I ran across the following over at Marketing Daily
Ford is doing a similar program for the Fiesta, which is again more social. Ford is giving the car to 100 enthusiasts–people have to submit why they should be chosen–for six months, and they have to share their experience with everyone [via video blogs] so the outreach and following becomes much larger. And that’s what we are really talking about. Yes, there is a big investment in one-to-one–but the fact is, in these environments when I’m answering one person’s question, it’s available to millions for viewing. It’s very powerful.
What if we gave an apartment away for six months in exchange for their documented experience? In addition to the apartment you could give away a HD FLIP video camera, a YouTube account and a guest posting access on your community blog.
I think I am going to give this one a shot. I will let you know how it goes.
M
Related Story: Tidbits from The Marketing Nerd
0 Responses
Before I saw the reason why, I thought you were nuts.
But! It sounds really smart. What kind of cost would advertising like that be? 🙂
PS… I’m reading “Differentiate or Die” by Jack Trout, and thought of you.
Jenn,
Thank you for taking the time. I like crazy and beyond the norm, we shall see what comes of it.
I will have to pick up the book.
M
While I like the concept, my concern would be fair housing. How do you determine who your Vlogger is? It would probably have to be a random drawing. That would help make it legit I suppose. Definitely one to marinate a bit on before just running with, but I really like the concept.
Mj
M,
I agree that a great deal of thought would have to go into the Vlogger choice. That is not to mention the concept itself. I’m not sure if you were following this afternoon but it sure set off a flurry of feedback on Twitter, both for and against. It moved me to believe there is something more to think about.
I really think there is a deeper social media consumer feedback question to be asked here; has the face of currency in exchange for goods, services and feedback changed – more specifically, currency in respect to the inadvertent exchange of goods and services for evangelistic feedback. I mean, I may not say it out loud but I sure do want that guy/gal to tell his/her friends about my goods, services and experiences, especially if they are positive in nature. For example, if I give away a 50″ HDTV at move in and the recipient gives me a glowing review on a consumer feedback site, I think it fair to say that I purchased his/her feedback. His comments are tainted and or biased. In another example, if I provide residents the opportunity to participate as guest blog authors, as I do with many of our residents, have I inadvertently exchanged an experience for evangelistic feedback – the currency being ones innate need/desire to feel celebrity? I think I have. Is that right or wrong? I am not sure I know the answer but my gut tells me, it happens all the time.
In the example of rent in exchange for a vlogger’s documented experience, the difference is the overt upfront authenticity. In other words what I normally achieve by inadvertent exchanges, I am boldly proclaiming to the public by way of a call for unadulterated feedback in the form of video and text. In essence it’s 100% authentic. In fact, it could not be any more authentic. All the facts are there for one to an informed decision.
When you think about it, this promotion could be an absolute nightmare. Six months is a very long time. There is more than an absolute chance we make a mistake. There is a chance we have a delayed respond. That is not to mention the vlogger/blogger will likely know everyone in the community, which could compound any issue, good or bad.
Mark,
Thank you for taking the time to add to the conversation, my subsequent rant was an effort to offload some thoughts to paper.
Have a great evening.
M
Good advice. I was fortunate enough to speak with Guy this past Friday and he talked about the fine line between spam and marketing.
His thoughts were that it’s important to utilizing every tool imaginable to promote, but you have to provide value inbetween. He has built his large network by providing insight, advice, and being seen as a thought leader. Not sure how effective an apartment community would be by just posting listings on twitter, but if they provided rental advice and information specific to that property, my guess is consumers will follow and listen.
FYI – Here’s a picture of his new S8 I took (ps. it’s a loaner) http://www.sharpio.com//www/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/img_0075.jpg
This comment was originally posted on Tidbits from a Marketing Nerd
Mark,
Great post.
I agree wholeheartedly with the comment: "It’s just like any other marketing or advertising, your efforts are not going to appeal to everyone."
I think the keys in using social media are authenticity and transparency. Audi is exercising both by accepting the fact that guy will be equally authentic and transparent. Ford is exercising both in what it is trying to accomplish with the Fiesta movement. I applaud them in spite of the fact that many people will take the "buying feedback" position and or spin it into something entirely different.
We live in interesting times.
Have a compelling day. M
This comment was originally posted on Tidbits from a Marketing Nerd
@Eric – Thanks for sharing your conversation w/ Guy. It’s good to know he feels the same way about the fine line. We’re all experimenting, and I agree we have to provide the value inbetween.
@Mike – For me I’m going to lean on WOMMA to help walk the line on what they determine to be unethical (http://womma.org/womm101/6/). I think if we can all just use these guidelines we can get away from all the theory and start taking action.
This comment was originally posted on Tidbits from a Marketing Nerd
Hey Mark,
Nice Post, well written. I know we had a firestorm of tweets on this topic, It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds and is perceived.
Is giving a significant blogger/social media figure like Guy Kawasaki a car to report his "Experience" any different than having a popular sports figure pitch your product? I am not implying there is anything wrong with the approach, but it just seems like a typical endorsement. I am not suggesting that Guy would give anything but an authentic endorsement, and maybe the buying public trust his opinion more others
Perhaps I am missing something here, as I just don’t see this as anything special or out of the ordinary, nor do I see this as Social Marketing
This comment was originally posted on Tidbits from a Marketing Nerd
@Eric B. – Interesting point w/ Guy and his celebrity (if we want to call it that). I will have to say whatever he does is still Social Media Marketing or Using Social Media for Marketing as I defined in my previous post. It’s really open to one’s interpretation whether his opinion is considered word of mouth marketing or interruption marketing I suppose.
I would guess that many would define his efforts as word of mouth marketing in this instance with Audi. In my opinion, whether or not he is a celebrity really doesn’t make a difference. Using any celebrity for endorsement purposes should be considered a form of word of mouth marketing anyway. The fact that he will use social media tools to deliver his message helps define it as "Social Marketing" in my eyes as well.
I agree with you and don’t think this is anything special or out of the ordinary, just as I don’t see what Ford is doing as out of the ordinary. It’s marketing. Ford is not trying to fool anyone with their program. All they are trying to do is get customers/enthusiasts to share their story. They are just using online tools to help tell that story as well. Some will consider it an interruption, while others will view it as a word of mouth endorsement. Just as with Guy or any marketing/advertising it will be all open to interpretation, and their efforts won’t appeal to everyone.
This comment was originally posted on Tidbits from a Marketing Nerd
Hey Mike,
We are usually on the same page with things, and if you take a run at this, I hope it all works out. It would be a very interesting experiment.
Maybe it could almost be like a documented day and Life of xxxxxx, where they maintained regular blog postings, pictures and videos. It seems you would want someone who almost became a Social Magnet at the community, and created a following.
I think it is a bit more difficult to find an apartment enthusiast similar to a car enthusiast. I do think what Ford is doing is very much different than what Guy is doing, which is no more than a paid endorsement.
Whatever you choose, Good Luck, and we are all in support of adding what we can to help make it successful
Hi Mike,
I like the concept and would be curious to see how this plays out. My opinion is that it would be very hard to get someone to devote 6 months to blogging and telling how their experience is. I look forward to seeing how this all played out.
This is a great idea. I think it’s great when trailblazers in our industry have the courage to experiment with outside of the box ideas. Look at the first time as a test run that you learn from. It won’t be perfect the first time, but the second or third time could be!
Maybe you could get some sponsors to help subsidize it. Maybe a furniture store would provide furniture in exchange for exposure. What about new appliances and get your appliance vendor to sponsor as well. Or your telecom providers. You got the connections. Get some vendors on board too.