Ken Courts Barbie Online – A Great Social Media Marketing Example
News “broke” yesterday of a very smart social media marketing campaign by Mattel – Ken, the apparently “ex” boyfriend doll of Barbie, the iconic doll that’s a staple of American culture, is courting her via various online and social activities, trying to win her back. So far the campaign appears to be centered on Facebook, where it’s largely focused on tapping into Barbie’s nearly 1.7 million fans (poor Ken rates only 27K).
Character-based profiles on social media sites aren’t new, though their success can vary. It largely depends on how committed the brand is to staying true to the character voice, if they stick with the effort beyond a short-lived campaign, and how well they capture the elements of the character that appeal most to fans.
Mattel seems to be hitting well on each of those elements with Barbie, and it’s a smart move to turn Barbie’s attention to her on-again, off-again significant other Ken in order to create a bit of online drama that her fans can eagerly connect with (after all, this effort might be all about building the Ken brand anew, but it will the strength of Barbie’s fan base that makes it happen).
It’s apparently a useful vehicle for Mattel to work in partner promotions, as evidenced by the recent posts promoting Match.com and The Magnolia Bakery. I’d also be interested to see how and if this campaign gets tied into the “Genuine Ken” reality show.
As this campaign extends out over Twitter and Foursquare, to compliment the current Facebook and video/TV efforts, it’s shaping up to be a fun example of a solid multi-network social media campaign.
Kid Rock Previews Entire Album for his Facebook Fans
It seems all the stories these days are about how musicians, and their labels, are struggling with ways to tap into the changing digital and social media landscape. So it’s interesting to see n example of one musician who is trying something new, and appears to be getting it right.
Kid Rock is making his entire upcoming album available as per-song streams exclusively for his fans on Facebook. When you hit his page, you get directed to his default non-fan landing tab where he (or presumably his agency) employs a tried and true fan acquisition tool: Tease with exclusive offers or content, in this case a list of his songs with little “locked” icons next to them and a clear call-to-action (above), available only for those who click the page’s Like button.
From there the tab reloads and the songs become playable. The only surprising thing is the relatively low play count given Kid Rock has over 900,000 fans, though as I believe this is a new promotion I assume the play count numbers will jump up over time.
Simple concept, something I’m shocked every musician isn’t doing in some form or another. (h/t @annmarietaps for finding this one)
Foursquare and the University of Oregon
In a recent post I talked about the virtue of keeping it simple with geo-location marketing campaigns. While researching that I came across another example – out of many similar ones – of a simple yet effective geo-location promotion, this one run by my alma mater the University of Oregon. What makes it particularly smart is they provide a printable game card (PDF) as an alternative for students who don’t have, or prefer not to use, Foursquare.
Foursquare is particularly useful for “guided tour” campaigns such as this, and it’s always nice to see my old school experimenting with newer technologies to make for a better freshman experience (especially as I recall being completely lost trying to get to my first class).
Found via About Foursquare
Nike & Jimmy Choo: Simple Yet Fashionable Geolocation Marketing
Sometimes it’s easy to overcomplicate campaigns. The desire is strong on both the agency and client side – particularly I feel with social media – to really do something new, innovative, and remarkable with each and every campaign, often at the expense of keeping it clear, simple, and understandable. Cool new technology is the perfect ticket for that, and geolocation is the current poster child for “cool” and “new” when it comes to social.
So it’s nice to see a couple recent geolocation campaigns that have just enough complexity to be intriguing, yet keep things relatively simple and fun.
Nike Sportwear’s “Sneak & Destroy”
As the Digital Buzz Blog describes it:
This was a cool experiential campaign from Nike to promote the Varsity Destroyer jacket. Teaming up with Koi Fusion, a popular food truck, Nike tweeted clues to followers in search of the Koi Fusion truck, once found, you had to check in with Facebook Places and then order a secret menu item… The Destroyer Burrito. Get there in time, with the right info and you scored a special Destroyer jacket + free Burrito.
A nice gift for Portland OR fans of the brand, with a creative tie in to a very popular current local trend (gourmet food trucks).
Disclaimer: Nike is a client (not the Sportswear group however).
Jimmy Choo’s “CatchAChoo”
The goal was to introduce and promote a new style of Jimmy Choo trainers to fans of the brand in London. Definitely simple at its core: All they have to do is follow the brand on Foursquare, and if they see a check-in happen in real time, run on over and be the first person to say “I’m following you!” to the rep carrying a pair of shoes in order to win them (and hope there isn’t some poor random person also carrying trainers around, who calls the cops on you, their new personal stalker).
When you think about it, the entire campaign probably required a few hours of planning, an hour or so of account creation, and then it looks like a few hours every week or two running around town with new shoes to give away. Simple, light, and creative with smart use of the existing social media channels. The one thing I don’t get is their Faceboo presence – “CatchAChoo” isn’t set up as a fan page to follow, but rather an individual user account that you have to friend in order to follow. I’d love to know the rationale on that one.
Found via MarketingProfs
As we all know, the world marketer's face has changed forever, and here is yet another oddly named blog to help you navigate it all. I'm Kevin Briody, lifelong marketer, ex-Microsoftie, startup and nonprofit veteran, current agency -type, and your host. 
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