DIY: Home Depot

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFmM4gBgF3R/?taken-by=homedepot

A successful social media post is this example from Home Depot, which was posted on May 19, 2016 on the social media platform of Instagram. Home Depot is successful with this post in that it showcases one of their products (M. Barker, D. Barker, Bormann, Roberts, Zahay 166). Through this image, Home Depot is properly targeting its target market of do-it-yourself customers by demonstrating how you can utilize their liberty post hooks and casters to create this beautiful cart.  Another reason this post is effective is on account of its high level of engagement among consumers. The post received 251 comments and a whopping 1,744 likes, which conveys how photos and images are known to encourage consumers to share and interact with posts (M. Barker, D. Barker, Bormann, Roberts, Zahay 158). The compelling DIY content in this post is boosted with the informative, yet beautiful image.

Tory C.

Barker, Melissa S., Donald I. Barker, Nicholas F. Bormann, Mary Lou Roberts, and Debra Zahay. Social Media Marketing A Strategic Approach. 2nd ed. N.p.: Cengage Learning, 2008. Print.

Bud Light Up For Whatever Campaign

Bud Light launched an “Up For Whatever” campaign in the spring of last year in order to encourage a fun and carefree environment associated with drinking the beer. However, consumers did not respond favorably to certain messages. In March for the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, the company tweeted “On #St.PatricksDay you can pinch people who don’t wear green. You can also pinch people who are not #UpForWhatever.” During a time when “rape culture” is a hot topic of conversation in the media, it is clear that Bud Light made an error in judgment in their choice of words for this tweet as it appears to allude that unwarranted touching between individuals is an innocent act. Additionally, Bud Light featured a photo of 5 women along with the tweet. This photo only furthered the argument for those who found the tweet offensive. If the photo had been a mix between men and women the response may have been different among consumers.

 I don’t believe Bud Light intended for any ill will to come of this tweet or campaign, it was an unfortunate error in judgment and they were correct in removing the tweet from their profile.

The post has since been deleted due to negative consumer responses.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/03/18/did-bud-light-encourage-sexual-assault-with-tweet/

Twitter profile: @barstoolsports

Beth M.

ESPN's snapchat success

ESPN makes use of snapchat by creating special snaps based on their SEC top 10 plays segment. The segment keeps consumers up to date on games they might have missed or plays they want to watch again. ESPN recently made a snapchat about the Chicago Cubs game, in which they talked about Javier Baez knocking in a run in the Cubs game against the Mets. ESPNs snapchat is successful because they are showing a live event (chapter 9 video part 3, 11:04). This snapchat is straight from their show, and the footage from the game lets fans see what their favorite teams are up to. The snapchat is also successful because they are using the short lifespan of a snapchat (chapter 9 video part 3, 6:35) to their advantage. The SEC top 10 is perfect for snapchat because it focuses on plays that won’t be relevant past a couple of days anyways.

Mikalah S.

                                                

“Whatever Suits Your Mood”

I couldn’t help but laugh when I came across this Instagram post. Pepsi took their “Say It With Pepsi” campaign a step further when they decided to create the universal language of “Pepsimoji”. The fact that the downloadable emoji board they created spans across the globe is one of the many reasons why this campaign has been so successful. I think that it is important for all organizations to have a global perspective when marketing. Before your campaign can stretch across the globe, you should focus on making content that is fun and enjoyable. The humor that is found in this Instagram post makes this social media marketing campaign very entertaining. Even though this post isn’t a video, it still incorporates some of the aspects of the AEIOU rule. Pepsi was able to make this post entertaining, offbeat, and unusual. I think that these three particular pieces of the AEIOU rule are a great combination for a company looking to successfully market their product.

Kate G.

Site: Instagram

Author: Pepsi (photo author: @arnold_daniel)

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BHzmSsPj2ZM/?taken-by=pepsi 

Citation (textbook): Barker, Melissa S., et al. Social Media Marketing : A Strategic Approach. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2016. Print.

HUNGRY? Grab a Snickers

https://twitter.com/SNICKERS/status/754707254633308163

The well-known candy brand, Snickers, posted a successful post to their Twitter account on July 17, 2016, which showed a tantalizing image of Snickers ice cream. The post proved to be successful for many reasons with the first being that the post was very short (Chapter 6 Part 2 video, 3:47). This coincides with the requirements of a microblog since the post consists of only sixteen words and then an image of the ice cream below the text. Another reason it was successful is because the post was timely and relevant since it was published on National Ice Cream Day and the post was about Snickers ice cream (Chapter 6 Part 2 video, 3:47). The last reason why the post is successful is because the tweet itself falls under the opinion category of tweets because the brand is giving its opinion on how it thinks National Ice Cream Day should be celebrated (Chapter 6 part 2 video, 4:46). This type of tweet gives the followers insight into the brand and the way it thinks, which makes the brand more relatable to the consumers.

Candice B.

CarMax is the leader in used car sales, and their great customer service and a well thought out advertising campaign are the reason why. CarMax is not like a traditional car dealership, but unless you go into one you would never know this. CarMax has made it a point with their drive what's possible campaign to point out one of the amenities that set them apart. They have successfully made commercials and linked them to YouTube and Facebook to gain exposure. These posts are entertaining and draw a lot of feedback from customers, both good and bad. From scrolling through their Facebook page, it is easy to see that the social media managers are on top of things and are very timely and courteous when responding to customer complaints. I have even read posts and see CarMax going out of their way and pulling strings to get customers problems fixed. This is a great example of a company using social media to their advantage and using it effectively. A link to their Facebook page can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/CarMax Justin S

Slow Down There, Kitchen Aid

Kitchen Aid got a bit carried away with a post they made on their Twitter account back in 2012 after one of President Obama’s debates where he mentioned his deceased grandmother. The lists goes on and on as to why this Tweet was horrific to have been posted through the company account, despite that it was simply an accident made by an employee meaning to post it through his personal account. First and foremost, this Tweet is offensive in so many ways. It is disrespectful to the president of this country and his family in that it is making light of the death of his grandmother and in its negative context towards his time spent in office. Secondly, this Tweet is diving very heavily into politics, which is a very risky subject matter for businesses to venture into. There is so much controversy surrounding politics and, from a business stand point, picking one side or the other could harm the image your company is given in the eyes of the consumer. There is no link to the original content of this Tweet, as it was immediately deleted by the company. Unluckily for Kitchen Aid though, there is no true means of getting rid of content posted online and a screenshot of the Tweet, found at:   http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/the-most-scandalous-corporate-social-media-fails/  can be seen above.

Savanna H.