This was one of the most thought provoking posts I have read in a long time. It is a post by Martin Weigel, head of planning at W&K Amsterdam, so he kind of knows his stuff!
Its a bit ranty in places and I am left asking the question at the end “Well what is the answer”. But its a post that you really should take the time to read. I will warn you now its long, so give yourself the time.
In the post Martin challenges some of ”the sillier and more excessive claims being made for what’s termed ‘engagement’”. He argues against the belief in some quarters that “the world has turned on its axis, that whole categories of human behaviour are dead… that humanity has adopted an entirely new mindset, that the old truths are outmoded, and that we must sign up to a new and universal truth, simplify the world too much”.
He outlines the 9 bad habits of engagement thinking as:
Assuming engagement is a metric
Claiming ‘engagement’ is something entirely new
Failing to recognise ‘engagement’ is an intermediate measure
Assuming that interruption is dead
Assuming that more ‘engagement’ is the route to more loyalty
Overestimating people’s appetite for participation
Treating ‘engagement’ as if it had intrinsic value
This is a nice campaign by The Scoop. It is hard to make any noise at Christmas and I think what works here is that the presents they are auctioning off seem to be attainable but are things you couldn’t normally get someone (like a walk on part to a soap). Hope it goes well for them
I don’t watch the x-factor..honest (can you believe the bottom two this weekend….seriously…at this stage in the competition no one is safe!)
I read this great post on Sunday morning from the BrandGym Blog…its a great blog worth following. It talks about how and why social media is relevant for certain brands. It is relevant when your brand is social and online.
Today I had a moment of clarity about social media and why its more relevant for certain brands. The penny dropped with a loud clang when I was looking at the X-Factor* on facebook (yes, we’re big fans in the Taylor household). The UK TV show’s facebook page has a whopping 3.7million Likes The clue is in the name. Online social media is most relevant if your brand is: 1) social, and 2) online.
* Reality TV programme with singers, similar to Idols in other markets
The X-Factor is SOCIAL
The X-Factor is a social brand. Its watched by groups of people. And its the sort of TV programme people have always talked about, well before facebook and Twitter. We want to talk about who’s been kicked off the show and why, what the judges wore (Mrs Taylor’s main focus) and who will win. Social media simply helps facilitate and amplify the shared experience and conversations.
The X-Factor is ENTERTAINING
The second key point is that the X-Factor is an entertainment brand. Andresearch shows that the major reason for liking a facebook page is “fun”. What’s more, there is a stream of new news coming out daily about the brand that people want to keep up to date on.
The X-Factor is ONLINE
This is the killer point. Social media is not only a comms channel, its a revenue driver. The X-Factor generates revenue online by people buying iTunes tracks of the week’s songs and the Xmas song, as you can see below on one of the contestant’s facebook pages. Another revenue driver is encouraging mobile phone voting for who stays on the show.
So, what about your brand. Here are 3 questions you can ask. Give yourself a score for each, to see how relevant social media is for your brand:
1. Is your brand social: did people talk about your brand before social media existed? Is it a shared experience?: score out of 25
2. Is your brand entertaining: would people want to buy your brand’s magazine or TV programme?: score out of 25
3. Is your brand online: how direct is the link from online media to brand purchase? Can I click or call to buy direct from social media, or is social media more of a comms channel?: score out of 50
I’d give X-Factor 95%.
What about your brand?
In an up-coming post, I’ll look at the 10 biggest UK grocery brands’ use of social media to explore the issue further.
ESB seem to be developing on what they did during the summer with Electric Picnic. They are using the power of twitter to drive cars across Ireland.
Three teams of celebs will take part in a two-day drive across Ireland on December 8th and 9th where their cars will be powered by tweets. The drivers of the cars will be mere mortals (ie the likes of you and me). Charities that benefit include Concern and ISPCC
So Ireland are through….what are Irish Fundraisers going to do to piggy back on the feel good factor next summer. There is a huge opportunity here folks…so thinking caps on I think
I will be honest and say that normally I find QR codes a bit boring. But I thought this was a great use of the technology, you may have seen it already on Mashable
They seem to get it right every year. Love this ad (my only problem is the clock in the bedroom on Christmas morning is set at 8am – what kid wakes at 8am!)
It’s that time of year again when Ryanair launches their “charity” calendar.
I’m not a fan.
It’s not so much the fact that it’s a bikini clad model product, sure nude calendars raised a small fortune for charity and even made it to Hollywood! I would question however why charities in the children space would engage with Ryanair.
My main gripe with it is that, in my opinion, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with charity.
The PR machine behind this makes it sound great for charities, you would be led to believe Ryanair cares. If they cared then why aren’t the charities even mentioned on the calendar? If they cared why do the charities have to sell thousands of calendars themselves.
I would question if Ryanair absorb the costs of printing the calendar.
In my opinion this is a cynical ploy by Ryanair to garner publicity, to try and look like an organisation that cares. This isn’t part of a CR strategy. This is driven by PR. This has, in my opinion, nothing to do with charity.
Sorry Ryanair, I for one am not buying it (or the calendar)
Here is a new Barnardo’s TV campaign, which will be be supported by outdoor and digital activity.
Quoted on Brand Thing, Diana Tickell (UK director of marketing and business change at Barnardo’s) said
“It has a high emotional impact that will resonate strongly with viewers… It will leave them feeling there is much that can be done and that they can help us make a difference.”
Unfortunately this isn’t a post about the governments plans to grow philanthropy in Ireland, but its not. However it is a report that should be read by anyone who is interested in growing philanthropy.
This report is from Indiana University, with Blackbaud. There is the full report here and the executive summary here. So ditch the morning papers, get the coffee on and get reading!
In case you are wondering is it worth it….here is a summary of the findings…now go read!
The need for greater education of boards and other nonprofit practitioners was highlighted many times in this paper. If philanthropy is to be increased, board members must be willing to take the actions necessary not only to steward their own long-term income, but also to steward the philanthropy of the sector .
Similarly, a number of barriers to giving were highlighted, caused by public misconceptions of the sector and the manner in which it, and fundraising in particular, now operate . The need to educate fundraisers was also clear . Improving the supply side of philanthropy was felt to be critical in enhancing the quality of the donor experience .
The sector also needs a substantive investment in fundraising infrastructure, including the provision of a new and dedicated body whose role would be to focus on compiling the evidence base necessary to grow philanthropy . A research center collating relevant research from a wide range of different
scientific disciplines, and conducting and commissioning its own research was felt to be a necessity . It is astonishing how little effort has currently been applied to helping fundraisers to do a better job of creating an environment conducive to philanthropy.
Finally, we end where we began by highlighting the need for nonprofits to reconceptualize the nature of the supporter relationship . Instead of viewing donors as a source of revenue and maximizing the value of that relationship, they need instead to focus more on the individual and the articulation of that person’s philanthropy . Only when we stop asking for money and instead ask individuals to reflect on their own philanthropic identity will the needle truly be moved on giving
Christmas is only 50 days away (I think) and all the window displays and music has got me thinking about gifting. This is probably obvious, but I think it is often forgotten, gifting isnt just about the person who receives the gift.
If you think about Christmas time when you give a gift to someone, first of all you spend a decent amount of time thinking about the gift. You probably write a list of ideas, the kind of things this person would like, would maybe never buy for themselves but would really enjoy using. Then you take time to wrap the gift and give it to them. You love seeing the reaction on their face when you hand over the gift. It is even better if you are there when they open it and you get to see the delight on their face. The fact that you thought of them, that you knew them so well to get them this gift. You, as the giver of the gift, get a warm glow, a feeling of joy, at seeing that reaction.
So, as a non profit, think about the gift giving process. Think about how you feel when you give a gift, how you love to know how the gift has made the person who received it feel. Then think about your donors.
When they send you a gift, they want this feeling too. They may say they don’t, but the do. They don’t just give to make you and your mission happy. They give because they too want to feel a warm glow, a feeling of joy.
Your job is to make sure that they get this feeling. So many charities either don’t do this or do it really badly. It is my strong contention that doing this well will make you and your cause stand out from others.
Here is a great snapshot of Social Media use in the Irish Community & Voluntary sector by Hugh O’Reilly of the Wheel (below the infographic there is a great presentation with even more detail)
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