Over the last few months we have seen a bunch of brands jumping onto the Facebook bandwagon. Trying to take advantage of the trend and engage the youngsters on Facebook (demographics are becoming more diverse on Facebook now). The most recent to see it backfire was Walmart.
My opinion on why Walmart failed at it, besides all of the other obvious reasons, is that they aren’t a brand that appeals to the youth. It’s like trying to market Pick ‘n Pay or Pep to the youth. They aren’t at the stage in their lives where they need to be bombarded with messages to buy household goods. Sure the campaign might help with brand awareness but why would a youngster want to interact with a brand that has no relevance to him (her) at this point in time.
So then who is getting it right? Apple and Skittles. Lets take a look at why it’s working for them.
Apple
Apple created a sponsored Facebook group called Apple Students. Common sense will tell you the group is aimed at students. What a perfect way to build brand awareness and brand loyalty, as they are present and potential future customers.
- Student Discounts
In the group, Apple advertises products on the right hand side. What makes these adverts so interesting is that they offer student discounts. Students save between $79 and $249 on selected Apple items. - Student Content
There is a feature within the group page which allows users to view original content “Made on a Mac” by students. Which is great for students to show case their work as students can submit their work and get featured. There are also tutorials offered to get you started. - The Result
Over 425 000 thousand people have joined the Apple Students group. On the discussion board within the group, there are over 12 000 discussion topics. I think that is pretty impressive. Talk about interaction around the Apple brand.
Skittles
Rodney pointed this out this morning, Skittles sponsored gifts on Facebook. They created a limited edition Skittles Gum gift and best of all it’s free to send to your friends. To support it the created a sponsored group, Skittles. Talk about increasing brand awareness for the new Skittles Gum.
- Skittles Game
Skittles have included a flash based game on the group page allowing user to be entertained and interact with the brand. It’s a really simple game, not the kind that will keep people coming back all the time, but it’s still fun the first time round. - Consumer Opinion
Skittles believe that your opinion matters. They ask you to take a short survey to let them know what matters most to you. They also have a quick poll on the left hand side of the group page. Nothing like some great consumer feedback. - The Result
Just over 5 300 users have joined the group, submitted 23 photos, over 200 wall posts on the group page. There are also 15 discussion topics. I am not 100% sure on how long ago Skittles started the group, so I am assuming it is recently. The results aren’t too bad so far. In fact, more impressive than a lot of other sponsored groups and campaigns currently on Facebook.
If you’re thinking of marketing on Facebook, know how to engage the youth. With so many users in one place, there is some great potential to foster brand enthusiasts and spread viral content which is relevant and appealing (or hilariously funny).
Tags: branding, Marketing, Social Media
Tyler, what a fascinating read. Real smart strategy from Apple and Skittles.
The student discounts is so genius! So obvious, yet so few seem to manage to grasp the simplicity of knowing how to engage their target market.
I’m not a student anymore, but buying a Mac and receiving a free Nano sounds like a nice deal to me.
Thanks Henre, I am glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it is often the small things that companies over look.