Secrets of Social Marketing Success: How 2007 Hot Holiday Products are Being Marketed Online

SECRETS OF
SOCIAL MARKETING
SUCCESS
How 2007 Hot Holiday Products
Are Being Marketed Online
Special Report from Oneupweb® A Leader in Integrated Online Marketing
INTEGRATED ONLINE MARKETING · 877-568-7477 · ONEUPWEB.COM ©2007-ALL INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND THE PROPERTY OF ONEUPWEBExecutive Summary
Purpose & Scope
In September of 2007, Oneupweb took a look at twelve of the most
talked about products and/or retailers for the upcoming holiday
shopping season. The goal of this study was to examine those
products/retailers' online presence to see how each was, or was not,
using social media to improve holiday sales. We also looked at the
major competitors of each of these hot products/retailers to see what
social media tactics they were employing.
Besides identifying effective social media tactics being employed by the season's hottest products and retailers, the study also serves as a benchmark. As the holiday season progresses, we will look at evolving trends and strategies being implemented on behalf of these products/retailers and their competitors.
The hot products and/or merchant sites studied were:
»Nintendo Wii »Taryn Rose»Coach »Pronto»Webkinz»Starbucks»Casio Exilim »iPod Touch»Pleo»A Thousand Splendid Suns»Sephora»Target
INTEGRATED ONLINE MARKETING · 877-568-7477 · ONEUPWEB.COM ©2007-ALL INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND THE PROPERTY OF ONEUPWEBFindings
The study found that each of the hot products/retailers had creatively
and extensively used online social media, while not all of their
competitors had followed suit. From blogs, podcasts, interactive video
tours and consumer-generated content of all kinds; to entire social
networks and virtual worlds; these companies have been strategically
generating and marketing their holiday buzz in creative new ways.
The study was able to identify where some competitors were falling short in their social marketing efforts. Giant Wal-Mart just recently began inviting product reviews and commentary on their site like competitor Target, and is just starting to build on its consumer-generated content. Starbucks wannabe Caribou Coffee's website lacks the social depth of the Starbucks website-a site that includes podcasts, videos, blogs and its innovative "rumor response" forum.
Even the best, however, could still learn from others by adding social components, improving usability and generally creating a more interesting and involving shopping experience. Casio might learn from competitor Sony, for example, by making it easier to buy their product throughout their website. Apple could improve navigation and add blogging to their iPod Touch site.
Overall, we found social media well-imbedded in these 2007 hot holiday products/ retailers' websites. We will continue to follow these trends during the holiday season to see how social media marketing tactics evolve to meet the growing competition to be seen, heard and talked about online.
INTEGRATED ONLINE MARKETING · 877-568-7477 · ONEUPWEB.COM ©2007-ALL INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND THE PROPERTY OF ONEUPWEBINTRODUCTION:
'Tis the Season to be Social
It's a fact: the holiday season is 'make or break' time in retail. In 2006,
nearly $439 billion dollars were spent at retail outlets both on and
offline.A The share of those billions spent online is growing rapidly. In
2006, online retail sales were in excess of $23 billion; an increase of
26 percent over 2005.B With billions of dollars up for grabs during the
holiday months and rapid growth in online holiday shopping, now is
the time for online marketers to go after a bigger a piece of the pie.
Questioning What "Being Social" Online Socializing? Means to Marketers
It's undeniable: Social media is becoming an essential 'Social Media' describes the tools and platforms people marketing tool for connecting with an audience and use to publish, converse and share content online. optimizing online presence. So what role will social Video, podcasts, blogs, discussion boards, user-media play during the 2007 holiday online shopping generated content (UGC) and social networking sites rush? In this paper, Oneupweb reviews som... [download for more]