PepperDigital

12 Days of Digital: Day 1

In keeping with our year-end tradition, the PepperDigital team would like to take a look back to the best and worst displays of digital savvy (or lack thereof) from 2009. Join us for the next 12 Days of Digital and let us know what online campaigns made the top (or bottom) of your list.

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Paranormal Activity Finds Abnormal Amount of Success Thanks to Online Following

By Lauren Begley, PepperDigital

I’m not a fan of scary movies, but I have great respect for the creators of Paranormal Activity, a low-budget horror flick released earlier this fall. With a miniscule budget of just $10,000, Paranormal Activity was able to reach blockbuster status after bringing in $22 million in its first weekend in wide-release. And it was all thanks to the power of social media.

While the film earned respectable viewership while in limited release, Paramount Studios saw even greater potential in mainstream audiences—but before investing the cash, they wanted to make sure. The studio launched a grassroots digital campaign to generate buzz around the film and gauge interest from potential viewers. Should 1 million viewers announce online that they’d like to see the film, Paranormal Activity would be expanded to wide-release across the country.

This campaign was hugely successful and the online chatter surrounding the psychological thriller was even more than expected. Horror film buffs took to their blogs, Twitter pages and Facebook account not only asking, but demanding to see the film in wide-release.

“The fans have really made this their film and they are doing the bulk of the work to market the film,” said Megan Colligan, co-president of marketing for Paramount Studios.

The grassroots approach enabled consumers to feel like they were a part of a movement and encouraged them to spread the word—a benchmark of a successful online campaign. Even though I respect and appreciate what the marketers were able to accomplish, I’ll stick to watching It’s a Wonderful Life this time of year.

Because Twitter Says So

By Lauren Begley, PepperDigital

As yesterday afternoon began to wind down, I decided to check my Twitter page and noticed that ‘Zach Braff’ was one of the top trending topics. Being a huge Scrubs fan, I decided to click on the link to see why he was top of mind. To my horror, hundreds of tweets proclaimed that my favorite Garden State actor was found dead. 

I’m always skeptical when it comes to Twitter news flurries, so I decided to click on one of the links people kept posting. Scrolled across the CNN Web page was the headline, “Beloved Scrubs Actor Found Dead in His Home.” 

As much as I appreciate Harvey Levin’s ruthless celebrity news hawking on TMZ and other such sources, I typically need a credible news source to confirm such terrible news. While I would normally consider CNN to be a more credible news source than @CelebNews, I knew something was off. With a little more investigation, it was soon clear that the CNN page was phony and Zach Braff was yet another victim of a Celebrity Twitter Fake Out.

To prove he was not dead, Zach Braff posted the following video on YouTube (scroll to the 2:04 minute mark to hear a rousing rendition of “Wind Beneath my Wings” sung by fellow Scrubs star Donald Faison). 

The culprit—another New Jersey-native—posted an apology on Braff’s website, claiming that the CNN page was never supposed to go public and that he truly is a fan of the actor.

So what’s the lesson and why should we care? This is a simple reminder that we need to be responsible news consumers. Digital communications have obviously changed the way news and information is distributed and received. The instantaneous nature of the 24/7 news cycle has added undue pressure on news outlets to be the first with the story and it has allowed random idiots on Twitter to take part in the mayhem.

Bob Barker Wins Twitter’s Showcase Showdown

By Sam Ford, PepperDigital

On Monday of last week, a rather unlikely phenomenon began to develop: amongst the top trending names on Twitter appeared longtime The Price Is Right host Bob Barker. Generally, celebrities appear as a popular search on Twitter when their name is in the news, and people immediately assumed that Barker’s name appearing was a sure sign he’d passed away.

As people began Tweeting to ask if Barker had died, and others responded confirming that the host was indeed still alive, the name rose even further toward the top of the “trending topics” list.

Barker had initially become a trending topic on Twitter because he was serving as guest host for that evening’s World Wrestling Entertainment Monday Night RAW on the USA Network, and wrestling fans and channel flippers alike were writing about the novelty of Barker’s odd appearance and/or critiquing the 85-year-old’s performance on the wrestling stage.

Barker, remembered for giving the smackdown to Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore, delivered a few blows to the hapless wrestler Chavo Guerrero, led wrestlers in various contests, and even included the obligatory urging to spay/neuter one’s pets. The real reason he was there was to promote the publication of Priceless Memories, Barker’s new book. And, on that front, his appearance has to be considered a major success.

The former game show host not only got publicity in front of millions of wrestling viewers but in front of the large audience of those active on Twitter that particular evening, many of whom never saw his actual appearance on Monday Night RAW. What’s more, Barker’s surprising rise in popularity on Twitter became a news story itself, inspiring coverage from sites like 1010wins and WPIX.

The situation demonstrates the snowball effect of gaining attention on sites like Twitter, where at some point the popularity itself becomes a news story. For Barker, not only can he be thankful that the rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated, but the Twitter-verse and wrestling fans alike are now aware of his new book and his continued existence post-Price Is Right.

Barker’s popularity on Twitter is also a perfect example of how audiences spread content for their own purposes. Barker didn’t devise a plan to “take his book viral,” but people saw Barker as a newsworthy topic and began writing about him for their own purposes: communicating with fellow wrestling viewers, nostalgia for a former cultural icon and, as rumors of his death circulated, a desire to be abreast of the latest celebrity news.

As of this week, Barker’s name is still quite popular among Twitterers, especially since WWE made references to his appearance on the next week’s edition of Monday Night RAW. Will this translate into book sales? Time will tell. But, in the meantime, Barker and the WWE certainly got their money’s worth out of his guest appearance.

Is Twitter the Next Arena of Free Speech Regulation?

Amanda Bonnen is being sued for a Tweet she made about an apartment she was renting from Horizon Realty, a property management company in Chicago. The offending Tweet: “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it’s okay.”

Horizon Realty’s considers the Tweet libelous and has filed a $50,000 lawsuit against @abonnen because they believe the Tweet is damaging to their reputation. In an article in the Chicago Sun Times, Horizon Realty’s Jeffrey Michael claims the Tweet is “obviously false” and that his company is a “sue first, ask questions later” organization.

This case raises two issues:

1. Where is the line drawn between opinion and libel in social media?

True statements are legal to publish. Libel is anything that is a blatant lie or is written with the intent to defame or injure someone’s reputation. The safest course in Tweeting about a brand is to be factual in your communications. Consumers need to be aware that although Twitter is free, and that we are a nation of free speech, there are limitations to what you can say. Just like you don’t shout “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater unless there really is a fire, you don’t defame someone on Twitter just because you don’t agree with their approach to customer service.

2. How can companies manage their brands and customer service better in social media (notably Twitter) spheres?

Any brand manager knows a consumer’s voice is powerful. A customer’s voice on Twitter adds volume to the message.  A company concerned with brand reputation doesn’t “sue first and ask questions later.” That approach has a more damning effect to a reputation and brand than a single Tweet about a problem with an apartment. Especially from @abonnen, who only had 20 followers—most likely friends and family members. This situation could have been handled much better by Horizon through keeping a close eye on customer opinion and resolving the issue. Perhaps resolving the mold issue would have resulted in a positive Tweet commending Horizon’s handling the issue so promptly. We see this everyday on Twitter. A perfect example of brand management via Twitter is JetBlue’s handling of an issue my colleague Rob Longert had earlier this year.

The increased popularity of Twitter this year requires brands to listen more diligently and attentively to consumers. The power of the 140-character Tweet can spark wildfire-like discussions. Brands and consumers need to realize this potential, both parties need to be prepared for the consequences of their actions. For consumers, the simple rule of thumb is are you prepared to post a Tweet that you would also be willing to post your message on a busy highway billboard with your name, picture and email address visible to everyone. For brands, how you respond to a Tweet can have a more powerful effect on your image and reputation than the “offending” Tweet.

Good Customer Service = Good PR

by Carl Foster

In case anyone needed reminding, good customer service equals good PR and bad customer service can morph into an unstoppable PR disaster. The latest lesson comes from United Airlines, whose baggage handlers damaged the guitar of Canadian country singer, Dave Carroll. Not heard of Dave Carroll? Well 3.5 million people on YouTube have, because that is how many people have viewed his video chastising United Airlines for damaging his guitar and their subsequent lack of interest in dealing with the problem.

In what has become Dave Carroll’s biggest hit, ‘United Breaks Guitars’ is a funny little song and video about Dave’s experience at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Some media reports, such as this one, imply that the video has led to a share price drop of 10%, or $180 million. That is a lot of money compared to the compensation Dave has been offered, albeit a full nine months after the incident occurred. In an interview with the BBC this morning, Dave says he has written more songs inspired by the incident, including one about his conversations with United’s customer services department.

So while airlines such as Southwest benefit from excellent viral videos such as this one, and Jet Blue Tweets its way to a positive word of mouth experience for passengers, United Airlines looks set for more bad online PR. If I was to counsel United Airlines I would suggest they capitalise on the momentum this has built up online and turn it to their advantage. Maybe make a humorous video that includes Dave and shows they can laugh at themselves? Maybe make Dave the headline act at a free concert for passengers at O’Hare, or a concert under a tailfin in a hanger to repay hardworking employees? Whatever the case, United have an opportunity to do more than just pay Dave some compensation to make the problem go away.