“Yammer” On and Have a “HipChat”

“Yammer” On and Have a “HipChat”

Companies Using Social Media: Creating & Supporting Internal Groundswell

Li & Bernoff says that groundswell should also be present internally, within a company. When social media networks exist within a company then communication has a freer flow with more immediacy and urgency.

Social media is key to a company’s success through productivity and accomplishment, but also economic success. According to the online magazine, Entrepeneur “…lost productivity as a result of communication problems. A business with 100 employees, for instance, spends about 17 hours a week clarifying communication. That translates to an annual cost of more than $525,000.” If your company can communicate effectively and efficiently than it will show outside your company and others will believe in your company. 

Yammer & HipChat

       

Internal Groundswell is an important aspect of a company. “Going with the groundswell” (by energizing, supporting, engaging, tapping, etc.) also involves creating an internal support system using social media. This is achieved with blogging, posting, and messaging social media networks.

Yammer and HipChat are two services that provide free, private social networks to companies all over the globe. The biggest feature of these services is their messaging applications. They encourage “real time,” rapid, free-flowing conversations amongst any level employee.

Yammer has already established itself as one of the top internal social networks. Yammer has features for managing distribution lists, emails, employee polls and questions, and many other inner-workings of a business. This means coordinating and confirming on the various stages of one company objective, ongoing task, or event, through the different levels of company branches and employees. CEO of Yammer, David Sacks, ensures that with Yammer “employees that feel more engaged, they feel more connected to their coworkers, they feel more connected to the company’s mission,’ says Sacks. ‘As a result, you have less employee turnover.” 

Sacks has faith in his product and belief in the importance of encouraging and support internal groundswell (internal employee communication). 

        HipChat is in an app in the same vein as Yammer, with features including public and private chat rooms within the company, real time file sharing, and mobile compatibility. My mom actually just started working for a startup that uses HipChat. It’s nice to see that companies caring and maintaining the internal groundswell, and encouraging a consistent mode of communication. And with HipChat and Yammer they both offer free service packages, which makes the service ideal for smaller (perhaps non-profit) organization. Again, this encourages good business practices by cultivating the internal groundswell.

Timberland's Shoelaces 'Untied'? : A Look at Timberland's Social Media Presence and New Campaign

Timberland's Image

Boots. Celebrities. Service. The Timberland Company has many connotations. Timberland conjures up different experiences for many consumers aware of the brand.

The Timberland Company brand was founded in 1973. The company brand is known for its work boots and outdoor clothing line. It’s waterproof products has made it a favorite among outdoor adventurers and “blue collar” workers constantly on their feet.

Timberland has also formed a strong connection with the service group, City Year, since joining forces in 1989. Service has always been a main component to the company's mission and philosophy. 

But Timberland doesn’t hesitate to use their social media outlets to highlight the more adorable moments created with their brand.... 

Timberland Online Trending & Social Media

Timberland isn’t the trendiest of brands in the fashion world, given the purpose of the products’ design. However, it’s “made it” in the outdoor work and service world (even in the Hip Hop world… though that ship has pretty much sailed since JayZ bailed).  But even today most of Timberland's "buzz" comes from endorsement from the entertainment world. 

        By looking at the company and brand(s) through online monitoring tools, like Google Trends, it is interesting to see where Timberland lies in the groundswell.  It is interesting to see how much content is generated through visuals on their social media platforms.

   

Also, it should be noted that the interest in the brand spikes at November and December consistently (probably because of Christmas, but also possibly because of the their line of winter products).

A look at Timberland's presence on other social media monitoring sites...

Timberland Boot Company Brand & Campaign: “Untied”

        Most recently Timberland’s brand, Timberland Boot Company, has created a campaign called “Untied.” For this campaign they have engaged in the groundswell primarily through YouTube and Tumblr profiles. The campaign has it’s own site, but it could be more highly integrated on The Timberland company’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.  However, to the campaign’s credit, there has been crossover between Timberland’s main brand and the “Untied” campaign through the hashtag “inmyelement.”

This “In My Element” tag has inspired shared stories from several followers/Timberland consumers, but it is fairly new (it just began for the Fall 2014 season) and still has a way to go. But it is engaging and energizing the grounswell through contest and encouraging followers to share their stories and “In My Element” moments using “#inmyelement.”  

        My biggest setback with this campaign is that I don’t know if I could describe its meaning accurately or not. When I search for more details on the campaign I get a lot of engaging and well designed content, but not so much the message behind it. The only element (pun sort of intended) of this campaign that is sort of clear to me is the “Life Swap” stories. Timberland Boot Company has set up a “marathon” of sorts for four participants going to four different locations. 

A Look at the Untied Campaign 

  Going Forward…         

        I’m still “feeling out” this campaign and getting a sense of its impact on brand recognition and appeal, but they are doing most of the basics right. Timberland overall has been going through turbulence since it was sold to VF Corp in 2011 for $2 billion. Since the company has left the hands of founder Nathan Swartz it is harder to conceive Timberland as the company that once held the family and service values it had for the past 3 decades. I think that’s the biggest challenge facing the brand at the moment. I will be interested to further monitor the Untied campaign and investigate the Timberland brand and see what patterns become evident. 

Twitter is for the Night Owls

Twitter is for the Night Owls

source: http://the-weird-wide-web.tumblr.com/

Trending Topics Tonight

        Saturday Night Live alum, Jimmy Fallon, has inherited The Tonight Show from Jay Leno just this year. Fallon has brought over many of the traditions started when he took over the Late Night show after Conan O’Brien. This includes the segment “Hashtags.” This bit is a “prompt and response” where the show sets a hashtag for fans & followers of the show to compose a tweet related to that hashtag.

This not only energizes the groundswell, but is supporting and tapping into the groundswell as well. This is because with thousands of tweets being sent in each week these hashtags become contributions to the show’s content. Fallon also mentions in the segment that the particular hashtag for the week is a “worldwide trending topic,” which is just one more deliverable to add to the list that demonstrates support for the show (and the invitation to participate).   

While most of Fallon's segments are silly, embracing and tapping the groundswell using Twitter helps generate content and also brings awareness to what the people what on another larger media platform. This sheds light on a person's insight to the enviroment, interactions, and products that they valued as a consumer. 

The show pays homage to the Twitter’s use of tags, coined as “hashtags,” as well as the Twitter community. Fallon has made this commentary since 2013 with Justin Timberlake, but it doesn't stop there, and both the commentary and technology's pop culture significance is apparent. 

I would say it’s Twitter’s emphasis on tagging that help it to create and rally a community of people of all backgrounds behind a story, cause, or experience. 

We often mock the overuse and misuse of hashtags, but they are truly a powerful tool. When we look on late night TV they're everywhere and have a big influence on content. 

Tweets Can Hurt

        Jimmy Kimmel has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003. The show has stayed relevant through silly & irreverent “bits.” In 2012 Kimmel started the segment “Celebrities Read Mean Tweet,” which have had 7 sequences and some “music” and “sports” specials.

This is not just funny, but enlightening to the "reach" of the technology. It shows users that the information reaches real people "behind the handle." It also pays homage to the groundswell, even if it’s not in the most flattering light. But again, this is a case of a social media platform that has given people the tools to reach out to others, even of celebrity status. Twitter is highlighted on popular late night shows, like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the Tonight Show, and therefore gives more publicity and appeal as a technology and service.

Twitter not only has an effective tagging tool, but it acts as a review forum for most. This gives a larger community for common people to voice their opinions on products and performances, and celebrities are not exempt from this. 


Even if they don't have a twitter handle that doesn't stop people from talking about what they want to take about. This is the same situation with the Streisand Effect.

 What’s On TV @midnight?

        The groundswell that exists in Twitter has made it the component of @midnight. It's just not a Twitter handle! Ok, well... it is. But it's also a new show on Comedy Central. It reaches out to its audience/followers through Twitter for responses to the “prompt” posted Monday - Thurday (when the show airs). Again, we see here how the show is generating content for itself by tapping into the groundswell. Not only that, but it's providing some instant gratification.  

Then the show incorporate comedians (often with upcoming performances or something current to promote) with a game show setting. This use of the technology with other pop culture references and figures. 

Celebrities + Twitter = groundswell reflection.

Take Away

        When it comes to Twitter, tagging and reviews make a brand. Celebrities get into the mix and it’s easy to poke fun at the ridiculousness that exists on Twitter (and other social media). But really Twitter has affected pop culture and the entertainment industry. Twitter has proven itself a power tool in generating content and jokes (often at the expense of people or products). 

BURGERS Creating a Cult Following in The Groundswell

 How 5 Guys and Bob’s Burgers are 

Dominating,  Energizing, and Supporting the Groundswell 

Energizing and Supporting Groundswell

        I’ve been noticing the effects of groundswell in social media more and more as the semester goes on. Many of the case studies done in the text are extremely relevant to today’s institutions, brands, and products.  In this post I want to talk about the support coming from the groundswell.

        From fast-casual chains to television series, energizing and supporting the groundswell can make the difference between “in-demand” and “done for.” Not only that, but groundswell support can lift a product up and help it become a super success, even if it is backed by a “cult following.”

5 Guys Going Viral

        Chipotle and Five Guys Burgers and Fires both make compelling cases of how support from the groundswell can not only generate a strong customer base, but sustain brand/product loyalty. Both of these “fast-casual” dining restaurants demonstrate the groundswell at work, creating a community and culture that incidentally support a brand as an experience and even a lifestyle.

“Fast Casual” is a dining experience that is growing rapidly in popularity, especially among millennials. In the case of Chipotle and Five Guys, support from the groundswell is one of the main reasons these chains can get away with no advertising campaigns. 
The ability to rely on groundswell support has some "cause and effect":

• Solid brand and consistent product selection [x]
•  The target costumer demographic is millennials [x]
• Customers are fiercely loyal to the brand’s ethos [x]
• The brand is what PEOPLE say it is [x]
• A rapidly changing ad campaign is unnecessary [x]
• Creates economic savings and stability [x]

There has been discussion over Chipotle’s advertising methods (mainly being that they don’t advertise). BUT the biggest take away from Chipotle’s marketing approach is that they use social media and viral videos to their fullest potential.

Whether or not you agree with Chipotle’s message (or how they deliver it), Chipotle get their message to their loyal customers and newfound fans.

'5 Guys' Brings One Word to Mind: “Dayum” 

inc.com

With 5 Guys they do not have TV ad campaigns, but rely strictly on word of mouth. They’ve received the “political bump” on numerous occasions and have a sterling reputation for the quality of their product.

With this, I would like to point out one BIG example of groundswell support for 5 Guys through YouTuber, Daym Drops. His video reviewing 5 Guys went viral and has received over 5 million views. This is comparable to the usual view averaging around 300,000 each. 

There is also a music video version that has over 3 million views. Needless to say, this kind of “advertising” is subtle and alternative, and proves how powerful “word of mouth” combined with groundswell support can be for a brand. After all, “Your brand isn’t what you say it is, but rather what people say it is.” And the overwhelming response by this food critic is undeniably positive.

Bob’s Burgers: A “Household Name” on Social Media

Drawing another comparison to the text case studies, one of the most apparent examples (I can think of) is the FOX animated television series Bob’s Burgers.

Li and Burnoff cite the CBS show Jericho as an instance of the groundswell supporting itself. In the case of Jericho, the show was cancelled, but then brought back to the network for another season to conclude the story to the fan’s satisfaction.

The same almost happened to Bob’s Burgers. The show was threatened to be cancelled, it’s 2ndseason only included 9 episodes. This possible cancellation was not as immanent as Jericho, but it would have been devastating to the show’s fan.

Cultivating a Following From the Ground Up 

Bob’s Burgers has gathered a cult following on all facets of social media, including a website, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Pinterest, and Buzzfeed among others. 

         I’m not sure if Bob’s Burgers would be flourishing on network TV if they didn’t have social media outlets and groundswell support. **Though, personally, I think the show it fantastic, and it’s one of my favorite shows, animated or live action.**

        But with social media it allows the groundswell support from the fans over the show’s delightful, quirky, and relatable characters. The fans have created cultures around each of the show’s main characters on various social media platforms.

Many fan blogs are created in honor of one of the show’s characters, Tina Belcher. This support is seen throughout social media on official and fan-based content and sites. In fact, Tina was named “TV’s Best Character” according to a fan poll on Entertainment Weekly. And the vote is confirmed by groundswell on sites and blogs in the social media sphere. Keep in mind this was next to characters with HUGE followings from shows like Sherlock and Game of Thrones.

Comic Con Groundswell 

        Not to mention the groundswell support is made clear in the flesh at Comic Con. Those following also have strong social media present, but Bob’s Burgers is definitely a pinnacle of commanding the groundswell and gaining support over blogs and other social media outlets. The show doesn’t disappoint when the creators and actors show up to live events. The product has cultivated a community with equally devoted sub-communities. 

Take Away? 

Products/brands like 5 Guys and Bob's Burgers have cultivated by catering to the groundswell and letting that support itself. They do what they do well, and following is generated mostly from that.

For fun: Enjoy the Bob's Burgers table read of the Thanksgiving episode, "Turkey in a Can."