Getting it right with social when everything we know is wrong

Though still relatively new to the marketing sphere, social media has undergone many incarnations. As a communication tool, what is its true branding value and purpose?

There was a time in history where the prevailing wisdom of scholars was that the Earth was flat; the brightest minds of their time were certain that reaching the end of the world meant reaching a cliff, rather than an unending continuation. When reflecting on the early history of social media and the views of the visionary class, you might be forgiven for thinking their opinions represented unwavering fact.

Consider just the following views, starting with sheer viability (especially in the wake of MySpace’s demise):

• Facebook remaining relevant as audiences grow older? A fad that will age poorly.
• Facebook scaling an audience? Impossible.  
• Pinterest? Mom’s play site. 
• SnapChat? Your kids' sexting app.
• Of course earned media will always reign supreme!

The early wisdom of the social space was one of distance – it was not a place for brands and digital marketers. It wasn’t until brands noticed the ongoing dialog that the industry began to rethink this. Social platforms presented a new opportunity to connect directly with audiences, and, in a quick 180, brands began talking to people as if they were long-lost friends and family.

But the desire to make social the new source for customer service has also created as many problems as it has solved. Brands struggled to find balance between buying exposure and favor with earning trust and inclusion at every turn – that is, until the 2013 Super Bowl.

Everyone knows the story of the blackout during the game and how Oreo's real-time response via its "Dunk in the Dark" tweet changed everything we thought about social. With reported figures suggesting more than 500 million earned media impressions, this was a historic moment for the industry and a huge moment for brands.

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

Now brands had a new purpose – to find its own Oreo moment. Many have tried, yet few have succeeded - actually, most have looked laughably bad. But striving for Oreo greatness created a reason for brands to be on social, with smart, hip, culturally relevant content as the ideal target to hit.

Living in Missouri, the utilization of social media has created a very different experience over the past 18 months. I live less than 15 minutes from #Ferguson, so the social rise of #BlackLivesMatter and the efforts of ConcernedStudent1950 (@CS_1950) from University of Missouri are very close to home. They've all played out for the world to see, and this is largely because of social media.

For years, Twitter's conversation on the Arab Spring felt distant - as things happening across the globe and beyond our daily lives tend to do - but the events of August 2015 changed everyone’s personal perspective. Complex issues were truncated to 140 characters and dangerously debated in Facebook posts. Suddenly, for better or worse, social media was driving the story.

Once again, this abrupt shift social’s functional objective calls everything we thought we knew about these communication platforms into question. And, if everything we once believed to be true about social media has been proven wrong, perhaps the target for brands is more complicated than fulfilling the role of that quick-witted guy in the corner with topical joke and wink.

When I began this column, I was actually on a plane - the date: November 13, 2015. Taking a break from emails, I fired up Hootsuite only to discover that the world had been rocked by the news from Paris. In the aftermath, brands have respectfully shown support and compassion for the lives lost, acknowledging the larger tragedy. These responses represent progress and show early steps toward becoming social brands of the world.

To all our friends in Paris, you’re in our hearts and our thoughts. -TH ❤️🇫🇷 #PrayforParis pic.twitter.com/7elzJMsHYN

— Tommy Hilfiger (@TommyHilfiger) November 14, 2015

If you're in Paris in need of emergency accommodation, our hosts have opened their doors https://t.co/E3TUbqD8m2

— Airbnb (@Airbnb) November 14, 2015

So, did we have the role of brands on social all wrong? Now the answer seems obvious.

As brands seek to play a role in people’s lives, they cannot simply be there to add a funny quip or a solution to a simple problem. Just as scholars realized the world was not flat, this realization opens up a host of “Now what?” moments, posing a plethora of new questions: How can we do that? Who do we empower to do that on our behalf? And, to twist a famed Facebook mantra, are we ready to "fail fast" when the stakes are higher than ever before?

If the social media world is round, fully-formed, and connected, then brands have an opportunity to be both citizens and partners on the voyage ahead, thus creating a better place for all.

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How Mondelēz International keeps Oreo dynamic with fearless marketing

Fueled by creativity and enthusiasm, the successful launch of Oreo's Colorfilled campaign exemplifies how Mondelēz International is able to consistently remain ahead of the marketing curve.

From the beginning of November until Christmas of this year, Oreo lovers will be able to customize the packaging of their cookies and have personalized gift boxes delivered to their door. This limited-time offer is Oreo's most recent customization initiative that responds to parent company, Mondelēz International's, vision of growing its e-commerce revenue to $1 billion by 2020.

Many wonder how Oreo, a century old cookie brand, is able to continue delivering vivid experience to its consumers. This can be ascribed to the innovative mindset that parallels the fervor of a startup culture at Mondelēz International, dubbing the strategic approach to the iconic treat's campaign as "fearless marketing."

"We are scared every day - we don't look like Cisco, Facebook, or Google, and we are not Snapchat. So how can we identify the right talent and create the right culture to take advantage of the opportunity in front of us? Three years ago, [Mondelēz International's CMO] Dana Anderson challenged the organization to be fearless, and as a result, changed the way in which the company operated going forward," says Bonin Bough, chief media and e-commerce officer at Mondelēz International.

Customization enables a 100-year-old brand to be disruptive 

When discussing the concept of being "disruptive" within the context of marketing, the term typically refers to emerging tech companies - like Uber and Airbnb - that have acquired a reputation for being irresistible in their innovation, and therefore revolutionary. As a snack brand, Oreo aspires to be a disruptor in its category as well, according to Bough. Oreo Colorfilled is the first time Mondelēz International has ever allowed fans customize packaging, thus creating a personalized experience completely dictated by consumers, as they interact and engage with the iconic cookie brand.

Packages feature exclusive, black-and-white designs as the canvas, from graphic artists Jeremyville and Timothy Goodman. After selecting one of the two available templates, consumers can zoom in or out to select which area of the intricate prints they wish to add their own personal touches to.

Available on both desktop and mobile, users have the option to paint with a diverse color palate, and can further customize packages by accessorizing bags with a selection of original graphic stamps. There is also an option to compose an original message for each package.

Prior to Oreo Colorfilled, Mondelēz International had already established its reputation as the driving transformative force behind the brand-evolution of the century-old, iconic sweet treat.

On June 25, 2012, Oreo took a progressive stance by joining in the celebration of LGBT Pride Month, supporting the LGBT cause with a picture of a rainbow-colored, cream filled Oreo cookie on its social platforms. The images displayed on Facebook and Twitter were posted in conjunction with the caption, "Proudly support love!"

The post gained more than 90,000 shares and still has over 280,000 likes to date on Facebook alone. Such success led the Oreo team to seriously consider the value of real-time marketing on social. 

We’re all the same on the inside. #Pride pic.twitter.com/aqooO1kzj7 — Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) June 19, 2015

 After more than a year of experimentation with instantaneous, real-time marketing tactics, Oreo's "Dunk in the Dark" Tweet went live during the Super Bowl power outage. The timeliness of this post led to it going viral online, and this blackout Tweet is still considered the epitome of a social media coup by many in the industry today.

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

 Last year at South by Southwest, Oreo unveiled a Trending Vending Machine, which allowed attendees to customize cookies based on what was trending on Twitter.

"People waited for two and a half hours to get a cookie. This was when we learned that customization could be a huge platform for this brand," Bough says. "In order to make this happen, companies must collaborate with the best talent possible, both inside and outside of the organization. Also, they must create a culture that lets talent dream bigger," he adds.

Behind the scenes of Oreo Colorfilled

The launch of Oreo Colorfilled represents a culmination of Bough's conception of collaboration, thinking big, and culture. Initially, the idea for Colorfilled came from the company's e-commerce team, led by Cindy Chen, global head of e-commerce venture at Mondelēz International.

Two months ago, Lauren Fleischer, global brand manager of e-commerce at Mondelēz International, brought up Colorfilled at the company's monthly brainstorm meeting. It was expected that a project of this magnitude would take around two years to complete, so the majority of attendees wanted to shut down this plan, even referring to it as the product of "negative brainstorming."

"My co-workers had 400 reasons why this plan would not work; we didn't have enough time, we didn't have a plant, we didn't have a website, and we didn't have a box. But one colleague finally said to me, 'You guys can continue doing this negative brainstorming all day, or you can just leave and decide how to make this happen,'" Fleischer says.

Instead of repeatedly identifying and dwelling on the problem, in an effort to find solutions, Chen and Fleischer decided to bring a team of positive brainstormers together. This team consisted of Mondelēz's long-time agency partner, The Martin Agency, and MAYA Design, the tech design firm that was involved in the Trending Vending Machine at South by Southwest. They also collaborated with HP marketing executive, Doris Brown-Mcnally, to figure out the appropriate printing technologies required to execute this concept. After leasing a warehouse on a Monday, in two days, the Colorfilled team managed to convert the space into a functioning Oreo factory, opening its doors by Wednesday of the same week. 

Using Mondelēz International's proven formula for excellence, creativity and innovation were able to operate at the speed of culture, thus allowing the Colorfilled initiative to successfully come into fruition quickly, in spite of lingering doubts.

Oreo Colorfilled is small version of a start-up business that is part of a larger conglomerate. Such isolation provides employees a level of freedom that encourages the initiation of projects based on passion.

"I'm a start-up resident at Mondelēz International. You can manage a big political organization - that's an amazing skill -or you can operate something on your own," Fleischer notes.

The future

Oreo Colorfilled is just the start of the cookie brand's e-commerce journey. Going forward, the company will continue to encourage in-house marketers to be fearless in order to optimize mobile and social commerce by effectively incorporating personalization and real-time marketing into campaign strategy.

Today Oreo fans can customize the packing - tomorrow they may even be able to customize flavors on an individual basis.

"How can we take Oreo to the next level as a power brand? 30 percent of our consumers are interested in personalization," Chen says.

The company will also keep an eye on interface free shopping tools - such as the Amazon Dash Button - and achieve the same disruptive, revolutionary status through innovation within the snack industry.

Clearly, the Oreo brand is currently being driven by a team of smart cookies.  

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10 Successful Facebook Marketing Examples

Is your Facebook engagement dropping?

Need some inspiration to pump up your Facebook marketing?

As the Facebook news feed continues to change, it’s important to figure out how to make the platform work for you.

In this article I’ll share Facebook pages from both large and small brands, and tips to incorporate their tactics into your Facebook marketing plan.

Discover ten brands successfully using Facebook.

#1: Qatar Airways

Qatar posts a number of pictures about football (soccer in America), which is what their fans care about. Fans are very responsive to questions and posts on the company’s page, as well.

Post about things your fans care about.

Qatar also changes their cover photo often, which is a great way to promote something new.

Change your cover photo with a new message to your fans.

Key Takeaways: Post what engages your audience and change your cover photo often.

#2: Dove

This inspiring video helped Dove get close to half a million views and thousands of likes, comments and shares. In the video they hardly mention the brand. This isn’t a commercial—they’re telling a story.

Create and share videos, since video gets more engagement on Facebook.

Dove also encourages tagging by asking their fans to tell a story about someone who means something to them. Tagging someone else in a post can also be a great way to help get the word out about a timeline contest (for more on this, see #9).

Inspire your fans to tell you a story.

Key Takeaway: Post a video that will help your fans or inspire them.

#3: Oreo

Oreo continues to dominate Facebook with their delicious cookie. It’s almost too easy. Beautiful images combined with recipes and a creative use of hashtags also help.

Great visuals combined with a useful recipe make for huge engagement.

The #OOTD hashtag stands for Outfit Of The Day. It’s widely used. Notice in the illustration below that Oreo isn’t hijacking the hashtag, rather participating in a fun way.

Use hashtags creatively and have some fun.

Key Takeaway: Add an image or montage that shares a tip or tells a story.

#4: Humans of New York

Humans of New York is a bit different as a brand in that it started as a photographer telling stories. It developed into a book and a movement to connect on a deeper level with individual people who live in New York.

Tell stories and share photos that illustrate them on Facebook.

Each day, they share several posts that tell people’s stories, along with their image.

Use stories to inspire and connect with your audience.

Key Takeaway: Tell your fans a story about your brand directly in a Facebook post.

#5: Agilent Technologies

Agilent is a B2B company that uses their Facebook page to tell where their instruments are being used. They brand their images and make them eye-catching.

Brand your images, so they grab your fans’ attention.

Agilent also connects people to the brand by sharing personal information. For example, they featured their longest-serving employee with then-and-now photos and a link to her story.

Help your audience get to know your brand by featuring your employees.

Key Takeaway: Tell a story about one of your employees.

#6: Girls Who Code

This non-profit does a great job of mixing up the posts on their Facebook page. They keep fans up to date about what’s happening with their mission.

Keep your audience connected to news about your successes.

Girls Who Code also entertains their fans with games.

Is your Facebook engagement dropping?

Need some inspiration to pump up your Facebook marketing?

As the Facebook news feed continues to change, it’s important to figure out how to make the platform work for you.

#7: Stella and Dot

Stella and Dot is a network marketing jewelry company using their page to promote their products and share information. One thing they do very well is cross-promote to their other channels, such as Instagram. When you connect to your audience on multiple channels, it improves your chances of being seen.

Cross-promote your posts to your other social channels.

The company also provides shareable images to inspire their audience. Quotes are a great source of inspiration.

Provide inspirational images and quotes for your audience to share.

Key Takeaway: Cross-post to other social sites, where your fans connect with you regularly.

#8: Neil Gaiman

While you might not consider an author a brand, these days authors are brandingthemselves, as well as their work. Neil Gaiman does a great job of getting personal with his audience.

Use humor to show your personality.

Key Takeaway: Get personal on Facebook.

#9: Illegal Pete’s

This restaurant has a small fan base, but gets good engagement by running contests.

Run a contest to get higher engagement. Have your fans tag their friends in the comments.

Illegal Pete’s also connects to their fans via the Postmates app.

Find new ways to connect to your audience, such as with an app.

Key Takeaway: Run an engaging timeline contest and give away something small to the winners.

#10: Starbucks

With more than 37 million fans, the Starbucks Facebook page is in the top 10 brand pages.

One of the things Starbucks does right is they give people tips to help them use their products.

Give people tips about your product.

Starbucks shows holiday-themed images that are a little different and fun.

Catch people’s attention with unusual photos.

Key Takeaway: Create and post unusual images to catch people’s attention.

Over to You

It may be more challenging to get organic engagement on your Facebook pages these days, but it’s not impossible. Pages are still a great way to connect with your audience where they hang out.

To get more engagement, likes and shares, inspire your audience; use great graphics and video; make your information shareable, useful and fun; and cross-promote to other channels. Plus, show your personality throughout your Facebook marketing.

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