Beware Backfiring Social Media Ads

Marketers considering negative, mocking or even charitable social media promotional campaigns should first carefully consider how consumers may react, according to [pdf] a new report from WaveMetrix. Results from “Q3 2011 Benefits and Limits of a Social Media Fanbase” indicate a poorly designed social media campaign can create the wrong type of online buzz.

The report focuses on failed social media promotional efforts of three brands: EasyJet, Microsoft and American Express. A brief summary of each effort follows.

EasyJet Parody Ad Fails to Take Off

UK airline EasyJet released a poster on its Facebook page in September 2011 in response to a British Airways marketing campaign. The poster featured a “To Fly. To Save” slogan, mimicking British Airways’ “To Fly. To Serve” motto featured in its campaign. The page’s community manager asked users to let them know what you think and reaction has been very mixed.

As with other social media parody/satire campaigns analyzed by WaveMetrix, EasyJet’s post seems to have backfired, as consumers jumped to the defense of British Airways. More than half of comments about EasyJet were negative, as consumers criticized the “bitchy” poster. In contrast, more than three-quarters of comments about British Airways were positive, as consumers defended its “great ad.” WaveMetrix says this suggests that brands should refrain from using social media campaigns which attempt to tarnish a competitor’s reputation, in order to avoid the risk of a negative backlash.

Reaction to Microsoft Ad Not Petty

A viral online attack ad released in summer 2011 that was intended to promote Microsoft’s Office 365 email service and reveal the weaknesses of Gmail instead resulted in consumers branding Microsoft as “petty” and largely ignoring the merits of Office 365, which WaveMetrix says demonstrates the drawbacks of negative campaigns to marketers.

Negative comments on the Microsoft brand made up 40% of consumer discussion about the ad. In contrast, only 6% of discussion focused on Office365.

Amex Seen as Self-serving Instead of Charitable

In September 2011, American Express invited UK Twitter users to share the things that inspire them and has promised to donate to the Prince’s Trust charity for every tweet or retweet containing the hashtag #AmexBeInspired. WaveMetrix analysis reveals that almost half of all posts generated by the “Be Inspired” charity campaign are about the American Express brand itself, and the majority of these posts are negative.

While many tweeters used the #AmexBeInspired hashtag for its intended purpose, a large number of others posted sarcastic, angry comments about the American Express brand and their scepticism surrounding the charity campaign. WaveMetrix analysis indicates this suggests that brands that pledge to make a donation for every retweet, tag or Facebook like they receive risk angering consumers, who sometimes feel the donation should be made regardless.

Fan Involvement Aids SocNet Rebranding

Brands should consider their existing fan base when rebranding or launching new goods via social media, according to other results from “Q3 2011 Benefits and Limits of a Social Media Fanbase” which indicate successful brands involve fans in social media rebranding efforts rather than trying to force a positive response.

Google Engineer Calls Google Plus a 'Complete Failure’

Steve Yegge, a senior engineer at Google, has accidentally and publicly posted a critical analysis about his company's understanding of platforms, calling Google Plus a "complete failure."

In a 4,000-plus-word deconstruction of Google+, intended for his co-workers' eyes only, Yegge critiqued his former employer Amazon before mentioning Google's failure to create a platform that works as well as Facebook.

The Google+ team tried to mimic Facebook's usage of games but simply ended up being run-of-the-mill, thanks to a lack of understanding of platforms, Yegge said.

"That one last thing that Google doesn't do well is platforms. We don't understand platforms. We don't 'get' platforms. Some of you do, but you are the minority. ... I was kind of hoping that competitive pressure from Microsoft and Amazon and more recently Facebook would make us wake up collectively and start doing universal services ... as our top priority from now on. But no. No, it's like our 10th or 11th priority. Or 15th, I don't know. It's pretty low."

Yegge intended only fellow Google employees to see his self-proclaimed "long, opinionated rant," which he deleted immediately after posting in his Google+ Circles Wednesday, though a copy remains on Rip Rowan's blog. Yegge said Google's public relations team was very respectful and did not try to censor his assessment, as it was his personal opinion.

He may well be right. Although Google enjoyed a 1,269 percent spike in traffic after opening to the public in late September, traffic has since dropped more than 60 percent, according to Chitika.

Could Google+ indeed be a complete failure? Here's five reasons why I have to agree with Yegge.

1. No one is there

Simply put, Facebook has more than 750 million active users, which is a monopoly compared with Google+ and its estimated 43 million. I can post the cure to cancer, but it would still go under the radar and unnoticed. If the purpose of social media is to be social, and there's no one to be social with, what's the point?

2. Too much buildup

Since Google+ didn't even open to the public until Sept. 20, it built up a hype that the newest social networking site was this amazing, exclusive new way to connect with friends. Everyone was begging to score an invite, to be a part of the elite. Until they found out that Google+ wasn't really that extraordinary.

3. There's nothing to do

Google undoubtedly has made attempts to keep users engaged with new updates and features, like Hangouts. But it looks like Google+ is having difficulty, judging by the numbers. However, if I wanted to video chat with my friends, I'd most likely use Skype. While I must admit I really enjoy the simple interface on Google+ sans a flood of invites to FarmVille and Mafia Wars, I know that many really enjoy the social aspect of online gaming. Google+ still has its fair share of games, but not nearly as many as Facebook.

4. No one has a clue how to use it ... still

Humans typically don't like change. I remember feeling the same way when I switched over from MySpace to Facebook. But Facebook made it easy to understand: There was nothing complicated about clicking "like" or add photo. I'll be honest, I still have no idea what happens after I click "+1."

5. Circles are about as private as the lunch arrangement in "Mean Girls"

Yes, you can actually see what circles people put others in. On each post from Google+ users, there is a denotation of what stream they post, either "limited" or "public." Chances are if you only see "public" posts from a friend, you have been placed in their acquaintances category, leaving you wondering why you weren't good enough to be a friend.

Story by Nadine DeNinno source: http://au.ibtimes.com

Facebook Reigns as Top Global SocNet

A look at the top social networking brands worldwide released by comScore in September 2011 revealed that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Facebook.com ranked as the top social network by a wide margin. In June 2011, 734.2 million people visited Facebook.com globally, an increase of 33% from the previous year.

Meanwhile Twitter.com climbed its way to the #2 position reaching 144.4 million visitors (up 56%), followed by Windows Live Profile at 119.5 million visitors. Professional social network LinkedIn.com reached more than 84 million visitors globally to secure the #4 spot, followed by Chinese site QQ.com Microblogging with 74.8 million visitors.

Worldwide SocNet Audience Passes 1B

Across the globe, social networking continues to grow as new users adopt the activity as a routine part of their online experience. In June 2011, comScore analysis shows 1.1 billion people (age 15 and older accessing from a home or work location) visited a social networking site worldwide, an increase of 22% from June 2010.

Globally, 81.4% of all internet users visit social networking destinations, representing one of the top online activities worldwide. In comparison, close to 1.4 billion people used the internet in June 2011, a 10% jump from June 2010.

Asia-Pacific Leads in SocNet Visitors, Europe in Minutes

Examining regional social network usage trends, comScore finds differences in share of visitors and share of minutes. Asia-Pacific leads in share of visitors (32.5%), followed by Europe (30.1%) and North America (18.1%).

However, Europe takes a 38.1% share of minutes, followed by North America (21.5%). Interestingly, Asia-Pacific’s share of minutes (16.5%) is only roughly half as large as its share of visitors.

Latin American Countries Make Strong Time Showing

Globally, Internet users averaged 5.4 hours on social networking sites during the month of June. A look at the top markets based on the average number of hours spent social networking revealed that half of the top 10 markets were Latin American countries, demonstrating what comScore calls the vast engagement visitors in these markets have with social networks.

Argentina’s online users averaged 10 hours on social networking sites in June to rank third overall, while Chileans averaged 8.7 hours. Colombians ranked seventh with 8.4 hours per visitor in the social networking category, while Venezuelans ranked eighth at eight hours. Visitors in Mexico (7.1 hours) also ranked among the top tier.

Israel ranked first with 11.8 hours, followed by the Russian Federation (10.6 hours). Turkey ranked fourth (9.6 hours), while Philippines ranked sixth (8.4 hours) and Canada ranked ninth (7.2 hours). Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific each had one country in the top 10 time list, while Middle East-Africa had two.

Nielsen: Facebook Dominates US Web Brands in Time

Facebook clearly dominates other top US web brands in average monthly time spent per user, according to data from The Nielsen Company. In July 2011, the average Facebook user spent five hours, 18 minutes and 40 seconds on the site.

In comparison, the brand with the second-highest average time per user in July, AOL Media Network, only averaged two hours, 17 minutes and 46 seconds, less than half Facebook’s total. Yahoo trailed closely behind AOL with a monthly average of two hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds. There was then another gap of almost 40 minutes between Yahoo and YouTube, which average one hour, 39 minutes and two seconds per user.

Females, 18-34-Yr-Olds Most Active Social Networkers

Females make up the majority of visitors to social networks and blogs, and people aged 18-34 have the highest concentration of visitors among all age groups, according to a September 2011 report from The Nielsen Company.

Data from “The Social Media Report Q3 2011″ indicates that during Q3 2011, women were 3% more likely than average to use social networkers, and 18-to-34-year-olds were 8% more likely than average.

 

In addition, Asian/Pacific Islanders were the ethnic group most likely to visit social networks and blogs, indexing 3% than the overall average. Other leading indicators of social network usage include living in New England (2% higher than average), holding a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree (6% higher than average), and earning less than $50,000 per year (2% higher than average).

Facebook Almost Triples Audience of Nearest Competitor

Looking at the top 10 US social networking/blogging sites during Q3, Nielsen finds that Facebook, with an average monthly audience of more than 140 million, almost triples the average monthly audience (50 million) of its nearest competitor, Blogger. Facebook reaches 70% of active internet users. Nielsen also determined the following facts about the top 10 social networking/blogging sites:

• LinkedIn and Wikia are the only sites in the category where the percentage of men visiting the respective site exceeds the percentage of total active male Internet users (47%).
• 62% of page views on Facebook are from female users.
• 75% of Blogger’s users have a household income of $75,000 or more.
• African-Americans are represented on Twitter more than any other social network.
• 25% of Wordpress visitors have a bachelor’s degree.
• Teens view twice as many MySpace pages as the average user.
• LinkedIn users with a postgraduate degree visit the site three times more than the average user.
• Female teens are represented more on Tumblr than any of the other nine leading social networking/blogging sites.
• The Pacific region has a higher concentration of Six Apart users than any of the other nine leading social networking/blogging sites.
• New England has a higher concentration of Pulse visitors than any other region.
• 18-to-34-year-olds are more represented on Wikia than any of the other top sites.

Web Users Spend More Time on Facebook than Any Other Web Brand

Facebook users average 53.4 million minutes per month. This dwarfs the monthly minutes spent by users of any other web brand. Yahoo users come in a distant second with an average of 17.2 million minutes per month, less than one-third Facebook’s total.

Other social networking/blogging sites trail Facebook much more dramatically. None even come close to 1 million minutes per month. Blogger ranks second with about 724,000 monthly minutes, which is more than double the roughly 325,000 monthly minutes spent by users of number five social networking/blogging site LinkedIn.

Social Networking 3rd-Most-Used Smartphone App

Social networking is the third most-used type of mobile application among US smartphone owners who download apps. Sixty percent use social networking apps, only beaten by apps for weather (65%) and games (67%). Facebook ranks as the most popular app across all operating systems and Twitter is the fifth-most used app on BlackBerry and Windows Mobile operating systems.

Other Findings

• Mobile internet audience to social networking sites is up 62% compared to Q3 2010.
• Thirty percent of smartphone users say social networking apps are the phone feature they value most.
• Social networks and blog sites accounting for 23% of time Americans spent online in Q3, more than twice the amount of time spent on the #2 category, online games.
• Social networks and blogs reach nearly 80% of active US internet users.
• Close to 40% of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone.

Pew: 2 in 3 Online Adults Use SocNets

Two-thirds of adult internet users (65%) now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up almost 7% from 61% one year ago, according to an August 2011 report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. That’s more than double the percentage that reported social networking site usage in 2008 (29%), and about eight times the 8% who said they used social networking sites in 2005.

Looking at usage on a typical day, 43% of online adults use social networking, up 13% from 38% a year ago and more than triple the rate of 13% in 2008. Out of all the “daily” online activities that Pew polls about, only email (which 61% of internet users access on a typical day) and search engines (which 59% use on a typical day) are used more frequently than social networking tools.

Porn Sites Holding Australian Domains Hostage

Websites all over the world are being told to pay a US company for the rights to their own .xxx domain name or risk having their trademarked names associated with pornography sites.

Australian web companies have until October 28 to pay US business ICM Registry for the rights to their own .xxx domain name.

If they do not pay for the domain themselves within that time, porn sites and other buyers will be able to snap up addresses like facebook.xxx or google.xxx.

ICM Registry stands to make up to $400 million from Australian websites alone, with two million businesses operating online, according to the ABS.

Web addresses with the .xxx domain are now available for US$199 ($191).

More than 4000 celebrity names have already been blocked from use in what has been dubbed the "online red light district".

Celebrity names blocked by ICM Registry include Barack Obama, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie and Margaret Thatcher.

Source: www.ninemsn.com.au

Cybercrime to get even bigger - expert

An expert says cybercrime is soaring, it already costs Australians more than burglary and will only increase as more people use smartphones.

Marian Merritt, internet safety advocate with computer security company Norton, said a new global study showed 69 per cent of adults around the world experienced cybercrime in their lifetime, much more than previously thought because this type of crime mostly isn't reported.

'Ten per cent of us have already experienced mobile device related cybercrime. That's cybercrime on our cellphones, tablets and other devices we carry with us as we go about our business,' she said.

'It's only going to get bigger because we are all doing more and more with our mobile devices,' she said.

Cybercrime on mobile devices has produced a new word: smishing, or SMS-based phishing which aims to gain private information.

In some countries, many people go straight to mobile devices for all their computing needs, bypassing the home PC route. More and more, mobile devices are being used for routine financial transactions.

'We are going to walk up to buy coffee and use our mobile device to make that financial transaction, we are going to check our bank balance and we are going to make purchases,' she said.

'This is what's coming in the future and we need it to be safe. This is truly a phenomenon we need to take note of.'

Ms Merritt said part of the problem was that users didn't treat smartphones in the same way they treated their home PC.

'We are all playing little bird-related games on them. We put funny stickers on the back of them. They don't seem like serious devices that need security but boy they really are,' she said.

In its fourth global review of cybercrime, Norton surveyed the experiences of 20,000 people in 24 countries including 802 in Australia.

Taking into account actual financial losses and other factors such as time lost, the study puts the global cost at $US388 billion over the last year. That makes cybercrime bigger than the combined global market for marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined.

For Australia, that's a direct cost of $1.8 billion and another $2.8 billion in time spent resolving cybercrime issues. On that basis, cybercrime costs Australia more than the traditional crimes of burglary ($2.2 billion) and assault ($1.4 billion).

The most common form of cybercrime relates to computer virus and malware infection (57 per cent of respondents), followed by online credit card fraud (13 per cent) and hacking of social network data (12 per cent). Worryingly, the survey said, most of this occurred in the last year.

Ms Merritt suggests some simple precautions:

- use security software and keep it up to date (Norton is of course a major vendor).

- use a password for a mobile device (something more sophisticated than 1234) so it can't be readily used if lost or stolen.

Facebook doubles 2011 revenues

Facebook doubled its revenues in the first half of this year, to 1.6 billion dollars ($A1.5 billion).

The Wall Street Journal reports that, with 750 million Facebook members worldwide, the online site has attracted major interest from advertisers.