I was taking a shower yesterday when I came to an important realization. It wasn’t about my hygiene. Well actually, it was, but not in the way you’d think.
It was about Old Spice and its recent social media marketing campaign, which was one of the biggest marketing stories of the summer.
The July campaign, which featured the Old Spice Guy replying to consumers’ questions on various social networks in the form of 180 YouTube videos, led to tens of millions of combined views on YouTube of the video replies. Here is just one example of a reply: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So5yDtITswY&feature=channel.
While there has been some debate about whether or not this creative approach to achieving social media marketing success has been a major driver of business, there is no debating the reach Old Spice produced in a short period of time.
So you may be wondering, Chris, how does your shower factor into all of this?
Here is your answer. I recently purchased Old Spice Swagger body wash for the first time (perhaps because of the recent campaign), and I immediately noticed something missing from it. There were no links or logos referencing Old Spice’s social networks. Yes, those same networks that made the Old Spice Guy campaign a success.
The verbiage on the back of the plastic body wash container looked like what I imagine it did pre-Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, offering just an 800 number for people to call with questions or comments.
This immediately struck me as a missed opportunity. What better way to keep your current customers engaged and purchasing your products than promoting your social networks on the products they just purchased?
I don’t want to single out Old Spice, so during my weekly trip to Safeway later in the day yesterday, I checked dozens of products for messages that encourage consumers to Like the brand on Facebook or follow it on Twitter. I couldn’t find any that did.
We all see plenty of TV ads that ask people to visit a Facebook page to interact with the company, but the same message isn’t carrying over to the actual product packaging.
Why is that the case? My guess is for many companies the product packaging and marketing departments aren’t on the same page when it comes to the importance of social media.
The other products I saw during my grocery store visit still exclusively promote an 800 number, much like Old Spice’s, for fielding consumer questions and concerns. With most of these major brands now on Facebook and Twitter, it seems a bit outdated to only promote a customer service hotline on packaging.
I attest I wasn’t able to look into every consumer product for sale right now during my field research yesterday, so I’m sure there are some companies that are incorporating social media logos and links onto their product packaging. But it seems like the majority are not. And it’s a major missed opportunity that can be easily solved through better internal communication.
Our challenge to MGH Blog readers: Help us find examples of products that feature social network links and/or logos. We know they must be out there! You can either post a link to an online photo or post them to our Facebook wall at www.facebook.com/mghus. We look forward to seeing what you can find.
