for and from the curious – web 2.0, social media and cause marketing explored

Showcase – A US household brand gets up and running in the social media sphere

Delta Carbona, L.P. is the oldest manufacturer of stain removal products in America. Their “Stain Devils” are unique since there are 9 different products for separate groups of stains, in addition to other household cleaning solutions. Since they are a client of ours, we got to try their products and the Stain Devils really impressed us. Yet the brand had zero social media presence.

The challenge: Creating a meaningful entry into the social media sphere

Option number one would have been to launch a program under the name Carbona or Stain Devils. This would have been either brand or product centric and we felt limited in the range of conversation topics we could initiate or participate in.
Therefore we opted to move the brand name in the background and create a presence under the name StainTalk- Cleaning Heores United.

To launch StainTalk, we used the opportunities of multiple social networks to harness the existing conversation Carbona has with its clients. The project spans from a microsite to a Facebook fan page to a Twitter channel.

Our involvement

We manage the program on behalf of Carbona and try to provide relevant content every day. Interested visitors are invited to pose questions, exchange tips and tricks, and just have fun exploring the lighter side of creating and removing stains. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in This n That | 495No Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2010/03/18/showcase-a-us-household-brand-gets-up-and-running-in-the-social-media-sphere/Showcase+-++A+US+household+brand+gets+up+and+running+in+the+social+media+sphere2010-03-18+16%3A30%3A41Klaus+Holzapfel

This Week’s Video Treats: songs, dogs, falls, and a mystery

Here’s your weekly gourmet selection of viral videos. Just like last week, we’ve picked some that really caught our interest.

You might remember Dave Carroll — or at least his famous “United Breaks Guitars” viral videos. In 2008, he watched in horror from an airplane as United Airlines baggage handlers threw his $3500 guitar and broke it. After United refused to take responsibility, he told them he would write three songs and post them publicly about his experience. Four days after he posted the first song, United’s stock price fell 10% (US$180 million), a drop partly attributed to the sensation his video caused. Today, the first 2 videos in his trilogy have more than 9 million views on his official YouTube channel. In his third and final “United Breaks Guitars” video, he acknowledges that the airline “essentially broke [his] career”. However, he also recounts some of the emails he received while the first two videos were at the height of their popularity and reiterates that customers will no longer tolerate bad customer service.

Country singer Brad Paisley was wrapping up his encore performance of “Alcohol” in South Carolina when he tripped while running back off the ramp and fell hard, flat on his face. He managed to get back up and wrap the show before heading to a local hospital. Paisley is well-known as a prankster with a sense of humor and he (and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams Paisley from “Father of the Bride”) kept things light-hearted, posting pics with medical staff and encouraging fans to post footage. He also promised a meet and greet to whoever posted footage first. Later, he uploaded a picture on his Twitter account to show off his bruise, saying “If ur wondering,it was the last song&last night of the tour&I was running fast on stage,tripped.really did think I broke a rib or something“. For awhile, his graceless moment was the top story on CNN.com.

MTV is calling this “perhaps the greatest viral effort of all time.” The first video, called “Prelude 699130082.451322-5.4.21.3.1.20.9.15.14.1.12“, appeared in early January. Six other videos have followed. Each featured a woman filthy with dirt and visually stunning glimpses of nature, and ended with a black screen and a white drawing of an animal — goat, owl, whale, bee, llama and monkey. The guessing game will continue until the seventh and presumed final appears sometime this week. Right now, the only known background is that the videos were originally sent to music blogs and the videos themselves were uploaded under the ‘music’ category. Until the reveal, however, people are guessing everyone from Lady GaGa and Christina Aguilera to Nine Inch Nails and Rob Zombie as the ones being behind it. This Christina Aguilera fansite has an in-depth analysis.

This video became very successful overnight even though it doesn’t really have a story other than a kibble of dog foes being thrown into the air and some dogs watching and one eventually catching it. The secret sauce is a camera taking 1000 images per second allow for super slow-motion that shows the dog’s movements in a way we have never seen before. Apparently we were not the only ones that were impressed with these shots.

Posted in Web Videos | 489No Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2010/03/11/this-weeks-video-treats-songs-dogs-falls-and-a-mystery/This+Week%27s+Video+Treats%3A+songs%2C+dogs%2C+falls%2C+and+a+mystery2010-03-11+17%3A31%3A49A.+Jinnie+McManus

Seventh Generation pushing the cause marketing envelope

At conceptbakery, we’re always looking out for great new cause marketing case studies. Recently, we’ve been quite taken with Seventh Generation’s Million Baby Crawl, an initiative that ultimately hopes to tighten government regulations on the chemical content in common household products.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Digital Marketing | 473No Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2010/03/09/seventh-generation-pushing-the-cause-marketing-envelope/Seventh+Generation+pushing+the+cause+marketing+envelope+2010-03-09+21%3A20%3A53dominique

This week’s video treats: Parody, mishaps and some brilliance

Web videos are interesting from the marketer’s perspective for a number of reasons. What makes people laugh? What style do most popular videos have? What SEO techniques are being used to market videos? Needless to say, the web video niche is a dynamic one. New opportunities arise almost daily.

Since we produce our own videos via our moviebakery platform, we like to see what else is going on in the web-video world– we need stay on top of current trends, after all.

In light of this, we’re going to start a running column in our blog in which we’ll share some of the videos that made us laugh or otherwise stuck out in our minds. Obviously, we know that videos are huge time-suckers, both for you and for us. That said, we’re going to do you (and, honestly, ourselves) a huge favor by focusing primarily on shorter clips. Also, if we find interesting statistics or trends that don’t warrant a separate blog post we’ll throw them into this regular column.

Clearly, we’re not here to give you comprehensive coverage. We are here, however,  to fill you in on clips that we think could be relevant to you.

So, where do we usually find videos?  YouTube is an obvious destination , but some of our other favorites include bitly.tv, comedy.com, collegehumor.com and funnyordie.com. Perhaps most importantly, we pay a lot of attention to what our friends, fans, and followers are sharing on Facebook and Twitter.

This parody from comedy.com shows Google’s presumed  take on both Google Buzz and the new social media platform’s competitors. Take the best and leave the rest. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Web Videos | 447No Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2010/02/26/this-weeks-videos-parody-mishaps-and-some-brilliance/This+week%27s+video+treats%3A+Parody%2C+mishaps+and+some+brilliance2010-02-26+17%3A02%3A56Klaus+Holzapfel

More reasons for more social consciousness

A study by Globescan and the University of Maryland, ordered by the BBC, revealed some interesting numbers. The study was conducted in 27 countries.

• Only 11% of the surveyed are happy with Capitalism as is.
• 23% think that our free economy is prone with errors.
• 43% of people in France agreed with that statement.
• The United States (25%) and Pakistan (21%) were the only countries where at least 1/5 of the population agreed with our economic system as is.
• 51% of the surveyed think that we need more market regulation.
• 23% think that we need a totally now economic system.

The study was done 20 years after the fall of the Berlin wall in the midst of a big economic crisis.

What does this mean for marketers?
Less pure capitalism means more solidarity. This should be reflected in a marketing campaign that hits the “zeitgeist”. Embedding social consciousness into marketing campaigns will provide goodwill towards a product or service. The purchase of a product or service should touch the consumer on an emotional level and create a feel good effect. In this case it will not be perceived as a product that is only making “them” rich. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Hot at the Bakery, Web Videos | 443No Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2009/12/29/more-reasons-for-more-social-consciousness/More+reasons+for+more+social+consciousness2009-12-29+20%3A34%3A46Klaus+Holzapfel

Meet conceptbakery at dmexco in Cologne

dmexco – a digital marketing exposition & conference – is taking place in Cologne on September 23rd & 24th. It the first time the event is hosted in the city. Felix Holzapfel, Managing Partner of conceptbakery Germany will be participating in a panel talking about effective ways to advertise in the world of social media.

Since our office is just at the other side of the Rhine river other members of our team will also be present. Please let us know if you are attending the conference and would like to meet with us.

Posted in Digital Marketing, Hot at the Bakery | 438No Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2009/09/15/meet-conceptbakery-at-dmexco-in-cologne/Meet+conceptbakery+at+dmexco+in+Cologne2009-09-15+15%3A35%3A17Klaus+Holzapfel

What’s the virality of your marketing efforts? Passive viral marketing as the key to success?

Everyone tries to solve the riddle of successfully using viral marketing. That’s a no-brainer.

During client meetings we often begin by explaining the difference between active and passive virality.

Our clients are interested in their marketing messages “going viral”. The first element required for what we call “active viral marketing” is outstanding content or another trigger that gets the audience to spread the word within their network. Forwarding links to a YouTube video or a micro site are just two examples of potentially desired behaviors.

There is of course a rather big barrier in the way: You ask someone to take action and share link to a video or a micro site, or some other hook with someone else in their network. You also need to stand out from thousands of marketing messages each of us receives each day.

Considerable efforts and resources are often pumped into these viral marketing campaigns. But something can easily get overlooked here: Social media platforms offer a much more elegant way to reach a larger audience without asking anyone to put their reputation on the line. If your audience simply starts to interact with you, others will be able to see this. It is the nature of social media that you get to see what your friends are doing. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Digital Marketing, Guerilla Marketing | 4315 Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2009/08/10/whats-the-virality-of-your-marketing-efforts-passive-viral-marketing-as-the-key-to-success/What%27s+the+virality+of+your+marketing+efforts%3F+Passive+viral+marketing+as+the+key+to+success%3F2009-08-10+14%3A20%3A27Klaus+Holzapfel

Does Social Media Marketing add to your bottom line?

A new study has just been published by Wetpaint and Altimeter Group. It shows that companies that use social media are more successful than their competitors:

The ENGAGEMENTdb study (www.engagementdb.com) showed significant positive financial results for the companies who measured as having the greatest breadth and depth of social media engagement. These “Social Media Mavens” on average grew company revenues by 18 percent over the last 12 months, while the least engaged companies saw revenues sink 6 percent on average over the same time period.  The ENGAGEMENTdb study reviewed more than 10 discrete social media channels, including blogs, Facebook, Twitter, wikis, and discussion forums for each of the 100 most valuable brands as identified by the 2008 BusinessWeek/Interbrand Best Global Brands ranking.

Here is a list of the top social media brands due to the report:

• Starbucks
• Dell
• eBay
• Google
• Microsoft
• Thomson Reuters
• Nike
• Amazon
• SAP
• Tie – Yahoo/Intel

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Digital Marketing | 4241 Comment »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2009/07/31/does-social-media-marketing-add-to-your-bottom-line/Does+Social+Media+Marketing+add+to+your+bottom+line%3F2009-07-31+16%3A37%3A23Klaus+Holzapfel

GetSocialMediaNow.com – Bundle kits for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Co. allow for an easy way to join the web 2.0 conversation

More and more people are spending more and more time on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networks. More and more clients are asking us how they could get access to the social media universe.

Our solution: social media bundle kits
GetSocialMedia.com offers various social media bundle kits leading to a professional presence on major social networking platforms and the setup of self hosted Wordpress blog if applicable. Separate solutions are available for larger entitites and single individuals or smaller businesses.

Hassle free turnkey solutions
The process starts with an interview to understand each clients needs. Next is the creation of a social media story and design and the setup of a presence on leading social media networks. Also included are ongoing account management, creating word of mouth campaigns and workshops at client sites.

Must have: Facebook
Facebook Fan Pages are at the center of many of the solutions offered. Facebook is one the best platforms available for brands, services or products. The functionality and viral potential combined with the ability to connect Fan Pages with other platforms or websites is unmatched in the world of social media.

Standardization wherever possible to lower the cost
We were able to standardize many parts of the work flow within our social media projects and are passing on these benefits to our new clients via this service. But all kits also offer plenty of room for customization. Each project will be shaped to match the client’s profile with the special requirements of its target audience.

Training seminars are also available for everyone with a do-it-yourself attitude.

Getsocialmedianow.com includes various showcases, some social media basics and offers analogies like the house of social media and the party across the street to illustrate the importance and power of the largest conversation in the universe.

Bottom line
Get Social Media Now  serves as a shortcut that saves time and helps clients to avoid the most common beginner mistakes.

conceptbakery doesn’t think of itself as a team of social media gurus but rather a competent service provider that gets a client to see results in a timely manner. Enjoy :-)

Posted in Digital Marketing, Hot at the Bakery | 4186 Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2009/07/24/getsocialmedianow-com-bundle-kits-for-facebook-twitter-youtube-co-allow-for-an-easy-way-to-join-the-web-2-0-conversation/GetSocialMediaNow.com+-+Bundle+kits+for+Facebook%2C+Twitter%2C+YouTube+%26+Co.+allow+for+an+easy+way+to+join+the+web+2.0+conversation+2009-07-24+22%3A37%3A10Klaus+Holzapfel

Marketing Love Story: Web 2.0 sellers and buyers versus men and women in the real world

Marketing Love Story: Sellers and buyers on the social web = men and women in the real world
We have been using an analogy in many client meetings in order to illustrate how “the conversation” has changed. Some of our clients are not too social media savvy (yet) but their faces show that they get our point.

The analogy: Men always want the same – sellers as well…
No matter if sellers vs. buyers or men vs. women: One often wants something very different at the beginning of a relationship than the other. That is a pity because many times both parties have the same long-term goals.

Even though it is a cliché’ it is widely accepted that men are very quick to think about sex (not us of course ;-). Women rather want to take their time to get to know a man better, have some fun (outside the bedroom) and take things a little slower. Some of us might have seen different ;-).

Sellers and buyers face a similar situation: Just replace sex with sales or consumption. Customers much rather would like to take their time, try things out, learn more and so on. Of course there are many exceptions from this rule. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Digital Marketing, This n That | 4124 Comments »http://www.conceptbakery.com/blog/2009/07/14/marketing-love-story-web-20-sellers-and-buyers-versus-men-and-women-in-the-real-world/Marketing+Love+Story%3A+Web+2.0+sellers+and+buyers+versus+men+and+women+in+the+real+world+2009-07-14+14%3A46%3A00Klaus+Holzapfel