Want&Blog

Twitter launches major redesign, and brand pages.

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:36:39 +0000

Twitter launches major redesign, and brand pages.

Why socially aware pressure groups DON'T target brand Facebook Pages

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:49:05 +0000

It’s a PR team’s modern worst nightmare - their Facebook Page is under siege by a mob of angry fans, mobilised around a cause and nimbly aimed at your brand by virally spreading messaging - it’s a situation which has no doubt haunted many a Corporate Affairs professional’s dreams.

Yet challenged to name examples of this modern day protest few spring to mind, and those which do are generally famed for their mismanagement, the cause behind them long forgotten. Don’t get me wrong these things happen, and there are no doubt well covered up horror stories to share, but here’s why, for most causes, it simply doesn’t make sense:

Visibility: See those 2 million fans? What a juicy target!

Not so. When a brand posts to the page only around 10% of people see it (200,000). A user posting on the wall will only be seen by those actually visiting the page itself which for the 2 million fan page I’m referencing is only 400 a day.

What serious cause wants to mobilise and reach a few hundred people? Immediately the channel loses its appeal for a considered target. Action groups can get a much larger reach using users own social networks (eg their Facebook Pages and Twitter Profiles) and this is how recent protests (eg News of the World) have been run. In these situations a strong brand presence on social media can help calm the voices, but ultimately the activity will be in spaces you have no control of.

Lock down: Tightening visibility even further

Even for those 400 landing on the page a savvy brand can manage their public wall visibility, which can mean users’ comments are 3 clicks away for a new fan visiting the page. Whilst an ‘attack’ could drive a spike in traffic it would mainly be of people already siding with the cause and even they might struggle to get a sense that other people are campaigning too.

Comments on brand posts appearing more widely in people’s streams are a wider concern but in the short term can be dealt with simply by not pushing out new material. The biggest issue is possibly for very socially active brands who will be visibly silenced by the activity if they don’t respond – here working to produce a simple response can answer claims that ‘you’re not listening’ and a separate corporate account can come on the page to respond in a way that doesn’t flood news feeds.

Positive community: Attack is the best form of defence

A well-managed fan page is a pool of hundreds of brand advocates who’ve no doubt been doing mad things for you over the past month. If you’re dirty laundry is going to be aired in public where better than with a crowd who’ll take it down and clean it for you?

Genuine positive consumer response to negativity can go a long way to silencing critics or at least balancing discussion - though NEVER consider faking this sentiment, you’ll be found out. Of course there IS a risk that even your super fans love for your brand could be undermined by overwhelming campaign against it, but don’t underestimate the defence a well formed community can be.

PR Pickup: When journalists strike

Of course any brand with a presence on social media would be foolish to assume themselves safe and not have clear measures, like the ones touched on above, in place to activate and escalate if a crisis ever does emerge.

The biggest threat is probably if the activity gets wider media activity, such as a press article reporting on a siege on your brands Facebook page. Certainly this is an issue and a concern but one where an age old trick comes into play – a brand’s existing relationships & trust with journalists and a speedy response to their investigations.

Breaking: Google+ Launches Brand Pages

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:09:27 +0000

Breaking: Google+ Launches Brand Pages

If this, then that. Put the internet to work for you.

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:23:57 +0100

If this, then that. Put the internet to work for you.

New Müller ad - wünderful stuff

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:50:32 +0100

New Müller ad - wünderful stuff

Brilliant - Domestic Violence Advert.

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:55:08 +0100

Brilliant - Domestic Violence Advert.

Yeo Valley Xfactor 2011 Advert

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:33:13 +0100

Yeo Valley Xfactor 2011 Advert

Amazon launches Kindle Fire, their iPad competitor, with fierce...

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:56:44 +0100

Amazon launches Kindle Fire, their iPad competitor, with fierce $199 price point

How Facebook Timeline Might Radically Change the Look of Brand...

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:49:58 +0100

How Facebook Timeline Might Radically Change the Look of Brand Pages

Happy Birthday Google

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:34:07 +0100

Happy Birthday Google

Introducing Timeline: Tell your life story with a new kind of...

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:49:26 +0100

Introducing Timeline: Tell your life story with a new kind of profile.

Prepare yourself for F8

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:54:01 +0100

Prepare yourself for F8:

“On Thursday, developers will be elated, users will be shellshocked and the competition will look ancient. On Thursday, Facebook will be reborn. Prepare yourselves for the evolution of social networking.”

British Airways launches new (very old) brand positioning: To...

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:33:22 +0100

British Airways launches new (very old) brand positioning: To Fly, To Serve.

New clip premiers on Facebook page after lengthy teaser campaign.

YouTube updates online editor to allow you to edit existing...

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:20:10 +0100

YouTube updates online editor to allow you to edit existing uploaded videos.

Behind the Scenes of Cadbury Twirl Bites’ new TV Advert

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:27:15 +0100

Behind the Scenes of Cadbury Twirl Bites’ new TV Advert

helloyoucreatives: Are you bored? Do this. Click the picture or...

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:33:16 +0100

helloyoucreatives:

Are you bored? Do this. Click the picture or here http://bit.ly/bbSvS
Cadbury’s Boredem buster.

London 08 September 2011: In a bid to quash the 5,120 Tweeters per hour (that’s 85 per minute) who are compelled to tweet about being bored[1], Cadbury @SpotsvStripes has launched The Boredom Buster, a hugely addictive and unique game that aims to literally eradicate boredom from the Twitterverse. And in the lead up to the greatest games of all, presents itself as the first opportunity for Twitter users to play their way to London 2012 Olympic Games tickets.

The game, developed by PrettyGreen Digital as part of the Cadbury Spots v Stripes Minute To Win It campaign, invites users to obliterate tweets of those complaining they are bored and share the game to relieve those inflicted by boredom.

Two versions of the game exist, one for mobile and another for desktop use. The mechanic however remains the same. The Boredom Buster trawls Twitter for “bored” tweets in real-time and pulls these into the game towards a controllable canon at various speeds and trajectories. As the game is linked to Twitter API, the gameplay is different every time subject to how many people are bored on Twitter at that time.

At the end of the adrenalin-pumping minute, players are told how many “bored” tweets they busted, or missed, and have the option to share their score. Players can also let those whose tweets they’ve busted know that they’ve eradicated their virtual boredom.

Everybody who registers their score is entered into a weekly prize draw to win London 2012 tickets and each week 3 lucky players, who have shared their scores on Twitter, will also win a luxurious Cadbury chocolate hamper.

Diaspora, the anti-Facebook privacy social network, now up and...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:11:25 +0100

Diaspora, the anti-Facebook privacy social network, now up and running

Piers Bramhall needs a proper holiday Kicking off an ingenious...

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:31:00 +0100

Piers Bramhall needs a proper holiday

Kicking off an ingenious social media campaign for… the whole country of Wales.

Facebook introduces in stream adverts

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:39:31 +0100

Facebook introduces in stream adverts

Cadbury Augmented Reality campaign puts a game on every bar...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:07:22 +0100

Cadbury Augmented Reality campaign puts a game on every bar #CadburyBlipp