Socialmediaexaminer = Eyecatcher

I love the "Socialmediaexaminer" site (www.socialmediaexaminer.com).

Not only is it an eye catching site, it also follows all the digital writing rules.

• Web page design and page layout create a consistent visual rhythm and pace. It is easy for readers to move through the page. It goes from left to right, as in way we read, with the business ads on the right.
  
• I love the Social Media Jungle design. It makes me wonder what is in that site. It gets my curiosity going. I check on every page to see the various kinds of design relationships.
  
• Consistent repetition of page layout, shapes, colors, typefaces, and textures. It is easy on reader’s eye.
  
• Each page has clear topic headlines that do not require a user to read previous or subsequent pages. Each page is able to stand alone.

The site uses simple and straightforward global English language.

It also presents clear and consistent navigation aids throughout the site. The site gives visitors direct access to the information they want in the fewest steps. It should be a good site for Kean University Marketing for Social Media new students.

Each author was able to write clearly, precisely, accurately with energy and active voice. Authors have practical skills for writing and developing content for digital publishing.

Because of the clarity, I was quickly able to understand what they were trying to say. Best of all, they keep all paragraphs short.

On top, Hyperlinks are obvious and unambiguous.

They appear merely as pointers and content themselves.

The links enable readers to know exactly what they will find by clicking. Readers can decide whether they want to click on it or not.

As you all know, Social Media is completely new to me so I especially love the “Getting Started With Social Media” video. (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/category/videos/)

It is designed to help businesses discover how to best use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to find leads, increase sales and generate more brand awareness.

Currently, I am in between jobs.

One of my options is to start a small business for myself. One of the options is to import some fresh water pearl from China and sell through Web site.

Social media tools I learn from Kean University Marketing Course and this video really benefit me a lot.

This video is by Chris Brogan, author of the book Trust Agents (http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/category/videos/).

Chris shares his advice for businesses starting with social media. He offers very helpful information for me including.

Li Ching Jung

FAST Business, Innovation, Entrepreneurs, News- your search starts here

Fastcompany.com, a website I frequent, is to me the epitome of a successful webpage using digital media to a tee.

I don't enjoy reading the newspaper and everything that it covers.

I like to read things that interest me, like innovative consumer packaged goods or what's new with small businesses. Here's what FastCompany offers:

• Headlines that tell me right away (hence Fast) if I will click on it or not. Here is an example: Double sided Peanut Butter jar. Headlines are to the point.
  
• Links to articles which makes it easy to read more.
  
• Page layout that is easy to follow. If you want to find articles on the subjects on technology or design, there's a tab to link you there.
  
• Link to the author and link to title.
  
• Search engine, powered by Google, which is always a plus.

I also feel fastcompany.com understands their audiences.

Their audience, like me, wants news, the kind of news you don't always find in the "Star Ledger" or "New York Times."

For me it's stuff that I didn't know I wanted to read, but glad I did.

But like everything else, there's always room for improvement ... but I'm having trouble finding where.

Cynthia Rodriguez

Kobe Bryant: The Black Mamba!

As an avid follower of basketball and one of the top performers in the NBA today- Kobe Bryant, I have been following Kobe Bryant's personal website (http://www.kb24.com/) for the past year and a half now.

What I found most effective about the website was the simple design, concise posting and effective use of media (photos and videos). (share an example and link to it)

It also offers site visiters and return visitors like me a chance to post comment (feedback). (have you done it yet? if so, indicate what / response; if not, indicate why)

The site also offers an important "link off" feature. It allows me to post any News,Video or Feature onto Facebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,Digg, 4Square etc. increasing linking to social media and increasing visibility of the site.

However, there are a few areas that Kobe's site could use improvement on.

First, a better font style and larger font size. This would allow readers to read faster and with less strain.

Secondly, the site layout at times is a little choppy and leaves me wanting more. Few articles and posts seem incomplete (marketing ploy?) while most do justice to the content.

Overall the site is a good representation of the Kobe Bryant brand.

I am a true fan of his game and can't wait for the Lakers to pick up a 6th ring!

Alexander Mathew

Digital Writing Impacts Kean University's Blog

Good digital writing has a big impact on [me] as a # Kean University Marketing Student.

If the writing is not done well with an eye catching title, [I won't] be engaged to either read the company’s blog or website, etc.

As I searched for a blog to look at, I came across TMP Meshworking: Tap Into NXT GEN Thinking.

This is a blog is for the recruitment industry, mostly human resources departments in helping them market their companies to recruit individuals to work in their companies.

This blog has many categories of interest depending on what you are looking for and have employees from TMP Worldwide who give their expertise on the different categories.

The blog post “Firing A Leader” by Katie Newland caught my attention because of the title [link to the posting].

I felt this was a different type of topic to be blogging about, so I decided to read it.

Because the title caught my attention and was done well, I felt the content in the blog would be appealing to read. And it was.

Reading through the blog I found it very interesting and it had a lot of good points [including what]. I also felt that the blog had:

• A story behind each sub-headline and could stand on its own.
• Sub-headlines help break up the information. It kept the information easier to read and you knew what the next section was going to be about before you started to read it and you did not get lost.
• Direct and consistent language.

Reading through this blog, I can see how important it is for good digital writing and to follow the rules.

[A company wants to make sure they engage consumers like me the] right away and keep my attention. [I] do not have a lot of time to waste.

[A lot of times, I] will scan blogs or articles to see what catches my attention. If the title is catchy then I will read the blog or article.

I am just starting to get myself interested in writing and reading blogs.

Before this class I did not know anything about blogs, very little about social media, and nothing about digital writing.

Because of this I find it hard to really give my opinion on what this blog should do differently, but will try.

I thought with this article the sub headings help so that [I] would know what they were reading next.

According to digital writing rules, the paragraphs were too long.

The title I thought was catchy and caught my eye. Also some of the paragraphs could have been done in a bullet format to break up some of the content.

I did not get lost in the article, but did feel it was a little long, but still read through the whole blog and found the information to be interesting and useful.

Here are the details on the blog and company:
TMP Meshworking: Tap Into NXT GEN Thinking
TMP Worldwide

Donna Foerst
11/1/10

HOT: Problems with News Commentary

We have a few issues with our news commentary:

1. Too many people signed up to present on 11/8. We can have a maximum of 2 people per week. Everyone that signed up for 11/8, please see me during class.

2. Not everyone has signed-up. Please do ASAP - otherwise, you will be at risk of failing the assignment.

3. There is another sign-up -- case example presentations.

Thanks,
Perri

Assignments (for 11/1) and SIGN UP FOR CASE STUDY PRESOS

Sorry for posting the assignments from last week so late. Here they are.


Writing
Identify 1 web site or blog that follows these digital writing rules well
Blog about the impact that good digital writing has on you as a “consumer” and what you would recommend they do differently to improve even further
Be sure to link to the web site or blog from your entry

Reading:Writing for Digital Media: Chapters 4-6

Presentations
Similar to the news commentary
Identify two companies that are “doing” social media well
Prepare a brief presentation for the class
Sign-up for a date to present between now and the end of the semester

An Ingenious Plan!

The Johnson and Johnson Acuve campaign was a very powerful marketing strategy. The entire campaign was conducted using Facebook to advertise a contact lence line of products. I think that it was a pretty smart move considering the large and increasing number of people that use Facebook worldwide.

From a business stand point it is clear that using Facebook or any other similar social media sites automatically enhances a company’s ability to sale and market their products.


Orcania Burgos

Improving Communication!

According to my understanding social media are the means by which people interact with one another through the usage of web-based technological advances. In this day and age, the concept of social media has emerged as a powerful tool redefining the way in which people conduct business around the world. For most companies it is a necessity rather than an option to assimilate new communication technologies as they are developed if they wish to remain competitive in an ever changing world of communications. Social media allows people to expedite the transfer of data and information, transcend most distance barriers, and reach large audiences in a fairly inexpensive fashion.

Examples of social media include but are not limited to forums, weblogs, social blogs, microblogging, wikis, chat rooms, and podcasts among others. Every one of these tools can be creatively and efficiently utilized by the employers of any given company for the creation and propagation of value and meaning using already existent information. The use of information technologies has in many cases enhance people’s ability to solve problems, brainstorm, conduct marketing, and establish new or maintain ongoing relationships.

In summary, social media instruments have rendered the overall communication process easier, faster, more accessible, and less expensive during the past could of decades. The use of social media has allowed companies to capitalize in time, resources, and business relationships. If true efficiency is the goal, companies must make it a priority to entrust every employee with the responsibility to strive to find new ingenious ways to incorporate social media devices in the overall business process.

Orcania B

The New Way To Communicate In Our Company

Social media for employees is important because is easier to establish friendship between the entire employee. It is easier to socialize, communicate about commons problems, and help each other to resolve these problems. This will help save time to the company to communicate,
Employees will share all the productive ideas between all of them; also it will be easier to participate and to know more and everything about the company.
I think a good idea will be to have a chat, so all the employee could chat with each of them.
It will be easier to have everyone on date with the agenda and all the activities.
Employee engagement, the entire employee should be responsible about their conversation, in the site. The site should be protected by the company so that only the employees could have access to it.

Encouraging Communication!

Communication between managers and employees is an important issue in any organization. Employees want guidelines from their supervisors, and the management wants input from the entire team. Most companies have little trouble communicating downward, but getting information to flow upward is more of a challenge. When employees stay quiet about what they need, the negative results can include missed opportunities, delayed projects, and failed initiatives.

The reasons for such a communication gap include employees that think, “I don’t want to appear incompetent,” and “Who am I to offer ideas to management?” Additionally, because they know that the management team is busy with long-term planning and strategic initiatives, many employees don’t want to interrupt with details of day-to-day activities. Without that knowledge, however, managers have a difficult time gauging whether they’re leading the company effectively.

The key to getting employees to communicate better and to keeping the company’s progress on track is to build a quality interaction between the employee group and the management team. Breaking through the barriers and getting employees and managers working together helps everyone advance a strategic vision and attain goals.

Saheed Animasaun

Underrated?

Last week, in Social Media for Marketing class, a #Kean University marketing course, we were given three articles, which will be mentioned shortly.

It appears to me that companies feel like communication with their employees is underrated.

I get this feeling due to the fact that companies are hesitant to implement a plan that will increase communication not only between employees and upper management, but also between other employees.

If it was up to me, I would do everything I could to help increase communication, otherwise, how else does a company run?

My opinion is that good and timely communication with employees is a big key to a company's success. I work in a PR office, and for us, communication is essential.

If communication with employees is done the right way, you keep their interest and make them realize how important they are to the company.

This leads to the first article I read titled "They're Just Not That Into You," written by Alison Davis.

This article gives examples and reasoning behind the fact that poor communication with employees leads to a relationship where the employee feels unstable.

Now, I understand employees can feel a little unstable about their job due to the economy because the economy is having a big effect on the state of horse racing as well, but employers can help change that by trying to ensure confidence and showing interest in their employees.

The second article, "Brand Building: Why Employee Communications Matter," written by Anne Sauve, helps point out that employee communication is underrated.

In the opening paragraph she states, "my belief is that companies often overlook the role that employee communication plays," and based on my opinion stated earlier in this post, she's right.

The third article, "Social Media Within Your Walls" addresses the issues that concern employers about using social media and provides ways to help companies to get the most out of using social media.

It offers such advice as "start with a social media policy and training" and "choose the right platform for the job."

I believe it would be wise for companies take a look at their communication with employees and always keep an eye out for ways to improve and build strong relationships.

That is what can help companies stay strong and successful.

Social media appears to be the next way to improve employee communication and should be given a chance.

Thomas Cassidy

Employee Communication Most Important In Brand Building?

One of the critical pieces to brand building, the employee, can be commonly overlooked by companies.

However can effective employee communication play a large role in brand building?

One of the most effective pieces of employee communication, that I have seen, is Best Buy's "Blue Shirt Nation" as discussed last week in class.

The "Blue Shirt Nation" consists of Best Buy employees, which is a blog/messageboard where employees can discuss a variety of points such as new products or personal experiences to help excel future brand building.

Previously working in Hollister, which is a generally younger based work environment I believe is suitable for a similar messageboard. [what is the average age of the workforce at Hollister, who is the target consumer?]

Employee involvement for this brand should be easier because the younger generation is much more suitable to use a messageboard and the company should reap the benefits as they build a greater employee loyalty.

Employee engagement develops brand loyalty and can provide future success towards the brand.

I expect a new trend of employee centered communication as companies are beginning to catch on.

Sean Conklin

Employee Communication Through Social Media

Social media tools is proving highly effective in engaging workforce. Several companies are using these tools to keep their employees engaged and productive.

According to Allison Davis, in her article "Can Social Media Revitalize Employee Communication", 18% of 500 executives offer social media to employees. This still a small number while 60% says that social media is not on their agenda.

Apparently, engaging employees in organizational strategies is a challenge for most companies and their leaders.

I believe that in today's competitive workplace, businesses should be aware of the positive revolution that social media is causing.

Using these online tools for professional knowledge and most important for a better interaction within the company makes the difference in the performance of the workplace.

As i was reading "Why Employees Communications Matter" by Anne Sauve, i realize the importance of employee communication within the social media.

In order to build a brand a company needs employee "buy-in". Part of the engagement make employees feel part of the brand.

I feel that considering and recognizing employees as the first audience sets companies up for success.

Having a social media class for #Kean Universtity Marketing Students is a very good example of how well social media is used to communicate between my classmates and the professor.

So if we as a class enhance the importance of this communication tool; imagine how important the benefits would be for a company to engage with their employees through social media!!
Jenny Contreras

A New Light on Workplace Habits

Article: Brand Building Communities

The writer of this article was illustrating the importance of employer-to-employees communication.

"A brand is really about a promise or an experience", and the people that make this promise and experience are the employees and employers. Therefore, a strong mutual respect and understanding has to be evident when managers speak with their employees, because a happy employee who has pride in the brand they are working for- relays his/her views to the customer.

Employees are the face of the brand- if they are not happy or do not fully believe in their brand, the customer notices!

An employee represents its brand outside the workplace just as much if not more than in the actual workplace. Cocktail parties, and other social events outside work can be very influential to people in life; molding their views in a lot of issues.

If an employee is not happy with their company, they can very easily talk bad about it to family and friends, and because their credibility is so high, they can very easily make or break the brand's image.

So, it is important to have a mutual respect and sense of pride in the workplace if you want a good brand reputation.


Atricle: Social Media Within Your Walls

Social media cites are a new wave of technological communication in our lifetime.

Having good ethics will enhance a company's positioning in its market. This starts with good social media habits of its employees. Educateing employees about good practices in online conversations could make a business.

The steps to educating employees on good practices to amplify business are as follow:
1.) Start with a social media policy and training
2.) Listen first, then lead- see how your empoyees feel first
3.) Choose the right platform for the job- a communication goal that needs to be accomplished
4.) Know your culture- will your employees engage in social media?
5.) Bring online meetings offline- make meetings a bit more personable
6.) Plan for sunset- consider your goals in lifetime, will they work in part of your mission?
7.) Measure success- their are a number of ways to gauge success in online interactions

With these steps, social media cites will be better used by your company's employees.

Remember: Your workforce represents your company, establishing good social media skills will give your employees the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings online, without damaging your company's name.


Article: They're Just Not That Into You

These days, employers are having a difficult time connecting to their employees. Employees don't want to resent communication, they just resent how it is now prepared.

The two problems in communication now are as follows:
1.) Employees feel less connected tot heir organizations than ever before.
2.) The old communication model isn't working.

However, social media can flourish, despite the obsticles. the key is to reshape communication so that social media is the main strategy in changing the role of employees from spectators to active participants.

Developing a good view on social media to your employees can be done in a couple of ways:
1.) Solve a business problem
2.) Meet an employee need
3.) Embrace the fact that social media us a moving target.

Now is the best time to get started!

by: Arielle Castelo-Branco

Social Media Surfacing In The Marketing Mix

The marketing mix is commonly know as "the four P's". Which includes price, product, promotion, and place. Essentially these are the primary factors towards a successful marketing campaign.

Just a mere ten year ago, it would be hard to fathom the impact social media promotes towards our society today. Now social media has become so routine it would be hard to imagine living without it.

One of the most popular forms of social media that has recently emerged is the "facebook" trend which is a form of social networking. According to http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics there are more than 500 million active users worldwide and of those users, an astounding half log on to facebook daily. In addition there is nearly 1 billion pages which facebook members interact with and more than 30 billion web links, news stories, blogposts, and photoalbums shared monthly.

Facebook has become more convenient and consequently has resulted in a larger user base. More than 150 million users surf facebook through their mobile devices, myself included.

This past weekend my HTC Google smartphone became unusable, it was a great phone nevertheless. However, two days after substituting my old smartphone with your basic cell phone I finally cracked and bought the recently released HTC Google 2 smartphone an upgrade on the previous model. Those 2 days without my phone made me realize how much social media has evolved and impactful social media is in your everyday life.

People aren't the only ones using social media, businesses have now stepped into the ring and have now utilized social media in the marketing mix. Statistics show that about 66 percent of comScore's Top 100 US websites have integrated with Facebook.

Companies such as AT&T and Toyota have integrated with facebook recently and it's a smart choice because Facebook's demographics include a highly suitable market for cars and cell phones.

The marketing mix can be easily suited through Facebook and many other social media sites because of the ease to attract their target market. Companies can conduct research analysis through Facebook users by offering incentives and in return receive insight on. Expect the trend of companies using Facebook and other social media techniques to excel.

Sean Conklin

Let's Communicate Now!

The company that I work for extremely relies on social media to communicate within the business; Therefore, I extremely appreciate the use of social media in every business.

I can see why some employees do not engage or approach all the benefits of communicating through this medium, but I also think that companies have the responsability of training their employees so they can take get familiar to the new technology.

Managers need to keep in mind that not all employees know how to get around a computer, let alone the internet.

If employees are provided with the right training I am pretty sure they would use these tools to improve their work.

In my experience, once you learn how to communicate through social networks with your co-workers, life is a lot easier.

You get to avoid unnecesary emails and can go straight to the point, which I think increases productivity at the workplace.

Another point that I think is a great advantage, it's that managers and supervisors can get a better hold of what their employees are doing.

I am not saying that they can see every page that you surf, but if they are using a private network it is easier for them to monitor their employees.

Overall, I encourage companies to use networks for their employees, but also keep face to face meetings at least once a month. After all we are still humans and need some type of personal contact.

Mariana Alfonzo
# Kean University Marketing Students

Give Employees Something to Talk About @ Work

Employee Communications via Social Networks. The new form of communication

Employee communications using social media is no longer uncommon or unheard of. According to this article (click here), companies will have find it easier in the future to incorporate social networks amongst their employees to promote better business practices.
Corporations and even small business can use the steps noted in this article to better prepare and plan for the inevitable.

"Employees have a huge role to play in this because how they represent the company impacts the brands reputation". Employees, in my opinion, are truly the foundation of any company, organization, brand, etc.

People are what it takes to run an organization, to run the world as a matter of fact. If you don't have people, then what do you have?

Employee communication is imperative to the successes of a company. It's where it all starts.

Alison Davis (whom I've had the pleasure of meeting) hit it right on the head with this comment in her article "They're Just Not That Into You, "Most of all, employees want to control their communication experience by asking questions, adding comments, learning other employees perspectives and even creating their own news".

This is a great for building personal experiences and applying it daily while keeping the companies best interest in mind.

We are constantly presented at work with new data, more information that Alison says "shape to appeal to our internal clients-senior executives...".

Social networks are relevant in the lives of people today, those in the workforce, if they were allowed, could apply to their company and jobs and I can almost guarantee it will be successful.

Engage Me!

Successful social networking with in a company is all about engaging your “community.”

By community I mean, your employees, your target audience, or simply your brand.

Engage Through the Right Informaiton

After reading a few short articles about social media, the most apparent way for companies to engage employees is by providing the correct amount of communication and company news to its employees in an effective and appealing manner.

Employees must be engaged to participate and share their opinions to become connected with each other and therefore the company and its brand.

When company newsletters and emails barrage employees with full on company jargon, and as Anne Sauve calls it in the article Brand Building: Why Employee Communications Matter, “the infamous Management Speak” turns employees off and makes them feel even more disconnected by sifting through large amounts of information that essentially does not pertain to what they do individually on a daily basis.

According to The Public Relations Strategist, in the article by Alison Davis, “They’re Just Not That Into You: Can Social Media Revitalize Employee Communication” Davis provided statistics and examples proving that forming a sense of community and belonging is what drives employees to become active participants in the company and gain overall company success.

Employees were engaged thought social media outlets to participate in company discussions, share experiences and essentially build internal networks within the company with news that pertained to them individually.

This helps internally build a brand and there for help retain employee loyalty.

Social media sounds great for companies: Leading debate

Social Media sounds great for companies but the leading debate is how to maintain credibility and make it safe for executives to want to employ.

In the article “Social Meida Within Your Walls” posted by Idil Cakim from Social Media Marketing Insights from GolinHarris, great key points are mentioned on how to slowly introduce a sense of community with social media.

Specifically initiating a social media policy by setting down rules for what types of information should be and should not be exchanged is a great way for companies to protect themselves.

Engaging employees can be simple.

By safely creating a solid work community with social media overall all, allows employees to share company information, communicate with each other and essentially teaching each other best practices to enhances overall professional knowledge.

Like IBM, “Try it and see what happens”, what’s the worse that can happen? Your employees will increase internal branding, production and open up new opportunities for your company to take advantage of?

- Kelly Duncan

#Kean University Marketing for Social Media

Branding Not Just for the External Audiences

After reading the articles about social media that was given to us from the professor of # Kean University's Marketing Course, I thought about what I would be able to give my opinion on and I really did not know what to blog about.

I enjoyed reading the articles, but because I do not work for an organization, do not know enough on how businesses are using social media, and what the effects of social media is in an organization, it made it difficult to write about the issue in these articles.

Before reading these articles and learning in class about how social media is used by an organization, I thought that social media was used only for people connecting with friends and family to see what everyone was up to. This meant to me even though some of these people worked in organization they were using MySpace, Twitter or Facebook to socialize in their personal lives and not in business.

After reading the articles, in my opinion organizations must look at social media as a marketing tool that will build a positive brand image as well as attracting new customers. Social Media has changed the traditional way to market and communicate externally as well as internally in an organization.

Social media gets information out quickly and fast to individual employees and to different departments within the organization. Employees build relationships within the organization easier with each other because they are able to learn more about their coworkers.

Branding is important to the success of a company and brand managers need to take an active part in the brand in very positive way to sell more products and services and contribute to the company success.

It seems that when most people think about branding, they think externally, but using employees can be big part in promoting their services and products internally for their branding.

In my opinion the employees are big part of the success of an organization because their positive feedback of the organization can help the organization with their branding. They are able to promote the organization internally and externally and help the company be successful.

I really took an interest in the employee-branding article. I know employees are a big part of any organization. It was interesting to see how important employees take a part in internally in branding in the organization.

Working for a small business with five locations, I would like to see how having some form of social media in the way we communicate internally would help us be more successful to our brand.

I would like to see examples of how an organization uses social media for branding internally and what the outcome was when implementing this.

Donna Foerst
10/31/10

Updated post from last week

A MUST: READ AND COMMENT ON KASHANNA'S POSTING

Class,

Please read Kashanna's blog posting. Kashanna, I am sorry to pick on your posting - but it was a great opportunity and example of a short throw to making it better.

I personally revised Kashanna's blog posting.

1. Changed her headline to make it more relevant.
2. Chopped her paragraphs into the size they should be.
3. Picked out where she could be more specific
4. Highlighted where I wanted to get to know her point of view better.
5. Connected her great introduction to the the articles themselves.

Please read her posting and comment on it.

Perri Richman

Employee Engagement

The articles basically state now that we all know how powerful the social media can be. Kean University Marketing course I took gives same fact. If company would treat and train their employees correctly they would benefit from it greatly. Free and open communication is the best solution.

The source from Global IT indicates 60% of top 500 executives say using the social media is not on their agenda. Their key barriers are security, senior apathy and fear of unproven technologies. Another truth is that the majority of executive are between the ages of 45 to 65 (Baby Boomers) which may preclude their interest in this social network phenomenon as only 16% of this age group use them.

These executives and CEO’s must come to realize the social media are here to stay. Interestingly, 70% of the new generation is using it. The question now is how to set guidelines so that companies can eliminate the risk?

First, managers and executives should see that if a company utilizes social media correctly, right communication strategy with right tool could do the following: facilitate communication, allow sharing of ideas, target a wide audience, and improve a company’s reputation?

The company I formerly worked for monitored all ongoing web activity. No personal e-mail and certain sites were allowed. Nevertheless, it is strongly believed in Webinar training that employees who used the social media were able to learn, ask questions and get responses unique and helpful to modern businesses.

Second, besides establishing formal rules of communication on company-branded social media platforms and sign policies secure the safe and effective use of the social media; companies should train and test all newly hired employees, the most important thing is make sure your employees feel engage and happy. In this way, the employees can be brand ambassadors on and off duty, simultaneously, risk free?

The final goal in using the social media is that a company has to provide correct and clear information for employees to build the company’s brand in the marketplace. The engagement the Pfizer Company did was superb. Pfizerpedia with more than 10,000 critical articles and videos used the right tools for their employees to gain knowledge, thus demonstrating the power of the social media.

Li Ching Jung

Brand Buying: Why Employee Communications Matter

The essence of the article revolved around one key note, "Love they employee as yourself!" In this one cliche lies a deep truth because in today's dynamic, fast paced and often times rapidly evolving industrial landscape every good card in your hand is a card you can play. In this case, it being the employees. More specifically how get the best out of one's employees by opening up the flood gates of "free communication"! What I gathered from the article was a few important points:

1) Placing the "workforce" before the "brand" is the new mantra. The reason behind this is simple, a happier workforce that has an open channel of communication between themselves and management will directly effect and influence how well a company's product is branded and put out there in the market.

2) Engage employees. Remember when you were a kid and the joy you got with modelling shapes out of play-dough. Well,employees want to "engage", model and influence part of what the brand stands for as well. Think about it, which employee would like to stand back and watch upper level management have "all the fun" while they go about doing their mundane tasks like little worker ants? Not one! However, engaging minds during the formative years of a marketing or branding cycle will also help during a crisis. In that, an employee will do his/her best to pitch in and help resuce the mother ship (company/firm) and raise it to full strength once again.

3) Transparency. Ah yes! The very essence of eliminating unecessary barriers. Let me summarize this with one quick scenario- Mr. Samuel (CMO) has on noise cancellation headphones, his Account Manager Emily walks into the office and has a mind blowing concept for a campaign. However, can Mr. Samuel hear her? No. The exact same situation can occur if management doesn't simplify communications (minus the jargon) to transfer ideas. More importantly, if I were leading a company I wouldn't want my workforce "going to the dark side" and hating me for putting a wall up when they have ideas, suggestions or thoughts. Instead, I want communication and chatter to flow freely. Great ideas always arise out of "brainstorming" and chatter. Without communication we'd just be minimized to mere formalities. Importantly, keeping this communication clear and free of jargon makes everything much more transparent.

4) Employee Brand Ambassadors a.k.a "Off Duty Police": There is a reason I call them that. Often times, we hear of reports on the news when an off-duty cop prevented a robbery or broke-up a high-speed police chase etc. right? While they might not be in uniform at the time, what they are doing is selling the fact that "the law is always there to protect and serve.Period" Consider your employees to be the same. In the office, they are armed to the teeth with ideas,expertise and thoughts to hit the jackpot. So, why limit this expertise to the office when you can spread it outside? An employee talking about your company's communication highway and brand at a get together is doing two things- building brand image for your company and potentially pulling in new talent that wants to work at an open and listening employer like you.

All in all, I felt the article had some good points and it pulled together the importance of promoting and not stiffling communication between employees. It leads to increased productivity, free flow of ideas and development of new products and concepts at mind blowing speeds!

Alexander Mathew

Communicating With Employees ~ Key to Company Success Though What is the Role of Social Media?

Communication is a definte key factor within many businesses today, [including yours?].

To have a productive strategy to success, it is important that the left hand has knowledge of what the right hand produces at all times.

After reviewing the readings [what readings - say what they are], information shows that corporate communication allows employees to engage in business strategies.

Old communication techniques no longer work beacuse of new social media devices [really - is this your opinion? or is there proof?].

Companies such as Pfizer provided a great social media device for their employees called Pfizerpedia.

I find it interesting to know that a once a conservative company such as Pfizer realized the importance of employee communication and decided to introduce this type of communication tool to bring employees together.

Even though social media can enhance the communication amongst employees, some companies may be threatened.

There is always possiblity that a company may be faced with a bitter employee who may not have the companies' best interest at hand.

According to the "Social Media Within Your Walls" article, it suggests that policies and training should be in place.

I agree.

There must be some type of policy and training put into place to avoid communication issues within a company. [how does this relate to you? how do you feel about it personally? does your company have a policy?]

It is imperative that employees comunicate. A company is a group of people working together to build a strong foundation with hopes of being successful.

In order to achieve that goal, communiating with other employees is a must [especially through social media?].

As an employee, I embrace the fact that my company values my opinion [is it important for them to value your opinion or is it important for them to communicate or both? how do they communicate?]. It may or may not help with the companies' growth but at least it will be considered in one way or another.

When thinking of implementing a social media tool within a company it is always best to first research, then apply the tool afterwhich continue to think of ways to improve or sustain this tool [is this your point of view or something from the article? for what reason?].

As a result, companies are most likely to have continued success.

Kashanna Johnson

Employee Communication - it’s so Indispensable

After I read the articles, I couldn't agree any further that the act of a company engaging its employees in social media is very much tied into the company’s overall success. As such, I would like say that employee communication is indispensable than ever before.

I think employers do understand that but many are distracted by fear of uncertainty. According to Alison Davis, CEO of Davis & Company, a September 2008 study by Avanada, a global IT consulting firm, found that more than half of the 500 top executives surveyed resist the adoption of social media out of fear that it will sap worker productivity.

The role of employee communication is critical and necessary. It’s equally important for employers to understand that communication distributed in one direction no longer satisfies the need of today’s employee audience.

“Employees want to control their communication experience by asking questions, adding comments, learning other employees‘ perspectives and even creating their own news,” says Alison Davis. I think control here means to be engaged and interactive which is what social media facilitates.

In her article, Why Employee Communications Matter, Anne Sauve said that employees can be one of your biggest points of leverage, if you engage them properly, at any time, crisis or otherwise. I think what employees say about their company can go a long way.

Unless a company has some kind of security concern or it’s operating unethically / illegally, it has all to gain by taking advantage of employee networking. According to Anne Sauve, it’s about engaging them and giving them the opportunity to provide input and be a source of important feedback.

For executives who think that employee communication (social media) is still just an idea, I suggest that they should look at what it has done for so many companies out there. The number will explain why it’s now so indispensable than ever before.

Abaya Sannor

Don't Forget: Assignments for October 25 Class

During our class last week, I handed out 3 articles.

Please do not forget to read them and take a point of view on social media for employees / employee engagement - and write a blog entry about your point of view.

If you are missing any assignments, tomorrow is the last day to hand them in for a grade.

Do not forget to sign up for news commentary. Everyone must do 2. Cynthia, are you ready for tomorrow?

And finally, you will receive grades on the Acuvue case study in class tomorrow.

Perri

Facebook: Facing Tough Times

After the Rutgers incident, Facebook has been on high alert (with it's 3 levels of security settings). But, just when the scars of a student's death and questions regarding online privacy in a world of social media were being raised, answered and to a certain level being viewed as a case study Facebook has once again found itself in hot waters.

Remember the Farmville rage on Facebook? Yes, yes I have to admit I was part of it too! Sowing away seeds for strawberries before a World Lit class and reaping them right after, decorating the farm in lights for Christmas and collecting virtual eggs from chickens. But, deep within the game was an apparent hidden agenda as the Wall Street Journal in an investigative report revealed today. The top 10 games/applications on Facebook including- Mafia Wars, Farmville and many others are secretly collecting information about you and me, passing it on to outside firms.

What's the risk? Well, how about for starters all your information- D.O.B, location, likes and dislikes etc. which despite our best attempts at setting up security settings are easily scooped up thanks to a Facebook ID# (similar to a Blackberry ID) that once entered grants open access to anyone's account.

So, while FB has gained good PR from the "Social Network" movie (despite its bashing of founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg), how is FB going to handle security threats,abuse of B2B relations (between itself and vendor companies like Zynga) and more importantly how safe is our information out there on the world's smoothest functioning social network? Only time will tell what is going to be done to counter this ripple.

Facebook in Privacy Breach -http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304772804575558484075236968.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
How Facebook Apps Leak User IDs- http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/10/18/referers-how-facebook-apps-leak-user-ids/

Alexander Mathew

Facebook Rocks

After doing some shopping this weekend, I noticed that a social networking tools are related to our everyday life. Not only are individuals using social media tools, but also department stores.

I was aked to sign up with Rainbow clothing store on their facebook to be informed of new sales going on each week.

Granted I know companys are starting to use social media to market but honestly I never expected companys such as Rainbow to promote in that way.

What is the next big social media tool that will come out? Now is facebook but eventually someone will come out with an upgrade of facebook. Hopefully I will be able to keep up.

Kashanna Johnson

Another Look at Acuvue Case Study

Ok..., here I'm again blogging - giving my thoughts on this Acuvue Case Study which I thought I had already put behind me. But I guess not. I supposedly left out relevant information that you needed to know to have a clear and rounded picture of the case.

Well, I went back, did another reading and hopefully this time around I will able to throw more light on what was interesting, what was done well and probably what could have been improved.

It’s important that you know that the case study was about an Australian lens company called Acuvue in 2007. It’s about how the company integrated a social media (Facebook) as a marketing tool to reach and engage lens consumers - thereby regaining a lost volume of shared market.

Before turning to Facebook, Acuvue had misconceptions about social media. For example, the company had thought that Twitter was a life-taking-over activity, that social networking was for teenagers and Emo bands and worst of all; that Facebook reduced office productivity by 50% causing global recession. Hmmm!

It was difficult for me to imagine where Acuvue got all those misconceptions from. And I would like to think that there are probably a number of companies out there who do think about social networking in a similar manner. But the good news is that there are now tone of books and websites giving comprehensive education about social media.

So..., having lost a substantial market share on 1-Day Acuvue Moist brand in Q3 due to competitive brands doubling from 2 to 4 and aggressive competitive pricing, Acuvue had to rethink its marketing strategy. And going TV was out of question.

Using social media became Acuvue’s most viable option in marketing. With 55% of the people using social networks and 30% of them (18-29) on Facebook, the company launched a social media marketing campaign - Facebook Wink & Blink.

Even though this was a good move but it wasn't quiet enough as I would like to think. Facebook is just one of the Important tools of social media. It could have been a more sophisticated marketing strategy to incorporate as many other tools as possible.

How about Twitter and linking it with Facebook? And how about blogging and receiving feedbacks from consumers?

Any way, the ROI on the Facebook Wink & Blink was positive and the company did learn a lot from the use of social networking. Acuvue targeted 5000 trails and 500 purchase. In result, the company got 14,255 trails and 1,500 purchase.

There you have it people. Social media is the new thing with great impact and Integrating it in marketing plan is a plus, plus for your business.

Abaya Sannor

Anyone for a free movie on Monday?

Anybody up for the Facebook founder movie on Monday night?

The movie is playing at 4:45 and 7:45 pm at the AMC Movie Theater in Mountainside (Rt. 22).

Remember, invitation stands - if you RSVP beforehand, the movie is my treat.

So far, I have 1 RSVP. Do let me know ASAP.

Perri

Facebook steps up privacy settings

I was reading this article this morning on the Wall Street Journal. After what we had discussed regarding Youtube's possible shutting down,Facebook doing a better job and gate-keeping uploads and privacy laws I think this article will shed a little more light for all of us in the class on how Facebook is planning on keeping up with the changing scene of social media.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735804575536301151373776.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

Alexander Mathew

ACTION: Assignments Due on 10/18

Thank you for a great class this week. I can't believe it ran late and that many of you stayed behind to chat.

1. Please let me know if you would like to go and see the Facebook movie on Monday.
2. Please bring to class a write-up of how to market the blog that Dick Wolfe presented in class.
3. Please do the reading:

• Social Media for Business: Chapter 6-8
• Writing for Digital Media: Chapters 3-4
• Scan the 2 articles listed on page 31 of Social Media for Business
  –Google Webmaster Central – Search Engine Optimization: http://budurl.com/chapter6seao
  –Wikipedia’s take on SEO: http://burdurl.com/chapter6wiki

Perri

Late to Fly

So0, this is my first time posting a comment on our blog because I was so lost on how to actually sign in and post.

Thankfully, some classmates were able to answer some of my questions and guild me in my blogging experience.

I'm actually glad in a way that I was "late to fly" because it gave me an opportunity to see the various styles of blogging from my fellow classmates.

Thanks again if you helped me out!
I'm excited to be part of the team ..Finally!!

I'm winking...

The Acuvue campaign was very clever, I am a loyal customer to this brand and i was familiar with the wink and blink advertising.

It was through my doctor that i got in touch with the brand, but i do think the Facebook campaign was a great channel to reach more consumers.

I like the fact that they emphasize how important it is to target consumers and focus ONLY on them; not to do the campaign or advertising to impress competition.

Overall I think they do great use of social media to get their message across.

Mariana Alfonzo
#Kean University Marketing Students

What's New With Acuvue!

The slideshow had a lot of good view points, especially when referencing the percentage of online users. It was amazing to see the many tactics used for marketing. On a scale from 1-10, I would give this presentation a 5.

In some areas such as the statistics stood out as very precise according to my previous research. I found the show to be very detailed but not too eye catching. I have to admit that I became a little bored after a while. Nothing really stood out to make me want to go purchase or even tell a friend.

At times it seemed a little repetitive but on the other hand, maybe the presenter was trying to get that specific point across to a specific group of people.

Marketing eye products is not of interest to me personally, but the presentation makes a difference. The background was a little blah to me and the wording did not catch my attention. If asked my opinion on what should be changed on this slideshow, I would have to say the background and wording. In order to catch the attention of the reader, not only should the information be legit but the apprearance should be catchy.

Kashanna Johnson

Acuvue Wink

Acuvue Wink

In the Acvue Wink presentation i felt I was taught a way to market products very effectively using social media. one particular social media site that was mentioned was FACEBOOK. Facts about the website particularly the one that mentioned the 140 million active users on slide 8 states many advantages why a company can use a site such as FACEBOOK to market its products. its spoke about how the internet and social media site are growing very rapidly.

A strategy i also notice that was used in the presentation was to relate the marketing tool facts of social media sites such a Facebook to match the the type of products marketable to it.
:EXAMPLE age of the the AUSTRALIAN CONTACT LENS MARKET vs. AGE OF FACEBOOK users.

And that is where Target Group comes into play.
Seeing how they have come up with a target group, (facebook users who where contacts) was very impressive. It shows great research technique, which is reflected by the out come. Their are also things that stuck out to me in the conclusions of the experiment like slide 22 don't believe the hype, where it basically shows honestly about social network marketing.
I also felt that it could have also been a better result if they were not just limited to on social networking site;

RODLIN PIERRE

Pioneering a "Wink" in Social Media/Networking

Acuvue initiated the first successful social media campaign known as "Wink" in 2007. Acuvue was facing immense pressure following two more global competitors in contact lenses. Pricing listed Acuvue lenses about 50 percent higher than competiting brands, giving their brand a disadvantage. Cornered; Acuvue organizes a social media marketing strategy on facebook to market their "1 Day Acuvue Moist" product.

Some of the statistics that jumped out at me includes the amount of time spent online (13.7) surpassed the amount of hours spent viewing television (13.4). The craziest statistic has to be the estimated office productivity has decreased 50 perecent causing a global recession due to facebook. This just shows how widespread and important facebook has become to users.

Acuvue was the first organization to successfully implement a marketing strategy through social media and based on the results did more than everything right. Acuvue established a short term and long term goal through their target market of men and women between the ages of 18 and 29. Facebook's largest growing demographic includes people ages 25 and older, thus reaching their target market by implementing their market strategy on facebook. The marketing strategy was successful because they reached their target market with incentives to try the product and by the consumer advertising through "word of mouth" towards their facebook friends.

Honestly Acuvue did an excellent job with their marketing strategy and exhibited very few flaws. However, they may want to make the program more hands on if at all possible. For example showing a photo of the possible vision of a competing lense after x amount of hours compared to Acuvue's. Acuvue previously stated they stand by their product and feel its superior warranting the 50 percent premium over competitors.

The marketing strategy was well organized and prepared so it was no surprise that their strategy was successful.

Sean Conklin

Acuvue

I feel like this presentation showed a simple, yet very effective way for a company to market a product and raise awareness about their brand. A few points in the presentation really stuck out to me.

First, the statistic that people now spend more time online than they do watching TV was quite astounding. However, everything is available online, including television, so I can see why this has happened.

Next, I noticed the marketing plan specifically mentioned cost-effectiveness. While I realize people had to spend time creating this marketing campaign, using social media to advertise greatly reduces the cost of marketing compared to traditional media.

The idea behind the ads was great. The 'wink' idea practically made it like a game while making people aware of the product. As mentioned, this was subtle, almost subliminal advertising. People were having fun while still being reached with the ad.

Another thing I noticed were the outstanding results of the campaign, including the number of winks sent. Sending 'winks' creates a viral feel to the whole campaign. People are practically advertising for Acuvue for free by sending it to their friends. This is very effective, and also completely free.

Finally, I liked the phrase that social media is simply "one of the tools in the shed". Social media allows for cheaper, effective marketing, but it is not the solution to every marketing problem. Also, the presentation mentioned using traditional media to drive someone to social media. I think this is not only a great idea, but companies have been doing a much better job at this even if it is simply putting a link to their Facebook or Twitter in their traditional ads.

Overall, the marketing campaign worked out better than expected for Acuvue. This is just one example of how an effective marketing campaign that reaches the target audience can vastly improve a company's sales and reputation.

Michael Capko

Acuvue Wink = Cha Ching!

Hello all,

After reading the Acuvue presentation, I found it to be a good one and think other #Kean University marketing students would agree. I liked the facts and figures they provided along with the 10 steps for advertising on social media.

The company was looking for a new way to reach out to potential consumers and users and really did their to homework to find out that social media is really starting to grow. The presentation provided statistics to show the increase of users in social media.

They came up with this great idea to use a Wink and Blink advertising campaign along providing an easy way for consumers to find samples of their product. The campaign was used on Facebook, a spot where a large portion of their target market could be reached, and it worked.

The campaign produced positive numbers across the board including the number of purchases.

The facts and figures that were provided from the campaign showed increases that towered over their expectations.

Only thing I did not like about the presentation was that it was kind of long. I think they could have shortened it up a bit by combining some of the slides together.

Overall, it was a good presentation, one that may be good to save for the future because of the advice it provides.

Thomas Cassidy

Subtle Yet Effective

I found the Acuvue Facebook 'Wink' case study to be a very useful and compelling presentation for marketing through use of social media.

I liked the way Acuveu presented facts of how they specifically located their target market on Facebook. For Acuvue to understand that their primary target no longer was an active television watcher and the strategy they redeveloped to reach them via Facebook was very clever.

I especially like how the marketing campaign is subtle and very to the point (Key point #2 in the presentation).

Psychologically, the interaction Acuvue developed with the user by using the most expressive and emotional feature of human eyes is complete genius. Yes its for marketing contacts, but implementing the Facebook application in such an interactive way really highlights the product, the need for the product and a call to action to use their product.

Overall i am impressed with Acuvue's innovative campaign. However, I feel that opening the advertisement to other media outlets that their specific marketing segment visits frequently, such as iTunes or YouTube, would drastically increase sales even more.

--Kelly Duncan

Marketng Stratgy with Social Media

As Kean University marketing student, we have to read a lot of materials than post our views on our blog.

After studying the Acuvue social media Power Point, I feel it provides a lot of Marketing strategy and great references. It gives facts, data and their market plan.

The 10 key things I learned are so valuable for any company that they should integrate them into their marketing plans. However, the points below are defective in my opinion.

• The conceptual framework lay out on slides 4 & 5 is sound. Yet, it remains unclear to me (at least based on the information in the case) how the Facebook Wink supports the overarching Acuvue Wink & Blink Campaign, despite a set of seemingly compelling metrics that points to the impressive success of the campaign.

• Acuvue’s decision to target its social media campaign among current contact lenses users is flawed.

1. Acuvue correctly identified the causes for its loss of market share, i.e. increasing competition (competing brands doubled) and competitors’ aggressive pricing.
2. However, targeting its campaign on current users (that is, to steal shares from its competitors) will only worsen the already steep pricing pressure in the contact lenses market as a whole.
3. Given the current low market penetration of contact lenses (23% among 15-39 years old, and 10%, overall), the campaign target should be broadened to all people needing vision correction). This will ultimately contribute to growing the total market of contact lenses.
4. Since optometrists remain the gatekeeper in recommending the purchase of contact lenses, it remains to be seen how much a swaying power such as the social media campaign targeting the end users/consumers can really exert.

I appreciate that they share the valuable experience with us. In my opinion, the10 keys are priceless. I especially like the: Don’t believe the hype, the social media is just one of the tools in the shed.

Another good advice is the Social Media is not free for professionals. If you get it wrong, you will pay with your credibility. The most important is to be global!!! You can’t afford it to be myopic with today’s business: don't miss the train!!!

Li Ching Jung

Effective Opinion With Reasonable Doubt

• The most interesting part of the case study were the 10 key points to building a social media campaign. This showed how the marketers applied their knowledge,listened to their customers, and learned from their mistakes and how to develop other strategies toward building their campaigns in the future. This case was in fact extremely effective to the about of informative material giving to their target audience, however I have some concerns toward the effectiveness of using Facebook, and why is Facebook their only option.

• Slides 5 and 6 stated how brand story telling and brand engagement contrast in the differences of using traditional media to the new social media tools. I agree more with the new social media because it doesn't make sense to waste time and money nor does it make sense to react without reassurance of your product and the customers needs at hand. Creating engagement then to buy reach seems more effective towards a companies branding goals by being more direct and personal with the customers.

• I don't know how I feel about using Facebook to integrating social media to their product. I mean for those who would like to actually sit and continue to apply the different stages is a waste ..as far as the overall message of constructing this campaigns was great but I highly doubt that most contact users would take their second out of of Facebook to look at their product. I asked my roomate on her opinion as a consumer of Acuvue contact lens and how the Acuvue Campaign on Facebook was effective to her, she looked at me in confusion and said she never heard or seen of it and found it a little odd (she laughs) and said the commercial on tv was more interesting and effective and she wouldn't waste her time applying for this application. It would take 5 minutes to apply but with today's youth absorbed around social media 5 times is a little time consuming, sadly to say. Other than FACEBOOK the company should try and brand the product else where other than that one outlet in social branding.

And by the way I don't where contacts and never have, however I think this case study surprised me on the interest and effectiveness of my response and how this company is sincerely committed toward getting things done ,but I would suggest they cut out the Facebook apps its annoying.

Tyshera Davis

Got to engage your audience...

Hi class,

I took a look at the slideshow on the Acuvue Case Study. It was interesting to see the hard lessons the company had to learn from underestimating the power of social media.

However, the company did well when they realized the potential benefits of reaching and engaging their target audience as well as launching the drive trial among competitive CL wearers.

The campaign metrics shows that Acuvue has improved and their Facebook Wink was a success.

Abaya Sannor

The Acuvue Wink

In # Kean University's Marketing Course, we discussed a case study on Acuvue using Facebook to market their product.

This case study on Acuvue I felt contained a lot of information on the importance of using social media in business to market your product. According to the presentation broadband has increased from 25% to 43% in three years and for the first time, average time spent online (13.7 hours/week) has exceeded the average TV time (13.3 hours/week).

As the time spent online continually grows, more companies need to look into the social media aspect of their marketing plan. And they need to not just look into Facebook like Acuvue did, but look into the other avenues like, YouTube, Twitter, LinkIn, etc.

For the most part this presentation was very information, but I also thought it was quite long in my opinion. Maybe it needed to be that long for the audience they were presenting to. I would have liked to see how they market themselves more on Facebook than the facts.

I also felt the color scheme was soothing and the white type was easy to read. And when presenting you need to make sure you have images in your presentation and they used imagery very well.

Donna Foerst

Who Redesigned Our Blog?

Kean U Talk 2 Me got a make-over.

Do we have a ghost with our class user name and password?

I like it ... whoever did it ... take credit.

• Blog about what you did!
• What prompted you to do it?
• How difficult or easy was it?

Perri

HOT: Sign-up for News Commentary Posting

Okay, class -- so my posting for news commentary sign-up disappeared. The joy of technology.

So, here's the scoop. You will ultimately be asked to present 2 news articles between now and the end of the semester.

Choose 2 weeks between now and the end of December to present:

1. A news article about social media

2. Bring enough copies for everyone in the class to review

3. Present a summary of the article

4. Share what you think is interesting

5. Discuss your point of view - what you agree with / disagree with

6. Facilitate a discussion with the class

Sign-up in the comments section of this entry.

Be creative. You can use a PowerPoint. You can organize a class debate.

Thank you,

Perri

Marketing by Design: The Green Gap and the Importance of Research

Marketing by Design: The Green Gap and the Importance of Research

For my fellow classmates, in case you wanted to read something Dick Wolfe (Gibbs&Soell)wrote.


-Cynthia Rodriguez

Sign Up Blog?

Prof. Richman

I was scanning the blog for the sign-up blog. Haven't been able to locate it yet. Could you direct me + the class to it? Thank you!

Alexander Mathew

Acuvue Wink Campaign

To start with, I am not a contact lens user so this automatically throws me out of Acuvue's target market. But, reading this presentation got me very interested and eager to learn more. So, listed below are my observations, likes and dislikes from what I gathered:

1) What I pulled from the stats this presentation threw at me was that Acuvue did hit it's desired targets in terms of getting users interested in at least trying Acuvue. However, a quarter to quarter jump in sales figures right after the metrics would have convinced me even more.

2) What I liked about the presentation was that it's a novel idea. I checked out the Acuvue "Wink" campaign on Facebook just to get the look and feel, the good part is that they actually allow potential contact lens users to go to Acuvue's website and sign up for a product trial.

3) However, the Wink app on Facebook I felt personally was a waste of time. While I understand showing how a daily change contact lens works on Facebook is hard, what exactly was the point with this Application? Yes, subtle humor is involved but I really don't think unless someone were obsessed with their contact lenses they'd actually signup and send out winks to their friends.

Alexander Mathew

Let's Re-Think the Wink

Hello Class-
Hmmm I don't know, have mix feelings about this Acuvue campaign they so call using Social Media.

• My initial thought was that they limited themselves to just Facebook. I see that this marketing plan was designed two years ago and maybe FB was the "hottest" thing then. No, wait....wasn't MySpace alive and kicking? Imagine the age group they could've captured there and elsewhere!
• Also, they left me wanting to know more of who their consumer was. Like perhaps what percentage are male or female....they only offered age groups 18-29. Also what about the 30+ y/o age group?? They're on FB too..
• In addition, while one slide showed how effective the "Wink" campaign was on FB, I wondered if they saw results in sales/profits, which is bottom line. There should've been a slide on $$ results.

However, I did appreciate the 10 key things they learnt. Very informative and hopefully they followed it for their future plans.

Cynthia Rodriguez