Media Logic’s Retail Social Juice Index captures and analyzes Facebook and Twitter data every day for each of the brands it tracks and distills the data into a single, useful number. This single number provides a daily snapshot of both the effectiveness of individual promotions and the general level of social enthusiasm among the measured brands.

By tracking spikes in engagement through the Index’s “Brand on the Move” feature, Media Logic makes it easy for retailers to uncover, adopt and apply Facebook and Twitter best practices. Through the “Company Watch” feature, retailers can measure their individual success against their sector’s average and up to five additional brands of their choosing. Media Logic also knows from our tracking data that a few savvy retailers have discovered how to dig into the Index and uncover additional levels of insight. Trending retail concepts and innovative social business strategies can be divined by tracking those brands that consistently score at the 150-level or higher.

But there is no reason to work so hard to gain this higher level of insight.

For qualified businesses, Media Logic offers a free social marketing assessment, a comprehensive, custom report that outlines opportunities for your brand in a social world. Brands including Bath & Body Works, HauteLook and Southwest Airlines have found Media Logic’s assessments to be of “incredible and surprising value.” And the only investment is about an hour your time. Contact us today.

The addition of 70 brands is the first of several enhancements in the works, and the utility of the Index continues to expand, even into the B2B sector, as suppliers and service providers begin to see how engagement scores might help them prioritize their outreach and business development efforts.

In case you missed this story, say, because you’ve spent the week in a sensory deprivation tank, here’s the short of it. Lowe’s had purchased time and was running spots on a new TLC reality show titled “All-American Muslim.” This ad buy evidently generated a number of complaints, whipped up, it appears, by a relatively (previously) unknown conservative group called The Florida Family Association. According to most reports, Lowe’s pulled its ads in response to these complaints. This action generated a firestorm.

Lowe’s RSJI score jumped 330 points to 391 on Tuesday, December 13. It jumped another 97 points on Wednesday, and then spiked a scary 469 points on Thursday, topping out at 896. (For comparison, the average RSJI number for 408 brands currently being scored by Media Logic was 46 on Thursday. The #2 brand on the Index, American Girl, scored 267. The previous record high score was 450, again by American Girl.)

Lowe’s number is clearly exceptional. And in this case, it is exceptionally bad. The question is, can it teach us something?

ABOUT MEDIA LOGIC’S RETAIL SOCIAL JUICE INDEX

Media Logic’s Retail Social Juice Index (RSJI), quite intentionally, does not factor sentiment into its scores. The RSJI measures engagement. Good or bad.

As you follow the Index, you will sometimes notice spikes in brand scores. If you trace those spikes back to their sources, you will find some are the results of promotions and others are due to big customer service issues, like technology glitches during major sales. Sometimes, even, arguments break out between customers. When this happens, engagement scores can really shoot up. The question is, when an argument breaks out on a brand’s Facebook page, what should the owner of that page do?

NOW, BACK TO THE LOWE’S STORY

On Saturday, December 10, after the news broke about Lowe’s pulling its ad buy, the company posted a status update to its Facebook wall that began, “It appears that we managed to step into a hotly contested debate.” With that sort of non-apology apology, Lowe’s only stepped into it deeper. The post made people madder. The argument only grew hotter. And Lowe’s, rather than confront the problem, did almost nothing for the next four days.

Between Saturday and Wednesday, Lowe’s allowed an ugly and very off-brand political argument to rage on its Facebook wall. Tens of thousands of comments were posted, many very aggressive and more than a few pointedly racist. Apparently, the company did try to exercise some very modest control (several people complained about posts being deleted), but active moderation by Lowe’s appears to have been minimal.

Finally, on Wednesday, December 15, Lowe’s deleted its Saturday apology post along with all 28,000 comments. It also closed its wall to fan posts, effectively deleting thousands of comments there, as well. At about 2 p.m., Lowe’s posted a new status update that read, in part, “For several days, our Facebook page has become a forum of debate surrounding a TLC program. … Some of the comments have been sharp and disrespectful in tone, but out of respect for the transparency of social media, we let the debate continue.”

Really? Do brands have an obligation to host open political debate on their Facebook pages? Frankly, in our opinion as marketers, and as humans, Lowe’s could have – and should have – exercised more control over its Facebook page immediately after the first openly hostile comments were posted on Saturday. As Media Logic Conversation Manager Carolee Sherwood says, “A brand has a responsibility in all its communities – the Facebook wall being one – to make sure the environment is conducive to community and respectful.”

WHAT’S A BRAND TO DO?

The manager of a brand’s social space has the same right – and the same obligation – as the manager of a store. Whether the argument breaks out in the aisles or on its wall, for the safety of other shoppers, the combatants should be asked to quiet down. If they don’t, they should be asked, or made, to leave.

*Media Logic’s Retail Social Juice Index combines several metrics measured over a 7-day period. Lowe’s RSJI number reported on Tuesday, December 13 factors engagement on the brand’s primary Facebook page and Twitter stream between December 5 and December 11.

When brands tap into this energy (the bread and butter of social media), they see social engagement spike. For example, on Monday, Kohl’s asked a simple question: “Classic holiday drink: eggnog or hot chocolate?” More than 2,600 fans jumped in with comments about their preferences. Ask questions and ye shall receive engagement? It worked for jcpenney, too. On December 1, it ventured into controversial waters with “Christmas sweaters: Awesome or toss ‘em?” Hundreds of fans joined the conversation with very strong opinions!

Even though it may not be their fans’ favorite season, Spirit Halloween used a question to stay connected to its fans. One week ago it asked, “Does your love for Halloween ever flow into Christmas? Do you ever decorate with A Nightmare Before Christmas?” Its engagement spiked so much when fans added their remarks, it registered in the top 10 movers on our Retail Social Juice Index for that time frame.

Questions can take other forms besides multiple choice and yes/no. We see increased engagement from brands using polls and fill-in-the-blank posts, as well. What it tells us is that customers enjoy it when brands ask them what they think. Remember — people in social networks want to be heard. Brands who use their walls to as places for fans to express themselves enhance the customer experience.

We all have something to say. Give us an outlet, and we’ll use it. Zuckerberg is onto something. In case you haven’t heard …

The ease of group communication did come with some challenges, though. Primarily this: all people have opinions and my classmates weren’t afraid to share theirs. It is impossible to please 300 people when planning a gathering. Even so, the event went on …

Mingling over a cocktails, I found conversations beginning with “Congratulations on passing the bar exam!” or “Your new baby is beautiful!” rather than the bland “So what have you been up to lately?” It was clear that social media had affected the reunion from more than just a logistical standpoint.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, et al. have overhauled the way we interact at reunions by providing instant conversation fodder. I’m not talking about the weather but more substantive topics, such as personal achievements, life-changing events or even a shared “LOL.”  Social media allowed my class to connect on a deeper level than we might have if our reunion occurred just 10 years earlier.

Not every one of my Class of ‘01 comrades agrees with the above opinion. In fact, we are a bit polarized on the topic. While I believe social media allowed for a deeper human connection, my friend Karen* feels that social media has made reunions unnecessary. She remarked, “Why should I go to the reunion? I know what everyone is doing from being on Facebook, and I can easily get in touch with anyone who I have a desire to converse with.”

While Karen may have a good point, I think there is something to be said for spontaneous face-to-face interactions with old friends and foes. These interactions are what make us human. It’s a shame to think we might use social media as an excuse to live life in a bubble. What do you think? Do Facebook and other forms of social media enhance reunions or render them obsolete?

*Name has been changed to protect the innocent

]]> http://blog.mlinc.com/social-marketing/ruminations-on-reunions-in-a-social-world/feed/ 0 http://blog.mlinc.com/social-marketing/social-engagement-every-brand-has-its-own-octopus/ http://blog.mlinc.com/social-marketing/social-engagement-every-brand-has-its-own-octopus/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:54:56 +0000 Carolee Sherwood http://blog.mlinc.com/?p=6429 this octopus that walks on land and our still brand new Retail Social Juice Index. What do they have in common? ThinkGeek (stuff for smart masses), of course! ThinkGeek, with scores well above 100, has been consistently high on our index since its launch last week. Today, in fact, it’s lucky #13. How is ThinkGeek sustaining such a high level of fan and follower engagement? The brand dedicates many of its posts to content curated from social space and pop culture. By adding its own cheeky commentary to what it finds, ThinkGeek is making its social streams fun and entertaining for its audience.]]> Two things it’s really hard to look away from: this octopus that walks on land and our still brand new Retail Social Juice Index. What do they have in common? ThinkGeek (stuff for smart masses), of course!

ThinkGeek, with scores well above 100, has been consistently high on our index since its launch last week. Today, in fact, it’s lucky #13. How is ThinkGeek sustaining such a high level of fan and follower engagement? The brand dedicates many of its posts to content curated from social space and pop culture. By adding its own cheeky commentary to what it finds, ThinkGeek is making its social streams fun and entertaining for its audience.

Take, for instance, the popular YouTube video of that octopus. It had more than 4.6 million views. ThinkGeek shared the video on its Facebook wall with the following note: “Cthulhu is real, and it wants to meet you! It’s totally adorable but you should probably run.” If you don’t know who Cthulhu is, the status probably makes no sense to you, but that may mean you are not part of ThinkGeek’s primary audience. Because ThinkGeek is tuned into what its customers like, however, it knew that a geeky inside joke about a pulp magazine cephalopod would resonate. And it was right!  The post received more than 1,100 likes and 721 shares.

When retailers notice culture trends with strong social energy, riding that momentum can be a nearly free form of marketing. But social engagement isn’t about stunts (though please don’t tell the octopus!). If you’re Ann Taylor or Yankee Candle, your opportunities to benefit from a carrier wave in social media won’t likely come from pulp fiction references. Successful brands recognize content that will thrill and delight their unique followings. Every brand has its own octopus.

Those of us old enough to remember the profound impact of music pre-computer age have a kernel within us that feels like awe, the awe that comes from many thousands of people experiencing the same feelings you are at the same time. That was a rare, novel concept 20-40 years ago, and numbers that seemed impressive then — 500,000 at Woodstock, by some counts – are dwarfed in a social culture where brands attract millions of fans.

Massive music moments were, and still are, about belonging to something. Regardless of generation, these moments have always been about sharing. Think of how Elvis became a sensation. Radio stations and word of mouth spread via our passionate need to tune into — and share in — the emergence of this amazing new talent from Memphis.

Music sharing “back then” (I’m thinking especially of rock and roll) depended initially upon radio broadcast over AM waves and the emergence of the transistor radio, the first true device to allow personal listening choice and mobility. Together, they shifted our interaction with music. We “called in” to radio stations to make requests or vote for our favorite bands. Transistors and telephones may seem primitive now, but in retrospect, they make the social media sharing of music now feel very familiar.

The boom-box craze of the 80s, where folks gathered and “commented” on each others musical tastes, also has a modern counterpart. Then, consumers blasted their favorites up and down the streets, ever louder and more publicly. Now, favorite sounds are amplified and critiqued via social channels.

You can argue that the massive attendance of the original Woodstock qualifies it as a viral event. Hundreds of thousands of peace seekers spread the word to each other within a very short period of time by 1969 standards. The New York State Thruway was clogged for hours in the process of their physical “engagement” migration. It was all organic spillover stemming from the need to be heard instead of bending to the conventional wisdom of the time. The initial intent — to gather 75,000 like-minded participants to a “be-in” (Woodstock Preservation Archives) — turned out to become one of the first examples of a mass-influencer initiative, where “the audience was a much bigger story than the [bands].”

Today, musicians hope to “go viral” on YouTube. The hysteria from Justin Beiber’s original YouTube channel comes to mind. A success like that on YouTube feels very similar to how the Ed Sullivan show helped launch the stars of its day.

The human race is a social pack animal, always seeking to be part of something. The paths to broadcast, promote or encourage mass engagement during the 20th century were not as accessible or plentiful as they are now, but music was something it seemed natural and easy to share.

Thanks to 21st century technology, many other things are also easy and natural to share and on an even grander scale. Avenues for deliberate political actions, social commentaries or movements used to be far more limited. But the revolutionary causes of the past year that utilized Twitter and Facebook have replicated the music-based monoculture model on a real-time global scale.

Is it likely that the revolution in Egypt last spring would have reached the size, intensity and ultimate success it did had it not been for the emergence of a “massive moment” sparked by a couple of voices that became many across social networks? In addition, the platforms helped our cable networks tell the same truth that folks on the street were able to tell. Talk about a moment reflecting who you are in that space and time! The call to gather – knowing the world was watching — was fueled by the real-time benefit and wide reach that social media provides.

And today, brands want to be revolutionary, too, and a few are able to do it. Think about the “massive moment” that each new Apple iDevice release creates. Examine the Apple iPhone 4s, for example. The frenzy and fervor of that “gotta have it on release day” mentality makes it appear that monoculture events do still exist.

As “Marketing Nut” Pam Moore wrote recently, “People no longer buy things, they join things.” And it occurs to me that music, movements and brands all rely on the same motivating factors, as described by the opening of the Salon article:

“I love Massive Music Moments. I live for those times when an album explodes throughout American society as more than a product—but as a piece of art that speaks to our deepest longings and desires and anxieties. In these Moments, an album becomes so ubiquitous it seems to blast through the windows, to chase you down until it’s impossible to ignore it. But you don’t want to ignore it, because the songs are holding up a mirror and telling you who we are at that moment in history.”

Think about it: all historic massive moments came from a few folks doing something unexpected. Something new and fresh. Something that raised our heads from the sometimes drudging, sometimes dangerous, simple, boring norm. The thing that successfully challenges inertia gets our attention, whether it’s music or something else.

The mass moments of “the good old days” still feel large and deeply special. But yes, Ron, people do still feel part of big cultural moments. When the channels of participating were fewer, music movements were one of the biggest things to belong to. Now, participation channels are so prevalent people are using their own unique filters so they can reasonably participate with like-minded individuals. Some filter by political preferences, some by brand affinity. And yes, some still filter by a taste in music.

Whatever the fascination of thriving in a virtual world, it amounts to success. Available on multiple platforms such as Facebook, MySpace, the iPad, smart phones and Yahoo, Zynga’s games reel in more than 230 million monthly active users. That’s a lot of faux fruit! But lately Zynga and its following aren’t the only ones cashing in on the crop of games.

Make way for the era of social gaming as a hot marketing platform.

We saw it a little earlier this year when Zynga and Lady Gaga teamed up to produce GagaVille—where visitors to the neighboring FarmVille landscape could get a first listen to the artist’s new album. It was an interesting concept at the time, but recent news about a retail branded store going inside a Facebook game really turned our heads.

From August 31 to September 6, CityVille users could erect a Best Buy store in their mini metropolises to gain access to various tech products, like a TV or DSLR camera. When they did, they’d get perks, from experience points to unleashed Geek Squad vehicles. Additionally, if gamers visited the Best Buy Facebook page, they could snap up a decorative item for their city. The result: Best Buy saw 440,000 new Facebook likers on August 31, a nearly 12 percent growth rate in one day. Okay, we’re intrigued.

Soon after, Capital One Now took on CityVille, FarmVille and Pioneer Trail. In CityVille, a Capital One bank appeared; in the latter two, its commercial-famous goat. Interacting with either, players again enjoy perks and are also led to the financial services giant’s Facebook page. So Capital One gets exposure to 131.5 million monthly users. For Zynga, it’s another chance to make its games even more realistic. For other marketers, it’s an opportunity. (This isn’t the first time, actually, that Capital One teamed with Zynga, and Best Buy isn’t stopping now—look for the brand’s next Cityville promotion starting November 5.)

What’s next? Our guess is a 20 MB-sized land of farmers donning Gap overalls, picking up Taco Bell at the digital drive-thru and returning back to their IKEA-decorated farmhouses. (Save us a seat!)

Got any other ideas for a hilarious e-card?

When the first sales started, I visited my local Borders – not to partake in the purchase of discounted books, but to grieve. And what surprised me is I wasn’t alone. There were many people slowly wandering the aisles with pained and sorrowful looks on their faces, taking it all in the way music lovers must have done when the popularity of digital tunes began eating away at the brick-and-mortars. It was utterly depressing.

From a social-media perspective, however, the reaction to the death of Borders isn’t so much depressing as it is interesting. After Borders announced the liquidation of its stock on July 18, Media Logic began tracking its sales, as well as related activity on Facebook and Twitter, beginning on July 23. And what we saw surprised us, at first:

Here, you can clearly see that Twitter followers have been slowly declining while Facebook likers, on the other hand, have been increasing in numbers. The big question is, why would Facebook numbers be increasing for a business that is, in fact, going out of business?

First, let’s think about Twitter. It’s not really all that surprising that Twitter numbers would go down, because a lot of people use Twitter as a tool solely to help them keep an eye on sales promotions and deals at their favorite stores. When a store closes its doors, the deals end… and peoples’ interest does, too.

But Facebook is a bit different. Sure, people like a Facebook page to get news of discount offers. But a Facebook page acts as something else: a community. A dedicated place where people can “visit” and feel a sense of belonging. There’s a little bit of that with Twitter, but a Twitter page is not a destination unto itself like a Facebook page often is.

So, it would seem to me – especially given some of the comments from Borders likers – that people are now flocking to their Facebook page to grieve and to be emotional in a communal space. You know, socially.

Not so different from my in-store mourning, come to think of it.

RIP Borders. You will be missed.

The social media geek in me has to wonder: How much of those banked bucks were thanks to Facebook and its social-platform counterparts? I ask because these days, all of my money-saving or freebie-amassing has to do with logging on somewhere. With that, I give you my top five ways to save moolah using social media, both from a consumer perspective and “insider” view. Got others? Comment below!

Follow coupons, freebies, sales and sweepstakes aggregators.
Here’s a great list to start: The Top 40 Twitter Feeds to Help You Save Money. I never would’ve won all my Starbucks gifts cards if it weren’t for these trusty aggregators, who constantly spread the word about deals and ‘RT to win’ contests. Also search for relevant hashtags–#coupon, #sale, #deal, #giveaway to name a few.

Amend your Twitter profile to rack up freebies:
I’m not saying I do this, but I have on good authority that many Twitter contest hosts only “randomly” choose winners who, in their profiles, list their hometown. They don’t want to risk selecting a winner with no location listed, only to find out they live in Wales—and since most Twitter contests don’t come with official rules, it’s difficult to take back a congrats. So if you don’t already, consider at least citing the U.S. as your homeland to up your chances of getting that coveted “You win!” tweet.

Get the 411 on gasoline.
Before I hit the nearest pump, I check GasBuddy.com online or on my iPhone to find the lowest rate nearby. The incentive for users to post rates and help others: prizes! (And the desire to help out a fellow consumer, of course).

Check-in on @foursquare wherever you go.
Free appetizers, 30% off, buy one get one…Check-in specials are on the rise; always check to see if the venue you’re at has one. But don’t stop there—look at the tips, too. For one of our clients, we left a tip at a specific venue saying “show us your screen and you’ll jump to the front of the line.” No money saved there, but you never know. Perhaps a customer will leave a tip a la: “They take expired coupons!” Ch-ching.

Swap your stuff with someone else’s.
From bookmooch.com and paperbackswap.com to freecycle.com and Craigslist, there’s usually someone somewhere who will trade items with you—or just give you something for zilch.

Like and follow your favorite brands. (Probably the most obvious one…)
Start at the brand’s website to find out which social media platforms they’re active on. If they’re on Facebook, ‘like’ ‘em and constantly check their tabs for new coupons or sales. If they’re on Twitter, follow them—but be proactive, too. Tweet to them if you have a problem (maybe you’ll get a freebie?) or compliment their merchandise (perhaps a ‘thank you’ reward will come your way?). Or straight-up ask if they have a coupon code you can use.