71176 1 3 html <p>Is Skittles' use of social media clever? Smart? A novelty? Short-term or long-term?</p> <p>These are all tough questions to answer and there are a lot of ways to evaluate them. Nonetheless, it's my opinion that Skittles' effort, no matter how '<em>clever</em>', looks more like a novelty than anything else.</p> <p>Sure. With little cost, Skittles created buzz. In the fast-paced world we live in that's often very hard for marketers to do. So there's definitely value there; maybe enough to make the effort worthwhile.</p> <p>In my opinion, the biggest challenge in social media is not measuring ROI (there are <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3407-10-ways-to-measure-social-media-success">plenty of ways to do that</a>); <strong>the biggest challenge in social media going beyond buzz.</strong></p> <p>How do you take a social media campaign beyond the initial euphoria? How do you build on it? How do you keep people engaged? I think it has to do with something a lot of these experiments are missing: a coherent message. </p> <p>What statement was Skittles trying to make? Who was it trying to make that statement to?</p> <p>Twitter is a tool. That tool can be used to make a statement. I am still trying to figure out what statement Skittles was making and I suspect a lot of others are too.</p> <p><strong>Successful branding relies on successful messaging.</strong> The Louis Vuitton brand conveys luxury. The Toyota brand conveys reliability. The Apple brand conveys innovation.</p> <p>Oftentimes a brand is associated with a lifestyle or value system and its messaging, not coincidentally, usually conveys that lifestyle and values. The reason: the message is tailored to appeal to people who live that lifestyle, who share those values.</p> <p>What exactly did Skittles reinforce by turning its homepage into a Twitterstream? That's the $64,000 question the people in charge of the Skittles brand should be asking themselves because the truth is that buzz doesn't build, reinvigorate or reinvent brands.</p> <p>A coherent message does.</p> <p>I think that's something marketers need to keep in mind when they experiment with the ever-growing world of social media. If brands see social media as little more than a cheap tool for getting some short-term attention, they might as well stay home. Branding is a long-term game.</p> <p><strong>The real potential for social media, like all forms of media, lies in the ways it can be used convey and reinforce a brand's message.</strong> Any focus on viral buzz, PR hits or ROI outside of overarching brand strategy and brand messaging is putting the cart before the horse and selling yourself short.</p> <p>Is Skittles' use of social media clever? Smart? A novelty? Short-term or long-term?</p> <p>These are all tough questions to answer and there are a lot of ways to evaluate them. Nonetheless, it's my opinion that Skittles' effort, no matter how '<em>clever</em>', looks more like a novelty than anything else.</p> <p>Sure. With little cost, Skittles created buzz. In the fast-paced world we live in that's often very hard for marketers to do. So there's definitely value there; maybe enough to make the effort worthwhile.</p> <p>In my opinion, the biggest challenge in social media is not measuring ROI (there are <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3407-10-ways-to-measure-social-media-success">plenty of ways to do that</a>); <strong>the biggest challenge in social media going beyond buzz.</strong></p> <p>How do you take a social media campaign beyond the initial euphoria? How do you build on it? How do you keep people engaged? I think it has to do with something a lot of these experiments are missing: a coherent message. </p> <p>What statement was Skittles trying to make? Who was it trying to make that statement to?</p> <p>Twitter is a tool. That tool can be used to make a statement. I am still trying to figure out what statement Skittles was making and I suspect a lot of others are too.</p> <p><strong>Successful branding relies on successful messaging.</strong> The Louis Vuitton brand conveys luxury. The Toyota brand conveys reliability. The Apple brand conveys innovation.</p> <p>Oftentimes a brand is associated with a lifestyle or value system and its messaging, not coincidentally, usually conveys that lifestyle and values. The reason: the message is tailored to appeal to people who live that lifestyle, who share those values.</p> <p>What exactly did Skittles reinforce by turning its homepage into a Twitterstream? That's the $64,000 question the people in charge of the Skittles brand should be asking themselves because the truth is that buzz doesn't build, reinvigorate or reinvent brands.</p> <p>A coherent message does.</p> <p>I think that's something marketers need to keep in mind when they experiment with the ever-growing world of social media. If brands see social media as little more than a cheap tool for getting some short-term attention, they might as well stay home. Branding is a long-term game.</p> <p><strong>The real potential for social media, like all forms of media, lies in the ways it can be used convey and reinforce a brand's message.</strong> Any focus on viral buzz, PR hits or ROI outside of overarching brand strategy and brand messaging is putting the cart before the horse and selling yourself short.</p> 2009-03-10T10:19:15+00:00 1 1 html <p><strong><img alt="" height="180" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/2256114809_5efe57ed57_m.jpg" style="margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;" width="240" />I was asked the other day what I thought about <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3374-skittles-launches-an-amazing-social-media-campaign">Skittles' social media experiment</a> and whether it would have lasting effects.<br /></strong></p> <p>My response: I wasn't sure. The buzz seems to have died down. Certainly it's nowhere near the pitch that it was when we all first learned that Skittles.com had been turned into Twitter.</p> <p><strong><img style="margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/2256114809_5efe57ed57_m.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="180" />I was asked the other day what I thought about <a href="http://econsultancy.com/blog/3374-skittles-launches-an-amazing-social-media-campaign">Skittles' social media experiment</a> and whether it would have lasting effects.<br /></strong></p> <p>My response: I wasn't sure. The buzz seems to have died down. Certainly it's nowhere near the pitch that it was when we all first learned that Skittles.com had been turned into Twitter.</p> false 3438 <p>For background on online PR and social media more generally, It's worth reading our (free to registered users) <strong><a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/online-pr-and-social-media-trends-briefing">Social Media Trends Briefing</a></strong> (June 2009). Econsultancy has also published <strong><a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/social-media-and-online-pr-digital-marketing-template-files">Social Media and Online PR Template Files</a></strong>, which you can adapt and use for your own projects. For innovation in this space, download our <strong><a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/innovation-report">Innovation Report</a></strong>.</p> <p>For background on online PR and social media more generally, It's worth reading our (free to registered users) <strong><a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/online-pr-and-social-media-trends-briefing">Social Media Trends Briefing</a></strong> (June 2009). Econsultancy has also published <strong><a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/social-media-and-online-pr-digital-marketing-template-files">Social Media and Online PR Template Files</a></strong>, which you can adapt and use for your own projects. For innovation in this space, download our <strong><a href="http://econsultancy.com/reports/innovation-report">Innovation Report</a></strong>.</p> Social media beyond the buzz false 2009-03-10T12:30:00+00:00 social-media-beyond-the-buzz 2009-04-29T11:05:31+01:00 2009-10-13T10:05:24+01:00 1140