Tag Archives: facebook

Business Blunders, Online Marketing, Social Marketing

Gap Learns The Power of Social Media

1 Comment

By now everyone knows the power of social media. Several years ago words like Facebook and Twitter meant nothing and now those two social media giants are cornerstones of our lives.

Every little while a really great example comes along that highlights the power of social media that I think is worth mentioning.

In this case, Gap learned just how quick and powerful social media can be.

For over 20 years Gap has had the same logo that we’ve all seen in malls, stores and advertisements literally all over the place. But, they felt it was time for a change and they needed a new logo. (You can read the message from Gap’s North American President here.)

After unveiling the new logo, which Ad Age said looked like “something a child created using a clip-art gallery”, the social networks went wild.

New and Old Gap Logo

Facebook, Twitter, blogs and just about every other social media outlet were, on mass, voicing some pretty big disappointment. And, of course, it didn’t take long for the mockery to begin either. Check out http://craplogo.me/post.php … kind of makes you wonder how much Gap paid their agency?

After less than a week, Gap has gone back to their old logo and said this:

“Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo…We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers. We are bringing back the blue box tonight.”

Just like that, the customer spoke loud enough and the company responded.

This truly highlights the power of social media and echoes just how important it is for brands to monitor social networks for feedback on their products. (This applies to big and small companies alike!)

Now, there is a chance that this was all a publicity stunt because in all honesty, when was the last time there was this much buzz about Gap? If that was the case, then kudos to Gap on doing that really well, but if that wasn’t the case… then, sheesh… didn’t you show a lot of people the logo before unveiling it?

I wonder if Henry Ford had access to Facebook in 1920 he would have known people really wanted cars in a color other than black? =)

Social Marketing

Facebook Usernames – Get Yours Now!

Leave a comment

On Saturday at 12:01am Eastern, Facebook began lettings its 200+ million users register ‘usernames’.

Based on some Twitter posts from Facebook employees, it seems that over 200,000 names were registered within a matter of minutes.

So, if you’re a Facebook user, I strongly suggest that you go and grab your name ASAP. After all, just like domain names, MySpace URLs, or Twitter names, there is only ONE of each name available and once it’s taken, there is nothing you can do.

There was some speculation that Facebook would not be able to handle the massive influx of everyone registering their username, but so far a day into the madness, all seems to have gone smoothly. Kudos to your Facebook! I have heard some reports of pages loading slower than usual and also heard claims about people not being able to register usernames even though they were available, but those are pretty small hiccups compared to the explosions that could have occurred.

I’m sure this username initiative is going to cause some problems for Facebook. Corporations will undoubtedly have their lawyers working feverishly over copyright/trademark claims and users will become frustration when they cannot even get their own name. But, I’m sure they have a plan for that… or if they didn’t see that coming, they’ll wish they did.

Company News, Online Marketing, Social Marketing

Sauza Tequila Harnesses The Power of Social Marketing

Leave a comment

Sauza® Tequila has proved once again they are ahead of the curve when it comes to interacting with customers in an exciting, engaging and very Web 2.0 way.

This past week the Social Marketing Division at EliteAnswers.com helped launch a Canada-wide campaign for Sauza Tequila that harnesses the power of two of the most popular social networks: MySpace and Facebook.

The premise of the campaign is that Sauza Tequila (which recently introduced new mango and acai berry flavored tequilas) is looking for Canada’s best DJ in a contest dubbed “Sauza Tequila DJ Mix Off Challenge”.

The contest calls upon DJs across the country to put together their best mix and submit it to a regional and, upon advancement, national judging panel. The semi-finalists will really get to shine when they are invited to perform live at a club in front of a national judge.

The promotion taps into the amazing social marketing power of MySpace, where the DJs are invited to post their submission on the Sauza Tequila wall for all to see. You can view the MySpace page here: http://www.myspace.com/sauzatequila (The French version can be seen here: http://www.myspace.com/sauzatequilaqc)

Sauza already has a booming group of loyal enthusiasts on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2365913470) and those people have not been left out of the mix. Exclusive messages and contest updates have been sent to all members of the group, which further engages them in the conversation with the brand they like.

Sauza really understands how to harness the power of social marketing to engage their customers in an exciting and interactive way that sets them apart from those brands that are stuck to traditional marketing platforms.