$$$ocial Media

How to make the use of social media as profitable as possible?
Well, I believe that the website 'Battle of Concepts' can be of great assistance. 'Battle of Concepts (BoC)' is a website where organizations can put specific cases on. If a company has a problem or wants to start, for instance, a new campaign, it can place this case on the site of BoC. Students from schools all over the country can subscribe to te website and work on a case of their choice. If you submit your solution before the deadline, it will be judged by a group of people who read all the received solutions. The creators of the best solutions will receive a (big) cash price. So, if you are a student who has some time left: give it a shot!
That is, however, not what makes the site so interesting for companies. What makes it interesting is that a lot of cases put on this site are cases that involve social media. A lot of organizations ask students to come up with a good social media campaign in order to enlarge their brand awareness or introduce a new product. That is, in my opinion, a great way of using social media in the most effective and low-cost way. Think of it like this:
My business, a small company that wants to enter the market, places an online request. My target group consists of students and I am looking for ideas about how to use social media in order to gain more brand awareness. What I am asking from BoC-members is that they come up with an example of how to use social media in order to achieve my goal. By placing this request I have already reached a part of my target group. After that a group of people will start working on my case, let's say a hundred people work on it. All these people will start looking for information about my company. That means that I was able to get a hundred people involved and interested in the whereabouts of my company. These people might even consult other people about the case, which enlarges the group of persons I have reached, without even having a social media campaign. When the deadline is reached and all the possible solutions have been sent to my company, I am the owner of many, many ideas. Ideas that will help me reach my target group, ideas created by my target group. I can pick the best ideas out and start using them. You know what else is so great about this? I have a pile of ideas (my request) form young people (my target group), who are active on social media (my medium) and I didn't even have to pay some big, expensive advertising agency!

Hacking Hyves?

Are you using Hyves? Because if you are, the Dutch government has quite an interesting message for you. With the Internet campaign 'Veilig Internetten', the government wants to warn Internet users that they should be very carefull in placing personal information online.
Check the campaign by clicking the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbvHPrzqto0

Feels like watching an exciting movie, right? Well there is actually something extra special about this video. When someone sends you this video through Hyves and you open it, your own personal data will be implemented in the story. So, instead of a 40 year old married man, your picture will show on the big screen and pictures of your friends will be hanging on the pin-up board. This is a great example of using social media in order to reach someone and being able to deliver a personalized message.
There is, however, one major drawback to this campaign. It has endured a lot of critique by its viewers. Why? Well, the campaign actually warns people about criminals who cross the line and steal your personal online information in order to for instance empty your bank account. By now you also know that this campaign subtracts some personal information from your Hyves profile and uses it. Hyves users have complained that the personal information used in the video was in fact shielded information, which means that the government was not authorized to view it, nor to use it.
So here is a question for you to answer: Do you believe this campaign is a good way of communicating about the danger of putting your personal information online or do you believe that the campaign should have been executed differently?

Go Guerrilla!

Since I have to write something about media use by organisations, I may as well start with one of my favorite subjects: guerrilla marketing. I simply like the entire concept of guerilla marketing. It is innovative, creative, low in costs, surprising and it can be very effective. Maybe you have no clue about what Guerrilla marketing is. Well, here's a definition from Wikipedia:

"Guerrilla marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, PR stunts, any unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources."

So, in fact Guerrilla Marketing is a good way of promoting your (small) company or product when you have little resources (mainly money). This can help you, the small fish, in a big sea of whales, to jump out of the water en show yourself to the world without being eaten by the whales along the way. Okay, that was a rather strange metaphor, but hey..I hope you get the point.
I have deep respect for people who come up with a really great Guerilla Advertisement.
Here are some of my favorites:






I can't wait to see what 'Online Guerrilla Marketing' will lead to...Hope to find some examples soon.