What Works: Oreo’s #eatthetweet

Oreo teamed up with Twitter at Austin’s South By Southwest Music Festival. The company debuted their high-tech vending machines that produce customized Oreo cookies at the festival on March 7-11. People were able to chose their flavor based on trending social conversations to create a unique cookie at The Oreo Trending Vending Machine Lounge. Mondelez International, owner of Oreo, used Maya Design, a technology design firm, to create the vending machines.

“We’re also revolutionizing the distribution process by creating the cookies in real time with experimental 3D printing technology,” said Bonin Bough, Vice President of Global Media and Consumer Engagement at food company Mondelez International. “Now, we’re connecting trending moments to the cookie itself in real time and in real life.”

The machines assembled the cookie in less than two minutes and allowed users to follow the conversation using #eatthetweet.

Janda Lukin, senior director for Oreo at Mondelez International said, “Oreo Trending Vending is another example of our continued commitment to providing consumers with unique experiences and delicious ways to engage with Oreo on and offline.”

The machines caused so much buzz that people waited in line for two hours just to get a single cookie. People selected from trending topics, including the Ellen selfie from the Oscars, then the machine used 3-D printing technology to “print” the creme onto the cookie in front of their eyes. Each trend related to a particular flavor. All in all there were 10,000 possible combinations. The Oreo Trending Vending Machine Lounge was such a success that the machines will be traveling all over the world, even making an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival.

Bough believes this campaign is success, first because people love Oreos. “We realized how much our customers love the various flavors so we wanted to provide something that allows people to customize their own cookie,” he said. He also believes that the Trending Vending Machine allows people to “taste culture,” hence #eatthetweet. This campaign also demonstrates Mondelez’s approach to innovation. Bough believes that making use of technology will transform the company’s business.

The #eatthetweet campaign does an excellent job of providing customer engagement. Not only does it provide customer engagement, it is a customizable experience, different for each consumer. The company also did a good job of selecting their target audience: young millennials at SXSW. The 18-29 year old age group is the most active on Twitter, and would most likely be the most interested in this campaign. Bough says the company is still in the process of understanding the final outcome of the experiment. “This will move around, and we’ll learn more, we’ll gather more experiences, more of our execs will see it, and their brains will process what the potential of this could be. We don’t know. It could be a new model that sits in stores…The important thing is to put the experiment out, test it in the wild, but also with other thinkers that could help us explore and bring it back to the organization.” It will be interesting to see how Oreo and Modelez International utilize this new technology. This campaign is a creative way to interact with their customers, while generating lots of buzz along the way.

Ford vs. Cadillac

I think the best move for Cadillac is to not respond directly to Ford’s video, but enlighten the public on their own environmental efforts. I think it is immature to go back and forth with Ford over the video, but I do think the topic needs to be addressed. Cadillac’s video did come off a bit haughty, but then again that is part of their brand persona. If I were CIO of Cadillac, I would create a YouTube video and maybe a social media campaign to demonstrate how Cadillac does care about the environment and are involved in sustainability. GM, the owner of Cadillac, is involved in creating green energy and sustainability. They have more landfill free factories than any other automaker. The company also offers more alternative-fuel vehicles than any other manufacturer in the world. They are also the #1 automotive user of solar power. I think the best move would be for Cadillac to counter Ford’s video by proving that they actually do care for the environment. I think social media would be the best way to go about spreading this message. 

ESPN’s Rob King shares career advice at the Ole Miss New Media Conference

Rob King, senior VP at ESPN, delivers key note address at the Ole Miss New Media Conference

Rob King, ESPN’s senior vice president, spoke to a packed house of students and faculty at the Ole Miss New Media Conference on March 27, 2014. He shared his comical stories and wise words about transitioning from student to career person and achieving goals along the way. Check out this storify for a look at what he said.

What Works: Social Media Campaign

What Works: Social Media Campaign

 

Frito-Lay’s “Do Us a Flavor” social media campaign was a huge success. It was the $13 billion dollar brand’s largest marketing campaign to date. The company’s goal of the campaign was to increase consumer engagement, especially among millennials, with the brand. Frito-Lay wanted their customers to know that their opinion mattered. Anindita Murkherjee, the chief marketing officer of Frito-Lay North America, said, “Today consumers want to have their voices heard. They want to have their hand in where a brand goes, what a flavor is for a brand, what direction it goes, they want to have a say.”

Utilizing crowdsourcing, Frito-Lay launched their campaign through Facebook in 2012. In honor of the company’s 75th anniversary, Frito-Lay asked the public to help create their next chip flavor. Fans were asked to submit a new flavor suggestion, a name, three possible ingredients and a description or inspiration for their flavor. Participants could then share their idea via social media to gain votes. The company offered $1 million dollars, or 1% of the 2013 net sales of the winning product (whichever was higher), to whoever created the winning flavor. $50,000 in prize money was offered to the two runners up. To kick-start the campaign, Frito-Lay launched their first pop-up store in the middle of Times Square in New York City, offering people the chance to sample their existing flavors and to create awareness about the contest. Through a Facebook app created by Frito-Lay, over 3.8 million people across 14 countries cast their vote for the next chip flavor. Facebook changed the “Like” button to “I’d Eat That” on the brand’s Facebook page to encourage interactions. The campaign was not only a success in the US, but also in 14 other countries. More than 8 million chip flavors were submitted, including Chili and Chocolate, Caesar Salad and Cajun Squirrel. Actress Eva Longoria, Iron Chef Michael Symon and other food experts were hired to narrow down the submissions to three finalists. The final three flavors were Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken and Waffles, and Sriracha. In 2013, these flavors hit the shelves, so consumers could try them and vote on social media for their favorite. The winner was Cheesy Garlic Bread. 

The campaign was a success for the company, generating 955 million organic Facebook impressions and 1.26 billion PR impressions. Frito-Lay wanted to increase year to year sales by 3%, but sales were actually boosted by 12%. The company hoped to receive 1.2 million flavor submissions, but received 3.8 million. During the 10-month campaign, the Frito-Lay Facebook page averaged more the 22.5 million visits a week. The campaign is back and is currently accepting submissions. 

Street Style: Wunder Under Pant

Wunder Under PantFlip Your Dog Long Sleeve

So much of our life is spent on the go. It is often difficult to squeeze in a yoga session or spin class in the midst of a day filled with appointments, lunch meetings, grocery store runs, and everything in between. However, lucky for you, we’ve designed our gear in a versatile way. You can go from the yoga studio to a coffee date or even to the office just by mixing in a few key pieces. Let’s start with the fundamental Wunder Under Pant. This pant is a crowd favorite. Made with Full-On Luon™ fabric, these breathable leggings block sweat to keep you cool during workouts with better than ever support and coverage. They fit like a glove from top to bottom. We never want to take them off! Every Lulu girl needs a basic black pair in her wardrobe. Our favorite way to take these from the day to night is by pairing them with our black Peplum Tunic. Build on these basics by adding an edgy leather jacket, a chunky necklace and booties. Such a chic look for a night out with the girls or a hot date. If you’re wanting something more casual for a day of running errands or just kicking it with friends, here’s another one of our favorite looks. Pair the Wunder Under Pant with a classic pair of cool Converse with our oversized Flip Your Dog Long Sleeve.  We want to see how you incorporate your Lulu gear throughout the day. Instagram or Tweet @lululemon to show us #howdoyoululu?  We’ll feature some of our favorites right here on the blog! Winners will receive a free piece of Lulu gear to add to your wardrobe!

Ready. Set. GO!

Lululemon Persona

Lululemon persona- meet Liz

Meet Liz. She is a 28-year-old urbanite living in San Diego, California. The Huffington Post named San Diego one of the happiest, healthiest cities in America because the city has the highest percentage of people who workout regularly. Liz is no exception. Her weekly workout routine includes yoga and PureBarre, which she uses to clear her head and relax from her busy life. Liz is a graphic designer, who is very creative and quirky. She draws inspiration from being active outside. She enjoys runs on the beach and long hikes through mountain trails on the weekends. Liz spends a lot of time in exercise clothes, and therefore is an avid Lululemon customer. She needs active clothing that is versatile; something she can wear in the barre studio, while shopping at Whole Foods, or running to the office to complete a project. She often tucks the Wunder Under Pant into boots, or layers the Cool Racerback Tank under a sweater or chic jacket. Liz spends much of her time on the go and relies on mixing her Lulu workout gear with her everyday clothing. Liz enjoys traveling. She enjoys yoga retreats with her girlfriends. Liz often goes on dates, but isn’t looking to settle down for a few more years. She enjoys being independent. Always a risk-taker, Liz believes in challenging herself everyday, whether it be tackling a campaign at work or taking surfing lessons. Although Liz enjoys being active, she is a girly girl at heart. Liz is often seen fitting in a mani/pedi, running through Starbucks, or meeting her friends for lunch at a local farm-to-table restaurant.

Keywords: chic, active, confident

What Works: Lululemon

Lululemon hosts a yoga class on the beach

Lululemon Athletica has turned versatile exercise gear into a $10.4 billion dollar mini-empire, with a cult-like following. The company, founded by snowboard and surfing retailer Chip Wilson in 1998, is different than most retailers. Lululemon purposely stocks less inventory to create higher demand, doesn’t offer huge savings, limits the number of new stores, and doesn’t use software to gather customer data. These strategies are largely credited to Chief Executive Christine Day. The company has posted nine quarters over the past 3 years in which sales have rose 30% or more. Their stock has doubled in the past 12 months. Fourth-quarter results show that revenue doubled by 51% to $371.5 million. Needless to say, the company is doing well. However, Brian Sozzi, chief equities analyst for New York research firm NBG Inc., believes this success can’t continue forever. “I think across the board it’s going to slow-earnings, revenue and margins- just because of how fast and how quickly this brand has grown.”

Lulu is going to make sure that this success continues as long as possible through a variety of methods. The company values maintaining relationships and listening to customer feedback versus holding focus groups and tracking purchases. Day believes “big data gives you a false sense of security.” She personally spends time in stores observing customers and listening to their complaints. Workers are stationed near the dressing room to overhear complaints, and big chalkboards allow customers to write suggestions and complaints that are reported back to headquarters. Another strategy is to keep items limited. When consumers are aware there is a limited supply, it creates a rush to get the item before it is gone. I experienced this first hand this past holiday season with the Lulu vests, which quickly sold out of stores and online. Because of this, the company is able to sell 95% of its gear at full price, including its popular black yoga pants, which range from $78 to $128.

The company has a social media presence as well. Lulu is more that just nice yoga pants and exercise tops. They encourage women to be their best selves. In-store events feature self-defense lessons, goal-setting classes and even yoga. The blog provides women with inspiration in the form of exercise, goal-setting, beauty, fashion and nutrition advice. The retailer’s Pinterest account, with over a million followers, features boards based on the same ideas. Facebook is used to promote blog posts, post event pictures and discuss products. 97,252 Facebook users “like” the Lululemon page. The Twitter account, which has 570,300 likes, provides encouraging quotes and creates lots of dialogue with consumers. The YouTube channel features yoga and product education videos. Although less popular than the Twitter account with 469,000 followers, the Instagram account also provides encouragement and features pictures of products in action.

I feel like the social media accounts are going in the right direction, but could use a boost. Lulu is a lifestyle brand that targets women. Women are the most active users of social media. The company should focus on featuring their customer’s lifestyles. I came up with the hashtag: #howdoyoululu. I want customers to use social media platforms to show how exercise is a part of their lives, while incorporating other aspects such as cooking, fashion and goal-setting. I want to focus on using social media platforms, especially YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest. I also think that a series of a wider variety of exercise videos or cooking classes on their YouTube page would be successful. I’ve even considered the possibility of a social media contest, featuring customers demonstrating how Lululemon fits into their lives. Then using crowd sourcing to select winners. Lulu is a very successful brand, focused on relationships with customers. This is demonstrated by their data gathering methods and in-store events. The company is doing a good job with social media, but I want to develop ways to make it great.