One of our FAVORITE things about Social Media Week is all of the incredible content created around it. Memes, GIFs, photos — you name it. This year, both BuzzFeed and Entrinsic’s Eli Singer, went above and beyond by creating these hilarious videos.
BuzzFeed: The DOs and DONTs of Social Media
Entrinsic: Nobody Wants To Be Your Friend…
Have you created content for SMW? Shoot an email to lindsey@crowdcentric.net. We’d love to share it with our community!
It felt a little like Christmas morning when we found out that Warby Parker and Google+ were teaming up for a one-of-a-kind installation at our new Global HQ. This year’s theme is all about collaboration, so it’s a thrill to see incredible brands like these two doing just that.
Stop by the kiosk and check out what they are up to! Rather than looking at your new Warby frames in a mirror, you can show them to and get feedback from a Google Hangout full of SMW attendees from around the world — as well as celebrities, influencers, fashion experts, and Warby Parker employees — all of which will be jumping in throughout the day to share their thoughts with you.
Each Hangout will be streamed live on Warby Parker’s G+ and Youtube channels, and featured on a large screen monitor at the kiosk. So come by! Grab a pair of their signature shades, make some new friends and get the best tastemakers in the biz to weigh in on your new look!
Want to find out more first? Check out a Hangout from earlier today!
Today, Ford unveiled its new 2014 Ford Fiesta campaign at SMW NYC! It is the first innovative ad campaign created entirely by consumers.
The campaign, Fiesta Movement: A Social Remix, will choose 100 social influencers, or “agents,” and give them cars for a year! In exchange, the agents will compete in exciting challenges across major entertainment hubs including American Idol, Bonnaroo and all 4 Summer versions of the X Games. Along the way, agents will generate content that Ford will feature and distribute through paid media, social media and experiential events. To be clear: the entire ad campaign will be crowdsourced content — a bold and incredibly progressive move!
Think you have what it takes to become an agent and score one of those cars? Well, in honor of Ford kicking off this campaign at SMW, they are beginning their search for agents at our very own Global HQ!
Stop by! Check out the campaign and tell us why YOU should be the next Ford Fiesta Agent. Their fully experiential kiosk is a great place to flex your agent muscles — and it’s fun! Plus, while you’re there, you can pick the brain of our production partner MKG’s Digital Director, Dave Brown – he used to be an agent. (Where else are you going to find that kind of inside information?)
Can’t make it the Global HQ? No problem. Join the fun at fiestamovement.com
See you there!
In the last few days we’ve added a number of incredible events, and we want to make sure you don’t miss them! Take a look at the schedule below and snag a seat while you still can:
JWT:
Thursday, 9:30 to 11:00am: FORTUNE Interview w/ Bonin Bough, Followed by panel: The Secret Sauce of Native Advertising? Authenticity
Friday, 9:30 to 11am: Lessons from the Tumblr-verse: Creating Advertising People Love
Friday, 12 to 1:30pm: All Earned Media is Not Created Equal: Winning Hearts, Minds and Wallets via “Experience-Driven Social Marketing”
Bloomberg:
Tuesday, 9:00 to 10:00am: Social Wheels in Motion: Ford’s Lessons in Social Media
Wednesday, 2:30 to 4:00pm: Social as The Great Equalizer: Interviews With Companies Large and Small
Wednesday, 9:30 to 11am: Innovate or Die: Are You About To Have A Kodak Moment?
Wednesday, 6:00 to 8:00pm: The Problems Entrepreneurs Should Be Solving Over The Next 3 Years
Thursday, 2:30 to 4pm: Purpose: Driving the New Economy
Friday, 9:30 to 11am: Fostering Collaboration within Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Hearst:
Tuesday, 9:30 to 11am: Culture and Community on Tumblr
Tuesday 2:30 to 4pm: Vivisection Live: The Inner Working of a Web Series
Wednesday: 2:30 to 4pm: Daria Musk and Google: Social Media and the Rock Star
Wednesday 12 to 1:30pm: Running: Social Implications of the Global Equalizer
Thursday 9:30 to 11am: The Shift from Presentation to Participation, A Discussion With HuffPost Live’s President Roy Sekoff
92Y:
Wednesday, 9:30 to 11am: Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment in Real World Social Networks
Thursday, 6 to 9am: Connections: How the Internet of Things is Transforming Our Social World
Thursday, 9:30 to 11am: Half The Sky Movement: Using Transmedia to Inspire Real Impact
Thursday, 12 to 1:30pm: Healthy Living: How Behavior and Patients Can Fix Healthcare
Friday, 9:30 to 11am: Keynote: danah boyd on the Ethics and Challenges of Dealing With “Big Data”
AND we’re still selling passes to Ideas Connected at our Global HQ! Check out the schedules for Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 — then swing by and pick one up!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Photo: Jesse, right, with panelists at his SoundCtrl panel in 2012. Advisor Jesse Kirshbaum is the CEO of Agency & Co-Founder of SoundCtrl. One of SMW’s earliest supporters, and a man on the frontline of both the music business and social media, we are thrilled he continues to provide us with his thoughtleadership:
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
Last year, SoundCtrl presented a satellite event called the Music Hub which featured 7 different panels and discussions, with 25 speakers in music and new media. The online conversations generated by this event were some of the most dynamic and engaging we’ve seen for any event in SoundCtrl history, with over 3K online global viewers watching the live stream and event tweets from Nick Jonas who at the time was the 3rd most influential online voice behind only the Dali Lama, Justin Bieber and his brother.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
Its very interesting how artists are beginning to have direct control not just over their music, but in the ways in which they are able to engage with fans across multiple platforms and even gain control to valuable fan-made content – I think we’ll see the rise in more crowd sourced music and videos as it becomes easier to aggregate relevant and valuable media through platforms like instagram, ptch, and vine)
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
Very excited that DMW Music and Social Media Week have decided to unite and join forces when it comes to music content for the week. As a music tech enthusiast and board member for both conferences, it was only natural to me that these unique teams should know each other and cross pollinate. SoundCtrl was able to bridge the gap and provide SMW with special registration and access to the great lineup of music and technology industry speakers lined up at DMW this year. Check out the full list here: www.dmw-music.com. Of course, we’re also very excited to be presenting SMW’s second installment of “I Know the DJ” with Elektro Magazine and Nokia, taking place on Friday, Feb 22nd at the SoHo House.
4. What prompted you to join Social Media Week’s Advisory Board?
Funny story, many moons ago, Toby Daniels and I were meeting about a charity event he was heading up in NYC called Twestival with Charity Water. That same week was the first ever Shorty Awards. It was an era in NYC. And he turned to me and said and I’m going to call it Social Media Week. I was shocked. It was three weeks out and Social Media was not a huge trend at the time, especially in New York. I looked at him with fright and excitement and said… I’m in! I’ve been on board ever since and over the years it’s been a wild ride that continues to grow and evolve!
What’s interesting about SMW is that it covers a wide range of medias, industries and professionals. The growth and influence of social media on all industries has been radical over the past 10 years. It’s not often that all these very dissimilar professions (health, culture, education, advertising, politics, science, and environment to name a few) get to come together under one umbrella and discuss the rapid evolution we all face… it usually illuminates some connections that we might never have noticed, might lead to new solutions to difficult problems, and even anticipate challenges within our own fields.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
The 55th Grammy Awards are just around the corner and I’m still reeling from last year’s insider look on the social media analytics that Beverly Jackson (Senior Director os Social Media and Marketing, GRAMMYS) gave us at SMW ’12. Last year, the Grammys became the most social event of all time – overtaking all other award shows and even the Superbowl. Their social team – including one of Billboard’s top 140 tweeters, Lindsey Gabler – are a dream team and I’m excited to see how they manage the biggest conversation in music this year.
Sara Holoubek is the CEO and founder of Luminary Labs, a consultancy focused on operationalizing innovation. We are pleased to have her as a member of this year’s Advisory Board and to hear her thoughts on this year’s SMW!
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
In late 2011, we published “The Innovation Myth,” to Slideshare. While it had great traction initially, we were quite surprised when in July of 2012 views skyrocketed. The right person had discovered and share our work and for two days our presentation was one of the most viewed on Slideshare. Unexpected, organic success is always the sweetest.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
We are incredibly excited by the number of gurus from Web 1.0 and 2.0 days – Tim O’Reilly to Esther Dyson to the founders of Invite Media – who are applying their experience and expertise to solve for healthcare. Health tech is hot.
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
I’m particularly interested the experiential sessions, installations, and collaborative spaces at the Global HQ at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
4. What prompted you to join Social Media Week’s Advisory Board OR What do you think is SMW’s greatest value add to the tech/media space?
I love how SMW coalesces entire cities around a common theme that transcends any given industry. This idea of inclusion runs contrary to most gatherings, and therefore, yields greater outcomes.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used? (This could be a meme, campaign, installation, etc.)
True story: I had been spending the holidays with my family in Wisconsin when the great blizzard of 2011 arrived. Once my flight was cancelled, I spent a few hours desperately trying to find another flight, a train, a car – anything – that would get me back to New York. After tweeting a few updates on the absolute lack of transportation for at least a week, a friend tweeted back that her partner happened to be in Chicago, with a rental car, and did I want to join her for the trip back? Of course I did.
As you’ve probably heard by now, advertising vanguard Ogilvy & Mather has joined us again this year as an NYC Supporting Sponsor. Last year, they announced Social@Ogilvy at our event, and we hear they have a few more tricks up their sleeve this year too. Social@Ogilvy’s Global Managing Director, John Bell, sat down with us to talk about the past, present and future of social, and Ogilvy’s participation in SMW13.
1. What is Ogilvy’s greatest success with social media to date?
Social@Ogilvy has built a global team across 35+ countries, delivering award-winning integrated social media solutions for brands. Building such a strong team that “gets” how to apply social to real business solutions is our best accomplishment. Helping Ford, IBM, Nestlé and other great brands put social at the center of what they do has been terrifically rewarding.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
When you look at all the interesting phenomena, like SnapChat and the established players, like Facebook, and the merging next-gen platforms like Tumblr, but I get most excited by Kickstarter. It’s taken the crowd-funding model and made it real and reliable, and is now enabling all sorts of entrepreneurs and artists to source funding. I helped my friend at Padua Playwrights take a show to Berlin this month. Truly satisfying to be a part.
3. What are you looking forward to most at SMWNYC 2013?
We have some great sessions at Ogilvy in NYC, Paris, DC and more. I am looking forward to our NYC sessions with David Karp from Tumblr. I have a lot of interest in the platform, as they are just starting to monetize it and have incredible creative work all over it. That same day, we are doing something unusual and downright unwise. We will be creating and debuting a strategy to use Google+ for Caterpillar. Only, we will be doing it live before the SMW2013 audience. Risky but fun.
4. Tell us about your goals for SMW. As one NYC’s City Supporting Sponsors and a host of several events, as well as a Master Class, what do you hope attendees will take away from these experiences?
We want to share our own passion for applying social to business problems. SMW2013 is a weird, connected, global event, where we can create remarkable experiences — at the Chocolate Factory (Ogilvy HQ in NYC), in Paris, DC and more — and we can also participate all week long online, to drive a focused conversation. Okay, we will see how focused it is, but it will be great, that much I know.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
Well, I am not sure I expected to say this, but our guys did some really neat brand advertising via Tumblr for the Lincoln Motor Company. I mean, I just think social has fundamentally changed how brands bother with pure brand work to the point where there are always dual motives for engaging users online. The Lincoln work included a great collaboration with these artists who create Cinemagraphs — really rich photography, with a story or moment captured there. We’ll see if this is the next wave of using social for brand purposes.
6. This year, our global theme is “Open & Connected: Principles for a Collaborative World.” How does Ogilvy embody or support this idea?
We have a global network of 550 people who are connecting every day via our Social@Ogilvy wiki, through G+, a new video meeting platform called Fuze, not to mention Facebook and IM. We know our best work comes from collaboration, and now that means doing so 1,000 miles away or more. We’ll see how others apply connectivity and collaboration during this week.
7. Last year, Ogilvy launched Social@Ogilvy during SMW NYC. With the first year anniversary approaching, how has this gathering of experts around the globe impacted Ogilvy’s work? What changes are you seeing in Public Relations from social media?
Social@Ogilvy officially launched at SMW 2012. But we had been in business since 2005. We have grown our network and solutions over the past 7+ years. This past year just took us to a much higher level. More client engagements across 3, 5, 20 markets. More serious business problems. More accountability with measurable programs. And more awards. Our team is cross-discipline. We work on marketing programs, customer care programs, PR programs, shopper programs and, yes, even pure-play social programs. This is our POV, that the best social is integrated with other disciplines. And I believe that each of these disciplines will see even more radical change through this next year or two of social growth.
MKG creates experiential programs that connect trendsetting consumers, influencers and the media to brands. They exist to engage, entertain and brighten people’s lives through the experiences they create. So, obviously, it was a no-brainer when we chose them as our partner in crime for the production of this year’s Ideas Connected at Global HQ. While we’ve enjoyed working with the whole MKG team, we’ve got a real soft-spot for Dave Brown, MKG’s Director of Digital Strategy. Here he shares his thoughts on social marketing, digital innovation and our upcoming event!
1. Tell us about your goals for SMW. As co-host of Ideas Connected and our first Global HQ, what do you hope attendees will take away from the experience?
We’re totally excited about co-hosting Social Media Week’s first Global HQ. We’ve all attended way too many conferences that left us feeling underwhelmed, so this event provides us with an opportunity to flip the idea of a typical conference on its head and create something new and fresh with Crowdcentric. It’s been really enjoyable working together and we hope to make this a memorable experience for our attendees. From the very beginning it’s been our goal to create a space that’s warm, inviting and would organically facilitate networking, connections and the sharing of ideas. We hope attendees walk away feeling like they’ve had a powerful and encouraging experience.
2. As a pioneer in experiential marketing, how has social media affected the field? How does that inform MKG’s work?
Social Media has evolved to the point where we don’t see it as a separate strategy for experiential marketing. It’s fully integrated into the entire vision of a brand and we bake that into our approach here at MKG. You can’t discuss marketing or branding without deeply considering social media. That’s the most exciting part. It’s a new language. It’s a new craft. And, whether you’re a community manager or a digital strategist it’s become an art form to bridge online and offline experiences for audiences so that it’s a frictionless experience which ultimately delivers meaningful results.
3. What has been MKG’s greatest success with Social Media to date?
Fortunately, I’m part of a team at MKG that has seen a lot of success. Our creative execution of ideas is notable. But, if I had to pick one event that stood out for me, it would be the Delta Instawalk at Madison Square Garden. The challenge was to break through all the noise found at major sporting events. We solved this by inviting a talented group of Instagram photographers to come in and document the New York Rangers’ playoff run. We provided them with unprecedented access and experiences that even traditional media hadn’t done before. The outcome was nothing short of beautiful. Our use of Instagram as a storytelling mechanism created a really rich experience for audiences. It reached millions of people in an organic way and set a new standard for what can be done in the realm of social media.
4. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
I love the level of personalization I’m seeing across the board. From social connections to anticipated results based on my actions and networks, it’s really exciting. It’s the humanization of big data and how its service is relieving pain points in peoples’ lives so we can spend more time focusing on the things that matter. A great example of this is the social connections feature on Airbnb. There’s no doubt we’ll be seeing more brands and services incorporating this level of personalization and speed of delivery into their offering. This is where things get really exciting and we’re just scratching the surface.
5. What brands do you think are leading the way in innovation with social and digital?
There are so many I admire. Holstee is one of my favorite brands. They’re a great example of how creativity and positive inspiration can build an eco-friendly brand. Another is Photojojo. They consistently remind me that passion, personality and strong communication can build audiences. Oh, and I can’t forget The New York Rangers. They have a really strong digital presence and provide fans with so much access and information through the use of various social channels. As a die-hard hockey fan, I find this both valuable and engaging. All of these brands use social media in fascinating ways to do basic storytelling. It’s exciting to see them grow and resonate with their audiences across the globe.
6. What are you looking forward to most at SMWNYC 2013?
I’m looking forward to watching people connect with what we’ve been building for the last three months. It’s been an incredible, collaborative process and I’m really excited for people to take it all in, get their hands dirty, build things, learn and share skills, make new connections and forget that you’re even at a conference. In one section of the experiential space we have an area called HQ Office Hours where we’ll be offering our ideas and advice to attendees. Anyone can approach us on anything from social media marketing, pitching us their ideas, asking for advice, sharing tips on their favorite app or wanting a restaurant recommendation for the night. It’s going to be a blast and the team and I can’t wait to engage in great conversations with the audience and give out a few solid Hi-Fives.
7. This year, our global theme is “Open & Connected: Principles for a Collaborative World.” How does MKG embody or support this idea?
Our founder, Maneesh K. Goyal is an architect for brands and his expertise is at the heart of our company. We’re passionate about creating memorable experiences that bring people together and deliver meaningful results. This matched with Social Media Week’s Open & Connected DNA spawned our natural partnership. We’re not just saying “ideas connected,” we’re living it.
8. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
I’ve witnessed so many creative applications of social media. Everything from crowdsourced funding for positive social change to neighbors helping each other in moments of crisis. Social Media always finds a way to surprise me in its application. Its beautiful. But on a more simple level, one of the most creative applications of social media (that anyone can do) is when a brand or a person recognizes a need and fills it with unbending kindness. We call this love bombs and they’re some of the best bi-products of social media. I really enjoy when I see someone say they wish XYZ would happen, and someone with the ability to make that happen does. It’s awesome. You see brands do it. You see people do it. And I hope that contagion continues to spread as social media grows into the future.
Follow Dave_Brown on Twitter: @holidaymatinee
JWT is the world’s best-known marketing communications brand, and a true global network with 200-plus offices in over 90 countries. This, year JWT returns to Social Media Week New York as host to our Advertising & Marketing content hub. We sat down with CEO of JWT North America, David Eastman, to chat about their role in this year’s event:
1. This will be the fourth year that JWT New York has partnered with Social Media Week. Why is SMW an event that your company keeps returning to?
First of all, we love partnering with SMW. Being involved in the conversation about how technology is shaping our lives and impacting the way we connect with each other is both fascinating and important to us as an agency. The sessions at Social Media Week cover a lot of surface area and bring people together from across different industries, passions and areas of expertise. We’re proud to be part of it.
2. This year, our global theme is “Open & Connected: Principles for a Collaborative World.” How does JWT embody or support this idea?
JWT is a network, and in order to work efficiently our network needs to be open and connected to itself, our partners and clients. The accelerating rate of change in our industry means that, as one of the largest global agencies with more than 200 offices in 90 countries, collaboration has to be at the heart of how we operate. So I’d say that we embody, support and are an example of your global theme!
3. What trends do you see emerging in advertising?
Statistically, this will be the year where we see social becoming predominantly mobile because internet use via smartphones and tablets will surpass access by laptops and desktops. This inflection point will unleash yet another disruptive wave of creativity in web experiences, content and applications. I also see this all as a positive for TV advertising as, in order to keep our attention, it will need to surprise and delight more often.
4. Which of your campaigns have been the more creative and successful in the past year?
Rather than give a list, as a general answer I would say that the value of a great idea, well executed, and based on a great insight that reflects or forms culture has not changed, but the opportunities to exploit one have multiplied exponentially over the last few years, which makes it a great time to be in the brand building business.
5. JWT New York’s Band-Aid Magic Vision interactive campaign just received a great nod from AdForum’s Greatest Hits. Can you tell us more about the campaign and JWT’s expansion into interactive advertising?
The augmented reality category is littered with applications that focus on technology for technology’s sake, so this was an opportunity for us to use AR for something far more powerful. With Band-Aid Magic Vision, we wanted to do something fun, bold and meaningful for parents and their children. When parents and children scanned their Band-Aid bandage via a smartphone or tablet, it instantly became a stage for interactive entertainment designed to entertain kids’ pain away. The platform also provided a new media platform, unlocking infinite possibilities of ways to enhance the consumer brand experience. To say we’ve expanded into interactive advertising belies the fact that we’ve been doing it in some form or another for years now, but with Jeff Benjamin at the helm creatively we’re making more of a mark, as evidenced by the fact that this effort won Gold in the mobile category at Cannes last year.
6. Can you give us a preview of what you might discuss during your Social Media Week opening keynote?
I’m going to talk firstly about the surface volatility of the social ecosystem that is constantly creating new ways for all these elements to work together. Then about the fact that underneath this surface volatility I see a long-term geological shift happening: Social is moving quickly from ‘destination’ to ‘layer,’ and burrowing down into the undercarriage of the web to become part of its infrastructure. It is, in effect, eating the web.
7. What should SMW NYC attendees expect to see from JWT’s Advertising & Marketing Hub?
Expect to hear panels that delve into social media and the implications it has for marketers, consumers, technology, start ups and more. It’s going to be a draw for the beginner who is just getting into the industry as well as the seasoned professional. From JWT, we are hosting a few different events that are going to be great. Following her successful Social Media Week session last year, our Director of Trendspotting Ann Mack will be back, hosting a solo talk “Going Private in Public” (one of the trends surveyed in her 10 Trends for 2013 report), which explores reclaiming privacy in our lives where living publicly has become the default. We’re also going to dive into the realm of food in “What’s on Your Plate: How Digital Has Evolved Our Palates,” as we bring together some of today’s most influential foodies (think Yummly, Nestle, StudioFeast) who are pushing the bounds of what’s possible with food and technology. And with CSR efforts becoming an increasingly significant part of brand strategy and business models, our panel “Societal Brands in a Societal World” is going to take a closer look at how brands like Warby Parker are starting to adopt principles that are weighed not just by transactions alone but by their value to society.
Deanna Zandt is a media technologist, the author of Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking, the creator of a killer TEDxBerlin talk and an all-around bad ass. Chatting with her is always fun and informative — plus, we got hearing Samuel L. Jackson singing Taylor Swift out of it… She’s emceeing Day 2 of Ideas Connected at Global HQ, so swing by and see her in person. In the meantime, read on!
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
In early 2012, the Susan G Komen Foundation decided to no longer fund Planned Parenthood’s breast cancer initiatives. Outrage erupted, and while many advocates were focused specifically on the funding and financial issues, I wanted to focus on stories. I thought about the women who didn’t have money with which to speak their minds by donating or taking away donations; these were the women who would be most affected by Komen’s decision, and lose access to low-cost and free breast cancer screenings.
I created a Tumblr blog called Planned Parenthood Saved Me, where I asked people to submit stories of how Planned Parenthood had changed their lives. It caught fire; in 4 days, 300 stories were collected and shared, and mainstream media outlets like Rachel Maddow and the New York Times were referencing posts and sharing excerpts. But the real story lay inside the social numbers: More than half the traffic — 29,000 unique visits in 4 days — came from social media, and before any major media mention. The fire came from us sharing our stories with one another.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
The tension, and possibly an erupting battle, for the open web and web standards is pretty exciting. We see increasingly bolder moves towards silo-ed information and walled gardens, and that’s just not sustainable. The web yearns to be free, and I feel that we’re on the cusp of those starting to break down. Remember when AOL was the end-all-be-all Internet service? And how that model fell apart as both users and technologies became more sophisticated? This, too, will come to pass with the social web.
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
I probably sound like a lush, but honestly, the parties are always fantastic during SMW NYC. Not just for going-out-fun-value, but for connecting and reconnecting with good people. I’m looking forward to spending offline time with my communities!
4. What do you think is SMW’s greatest value add to the tech/media space?
I’ve loved SWM’s ethos with regards to wanting to make the world a better place, and I welcomed the opportunity to bring the networks that I’m a part of– social, gender and racial justice communities– to the table to help shape the content. Those voices are often missing in the technology and media spaces, and I’m thrilled that SMW wants to dig deeper there.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
Honestly, anything with a little bit of humor generally gets my attention– to be funny on social media, you really have to have an extraordinary combination of skills: timing, wit, writing, some tech savvy, etc. From the old meme games we used to play on Twitter (I’ll never forget #unseenprequels and #SamJacksonSlowJams [NSFW]), to fake accounts and image macros (the Willy Wonka series almost never fails to deliver), to the White House responding to the Death Star petition… yeah. It’s a nice reminder that we’re all human and can poke at each other a little bit.
Deanna Zandt is a media technologist and the author of Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking (Berrett-Koehler, June 2010). She is a consultant to key progressive media and advocacy organizations, and her clients have included The Ford Foundation, The Daily Beast/Newsweek, and Jim Hightower’s Hightower Lowdown. She is contributor to Forbes.com via her ForbesWoman “Prospect: Tech” blog, and a social media advice contributor NPR’s flagship news program, “All Things Considered.” Zandt specializes in social media, is a leading expert in women and technology, and is a frequent guest on CNN International, BBC Radio, Fox News and more.She works with groups to create and implement effective web strategies toward organizational goals of civic engagement and cultural agency, and uses her background in linguistics, advertising, telecommunications and finance to complement her technical expertise. She has spoken at a number of conferences, including TEDxBerlin, SXSW Interactive, Personal Democracy Forum, Netroots Nation, the National Conference on Media Reform, Facing Race, Web 2.0 Expo, Bioneers, America’s Future Now (formerly “Take Back America”), Women Action & The Media, and provides beginner and advanced workshops both online and in person.
Day after day we’re blow away, not just by the insights of our Advisory Board Members, but the hilarious social media campaigns they bring to our attention. Advisor and Magnet Media GM, Outrigger Media Lead Advisor and the Chairman of Board of Directors at International Academy of Web Television, Paul Kontonis, didn’t disappoint:
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
We developed, produced and released a video in support of the launch of Internet Explorer 10. We knew that IE is a browser that most people love to talk trash about so we took them head-on and got people talking about how good IE10 actually is. IE10 sucks…less.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
I am most excited about the building of original digital video business models built on more than the free ad supported model on YouTube. Get ready for a subscription based first window strategy.
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
Vivisection Live on February 19th is something that has never been done before. Haven’t you always wanted to peek into someone else’s YouTube account?
4. What prompted you to join Social Media Week’s Advisory Board?
Social Media Week focuses people’s attention on the importance of social to all aspects of communications and marketing. It is all about the complete integration of media and devices.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
I fell in love with Target’s fashion and tweet show at everydayshow.com and of course canttweetthis.com
Paul Kontonis is a leading voice in the shaping of the digital video industry with over 15 years of interactive media experience. Paul is the GM of next generation studio, Magnet Media Originals, which combines the best storytelling with the best of social engagement into high quality web series originals and video content networks.In 2012, Paul was elected to a second term as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Web Television, a non-profit organization founded in 2008 to promote and recognize excellence in web video. Paul provides leadership and strategic vision to the industry through such pioneering efforts as the IAWTV Awards at CES, and by representing producers, distributors, and advertisers at industry events.As Lead Advisor to Outrigger Media, Paul co-developed and launched OpenSlate, a online video analytics data platform which is the only platform to deliver actionable information about the value of YouTube video to advertisers. OpenSlate launched in mid-2012 to the advertising and online video communities and is tracking the top 15,000 producers. Prior to Magnet Media Originals, Paul was the Vice President and Group Director for Brand Content at Digitas’ The Third Act, where he led the development of original and partnered digital brand content entertainment offerings. Paul was instrumental in orchestrating the first ever Digital Content NewFronts in which video leaders – YouTube, Aol, Hulu, MSN, and Yahoo – held web originals advertiser upfronts in New York City along with 15 other leading content and distribution organizations. Paul has executive produced numerous original and branded web series, has appeared in a number of publications and digital media books, co-founder of the web video meetup BigScreen LittleScreen and a regular speaker at digital video and media conferences.
Eventbrite is an online service that people everywhere use to create, share, and join events. Whether a photography class with a local artist, or a sold-out concert in a city stadium, Eventbrite makes it happen. This year, Eventbrite joins SMW NYC as our Premium Pass Sponsor, so we sat down with Eventbrite’s Sara Altier to talk about all things social marketing:
1. Eventbrite relies heavily on social marketing. How has your social media strategy changed over the last year?
Events are social, right? They’re more fun to attend with your friends — so we’ve focused on empowering our attendees to find and share more events. Based on the data we’ve released with our Social Commerce report, we’ve know that Facebook drives quite a bit of traffic to events. Since our recent integration with Facebook Open Graph, we’ve changed the way we allow attendees to find and share events. We send out monthly “Event Picks” newsletters using data from previous events with high attendance rates, as well as events the recipient’s Facebook friends have signed up for. We’ve also started sending out social notification emails, so if two of your friends are attending the same event, you’ll get a notification.
2. In 2010, Eventbrite was the first company to offer data about the financial benefits of “sharing,” revealing that every time someone shared a paid event on Facebook, it drove an additional $2.52 in revenue back to the event organizer, and 11 additional page views of their event page. Are there any over overwhelming data points, like that one, that inform your social strategy?
This past fall, we released our Global Social Commerce report. Aside from interesting data points like Italy sharing the most and the UK clicking the most, we found that while Twitter shares increase traffic to an event page, Facebook still drives the most revenue. You can check out the report here!
3. Eventbrite was used in over 175 countries in the last year. Do you tailor your social marketing strategy for each country? If so, how do they differ?
In the past year we’ve launched localized sites in 13 countries outside of the US. We offer localized support in 7 different languages and have local City Marketing Managers in 8 of our major metros. We tailor each country’s strategy to best align with the trends and communication patterns of each location.
4. Do you find that marketing “Cause” events requires a different strategy than events with a charitable component? How so?
At the end of the day, marketing all events is essentially the same. Sure, there are differences between marketing cause-related events and marketing sporting events, for example, but the underlying strategy for marketing all events can be boiled down to three points: 1. Know your target audience. 2. Decide on a goal. (Are you more focused on general awareness or a specific amount of money you want to raise?) 3. Craft regular, tailored information that will inspire your target audience to act. Our blog is an excellent resource for event organizers that need a bit more assistance figuring out their strategy!
5. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now? How will that inform your work?
Where to begin! It’s hard to just mention one specific thing, but I think the fact that so many people are embracing new technology to change their lives for the better is the most exciting to me. It’s so humbling that Eventbrite is being used everywhere — from rallying people around an important cause to helping them acquire skills that will empower them to enter a new line of work. We aim to provide a product that will continue evolving and helping our users achieve success in whatever they set out to do.
6. Tell us about your goals for SMW. As a 2013 Premium Pass Sponsor, what do you hope attendees will take away from the experience?
Social media is changing the way we do business in a very fundamental way. I think that a lot of non-industry people’s perception of social media is tainted by the prevalence of cheap buzzwords and too many people claiming to be ‘social media ninjas’. I hope that Premium Pass Holders will come to SMWNYC to make sincere connections and share knowledge about how social media is making measurable impact at companies like Eventbrite.
7. This year, our global theme is “Open & Connected: Principles for a Collaborative World.” How does Eventbrite embody and/or support this idea?
There’s something really magical about bringing an online interaction offline. The fact that our self-service platform enables event organizers from all around the world (179 different countries last year alone!) to bring people together is a true testament to how we support the global theme of Social Media Week, and we couldn’t be happier to be involved!
With hundreds of events (over 200!!!), we aim to highlight the ones that catch our eye and share them with you. Here are a dozen that grabbed our attention this week, each from industry leaders — several of which were just named Fast Company’s most innovative companies of 2013 — aiming to bring you the best content and conversation at SMW NYC:
For the FULL SCHEDULE click here. And keep in mind, if you want to skip registration and lines, and attend events that are already full, you can still BUY A PASS here.
Advisory Board Member, Colin Nagy, is the Executive Director of earned and social mediaThe Barbarian Group. We asked him about the future of social, his interest in SMW and a few other questions. Here’s what he had to say:
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
We’ve done several interesting things, but I think our continued work with GE creating content for individual platforms, has been the best received. People particularly like the approach we took to Instagram, really investing original amazing photography and having a clear creative approach.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
I think 3D printing is going to change the world and have huge implications for where manufacturing takes place.
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
I read Emily Steel’s work in the FT and I’m excited she’s going to moderate our panel. She’s a serious journalist and I’m sure she will bring really tough and rigorous questions — something a lot of discussions seem to be missing lately.
4. What prompted you to join Social Media Week’s Advisory Board?
I love the global approach and the ambition. I also like the many different disciplines involved.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
I loved the Heineken Star Player app, that allowed people to predict the outcome of real-time events in a soccer game. Not strictly social but hugely interesting. I also loved that Elmo Calls app that IDEO did. Absolutely brilliant.
Colin Nagy works at The Barbarian Group as executive director of earned and social media. He also co-founded the travel company Fortnighter.com, and is also a brand and communications advisor to several NYC-based startups including Percolate, OLO, and Lot18.Prior to joining The Barbarian Group, he was a partner at Attention, a social media marketing agency based in New York. At Attention, Colin helped Tina Brown launch the The Daily Beast, and advised other media companies such as CNN, Newsweek, Mashable and the Guardian. He also represented lifestyle brands such as Ligne Roset and Herman Miller as well as respected hospitality brands Morgans Hotel Group, The Ritz-Carlton and Hilton Worldwide.Previously, Colin worked in policy, crisis communications and public affairs roles for a range of commercial and public sector entities around the world, including The Brunswick Group, based in New York, and the East West Institute, based in Prague. His work has been cited in publications including The New York Times, The Financial Times, Fast Company, Creativity and Monocle. Colin has written for AdWeek, the innovation blog PSFK, as well as various arts and culture publications. Colin graduated from New York University with a degree in Politics and European Studies.
Social Media Week Advisor Steve Schlafman is a Principal at Lerer Ventures. He sat down with us to talk Vine, Louis CK and a love for SMW Founder Toby Daniels.
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
We converted our static and boring homepage found at LererVentures.com into a dynamic and social rich Rebelmouse page.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
I’m a big fan of Vine, the new video product Twitter rolled out. I’m also excited about the internet of things / connected devices.
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
I’m really pumped to see Toby Daniels.
4. What prompted you to join Social Media Week’s Advisory Board?
I decided to join Social Media Week Advisory Board because I love Toby’s passion for the community and believe it’s one of the most informative and important tech events in NYC each year.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
Louis CK selling direct to his fans via his website.
Steve Schlafman is a Principal at Lerer Ventures. Steve was previously VP of Business Development at Stickybits Inc. / Turntable.fm and Director of Venture Investments at The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company focused on sports & entertainment, paper & packaging, real estate development, and private equity. Prior to The Kraft Group, Steve worked at Massive Inc. and Microsoft in a variety of Business Development, Strategy and Corporate Finance roles. Steve graduated with highest honors from Northeastern University and you can follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/schlaf.
Photo courtesy of Social@Ogilvy
We are thrilled to have advertising behemoth Ogilvy & Mather join us again this year as an NYC Supporting Sponsor. Their thought leadership in social media can best be demonstrated through Social@Ogilvy, which they announced at SMW NYC last year. A cross-discipline team of social experts focusing on social business solutions, listening and analytics, social media marketing and communications, social shopping, social customer service solutions, and impact measures, it is the largest social media marketing communications network in the world.
Take a look at what they have in store for this year’s attendees:
Ogilvy’s first ever Master Class, Only at the Global HQ:
Community Management 3.0 – The Evolution of the Most Dynamic Role in Marketing
This interactive class, led by two of Social@Ogilvy’s community management experts, will focus on “Community Management 3.0” – the new job description, current challenges, industry leaders putting it to practice, real-life scenarios and more. Featuring: Ashley Hurst, Director of Business Development & Account Director at Social@Ogilvy and Dhara Naik, an Account Supervisor at Social@Ogilvy. To attend the Master Class, please purchase a Global HQ Pass here.
Ogilvy’s official SMWNYC Hub events:
Mocial RX: Leveraging Mobile & Social in Healthcare
Health discussions have moved beyond a single screen and one-on-one exchanges. Mobile and social — what some call “Mocial” — is all about a new platform of on-the-go device and broader discussion. From geofencing to quantified self to the second screen, this lively exchange explores how “our networked life” influences behavior change, removes barriers, and adds value to connected communities. Featuring: Buddy Scalera, SVP, Interactive Content & Market Research, Ogilvy CommonHealth and Andrea Hackett, Account Supervisor, Digital Strategy, Social@Ogilvy.
Pharma & Social: Better Apart?
The social health space continues to rapidly evolve, pivoting to serve new needs and voices faster than most pharmaceutical companies are used to acting. Patients, caregivers, even doctors seem to do just fine taking advantage of existing forums to discuss their health concerns. Is there room in the social sphere for prescription drug brands? Mixed views and industry case studies fuel a provocative discussion on whether and how Pharma can truly add value to these already active conversations. Featuring: Chris Cullman, VP, Digital Strategy, Ogilvy CommonHealth; Scott Friedberg, Director, Digital Strategy, Ogilvy CommonHealth and Andrew Teie, Senior Digital Strategist, Ogilvy & Mather.
Ogilvy & Mather HQ events
A Conversation with David Karp, Founder of Tumblr: Brands Connecting Inside the Index of Passions
Join us for a candid conversation with David Karp who has created one of the fastest growing communities of people sharing what they care about most. How can brands participate in Tumblr with meaningful brand or business impact and how do we do it without spoiling the beauty of Tumblr? Join Social@Ogilvy’s John Bell as he asks David Karp about his vision for brands and Tumblr. Featuring: John Bell, Global Managing Director, Social@Ogilvy and David Karp, Founder and CEO, Tumblr.
The Rise of the New Community Manager: A Discussion with Ford and Ogilvy on the New Brand Role
As more and more brands commit to Facebook, Twitter, and other social communities, the stakes of managing millions of fan relationships is rising. Increasingly the job of the community manager is evolving to a more complex and even senior role. Join Social@Ogilvy and hear from those in the trenches and those shaping how brands are managing fans and customer relationships. What are the new skills of the community manager? How will they fit into traditional organizations? Featuring: Rachel Caggiano – Senior Vice President, Social@Ogilvy and Karen Untereker – U.S. Manager, Social Media at Ford Motor Company.
The Live Google+ Jam with Caterpillar: How to Exploit Google+ to its Fullest
Is it plumbing or is it search? Is it Hangouts or Communities? Stop all the hype and anti-hype. We’re going to roll up our sleeves and demonstrate just how brands can use Google+ today and tomorrow. We’ll be working through a LIVE session with Google+, Caterpillar and Social@Ogilvy to create the prototypical, full-out program for the world’s leading B2B brand – Caterpillar. It will be fast-paced, messy and insightful. Featuring: Gemma Craven, Executive Vice President, Social@Ogilvy; Dan Schreibstein, Vice President, Social@Ogilvy; Kevin Espinosa, Social Media Manager, Global Marketing Services, Caterpillar; Gretchen Howard, Google.
The Future of Social Customer Care
Participate in a LIVE demonstration with Social@Ogilvy showcasing the next model of engaging social customers with meaningful dialogue, structure and cross-platform integration. We’ll work with select panel members and a few participants who will be plucked from the audience to interact with this engaging exploration of the science of social, digital strategy, and technology. Featuring: Evan Shumeyko – Director, North American CRM & Customer Engagement at OgilvyOne Worldwide; Jeff Simmermon – Director of Digital Communication, Time Warner Cable; Phil Blum – Social Media Customer Care Manager, Time Warner Cable; Dave Evans – VP, Social Strategy at Lithium Technologies; Rebecca Lieb – Digital Advertising and Media Analyst at Altimeter Group.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Advisory Board Member Jared Hendler, EVP, Global Director Digital & Creative at MWW Group took a few minutes to chat about Social Media Week New York City:
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
Nikon. We have been able to execute some incredibly successful programs throughout the years across multiple social channels. The fan base is of course fantastic.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
Wearable technology and embeddable technology: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_Internet_of_Things_2538. Crowdsourced funding aka: Kickstarter & Indiegogo
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
Rather than call out one panel or speaker, I am incredibly excited about the new creative direction around actionable participation using social media as we connect in person vs. at panels during the event.
4. What prompted you to join Social Media Week’s Advisory Board?
I have known Toby professionally since before the start of SMW. Being a part of the digital and social community from its beginning — how could you not be a part of SMW! It is a great way to connect with our peers and give back to the community.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
Fundraising, social and humanitarian change. The ability to empower every citizen is the promise of every evolved governing body, and the technology allows us to do this.
Jared Hendler brings over 20 years of creative management experience in branding, advertising, digital media & technology forged from over a decade in the corporate world along with having founded and managed 2 new media startups.At MWW, Jared directs digital, social and creative strategy across all practice areas. As digital continues to democratize media, MWW recognizes the need for it’s clients to leverage the power of digital and social strategy, content creation, distribution and measurement.Prior to MWW, Jared worked with Katalyst Media. Founded in 2000 by Ashton Kutcher, Katalyst was named top 10 in advertising and marketing by Fast Company, Katalyst is a studio for social media that connects entertainment with technology and brands. Prior to Katalyst, Jared was the Worldwide Executive Creative Director for Edelman Digital. Jared directed creative strategy with a focus on digital engagement. Expertise included everything from web site builds, Facebook programs, e-kits, online media relations, online promotions and partnerships, to email marketing and mobile campaigns. Jared’s entrepreneurial spirit was grounded with 10 years of experience within the WPP family at Grey Advertising. Jared was the Executive Creative Director and co-founder of G2 at WPP from 1992 and grew the group from 2 people to over 100+ in NY, while spearheading the development of over a dozen international offices around the WPP network. Jared is the author of a digital media blog, a prior board member of the Art Directors Club, a Blue Ribbon Judge for the Emmy Award’s broadband category and is an advisory board member of Social Media Week. Jared participates at industry events such as: Adtech, Digital Hollywood, Adage 2.0. He is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA and resides as their East Coast Chapter Chair.
Sharon Chang, Founder of Yoxi and Advisor to SMW NYC, shares her thoughts on the maker movement, upcoming SMW events and the most successful employments of social media. See her #SMWNYC favorite events here, and learn more about this powerhouse below:
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
Yoxi had great success spreading our crowdsourced social innovation competition “Trim The Waste of Fashion” using Tweetchats between our competitors and judges.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
The burgeoning confluence of social innovation and the maker movement is fascinating, and a truly democratizing force in entrepreneurship, design and technology.
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
I am eager to experience The Hurricane Sandy Transmedia Project. Authentic and participatory storytelling around an experience which deeply impacted the NY community is key to thinking about future urban innovation and disaster preparedness.
4. What do you think is SMW’s greatest value add to the tech/media space?
Social is where everything happens now — business, entertainment, ideas, partnerships and collaborations — and SMW allows that pollination to happen in a fun, organic and inspiring way.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
#Giving Tuesday is fantastic (http://givingtuesday.org/) as a way to rethink our Black Friday obsession. Also, Tumblr never fails on the fun, amusing front. I could name a thousand fantastic memes. I love this one because it’s particularly satisfying for someone OCD like me: http://thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com/
Editor’s note: Learn more about Giving Tuesday at the following SMW event, hosted by Fenton: GIVING GANGNAM STYLE, An Ideathon with the #GivingTuesday Team
Sharon Chang is the Founder of Yoxi, a global citizen and true New Yorker who is obsessed with food and travel. She is also a creative director, brand strategist, media executive, social entrepreneur and impact investor.
Advisory Board Member and cofounder and CEO of Sawhorse Media, Greg Galant, talks Seinfeld, SMW parties and the necessary nature of GIFs:
1. What is your or your organization’s greatest success with social media to date?
Our organization is our organization’s greatest success with social media — Muck Rack and the Shorty Awards were built completely on social platforms and have reached millions of people with no marketing budget.
2. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?
The resurgence of animated GIFs is bringing more vibrancy the social web, which has been a welcome reaction as many web services are starting to take themselves too seriously.
3. What speaker or event are you most looking forward to at SMW NYC?
Always the opening and closing parties. I learn the most from speakers over drinks.
4. What do you think is SMW’s greatest value add to the tech/media space?
Social Media Week connects many industries in New York City that usually would not talk to or learn from one another. It’s one of the few times every year that I travel north of 14th Street.
5. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
@SeinfeldToday
Gregory Galant is the cofounder and CEO of Sawhorse Media, a movement to make it easy to find the right people on the social web through products including Muck Rack and the Shorty Awards. Muck Rack is the leading network for journalists on social media which TheNextWeb called “None of the most useful tools ever invented for media professionals.” The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media; past winners include Ricky Gervais, Cory Booker, Conan O’Brien, Sesame Street, Neil Patrick Harris, Mike Bloomberg and NASA.Previously, Greg was an associate producer at CNN.com where he analyzed the latest trends in citizens’ media. Greg has worked at Newlight Associates, a $120M technology venture capital firm. In 1996, Greg founded Halenet, an award-winning Internet strategy firm while in high school.To help fellow entrepreneurs, Greg created Venture Voice, a podcast interview series with the founders of Twitter, LinkedIn, The Vanguard Group, Brooklyn Brewery and more. Greg’s a mentor in the TechStars startup accelerator. BusinessWeek named him one of the “Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs”. He’s also a member of Twitter’s exclusive first name club. You can follow him at @gregory.
This is Social Media Week’s first year partnering with Ford. This SMW NYC, Ford will be making a very special announcement to help kick off the week. You’ll want to be there! Then make sure you swing by our Global HQ to see what we’re doing together. Why? Well, in addition to their success in the automotive industry, they have made quite a name for themselves as a leader in the social media space. We sat down with Ford’s Global Head of Social Media, Scott Monty, to talk about the past, present and future of the company’s social marketing efforts.
Scott, you tweeted this week that “Ford has now posted a pre-tax operating profit for 14 straight quarters” -— in what ways do you think that Ford’s social and digital efforts have contributed to that sustained level of success?
We’re very fortunate to have a company full of talented employees that are making some of the best Ford vehicles that the market is responding to. From excellent fuel efficiency to state of the art technology and truly breathtaking design, the products are leading our strong financial performance. That we get to amplify and share that product superiority on digital and social is just icing on the cake.
But more than just sharing our business results, our advanced efforts on digital and social are consistent with the kind of brand that people want to associate themselves with. We often say that people trust people like them; well, they want brands that reflect their choices and their lifestyles. So they want fuel efficiency and they want a brand that answers them on social networks, they get both in Ford.
Connected to that success was the relaunch of the Ford Fiesta in 2009–what parts of that campaign have been most inspiring for your team and for your audience
If anything, it was an example for us about how crucial it is to have your product right. Because we were so confident in the performance and reception of the 2009 Fiesta, we knew that turning over the reins to our fans was a natural thing to do. We know that we must never take our eyes off of the importance of creating a quality product, and that when we deliver on that promise, the reaction that we get from consumers is well worth the effort.
Given what you’ve learned from campaigns past, how has your approach to engagement through social media changed?
I can’t really say all that much has changed. Our core principles remain the same: create engaging content, speak like the customer, allow them to speak, and above all, listen. It’s just that the scale on which we do it now is more intense and broad than ever before. And fundamentally, it’s about the human touch: making it clear that there are real people – just like you – who work for Ford or who drive Fords, and that by forging relationships over time, we begin to regain the trust that had been lost.
What do you see in the future for social media as it relates to the automotive industry and for Ford?
It’s tough to say. If I really knew, I’d be a venture capitalist. I think the great opportunity that lies ahead of us is how we bring social beyond a communications and marketing practice and begin to weave it into all areas of the business. We’ll be expected to glide more easily between departments, relying on relationships, knowledge sharing and cloud-based systems, and we’ll have the potential of having a 360-degree view of the customer, from her interaction with Ford to hear public social network updates, to give us a better sense of the customer.
It’s been over six years since Ford’s many agencies consolidated into the Team Detroit megaforce -—from the brand side, how do you feel that consolidation has improved the workflow for Ford and your social team in particular?
It’s refreshing to have a single shop to be able to coordinate with. The efficiencies we’ve seen have allowed us to think about other ways to direct our spending. And when you also consider that WPP’s Social@Ogilvy is our corporate social agency, there’s another aspect there as well. The ability to have the expertise of PR, marketing and social agencies together under one company means that there are checks and balances that work within the system as well.
What can our attendees expect to see from Ford this SMW NYC?
We’re very excited to be back in New York – the city in which we kicked off the Fiesta Movement in 2009, where we revealed the Explorer in 2010 (on a huge mound of dirt in front of Macy’s), and where this summer in Times Square announced the 47 mpg city/highway/combined (EPA estimate) for the 2013 Fusion Hybrid. We’ll be recapping some of our successes and offering lessons for anyone to take away, but also expect to hear a very special announcement that’s perfectly scripted for the SMW crowd.
What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now, as it relates to the automotive industry?
I don’t think it’s only specific to automotive, but it’s something that concerns all of us, and that is mobile. After all, we make the ultimate in mobile devices. 😉
The potential that exists within the mobile market – and I’m not talking about apps or mobile-enabled websites – but the personalization that’s possible when consumers allow us to discover information about them and allow us to communicate directly to them on that small screen. The challenge for marketers is how we can continue to retain the trust that we’ve built and not squander it with activities in mobile that we might do just because we can.
This year, our global theme is “Open & Connected: Principles for a Collaborative World.” How does Ford embody or support this idea?
One of the recent announcements that we’re very proud of is the opening of our SYNC AppLink API to the public. At http://developer.ford.com, anyone can get access to our system and begin to design mobile apps for the phone that will integrate with our vehicles. We’re offering engineering support and will even allow people to use the “SYNC in a box” if they don’t have a Ford vehicle to test on. We’ve been innovating for nearly 110 years, and this is the latest development, where we realize that we don’t have a monopoly on good ideas but need to rely on the creativity and efforts that collaboration allows us to do.
Social networking sites are now central to Ford’s customer service. Can you tell us how your team uses social and digital media, the effects social media has had on your CRM, and how you’re measuring your successes?
Our customer service team has a dedicated cadre of social and digital team members who are monitoring our social sites as well as enthusiast forums and consumer issues sites every day. They look for people who may need help and bring them into the system to track them specifically. They’ve been tracking volume handled, cases successfully completed and satisfaction rate. That last metric is one of the most important and one of the most impressive; the latest statistics show that our team has a 92% satisfaction rate from customers they’ve handled, which is even greater than our traditional call center.
In addition, since they perform many of their initial duties in the public eye (rather than behind the scenes as a traditional call center), the added benefit is that the public gets to witness the interaction between the customer service rep and the customer, which only boosts our reputation more.
What is one thing you’d like to imagine yourself doing in 2015?
If they’ll still have me, it would be an honor to continue to serve Ford in some leadership capacity. What that looks like in 2015 will be the result of our entire team’s hard work, the advance of social beyond marketing and communications, and the continued support from the executive leadership team.
