August 2011

In the latest issue of Chief Content Officer, Gary Spangler, Corporate eMarketing Manager at DuPont and WOMMA Board Member, discussed the dollars and cents of social media. The interviewer was Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42.

Below is an excerpt.

Joe Pulizzi: I hear from a lot of so-called social media experts that say social media is inexpensive. Your thoughts?

Gary Spangler: We oversold e-marketing in the early days, giving the impression that it’s cheap. Because marketers in their personal lives know how easy it is to put up a Facebook page or create a Twitter account, they think they can get away with that in business – and of course they can’t.

When you participate in a social media tactic like blogs, Facebook or even Twitter, you have an obligation to keep “funding” those sites with content. You need a process for ongoing, up-to-date content and so resources inside the company, then you need to hire those through an external agency. It’s either out-of-pocket dollars or allocated resource dollars inside the company. Now, there are social media sites that I call more “passive” sites – document-sharing sites like Flickr or YouTube. I don’t think there’s a real expectation that I have to put a video on YouTube every day. But the networking side of social media requires a well-thought-through plan, and editorial calendar and resources to generate new content.

Joe: Sounds like a lot of your social media planning starts with education.

Gary: Yes, and WOMMA has a number of case studies and guidelines about how you do this. They also have a legal affairs committee where the legal department folks actually get on the forum and they talk about the legal aspects of social media marketing. And on that point, I’ll say another thing: For any social media project, you need to be closely aligned with legal because marketers are held accountable now. If we go out into the social space, we need to be transparent and honest about who we are and what we’re saying. The social public has high expectations about how you deploy your content ethically in social channels. That’s just not the case when you’re writing web copy.

Read the full article here.

Read WOMMA's Ethics Code and Social Media Policy Template.
 

Millennials: Shaping Future Market Trends

Originally published by Edelman/StrategyOne

According to CIA World Factbook, more than 1.7 billion people on earth today are between 15 years and 30 years of age, with an average age of 28. Worldwide, they are known as Gen Y or the Millennial generation.

We, however, call this diverse population – born between 1980 and 1995 – the 8095 generation.

The fact is, as a group, Millennials are now in charge, spending more than any other generation and spending it in ways that a generation ago or even a few years ago was unimaginable. To understand Millennials is to begin to understand how to connect and interact with this extraordinary population. Marketers cannot afford to ignore Millennials. More importantly, none of us will succeed without them.

Methodology

Research conducted by StrategyOne between February 24 – March 8, 2010. Surveyed 3,100 respondent Millennials (those born between 1980 – 1995) in eight countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Three hundred interviews conducted per country, U.S. as an exception with 1,000 interviews. Online survey. +/- 1.8 margin of error for the total sample.

Information empowers action and influence

As Gen Buy noted, the “democratization” of information and opinion enabled by the Web has led Millennials to be more self-reliant in making purchasing decisions. Our research clearly supports the notion that Millennials educate themselves on brands with information from a variety of channels. The majority of 8095 respondents use up to six sources of information to help make their final decisions on everything from clothes and electronics to grooming products.

These trends have far-reaching implications. With so many potential sources of influence—from family and friends to online peer groups, social communities and vast arrays of product information—how can brands ensure that they are part of the conversation when it matters?

Similarly, since Millennials have increased access to product information, brands will have to find different ways to communicate with them, both directly and indirectly through their colleagues and influencers who transcend personal network.

Conclusion

Millennials have come of age alongside technology and have absorbed it into their lives. Their relationship with technology has completely changed their relationship with brands and services. In fact, like the Baby Boomers several generations before them, Millennials have upended what had become the traditional marketing model and now marketers are playing catch up, trying to understand who they are, what they want, how to reach them, how to satisfy them.

Research shows that Millennials are open to new experiences and new brands. They are excited by interacting with brands and interested in building relationships with them. They have the confidence to stand up for what they believe but also the confidence, technology and network to voice their opinions when they feel they’ve been mistreated. With Millennials, brands know where they stand (sometimes minute-to-minute).

Read the full report on Edelman8095

WOM and Social Media Legal/Ethics News

Potential New FTC Commissioner Strengthens Consumer Protection Focus

The Obama administration has just announced its intention to nominate Maureen Ohlhausen as the next FTC Commissioner. She would replace Commissioner Bill Kovacic, who finishes his term in September of this year. While Kovacic is a strong antitrust academic, Ohlhausen is a practicing lawyer experienced in issues of privacy and consumer protection. This nomination, therefore, illustrates the growing focus on the FTC to address consumer protection issues.

Ohlhausen served as Director of the Office of Policy Planning and as attorney advisor to former Commissioner Swindle. During her tenure, the OPP encouraged informative labeling and advertising designed to inform consumers, as well as clearer disclosure by mortgage lenders and pharmaceuticals.

Read the full story at DiResta-the-Law

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Skin Cream Manufacturer Agrees to Pay $900,000 in Settlement With FTC Over Advertising Claims

The producer of the Nivea line of skin creams recently agreed to a $900,000 settlement with the FTC over advertising for its My Silhouette! body cream which claimed the product could dramatically reduce users’ body size. At issue was a television commercial depicting a woman able to fit into a pair of jeans (which had previously been too tight) after using the Nivea body cream. In addition, the FTC took issue with Nivea’s sponsored search results on Google. The sponsored search results included headlines such as “Want a Toned Stomach” and “Thin Waist” when users searched the terms “stomach fat” or “thin waist.” As part of the settlement, the producer may not claim that any product applied to the skin causes substantial weight or fat loss, or a reduction in body size. In addition, the company may not claim any drug, dietary supplement or cosmetic causes substantial weight or fat loss, or reduction in body size unless the claim is backed by reliable clinical studies.

Key Takeaway: Efficacy claims must be supported by adequate substantiation. Sponsored search engine ads are subject to the same requirements as traditional advertising, and advertisers should be careful that their sponsored search results and other search engine optimization activities do not make unsubstantiated product claims.

Read the full story at the FTC