The horror, the horror: @VodafoneUK's social media balls up

You may not think that social media is rocket science, but those big brand early adopters are certainly astronauts exploring an unknown quantity. And space exploration is not without its challenges. Or risks.

One intergalactic incident occurred late on Friday as a member of Vodafone’s social media team cut loose and posted a homophobic remark via the company's official Twitter account.

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Posted 08 February 2010 11:33am by Chris Lake with 20 comments

Pepsi Refresh: Will the social media halo extend to soda sales?

PepsiCo. is putting social media to the test with its new charity initiative Refresh Everything. The soft-drink giant has notably refrained from SuperBowl ads this year, choosing instead to spread the word for its new campaign through digital and social means.

But will those efforts work when rival brands continue big TV buys and have the same ability to add digital aspects to their campaigns?

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Posted 05 February 2010 19:38pm by Meghan Keane with 4 comments

Golden Grahams delivers cereal to the unemployed

Nobody likes being out of a job. But Golden Grahams is hoping to make the process of job searching a little less painful with the launch of a new program — The Golden Grant Stimulus Package — to help cheer up job searchers with a litle humor (and free cereal).

It certainly can't hurt.

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Posted 04 February 2010 21:38pm by Meghan Keane with 0 comments

Coke takes a jab at Pepsi by adding social elements to its Super Bowl campaign

Pepsi has opted out of Superbowl advertising this year, choosing instead to focus on digital and social media marketing. But here's the thing about social media campaigns — they can come together pretty quickly. And when Pepsi decided to pass on SuperBowl ads this year, there was one thing the company didn't account for. Coke adding social to its CBS ad buy.

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Posted 28 January 2010 17:57pm by Meghan Keane with 0 comments

Politics and social media: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly

This month I’ve continued the theme from the last post on TV brands and social media,  and have applied our social media reputation scoring to the political domain.

So whose performance is good, whose is bad and which party’s approach is downright ugly?

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Posted 28 January 2010 12:01pm by Steve Richards with 4 comments

Journalists depend on social media

An overwhelming majority of reporters and editors now depend on social media sources when researching their stories, but they turn to PR for primary research and context.

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Posted 21 January 2010 16:06pm by Sally Falkow with 8 comments

How small newspapers can make money from Twitter

Big newspapers are joining Twitter at an alarming rate, in part because it offers another avenue for story ideas and scoops. Some newspaper execs are also trying to find a way to make money from Twitter.

This is a tricky area, because the people who use Twitter have shown that they are not fans of spam, or anything remotely resembling spam, and will take swift action (unfollow, possibly report the account) if it is suspected.

For big newspapers, which often have big debt loads and vastly diverse audiences, using Twitter as an advertising platform is challenging. But for small and medium-sized titles, an opportunity exists.

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Posted 18 January 2010 09:36am by Ben LaMothe with 4 comments

Case study: Harvard Business School goes social

When it comes to the Ivy League, reputation is important. But schools can no longer depend on their historical reputation. When it comes to attracting talent, they need to prove digital competence. For Harvard Business School, social media has come to the rescue over the past few years. 

This week at the Social Integration conference in New York, HBS CMO Brian Kenny showed how his team helped bring the school into the present with social media. The hardest part? Giving up control of the Harvard Business School brand.

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Posted 14 January 2010 23:43pm by Meghan Keane with 1 comment

Where and when to reply online

The internet is filled with opinions and marketing. Well, opinions, marketing and porn, if you want to be exact, but those three cover pretty much everything!

Many companies would much rather prospective clients read their marketing and avoid any opinions about their products or services. After all, although some of that feedback may be good, it’s beyond corporate control. For any business that isn’t used to the online environment, that’s a scary thing.

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Posted 14 January 2010 10:49am by Kevin Gibbons with 1 comment

Social Media Putting Marketing and PR Jobs on the Line

Social media will be an enterprise-wide mainstay by 2011, but most marketers and PR people are still trying to wrap their heads around it all.  And those that don't get up to speed could find themselves without a job.

The CMO Club, polls its members on a regular basis. Just before the end of 2009 they asked this question:  What would you do differently in 2010? 64% said they'd increase their spend on social media and 72% of those who are not yet doing social media said it's on their list for this year.

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Posted 12 January 2010 17:01pm by Sally Falkow with 7 comments