Red Bull-The pinnacle of social media marketing

If you’re looking to start promoting your company online, and need some advice or need some inspiration, look at Red Bull’s Youtube channel!

Now yes they’re a massive multi-million dollar corporation that has their own production company, but they still have to promote it. I have probably watched 3/4 of the videos on the channel, and each one is inspiring and awesome. The videos all follow famous athletes in their respected fields as they go about their careers. You’ll just see the dueling bulls in the background in every other shot just so you don’t forget what they’re trying to sell. The point is, RedBull has used the YouTube medium to it’s fullest extent. They understand that a drink on it’s own is kinda boring, but when combining they’re name with any extreme sport that must be seen to understand, is a winning combination.

The company has become synonymous with extreme sports, and has taken a very visual social media marketing medium, to enhance it’s image. This is probably the best use of a social media medium for a company in my opinion.

Take a look, watch some videos, and tell me what you think?

Pay your bar bill from your phone

Being 5’8″ in a bar has always had its disadvantages. I’ve perfected a great technique of using both elbows, squeezing up to a bar, and ordering drinks. But once there, getting the bartenders attention away from the three girls at the end with shirts my 12 year old cousin would find small, is another order. I found a great way to save hassle when dealing with cash and paying for drinks is to just start a tab. But this can get expensive very fast, and after a few to many drinks there’s a good chance the three girls at the end of the bar are more important than making sure you get your credit card back. You then have to go back the next day and pick it up, and review your bill through very hungover eyes and not question what’s on it because you can’t remember at all!

Well it seems two very smart gentleman have realized this sort of story happens often, and they did something about it! Dash is an app that allows you to pay your bar tab straight from your phone, saving the hassle of battling for attention at the bar and at the same time easily keeping track on your bill. Come August this little app will become available in the App Store, with restaurants in New York already signed up. The expansion plan seems to be major u.s cities as of right now, but I for one see the potential for university bars! You can spend less time battling it out at the bar, and more time trying to find the confidence to talk to that girl with the shirt that see seemed to borrow from her favourite doll.

See more about DASH here

Social Media-the new information super highway

Being a social media addict I came across a funny link today on the #googledown hashtag that appeared when google in fact “went down”. A lot of the funny tweets using the hashtag referred to the fact that consumers had no where to gain info, or answer questions they had! Many said since google was down, they turned to Twitter or Facebook. I found this very interesting, I thought to myself maybe social media is taking over from regular websites that still litter the World Wide Web.

My first example is that of the hotel guest. As the social media manager for my hotel chain, I myself get many requests and questions about the resorts and hotels our guests are coming too. These questions range from dinner reservations to engagement proposal requests. Many of the inquiries can easily be found on our website, but I find people are more and more turning to social media to ask these questions. This confuses me as the website itself is very easy to navigate, but also pleases me as it shows my social media efforts are having an impact with our customers!

My second example is from my own experiences in gaining info about products and companies. As I planned a trip to Florida for my girlfriend and myself I tweeted a few different companies and hotels to get info on different things. I could of googled each website and browsed the websites to gain all the info. Being the social media nerd I am though I tweeted and Facebooked my way to answers, and that’s what I got, including a discounted hotel rate thanks to a friendly hotel Facebook page!

I believe the reason for this move from website to social media is based on two reasons. A website requires work on your part, you have to search for the site itself, and once there you have to go through the task of finding the info you want! Oh the pain. Once you find the info you want you wonder to yourself, is this correct, it must be? Is the website updated often? After you’ve gone through all this, you probably also realize this has been a very anti social method, no contact with a real person, it’s not very reassuring after all. The brilliant part of social media is that for one, its easy to tweet a question, two, you save yourself wandering around a website, third, you receive an official answer to your question, very reassuring!

Social Media- Wikipedia for the 21st century.

A picture of one of interactions with west jet as I plan another trip!

Google to spend up to half a billion dollars to advertise ‘Moto X’ Android phone

This could go two ways I think?
1) Google is getting a lot of free press from announcing the budget for the Moto X. All eyes will be on Google and Motorola as they unleash this product, because of all the hype on the money being spent on it. $500 Million is an insane amount, is it possible it’s a fib as well? Either way it’s getting talked about and new will spread quickly about this “Superphone” but will that turn into sales?
2) The amount being spent on marketing this product will only go as far as the product itself. If the Moto X really is the best phone to date than it’ll be a huge success. If it doesn’t all eyes will again be on google to say perhaps all that money put into marketing could of been used to better the software within the device itself?

Either way, only time will tell!

The iPad Square

This “Square” product itself was a revolution. Allowing small business to receive fast easy payments through the swipe of a credit card, attached to the earphone jack of a cell phone! Well now the company behind the product has up’d the ante, making a full on cash register for the 21st century! What small company wouldn’t want this, its simple, easy and freakin cool looking!

Apple, a leaky, buzzing, rumour filled success train

As some of you who read my blog(I don’t know if anyone actually does). may know, I like Apple products, actually I love them. They’re simple, elegant, a tad pricy but to me it’s worth it. They work seemlessly with each other, except my Macbook running on OSX Panther and I haven’t bothered to upgrade. The other reason I love Apple is because I have totally bought into the marketing system they have created.  From the early days of OSX and the candy coloured Macs, to the introduction of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. I have watched the rumours, leaks, discussion forums and anything else, that would give me insight into what the next great product coming down the line will be; and this is exactly what they want to happen.

What makes an Apple product launch different then a samsung launch? I believe it’s in the supposed leaks, rumours and millions of discussions that happen way before a launch. But is it all concocted by Apple itself? Are they really behind all these supposed leaks and rumours, creating a frenzy that gets us talking about it? I think so.

My first example is the famous “trademark filings”. Any rumour website will have at least one post a day about a supposed trademark or patent that Apple has filed for. They own a ridiculous amount of patents, and people then start talking about what those patents will be used for. My question is, how do people find out these things. Millions of applications are submitted for trademarks or patents, yet I never hear about what Kitchen-Aid has in store for it’s next blender! Does Apple siphon these things out to certain individuals, bloggers or certain sources, who they know will spread the word. I’m not saying they do for sure, but it would make a lot of sense, and be a genius marketing strategy.

My next thought is directed at supposed “leaks”. How does such a massive company that is so protective of its privacy, keep on having so many product leaks! From pictures of the mother board or the outside shell of the new iPhone, little pictures pop up everywhere on the internet. These products are not made in different places all over the world. Iphones are made at Foxconn, in one factory. I would think it would be easy to tell who leaked a photo, no? I could be wrong but it yet again seems like Apple is behind it, leaking photos from the employee perspective to make it seem real. Again, I’m not against this idea, I think it’s genius, I just find it fascinating. There is the famous case of the lost iPhone 4 demonstrator at a coffee shop by an executive. That little stint certainly got people talking, so much so the police got involved, and people almost went to jail! Talk about creating a frenzy for your product, I’m sure Mr. Jobs was upset a product was left out in public, but I also can’t help think he didn’t mind all the free publicity.

My third point, and the one that made me think of writing this article, is the talk of Apples key executives, and the hiring and firing. My example is that of the new hire, Paul Deneve, former CEO of Yves St. Laurent, a famous high end fashion label. Once the news broke about this new hire, the blogosphere once again went a buzzing, and all rumours directed at the creation of the “iWatch”. Now this is a pretty certain new product from all the rumours and leaks we’ve seen in the past while. My question

is, he’s the CEO, not a designer, he runs the overall business. Why would he be hired to launch a tech watch? I can’t see Apple trying to compete with Rolex and Tag Heuer? I

know the product will have some amazing features, and thats why people are going to buy it, and it’ll have a nice leather strap option I’m sure. The idea of them hiring the CEO of one of the most well known fashion lines in the world, to head “special projects” has got me pondering. Once again Apple has let out a confusing and thought-provoking headline, that will make myself and every other rumour addict around, searching for clues in the bowels of the internet for months to come!

I’ll take “polls” for $1000 Alex!

A good article on the advantages of adding feedback from your followers on social media for your business. Facebook has made it very easy to add features that allow a business to ask questions to its followers, in doing so, gaining valuable information. This also helps when developing and rolling out new products and services, you can ask about features and gain feedback beforehand!

The hardest part about adding a poll for your followers to respond to, is gaining responses. The wording of a question will make or break the amount of responses you’ll receive. The article gives three great examples of marketing strategies that use polls, and the way they word their questions.

Share your comments about what you would like to ask your followers, and if you have used any sort of poll in your marketing strategy?

Read the article here

Contagious Marketing…”Viral”

Viral marketing is not so much a trend anymore as it is a common subject in the marketing of really any sort of business. I read an article a while ago that said the 4 P’s of marketing have now grown, and that’s due to social media and its influence on marketing. Viral marketing isn’t a fad, it’s here to stay. Courses in schools such as Cornell University are providing courses in Social Media, which is just proof that business need to get on the boat or get left at port!(no idea where the sailing reference came from, maybe because my family is at the cottage and I’m stuck at home working and being bitter)

A great article on what it takes to make your marketing go “Viral”

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/06/28/7-key-elements-for-viral-content/

The future of the supercar…hybrid?

This caught my eye today, four of the top luxury sports car makers in the world today, have hybrid concepts?

I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of a hybrid supercar? The look of each of them in the video makes me think, “Absolutely!” Yet have you ever driven a hybrid, half the time I don’t know if it’s on or not? Now go sit in a Porsche or Ferrari, there’s a distinct rumble and feeling of, “why yes I do have 500 horsepower sitting behind me right now!”

My other thought I had was, if you’re spending $250,00+ for a super car, somehow I don’t think you’re concerned about the price of a fill up at your local Petro Canada?

The clip from Gone in 60 seconds where Nic Cage is listening to engine sounds and naming the cars popped into my head while watching this clip to.

“Ok so I hear nothing….ohhh that must be the Porsche 918 Spyder!…Actually No I just haven’t pressed play”

jObs trailer

The trailer for the Steve Jobs biopic played by Ashton Kutcher. An amazing resemblance, what do you think the movie will be like?