Word of Mouth Marketing SmartBrief

Reading this on a mobile device? Try our optimized mobile version here: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/eaxWCfbwoceUiwlZZmdZ

November 28, 2012

Word of Mouth and social media marketing news

Everybody's Talking About ...

J.C. Penney goes guerrilla for the holiday season
J.C. Penney is staging guerrilla marketing events in a dozen towns and cities, in a bid to build buzz and lure in holiday shoppers. In Langhorne, Pa., the company hired lumberjacks to distribute free firewood; in Knoxville, Tenn., a blimp will shower small gifts on passersby; and in Kemmerer, Wyo., the company created a drive-thru tent where customers are given free warm drinks and a complementary car wash by attendants dressed like Santa and his elves. The aim is to warm shoppers' hearts with "acts of generosity across the country," said J.C. Penney executive Miki Woodard. The Dallas Morning News (free content) (11/26)

WOMM at Work

Durex condom giveaway values tweets at about a quarter apiece
Reckitt Benckiser will give away a Durex-brand condom for each tweet from Monday until World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, that uses a designated hashtag. The brand is capping the giveaway to charity at 2.5 million condoms, one for each person who contracted AIDS in 2011. The promotion values each tweet at about 24 cents, according to this article. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (11/26)

Review sites are top destinations for online shoppers
More than 4 out of 10 consumers who use the Web will use review sites as they plan holiday purchases, according to a ConsumerSearch report. Only about 1 in 10 Web users expect to use more social strategies such as conferring with social media contacts or perusing recipients' Facebook pages. eMarketer (11/27)

Why social media is a boon for independent movie-makers
The 2002 movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was a hit because people talked about it with their friends, says actress Nia Vardalos. That kind of buzz is even easier for independent movie-makers to generate now, thanks to the rise of social media, she adds. "What happened to the movie was because of good old fashion word-of-mouth, and that's what Twitter is now," she says. Mashable (11/26)

Building Blocks of Buzz

HealthyShare campaign helps GE to build buzz
To get fans talking, General Electric launched HealthyShare, a network that encourages members to stay healthy. The strategy worked because GE stayed focused on having conversations about health with passionate fans, rather than trying too hard to "go viral" with huge numbers of shallow connections, GE's Jon Lombardo says. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (11/27)

Are you really engaging with your Twitter followers?
Finding ways to engage your fan base is the key to building buzz on Twitter -- and that means doing more than just dumping content from your blog or website onto your Twitter feed, writes Nicki Escudero. "Don't just copy and paste links ... make sure you're responding to Tweets, retweeting interesting content and sharing your own engaging content that encourages discussion," she advises. Resource Nation blog (11/27)

Featured Content

SmartQuote

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet."

--James Oppenheim,
American poet, novelist and editor

Subscriber Tools

Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy

Advertise

Associate Publisher: Dena Malouf 202-407-7837