Write Out Loud

A company that is very prevalent in social media, especially for avid fans and users like myself, is Sharpie. Sharpie has a very strong social media presence, evidence that it is making good use of the groundswell and communicating with its customers well.

The screenshot above is from a samepoint search about Sharpie. As you can see, they have a decent social media presence given that they're a marker company. With 5,020 social mentions, it is clear to see that Sharpie is a point of discussion in social media.



One way that Sharpie communicates with its customers is through their blog. They post various types of media including articles, pictures and videos to share some creative ways that people are using sharpies. Check out their blog by clicking on the Sharpie logo!







Another way that I've been introduced to a lot of social media about Sharpie is StumbleUpon. StumbleUpon is a tool that allows users to stumble through websites based on their interests. When I've stumbled, I come across a lot of websites about Sharpie artists and Sharpie art. One of my favorite articles was about a man named Says Kratzer who decorated his entire basement with Sharpies! Click on this photo of his basement to read the full article.

Sharpie is also very prevalent on YouTube. Similar to their blog, the YouTube videos about Sharpie are mostly creative ways that people are using the markers. Sharpie has such a strong fan base who are posting videos like this one and inspiring people to figure out cool new ways to use Sharpie markers.








Finally, I recently found Sharpie on TED.com, a website that is "devoted to ideas worth spreading." I think it's pretty cool that Sharpie was featured in a TED video when they won the "ads worth spreading" contest.

What I love about this ad is that it is consistent with Sharpie's other messages. They are all about motivating people to be creative with their markers. Sharpie's videos and advertisements featured in social media are a powerful tool that they are using to motivate the groundswell to use their product.

Keeping the Customer at Heart

    Energizing a customer base is an effective way to increase word-of-mouth marketing. As Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff write in Groundswell on page 131, “people believe other people more than media.” This understanding has begun to transform the way that organizations relate to their customers. This newly redefined relationship has been made possible through organizations new ability to dynamically communicate with their customers.

    Organizations do, however, need to be cautious about how they do this. Without the proper intent, they will be transparent to consumers. While new relationships between customer and organization are allowing organizations to be more responsive, and customers to be more active participants, it also allows organizations to strategically use this new trend in their marketing.

This advertisement is an example of how this school, ITT Tech, utilizes their relationship with their customers to advertise to other customers. They have, for a while, had commercials of real students talking about how ITT Tech changed their lives. These commercials ride a fine line, and may be construed as insincere. Ultimately, what I believe is important is that organizations begin to keep the customers’ best interests as the most essential asset.

As we discussed in Social Media Marketing and Communication class last week, one way to measure the success of advertisements is to see if they are generating discussion in the online community. These commercials have earned a lot of attention and, for better or worse, there are many parodies of them right next to the actual commercials on YouTube.

                       As discussed in chapter 10 of Groundswell, there has been an interesting shift in organizational ideology because of their new ability to relate with their customers. A value that seems like the easiest thing for an organization to maintain, may have been lost in recent years by the way that marketing and customer support divides organizations from their customers. The new ability for organizations and their consumers to have engaged back-and-forths about products and services allows organizations to more easily keep customers at the center, as their main focus.

      Many companies have begun to use Twitter for these conversations. Sharpie is one such company. This screen shot shows how the processes of tagging and retweeting on Twitter allow Sharpie to engage with their customers:

This is only one of many examples of how Sharpie engages with customers. Other ways include tweeting questions and hashtags that relate to Sharpies or Sharpie artists. This type of honest engagement allows companies to improve based on their customers specific needs and desires.

GoPro

One company that is using social media, particularly Youtube as a huge part of their marketing is the GoPro camera company. GoPro cameras are being used by a wide range of people from extreme athletes to people who put them on their dogs. Their cameras can be worn and are shock and water proof. From trained athletes to amateur videographers, GoPro cameras are offering a unique perspective.



What is so effective about the way that GoPro is represented on youtube is that videos are a mixture of videos that are uploaded by the company itself, and videos uploaded by customers. The groundswell is working in this company because both users and the company are contributing content through the same social media outlet. One cool example of a video by GoPro is the following:





This video is exciting to watch because GoPro cameras put viewers in the shoes (or skiis) of the athletes.















In addition to being used by professional athletes, GoPro cameras have emerged in various experiments on Youtube. One type of experiment has resulted in videos like this one:








Videos like these have created a strong brand image for GoPro. They are coupling user and GoPro sponsored videos with the actual sponsoring of professional extreme athletes. At this years Winter X Games, GoPro sponsored athletes like Shaun White. Of course, some results of this partnership have emerged on Youtube as well:

A combination of social media marketing, and a strong response by average users have led GoPro to be a recognizeable, well represented brand.

Introduction to "Groundswell"

    The book “Groundswell” by Charliene Li and Josh Bernoff discusses the ways that new technologies have changed the way that people communicate and interact on a daily basis.

 

(Click image for more information)

Particularly, it discusses the ways that businesses are interacting with their customers. Customers, through these new mediums, have gained a lot of power to affect popular opinion, and as a result, the companies themselves.

    On page 13, the authors write “The groundswell has changed the balance of power.” They continue this point on page 17 when they write, “After all, businesses and other institutions are built on control, and the groundswell weakens and undermines control.” Since web forums, social networking sites, and all of the other ways people are interacting through the internet are unregulated, people are speaking freely about their opinions of and experiences with companies. These discussions have always been a powerful influence, but they’ve never had the reach that the internet now gives to word of mouth. The authors even used the tools that they discuss in the creation of this book. They write: “This book was researched and written on a wiki; the coauthors, editor, and others all contributed content and links to a shared repository that any of us could reference or edit” (p. 26).

    Since the tools the internet provides are still so new and continue to evolve, businesses have to constantly adapt in order to effectively reach and interact with their customers. On page 29 the authors write, “Those who classify and organize the online world will determine how we see the world.” This is important with content as well as with one tool called “tagging.” Users can tag comments, posts and videos so that they can be easily found by people searching information. These tags are of vital importance because they often times are indicators of the position of the customer. A tag could have negative or positive connotations, both of which are important for a company to understand.

    On page 36, the authors write “Technologies that mostly benefit companies don’t tend to catch on. Those that benefit people do.” As companies continue to evolve ways to interact with their customers online, their attempts to advertise are more transparent for viewers. In my own experiences on the internet, I have often been skeptical when I see information that seems like advertising. I prefer to find information about products through reviews of people that I believe to be sincere. Companies have certainly caught on to this as well, however, because now people are paid to post positive reviews. The authors expand on this idea when they write on page 78, “Your brand is whatever your customers say it is. And in the groundswell where they communicate with each other, they decide.”

    Although customers can be mislead by these conversations, businesses can as well. On page 81 the authors write “Don’t assume the people you hear from are representative.” This is very important for companies to consider because not all of their customers will be compelled to discuss their experiences online. Those that do share a certain type of outspokenness that excludes at least a part of a companies customer base. The people who are engaged, however, do hold a lot of power. They not only affect opinion of companies, but they can help companies understand their audience. This is discussed on page 97: “Listening to the groundswell will relentlessly reveal your stupidity.” The relationship between companies and their customers is more dynamic than ever before. Figuring out how to use this shift in power to benefit all parties involved is an ongoing process. This process is ever changing because the way that people are using the internet is constantly evolving.