Browsing Tag

social media

Less Than Impressed: Cottonelle

“The Name Generator”

Goal: Encourage consumers to use Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care* Bathroom Tissue and Cottonelle Fresh Care* Flushable Wipes, as part of a personal hygiene routine, which supposedly needs a cheeky name.

How It Works:

To enter contest, entrants submit name suggestions for the routine. The names are then voted on and the highest voted names are added to “The Book of Names.” How unncessary clever.

Otherwise uninspired entrants can develop an idea using 1 of 3 tools in the Cottonelle Facebook app:

The Randomizer: Simply click to get a name instantly

The Personalizer: Answer a few questions for a personalized name

The Customizer: Create a name to add to our Book of Names and enter for a chance to win a year’s supply of Cottonelle products.

 

How It Fails To Impress:

– Supplies and information provided to mommy bloggers to create sponsored posts led to bland content.

– The white text on the aqua blue background is unclear, while the rest of the site is nothing special.

– The commercial (where I first learned about it) is super cheesy. How many families discuss toilet paper while standing in the kitchen? Yuck. It really irks me when people don’t think of social context.

Personally, I’m still amazed that Secret has acquired over a million Facebook fans. As an example of Cottonelle trying to compete with other personal hygiene brands for online engagement, let’s hope they spend more time at the drawing board for their next campaign.

Cottonelle’s Name Generator app is one of the cheesiest advertising ideas I’ve seen in a long time. Personal purchases aside, I prefer toilet paper commercials featuring cuddly bears and cozy robes.

Consider this for a mini competitive analysis:

Charmin promoted another routine by featuring the Old Spice guy, and their video received close to 2 million views.

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June 1, 2012 by

Behind the Books: Caren Lissner

It’s one thing to read an author’s books and attend their signings.

 

It’s quite another when you can get to know them without standing in line first.

Name: Caren Lissner

Best Known For: Carrie Pilby (2003)

Education: English & Creative Writing, University of Pennsylvania

Professional role model: Hmmm, hard to find one.

Current Employment and Projects:

Editor at a chain of weekly newspapers based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Project-wise, revising several different novels, including young adult novels, and hoping to publish one of them soon.

Describe your thoughts about e-reading in 140 characters or less:

Charmless but convenient.

Favourite magazine:

I just subscribed to Nerd Nite: The Magazine. Graphically, it reminds me of the old Mad Magazine, but more knowledge-oriented. Lots of fun. I also love getting Poets & Writers, New Jersey Country Roads (The Garden State does have a softer side!), and the New Yorker.

How important do you think it is for writers to be actively involved in social media? What do you predict about writers’ future role in promoting books?

It’s important for writers to get their work out there so it’s not overlooked in the rush of items competing for a reader’s attention. Writers will probably always have to promote their own work where they can. Blogging is helpful in keeping in touch with one’s readers, especially between books. And for those who really relate to your writing, they may want to know more about you.

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May 24, 2012 by

Facebook Favourites

Alas, Facebook has finally revised its Timeline design to reflect users’ interests in a way that appears more personalized than simply a list of pages where they clicked Like.

In a digital age characterized by content curation, this is quite meaningful because it suggests users seriously consider which pages to share with friends on Timelines. Since brands began setting aside budget for media buys to attract new brand page followers, tempting users through contests, giveaways and the promise of exclusive content, users’ Timelines became less a reflection of their favourite things and more so a mosaic of where their brand loyalty lies.

 

Next Facebook Timeline Design

Current Facebook Timeline Design

With Facebook’s new changes (in the testing phase), users can gain a better idea of what their friends like, especially if users feel compelled to “Like” TV shows, stores and the like that represent their favourite things. For example, let’s say your favourite band is coming to town, but you can’t remember which of your friends are fellow fans. You can search for the band’s page, where Facebook will then share which of your friends liked the band’s page, then sift through the list of acquaintances to find a friend who’d likely be interested in buying tickets too. If they “Like” the band on Facebook because they’re among their favourite musicians, they’ll be more likely to pay money to see them live. This enhances Facebook’s truly social benefits by making it easier for Facebook friends to plan offline outings.

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May 22, 2012 by

Behind the Brand: Western University

It’s one thing to “Like” a brand on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

 

It’s quite another to learn about who responds to the brand’s media inquiries.

 

Name: Keith Marnoch (@kmarnoch)

Position: Director, Media and Community Relations

Employer: Western University

Education: B.A.A. – Journalism (Broadcast) Ryerson

Favourite blog: Touchdowns and Fumbles

Favourite mobile app: Voxer (Walkie Talkie) / Scanner911

Professional role model: David Gergen, CNN political pundit, former Presidential Adviser

Most memorable on the job experience at Western:

While I have only been here for just over a year, I think being a part of the announcement that one of our leading researchers, Dr. Chil Yong Kang is moving to human clinical trials with his HIV/AIDS vaccine is memorable due to the overwhelming international response that the story received.

In 140 characters or less, describe the atmosphere at work when Western’s name change and re-branding was announced to the public:

Excited about the change, realized some would need convincing, rationale when explained gets positive reaction.

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March 22, 2012 by

Behind the Brand: Canadian Diabetes Association

It’s one thing to “Like” a brand on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

 

 It’s quite another to learn about who organizes those updates.

 

Name: Pilar Iglesias (@pilariglesias)

Position: Manager, Strategic Communications

Employer: Canadian Diabetes Association

Education: Anthropology, York University; Public Relations, Ryerson University

Favourite blog:

My favourite non-work related blog has to be Design Sponge. My secret obsession/hobby is design and furniture, so I’ve been visiting since its inception. I suppose it’s not so secret anymore… 😉

Favourite mobile app:

This one’s easy – Shazam. I use it constantly and thankfully was able to chuck my “Songs to buy” notepad document.

Professional role model:

This one is also easy-Gini Dietrich. I met Gini on Twitter a few years back and have been in awe ever since. Not only is she a social media maven, she’s the founder and chief executive officer of Arment Dietrich, Inc.—a Chicago-based PR firm, the author of a work-related blog I follow religiously, Spin Sucks (the 2010 and 2011 Readers Choice Blog of the Year), and she’s the co-author of the book Marketing in the Round: Multichannel Approaches in the Post-Social Media Era.

Wait, I’m not finished.

She also writes for Crain’s Chicago Business, AllBusiness, and Franchise Times, and participates in workshops, is a keynote speaker, one of the hosts of the podcast, Inside PR….and these are just some of the things she does.

All of this is in addition to being witty, lovely, helpful and just a complete pleasure. I don’t talk to her as much as I probably would like, but she is definitely a role model. Oh, and one more thing, she can cook! Honestly, when does she have the time?

Most memorable on the job experience at Canadian Diabetes Association:

I was writing an article for our health and wellness magazine, and interviewed a woman who received a pancreas-kidney transplant after suffering many diabetes-related complications. Her appreciation for life was so incredibly inspiring to me but, at the same time, frightening as well since I have type 1 diabetes myself. It made me think of my own journey with the disease and how I manage it, and what it means if I don’t manage it to the best of my ability. It’s a conversation and feeling I won’t forget.

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February 27, 2012 by