, give us a call…we’re good at this stuff. And we think everyone is cool.)

Because this payment technology can be confusing to consumers, it is imperative that communications about the technology and its benefits are clear. We’ve been keeping our eye on how financial institutions convey this information, and two recent examples caught our attention.

EMAIL FROM CITI
While unassuming in nature, we stopped to notice this email sent from Citi on the topic of chip:

What this communication does right:
1 – Smart targeting. When cardholders purchased an international airline ticket, Citi delivered the email offering an “upgrade to a chip technology…” a relevant feature offered at an opportune time.

2 – Gradual deployment. By offering chip to international travelers first, the issuer gives itself the ability to resolve issues gradually, as they occur, in order to prepare for what may come when it offers chip more broadly.

3 – Clear, simple, benefit-driven messaging. Explanations about the technology itself can be confusing, so it is important to describe its functionality and end benefit: to travel with confidence and ease.

4 – Details offered only if desired. The last link in the email presumably drives to this web page, which covers in greater detail what chip is, the history and technology behind it and what it means to the customer.

What could be improved:
Not much! The communication is focused on delivering one message, and we think it does so clearly and concisely.

DIRECT MAIL FROM U.S. BANK 
U.S. Bank provided this brochure, which introduces chip, to its card customers:

What this communication does right:
1 – The interior headline. It’s benefit-driven and easy to understand: “More convenient. More secure. More widely accepted.”

2 – FAQs. The brochure’s copy preemptively addresses anticipated questions. This seems to be a popular way to go about disseminating the technical yet important information among a lot of issuers.

3 – Visuals! The image of the card reader builds recognition at the point of sale, and the credit card image with the call-outs are both easy to understand and helpful to those who won’t take time to read all the copy.

4 – Reinforcement of value proposition. U.S. Bank reinforces the FlexPerks value proposition toward the end of the brochure. It even reminds cardmembers of the FlexPerks Traveler photo promotion.

What could be improved:
U.S. Bank could have streamlined copy to offer more digestible – equally informative, but less overwhelming – content. Additionally, imagery could work harder to reflect the romance of travel given the communication targets travelers.

Citi E-mail sourced from Competiscan’s “This week in Credit Cards” (for the week of 4/22/13). U.S. Bank Direct Mail sourced from Competiscan.

We think it’s noteworthy for a number of customer-centric reasons:

• taps into every bank customer’s wish of “make it convenient for me;”
• has a name that telegraphically communicates the promise and the benefit;
• uses an online channel that is not only easy to use but also available 24/7 beyond banking hours;
• doesn’t require a branch visit or phone call for a task that does not need to be one-on-one; and
• gives the customer options – time and place – up to two weeks in advance.

E-mail communication (screenshot) sourced from Competiscan’s “This week in Deposit Products” (for the week of 5/6/13).

Now in its third year, the Chase Sapphire Golf Experiences program gives cardholders access to premium golf packages that include playing 18 holes on a world-class course and meeting PGA players like Webb Simpson and Stewart Cink (both past winners of Major Championships). Space for these packages is very limited, making them exclusive, even among Sapphire cardholders.

This promotion feels right on for the target audience. Sapphire is marketed at affluent consumers, and the product strives to bring cardholders unique, exclusive and unexpected experiences that allow them to enjoy life more. The Golf Experiences program fits right into that approach.

Since golf is also a very social sport, it was great to see content on the Chase Sapphire Facebook page that also captures the spirit of the Sapphire brand, but in a more accessible way.

Beyond the Tee is a Facebook app that allows customers to make their own pegboards, which are part wish list and part travel log. The boards are lists of well known courses like Kapalua, Bethpage Black and Pebble Beach, and Likers can indicate “I want to do this” or “I have done this” for any of the locations listed. A few Sapphire Golf Experience Packages are highlighted, and cardholders can select golf achievements or aspirations like “I hit the green on my first try!” Likers can add comments to items on pegboards and share their boards with friends.

What we like: For some companies, brand expressions can be intangible and may lack proof. We love seeing a brand come to life in ways that place real weight behind what it stands for, and we especially love to see it done through social media. In particular with Beyond the Tee, Chase gets a lot of things right:

• they use a hook that directly relates to the brand;
• they target a specific segment of their base with content that is highly relevant to passionate golfers; and
• they give Facebook Likers something extra, including video content with tips from the pros.

Golfers love to talk about golf and Chase gives them a fun and easy way to do that.

What we think could work better: Not much really. Maybe, Chase could make a more explicit connection between the two promotions to help drive traffic from the Golf Experiences site to Beyond the Tee (bringing in some new Likers). However, they both do a great job on their own, and an implicit connection might be enough.

Overall this is another great example of how banks and issuers can develop social media content that is engaging, on-brand and part of its unique customer offering.

Taco Bell, never one to shy away from popular new platforms like Vine and Pheed, just announced it was joining Snapchat, an app which allows friends to share photos that self-destruct in 10 seconds. The mobile app, which is especially popular among young people, was quick to support the brand.

The fast food chain is the first major brand to use Snapchat as a way to communicate with its fans. What does this tell us? Snapchat is not just a tool for scandalous communication anymore (read: “sexting”). Marketers can use it as a way to reach the increasingly important and tech savvy demographic of teenagers and 20-somethings. If brands are able to properly manage Snapchat, currently ranked #9 in the App store, then they’ll have a fun, new way to get in touch with and gain brand advocates. Take a look at the Taco Bell Twitter stream to see how many people tweeted their excitement upon receiving a snap from the brand!

The brand continues to be a favorite in the social space. It’s adopted a have-no-fear attitude when it comes to new social apps and technologies, and fans are happy to engage. Taco Bell’s director of social and digital said it best: “Sharing that story on Snapchat is a fun way to connect with the fans that we are thrilled to have. It’s all about treating them like personal friends and not consumers.”