IMC Hawks Blog

Author: imcclass

  • Social Media and the Super Bowl

    How do you analyze the popularity of Super Bowl commercials and the companies that produced them? One way is to check the fans and followers that each company has on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. That is exactly what Clickz ,an internet resource for interactive marketing news and information, did to interpret the success of individual commercials and how they relate to brands that own them.

    The Super Bowl isn’t just a platform for NFL superstars to show they are the best; it also represents the top competition among brands and their advertisements. Clickz recorded the number of Facebook “fans” and Twitter “followers” for each of the advertisers on February 2, Super Bowl Sunday. Then the site collected data a week later to see what kind of increases took place. Evidence from the research reveals that the Super Bowl ads actually boosted some advertisers’ social media accounts considerably.

    According to the research analysis some of the big hitters in the big media dance include HomeAway, Volkswagen, E*Trade and Monster.com. These companies were among half of the Super Bowl advertisers that mentioned their commercials on either their Facebook pages or through their Twitter accounts prior to the game.

    “”By incorporating a dedicated Facebook page, Twitter account, and micro-site as part of the ‘Fiddling Beaver’ campaign,” according to Kathy O’Reilly, director of social media for Monster.com, “we were able to engage with folks before Super Bowl Sunday.”

    Social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter have been great building blocks to cultivate a larger fan base among the consumers. These websites have built a bridge over the gap that once existed between companies and their consumers. However, what is the return of investment? What kind of sales come out it? This question will be asked until there is a legitimate connection between ‘fans’ of the brand and the purchasing consumers of brand  products and services.

    -Jesse Bazemore

  • Google Tapping Into Social Media?

    Google is expected to tap into the world of Facebook and Twitter through its highly popular Gmail service which will allow users to post similar status updates and other items.  According to CNN.com the company planned an official announcement for earlier today at about 1p.m. in California.

    The search engine leader has recently emphasized social media by altering it’s search function allowing easier access to social media sites. If all goes as planned however, Google’s version will differ from Twitter’s in the fact that status updates and posts will remain private by default. The sites also plans to sound off when a user posts something such as a video or picture to related sites such as YouTube.

    This is not the search engine leaders first attempt to connect with evolving technology. The company recently helped create Nexus One, a smart phone, and Google’s first attempt at the computer hardware market. Last month Google announced that users could change their accounts to make results related to co-workers, friends and other members of social networking sites appear above all other listed results.

    This feature called the “social search feature,” was first introduced last year and was made available to all through beta testing on January 28. This will be the first step Google is taking to ensure that “web search is always as social as the website.” An instructional video is available for viewing on the site’s official blog.

    Jess Smith

  • Who Dat Nation

    With Super Bowl XLIV reaching nearly 100 million viewers, it’s easy to say that football encompasses a large part of American society, and even contributes to how Americans identify themselves. This may be the reason why we usually have one team that is given the title “America’s Team.” For several years this team was known to be the Dallas Cowboys; but in light of recent events, the New Orleans Saints now have the esteemed title.

    After all that New Orleans endured following Hurricane Katrina nearly four and a half years ago, the team as well as the city has made a lot of progress. It was hard not to be excited for the Saints as they played in their first Super Bowl. Fans seemed to come from everywhere, with most of the country offering their support. According to Rasmussen Reports, 54 percent of people who participated in a national survey wanted to see the Saints win, even though only 38 percent thought they actually would win.

    In an Associated Press article, Colts safety Antoine Bethea was quoted, “There’s a reason America is pulling for New Orleans, and why wouldn’t they? They’ve been through a lot. Sports tend to pull people together, so it’s commendable for New Orleans to be, as I guess you’d say, America’s Team right now.”

    Quarterback Drew Brees has contributed to the Saints image as a community-oriented team through his work in several reconstruction projects. In a Reuters article, Brees said about the game, “Our city, our fans, give us strength, we owe this to them — to Saints fans all over the country, and I think we might have gained some after yesterday.”

    Nicole Doherty

    Stephanie Saulsbury

    Lacey Inman

  • Social Media and a Snowball Fight

    It may be hard for Wilmington to imagine, but this past weekend, the Washington D.C. area accumulated almost three feet of snow. When the power is out and the roads are unplowed it’s hard to come up with anything exciting to do. However, a group of young professionals in DuPont Circle formulated a plan that brought people of all ages together. The secret to their success: social media.

    When news of the snow was announced on Thursday, Ami Greener and her friend Michael Lipin decided to put their Twitter accounts to a new use. As friends who live on opposite sides of DuPont Circle, they figured it would be fun to arrange a massive snowball fight for the whole city to participate in.

    “You keep reading in the media how companies are using Twitter,” Greener said. “I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to do that.’ ”

    The tweet went out on Thursday night, along with a Facebook group advertising the snowball fight. On Thursday the group had 33 members, but by Saturday morning it had over 5,000. On Saturday afternoon over 2,000 people, including children, young professionals and lawyers had congregated in DuPont Circle to participate in a good old fashioned snowball fight.

    The fight was a carefree attempt to unite a community and take advantage of the record breaking storm.  However, without the help of Twitter and Facebook, it would have undoubtedly been a much smaller event.

    Stephanie Saulsbury

  • Who is your doppelganger?

    Doppelganger; German for a literal meaning of the look-alike of another person.  Doppelganger has become a commonly used word especially among the social networking realm of Facebook users.  This past week has slowly caught on to be known as “Doppelganger Week” amid the young and old profiles of Facebook, generating a common denominator between people all over the world.  Although this denominator is not an organization that people have signed up for with the intent of membership, it is similar in that people have chosen to participate in a world-wide activity, linking them to one another.  It is also producing questions among geographically close friend such as “who is your doppelganger” or “do you think Suzy Q’s pictures truly look like her?”
    What is Doppelganger Week you ask?  The idea of Doppelganger Week is to change one’s Facebook profile picture to a celebrity or icon that they have been told they most look like.  The chosen doppelganger is not the celebrity one thinks they most look like, but the celebrity the user is most commonly told they look like.  If you have never been told you have a celebrity twin, you’re in luck!   MyHeritage.com is a site specifically made for web users to discover their celebrity counterpart.  The website uses face recognition technology to analyze the facial features of submitted photos.  Once a preferred picture is uploaded, the site searches a database full of recognizable individuals to match your facial features.
    Aside from the fun aspect of Doppelganger Week, the question remains if social networking sites can cultivate social capital.  Moreover, can the web enhance invisible friendships?  Some may answer yes as so many people have yielded to the Facebook trend.  In addition to the doppelganger craze, Facebook recently had another trend emerge during the “color of my bra” rage which swept statuses of female Facebook users to support and raise awareness to breast cancer.  Both trends are paving the way in which social networking can build a connection among people who would not otherwise know one another.  It is not certain that people are being united solely on the factor of profile pictures or status updates, but it does create wonder for social networking users.
    We now ask what trend will be created in the upcoming weeks, and will you be a participant of what is to come?

    -Allyson Corbin

  • Happiness Hits

    Coca-Cola’s launch of their “Open Happiness” social media campaign has successfully raised over $64,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America by allowing users of the social network, Facebook, to send virtual gifts through the site. For every gift sent, Coca-Cola donates $1 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Coca-Cola hopes to raise $250,000 with this campaign.  Once the Facebook gift is given, the gift giver receives a 20-second sneak preview of one of the two Coca-Cola Super Bowl advertisements. The gift is also posted on the receiver’s profile, and provides a link to the Coca-Cola fan page where others can send gifts. One of the Super Bowl advertisements features characters from The Simpsons while the features actor Denzel Washington. “Open Happiness” is a part of Live Positively.

    In January, Coca-Cola released a viral video on Youtube.com titled “Happiness Machine.” The video now has over 1,000,000 views, and they continue to rise as word spreads globally. The “Happiness Machine” is a Coca-Cola vending machine that delivers anything from multiple coke bottles to a colossal sub sandwich! This “Happiness Machine” dovetails perfectly with their “Open Happiness” campaign, which they have launched globally.

    Shortly after the Super Bowl, Coca-Cola is expected to sweep headlines with their sustainability plans for the winter Olympics in Vancouver. Coke will aim to make everything eco-friendly and produce “zero waste.” For example, the coolers they use will run on eKOfresh technology, which nearly eliminates direct greenhouse gas emissions. The vehicles they use to deliver beverages from their facilities will run on diesel-electric hybrid energy. Electric carts will be used within the venue. The tables and chairs will be made from wood salvaged from the pine-beetle epidemic in British Columbia, menu boards will be made of recycled materials, and the list continues.

    With Coca-Cola leading the “beverage battle,”  Pepsi will have a challenge with its new “Pepsi Refresh Project” campaign.

    Rachel Kaylor, Writer
    Danielle Murray, Researcher
    Mandy Baker, Designer

  • A Lesson in the Art of Persuasion: Tim Tebow’s Controversial Super Bowl Ad

    This year’s recipe for Super Bowl Sunday:  the Colts versus the Saints, chicken wings, Carrie Underwood and Bud Light.  Good football, good food, good lookin’ women and booze—perfection—until Tim Tebow and his mother grace the presence of your 52 inch, high definition flat screen talking about anti-abortion and the importance of family values.  Needless to say, the irony of it all will leave you…well, it may be a buzz kill.

    Despite the current economic state, CBS has sold out of commercial advertisement airtime for Super Bowl XLIV.  However, there are a number of big name corporations such as Pespi, General Motors and Fedex who’ve decided against dropping $2 million and some change for a 30-second ad during America’s most watched sporting event of the year.  Yet many are questioning the motives behind CBS’s approval of the Tebow’s anti-abortion ad.

    Is the network just in it for the money, or are they simply embracing their conservatism?  Either way, CBS is getting sacked left and right from pro-choice organizations whom are not at all pleased the decision.  Regardless of the network’s motives, the real threat to these disgruntled pro-choice groups is not that Tim Tebow, the youngest Heisman Trophy winner ever, is endorsing pro-life and family values.  It is that Tim Tebow, the youngest Heisman Trophy winner ever, is endorsing pro-life and family values with more than a slew of stats to back him up.

    The conservative christian group, Focus on the Family, is sponsoring the ad in hopes to spread the message, “Celebrate family, Celebrate life.”  The Tebows are the perfect poster family for this message seeing as Tim Tebow would not be here today if his mother, Pam, had followed doctor recommendations and gotten an abortion because her pregnancy with Tim was high-risk.  The ad does not mention abortion, although the underlying message is obvious; however, the persuasion tactics used in this ad are, hypothetically speaking, money.

    Rhetorical theory 101: ethos, pathos and logos.

    Tebow’s endorsement of this message is powerful and frankly, is very threatening to those who support women having the right to choose.  On Sunday, for those 30 seconds that this ad airs, audiences nationwide are going to stop, put down their beers and listen to what this well-respected and talented athlete has to say.  People trust Tim Tebow.  He is a credible source, with a logical message and an emotional appeal that will more than likely bring tears to hundreds of eyes.

    However, the bottom line here is not pro-life, pro-choice or even family values.  It is the strength of the strategy behind this advertisement.  The message is controversial and will grab the audiences’ attention.  The ad is airing during the Super Bowl, so there is no doubt viewership will be in the millions.  And the message is convincing because it is an outline of the art of persuasion with an emphasis on emotion, but does not lack in credibility and logic.  So screw the football, chicken, babes and beer.  Tim Tebow’s endorsement may be the closest thing to perfection we may find this Sunday.

    Laura Ann Klinedinst