Generous brands provide people with something of value. Increasingly, we’re seeing brands offering up more than just ads, messaging, and ‘fuzzy background noise’. We’ve begun to witness brands giving us ideas – things to get behind and care about. Today’s brands that give in such a way have the power to become bigger role players in their audiences’ lives because they offer value beyond plain old messaging. Branding becomes more than just the ad that gets put out in space for all or anyone to glaze over.
When this happens, generosity emerges and helps create more meaningful brand experiences.
One example of Generosity is Starbucks’ free coffee giveaway on Election Day.
To help bolster sales but also to encourage the ideal of good citizenship, Starbucks promised they’d give a free tall coffee to anyone who came in and said they voted.
Their spot that aired during Saturday Night Live asks: “What if we all cared enough to vote? Not just 54% of us, but 100% of us? What if we cared as much on Nov. 5 as we care on Nov. 4?....You and Starbucks. It’s bigger than coffee.”
Other examples of Election Day Generosity include Ben & Jerry's ice cream giveaway
and also Krispy Kreme's doughnut giveaway
It’s simple and makes sense: Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's, and Krispy Kreme said they supported voting if their customers also cared. These brands served up more than just their product; they gave customers social value by encouraging democracy.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Election Day Generosity
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Fallon Brainfood: @_S_A_R_A_H_ Case Study at SMBMSP
How Fallon and SciFi Network are using Twitter to turn TV audiences into social web advocates.
Listen to testimony from a real fan's podcast describing his experience
Fallon strategic planner Aki Spicer and producer Marty Wetherall presented some of their recent learnings from @_S_A_R_A_H_ at Social Media Breakfast/Twin Cities. @_S_A_R_A_H_ is a character from SCIFI Network's Eureka who Twitters to over 3600+ loyal followers. Aki and Marty revealed some of the rewards and pitfalls of maintaining a live, ongoing, public conversation with fans as well as thoughts on how the modern television series is evolving, extending and enhancing their characters and stories using the social web to engage and inspire fans.
Results to-date:
3676+ followers (as of Nov 19, 2008)
4800+ Eureka mentions
5000+ SCIFI mentions
*AMENDED IMPRESSION METRICS*
1.3 million twitter impressions (and counting).
683 different people @_S_A_R_A_H_'ed.
Multiplying their follower count by the number of @_S_A_R_A_H_'s they tweeted resulted in 604,812 impressions.
Additionally, _S_A_R_A_H_'s tweets resulted in 733,442 impressions.
End Result: 604,812 + 733,442 = 1,338,254 twitter impressions.
Read the world-first "Twitterview" between a TV character and a blog reporter.
Additional notes from Aki and Marty and Pioneer Press
The Creative Idea: "Talk to your favorite character. Really." Imagine if social media could deliver this Marsha Brady Effect to every participating fan.
Politics 2.0: Millennial Makeover
Current TV's Mariana van Zeller looks at the impact of the youth involvement in the 2008 presidential election, with some intriguing interviews with the authors of Millenial Makeover
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Fallon Brainfood: The Mobile 10
On November 6, 2008 Fallon Strategic Planner Aki Spicer and Senior Producer Marty Wetherall conducted a one hour live presentation about mobile media, using mobile media (such as UStream and Qik)!
Presentation slides via Slideshare
Full presentation video via Google Video
The WINNERS of Fallon Brainfood TXT2WIN contest are: Drew Dayberry of VCU ($25 Apple card) and Pat Sidoti @ Fallon ($50 Apple card).
150 people viewed the presentation via UStream, here is a gallery of some who submitted a mobile photo during the presentation at http://fallon.fanchatter.com
Sponsors:
Contact On The Go Mobile Media at http://www.otgmm.com/ email: jmullin@otgmm.com
Contact FanChatter at http://stadium.fanchatter.com email: marty@fanchatter.com
Seed Newsvine
