Social Media Monitoring Project - Final

Social Media Monitoring Project Final

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Skullcandy, headphones… they have a pretty strong web presence, but they didn’t when they had issues in the past – so their story is one to look back on and learn from – which it looks like they did.

As we will see, their practice of a free rebate on their warranted products wasn’t enough for today’s consumer driven world. Yes, it’s a great policy and shows their commitment, but customers still needed to feel catered to and listened to, online.

- Day I was putting the final together, they launched a new advertising campaign, so that turned my project in an unexpected direction. I’ll talk more about their target audiences later, but this is their new campaign – models in swimsuits… and oh! Skullcandy headphones, which you barely notice.

- Skullcandy’s online marketing campaign previously only targeted their extreme, sports-enthused, athletic audience - which is male dominated. They still sponsor athletes who ski, snowboard, and skateboard and promote their products through these endorsements.

- Judging by the reaction online, they did a fairly good job of pushing this new campaign. Stats the day it started were high, and it prompted a spike in web activity according to Social Mention and Compete.com

- While this may have been in some ways a successful advertising campaign, it is not in line with what I suggest to the company. Their previously marketed to demographic was almost exclusively male.

- Their quality headphones could really be sold to anyone who appreciates music. Skullcandy should focus more on crossing groups than focusing on one target. TARGET women, hipsters, and DJs. These three categories alone would yield some great benefits. Hipsters and DJs are notoriously “into music” and already buy large, noticeable headphones. Skullcandy should be smart and target this audience that is already willing to spend the extra money for this specialty product.

- According to TwitAnalyzer.com, Skullcandy’s demographic is only 55% male, and this may have been brought on by their male-centric advertisements.

Twitter – good reactions. Most astatically pleasing page – after noticing how some companies synch their various web interfaces, I think SK should too, to give customers a wholly fluid and comfortable experience

Facebook – same as Twitter – using is now to reply to customers and get them excited about products. – contests – replies to concerns

Flickr – looked into it because their product is very image based – tweets indicated that people enjoy being seen using them. Groundswell shows that there is a desire to show this in images - I think Skullcandy (either through Flickr or Facebook) should start a campaign to promote people being seen using their products. Have a weekly contest to get people to post photos using the products and where they like listening to music.

The Blogosphere

Here’s whers Skullcandy has been lacking primarily. In the past, they were worse off – they had no real web presence besides their website, and no one-on-one interface with customers. Now, customers get replies via Facebook, Twitter, and their website’s message boards, but almost a year ago, when Skullcandy’s website was experiencing issues in allowing customers to get their warrantee rebates, customers were furious, and the best way for them to speak out about it was through the Blogosphere.

Happy Ending

A year after the problematic last of customer service and website issues, it looks like Skullcandy finally learned their lesson – that a good warranty and product-based customer catering just isn’t enough anymore. While that practice helped them get a good reputation and word of mouth publicity, their revamped web-based consumer outreach and engagement is what they’re putting their efforts into now.

This article explains how Skullcandy has put the things we learned in Groundswell to the test. They are letting their customers speak for them, showing their trust, engagement, and consideration for the individuals they serve. Online chat is now available, and other customers are at the reigns.

An Active Consumer

After doing our mid-semester social media monitoring projects, Groundswell makes even more sense. Once you take a look at how important social media is in creating a company and defining its objectives and actions, you realize how much of a role the active consumer plays in any company in the 21st century.

Chapters 11 and 12 discuss connection and transforming through the groundswell, as well as what happens to a company after the groundswell is acknowledged and given a chance to thrive and steer the decision making.

In my social media monitoring project, I focused on a company that has a particularly intense interest in its groundswell. Skullcandy replaces broken products for its customers with no questions asked; this is a specific example of how the active consumer, social media, and the company's actions are online reputation have all come together; Skullcandy prides itself on its policy to please the customer, and the groundswell echoes this sentiment. Customers are proud to choose a company that chooses them. It's a positive feedback loop, and everyone plays a part.

In Chapter 11 of Groundswell, Unilever and Dell are given as two examples of companies that let their market lead their decisions. Unilever's example is one we're all familiar with; their campaign was incredibly popular, and it's obvious that they used the idea of what the groundswell wanted to motivate their ads.

The Dove ads are particularly interesting to me. A company that sells makeup, creams to fix your skin, and all sorts of beauty enhancers has somehow managed to use the antithesis of their products to sell their products. It's brilliant, when you think about it. By giving the illusion that they support "real beauty" and an un-Photoshopped model, they win. While the customer-oriented aspect of their campaign was the focus of the book's discussion of Unilever, I can't help but touch on their brilliantly ironic marketing. When it comes down to it, they want to make money, but they know that in order to do that, they must appeal to their audience and use them to make their decisions. They had to loosen their control to come out on top.

The Dell example was great. The individual's emails to the company were such a real example of why customer support matters. Jeff's descent into "Dell hell" as the book calls it, and his mention of the new "seller beware" attitude show how strong the groundswell can be. Thanks to Dell's

decision to let this push their new social strategy, they survived this negative response. Without listen to the groundswell and incorporating them into their marketing, Dell would not have fared so well.

Similarly, Skullycandy's recent decision to have online live service for its customers will probably help quell the discontent over frequently broken headphones. Although Skullcandy already has a very awesome policy in place to please customers with product issues, customers will still have to put out the effort to retrieve the replacement product. With online customer support, perhaps they will be more complacent when these issues arise.

One of the examples in Chapter 12 perplexed me. The Best Buy Blue Shirt Nation anecdote is so ideal. Every employer wants someone like the person they profiled, but how often -- especially at a low-paying retail sale associate job - does this happen? Having worked at the bottom of the totem pole at a poorly paying job, it was constantly a struggle to provide good service with the idea in the back of my head that nothing would ever change the fact that I didn't matter to the store's owner; no one there did. While groundswell and customer service are paramount, it cannot be overlooked at a supportive infrastructure of business associates is also necessary.

Midpoint Social Media Monitoring Project

I chose my company based on my own personal experience with their products and their customer service. The company that I decided to profile is Skullcandy. They manufacture high quality headphones. The company was founded in 2003 and has a long history of being uniquely dedicated to their customers. The company’s policy of a free, no questions, 100% refund on broken or damaged products has earned it a good review as far as most customers are concerned.

As a Skullcandy customer, I can attest to the brand’s desire to please customers and deliver a good product. While some clients have questioned the quality and durability of the product, Skullcandy markets itself to an active individual… which is really ironic because unfortunately, their products break pretty often.

Although their demographic widely covers anyone who has a particular interest in music and good sound quality, Skullcandy specifically markets itself to sports enthusiasts and those interested in living an active lifestyle. The brand sponsors professional athletes and offers a line of headphones with professional sport team logos. They commonly market their brand at extreme sporting events, but can also be purchased at various retailers and online.

An example of some of the stats on Skullcandy. Provided by SocialMention.com

Examples of the related material: Flickr photos, Twitter posts, and Wordpress feeds.

They have great web presence: Twitter, website, Facebook, etc. Highly updated and are constantly trying to reach out to customers and create a sense of community.

Here are some examples of my findings:

2/9/12

First glimpse:

Users enjoy sharing that they got Skullcandy headphones. It’s cool and shows they’re into music, but there are issues.

Lots of word-of-mouth engagement.

Problems:

Twitter: “SkullCandy headphones died already. Not even 3months old. This has put me in a bad mood!!”

“Back to my broken @Skullcandy's … #musicismylife”

Graph of their hourly Tweets

2/22/12

Same issues:

People enjoy posting on Facebook and Twitter about getting them and receiving them in the mail. They’re excited, but then later post about having malfunctions with the product. “So pretty much.. Skullcandy's are the shitt! until they break.. and they ALWAYS break right at the plug in thing.. hahah, like if you agree”

Users are also having problems cashing in their points to purchase their new headphone – new online system needs work?

But customers are still excited to flaunt the product: “Bought my skullcandy

headphones today everybody hatin :p hahaha” and “Thanks Skullcandy for the SWAG”

3/12/12

Blogger talks about how Skullcandy is increasing its customer service with live chat.

In conclusion, Skullcandy’s decision to unquestionably fix its customers’ broken headphones was a good decision and shows how customer service means everything. If they broke as often as they do, although Skullcandy makes the best earbuds I’ve ever listened to, they probably wouldn’t be in business today. I’ve been using them since freshman year, and have gone through more pairs than I can remember, but to have them free and such good quality, it’s worth it.

A graph of Skullcandy's web use

The goal for Skullcandy should be to acknowledge that some of the lower end models do break occasionally and to supply better service online. When users struggle to get their rebate that they feel they already deserve, this creates a lot of frustration. They should also market to another branch of consumers – the hipster. Hipsters love music you’ve never heard of and love wearing huge headphones. Skullcandy could really benefit by tapping into this market.

The Internet Echo Chamber

Since the beginning of the year, a Catholic blog has been bashing Clark and The Scarlet for various reasons,
all relating to the general opinion of the author concerning homosexual agendas, a growing secular-minded nature of higher institutions, and the belief that christianophobia is rampant therein.

The blog, La Salette Journey has singled out figures such as Dean of students Denise Darrigrand, Professor Abbie Goldberg, and Professor Debórah Dwork for various reasons. The author, Paul Melanson, has also called attention to a "Christianophobic" atmosphere on campus and recently has questioned the causal relation between last week's sexual assault and the Vagina Monologues, which were preformed in the same time period (see article here).

Before the more recent articles, The Scarlet published an opinions article in response to Melanson's pieces questioning the atmosphere here as welcoming and nondiscriminatory (see article here).

This seemed ridiculous to every student I spoke to. How could someone think this? It appears that the author has no tie to Clark and has never visited the campus. The article went online, and La Salette Journey latched on. Since, the blog has rehashed the same opinions in response to our article and has recently discussed one writer's review of The Vagina Monologues.

Melanson at La Salette Journey writes: "Jeremy's review of The Vagina Monologues is so disturbing that it reads like the transcript of a serial rapist who is fixated on women's vaginas..." I can assure you Jeremy is the antithesis of this. He's awesome.

Between these two periods of time, comments on our article piled up. According to comments there and across the Web, Paul Melanson is creating an echo chamber and using fake accounts to mirror is own opinions; the comments on his blog are his.

Having not checked the IP addresses myself, I can't verify this, but having studied this particular situation, it's totally believable.

This brings me to the topic of this post: how the internet can become an echo chamber.

As seen in this case, it's completely feasible 1) that someone can post slanderous harassment online at their will 2) that one can anonymously hide and change character behind a screen and 3) that those with strong views and opinions never have to leave their comfort zone.

The internet is a very mixed place, and with a little Googling, you can find people who agree or disagree wholeheartedly with what you're saying. But when users are only interested in

staying in one position or anonymously "trolling," things get messy.

Trolling is internet slang for an individual who is trying to get a rise out of someone and cause a desired reaction. Melanson may have different reasons for latching onto Clark (and other groups and institutions in the past), but it appears that he is only using the negative and aggressive

tactic of trolling to further his views and garner visits to his blog.

Blogs are a prime example of how much people love to hear themselves talk, and likewise, hear those who agree with them.

He'll probably find this, too. Who knows, my name may be in the next blog post. But as the old adage goes, "There is no such thing as bad publicity." Thanks, La Salette Journey for giving us such entertaining stuff to read... but try to be kind about it. I'm sure Darrigrand would appreciate it.

If you build it, they will post

This week's readings made me really think about how interesting online involvement can be. There is no physical presence, no visible organization, but behind the screens and keyboards is a world of people all desiring to share and link information about things and to one another. The groundswell is a powerful force that just needs a structure to fill. If you build it, they will post.

In our book's example of Mass General Hospital's communication system in place, we see a need in the community. Those who are at the hospital were in need of this manner of communication. Someone realized this, a structure was implemented, and the groundswell took over. CarePages obviously filled a need in that community.

This taps into the power of Web 2.0. Everyone wants to share and disseminate information about themselves, things they like, or anything else. In specialized cased like that of MGH, patients and families needed a space to communicate and share information.

Groundswell explains that when you enable a group to use something they need, they will. The social nature of the web and CarePages shows the innate desire to connect; patients needed a different venue.

The same can be said other internet phenomenons. When chat rooms were being used by internet users, they used them to fill whatever needs they had - be it a desire to meet strangers or get IT help. Forums have also served this purpose, as well as filled the desire for individuals to group together and discuss a central topic. Fans of bands, television shows, activities, or sports teams can now access an online community for information or discussion.

As the book tells us, this online tool and community atmosphere is not only beneficial to the users; it is also gives the company or organization behind the tool a better understanding of what their target audience desires. This will also give you better insight into expanding and planning your company and product, or using the groundswell. It is a mutually beneficial situation. As we've discussed in class, it is all about working for the customer while making the customers work for you. Customers want to feel empowered, have choice, and feel like they are getting the most out of their experience. If your company is interacting with them in a useful manner, customers will feel validated and important and want to stay with what they are using. They will feel like they are a part of the organization. The groundswell is a powerful force, but it's not a one-way street. But to get to this point, you must know what the groundswell needs.

I thought LinkedIn's use of mapping was very interesting and shows how the growth of a social network can really take off, if the desire is there.

The dreaded technology loop

Things are often different in theory and in practice. In theory, being plugged into the World Wide Web and its myriad way of communicating seems like a good idea. Smart phone? Definitely. An iPad? Sure, throw that in your suitcase too.

Checking your blog, email, other email, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets becomes habitual. Having multiple tabs in a web browser seems necessary now that the Internet has been around for a while, and occasionally, I'll have multiple pages with other tabs. Word processing docs pile up, and before I know it, I haven't seen my desktop in days.

Flights used to be a bore, but once I've gotten my iPod, my laptop, a movie and/or book in my hands, filling those hours is no problem.

But all of these different branches of communication and social media have come with a price, and I think IFC's latest hit, Portlandia, has hit the nail on the head:

I'm definitely in a technology loop. It's part of the reason I've resisted getting a smart phone. I don't think I could handle one more gadget or being connected all the time. As it is, I already feel like I'm sucked into the digital world more often than not.

Like Fred Armisten's character in the video, I feel that it's all too easy to get wrapped up in the maddening digital world. Everything is available all the time instantaneously; we're the ones who can't keep up usually, not computers.

All this information doesn’t seem excessive until I notice just how much is on my plate. And I wonder why I have trouble concentrating in the age of information…

Carrie Brownstein's answer - MindFi - is hilarious... until you start to think of it as a real possibility. And of course, the advertising joke is also funny, but frighteningly close to home. It's already everywhere. How much longer until we're even more plugged in?

The "POST" Strategy

"It's not technology for its own sake."

...words from our Social Media and Marketing Communication professor, Julie Frechette. As we discussed practices in forming a sound business and likable practices, this became evident; it doesn't matter what flashy tools you're using to garner web traffic if your foundation is not highlighting the principles that consumers value. Practices of transparency and porosity keep these in check.

In Groundswell, the authors cover "Strategies for Tapping the Groundswell" in chapter four. In this chapter, they explain the POST method - People, Objectives, Strategies, and Technology, and how your model can fail if you cater to technology first.

An anecdote opens the chapter. A client, whose business is competing with Sears has noticed their online community and asks for advice on starting on of his own. "What's your objective?" they ask him. He replies that since Sears has done this model, that they should follow suit. This, the authors claim, is definitely the wrong reason. Indeed, it's not the technology you have, but your market, that matters. Companies know they need to get involved in this digital world, but aren't sure how, and are missing the big issue.

The book's POST method underscores the problems with this mentality.

"The problem with... so many of our clients is that they're going about their strategy backward. They start by thinking about technology. But technology is shifting so quickly--chasing it is like trying to jump on a speeding merry-go-round."

The authors note that asking what your customers are ready for is your first step, which makes perfect sense; the whole game is knowing your audience. In the anecdote above, the client was more concerned with his competition than his own audience. Knowing how to cater your goods and services to your audience is paramount in achieving success and feedback.

The next step is realizing your objective. As with any task, meaningfulness is the foundation. Without knowing your goals, it's impossible to get what you want. This step, and the next - Strategy - will help you to achieve a desired effect. Know what you want from your target audience and what you want from your efforts.

Last, but not least, is where Technology comes in. Only after answering the previous questions about your endeavors will you be able to best use the technology at your disposal. The more clarity and information you gather beforehand, the better your chances of using the groundswell.

To go back to our professor's words in class, using technology for the sole purpose of using it is blind; you need to know who your audience is and what you want to do with it before using it.

Digging up the Underground: Social Media and Counterculture

If there’s one thing social media has succeeded in doing, it’s diminishing the spaces between us and the space between us and knowledge. The digital age and our newfound digital interactions have become a springboard into a new, hyper-awareness. While it’s arguably a good thing to be a more informed citizen (as one of the tenants of a healthy democracy), there are other implications. How is it changing how we interact? How is it affecting our culture? And how is it morphing what used to be a hidden sector of society?

One of my flat mates and I were sitting around our kitchen the other night, cooking and doing what usually happens to the idle-minded: Facebooking. Yes, I’m going to condone the use of that word as a verb for the time being. After a while, she noticed that a bunch of her friends were attending an event – a small show at a little known venue back home. This prompted the question: how did people find out about things before the internet? Communication is nowhere near what it once was.

Before we all became so attached to this cyber snare of communication and information that we now know as the World Wide Web, events like concerts and small shows were only heard about through traditional word of mouth. Sure, flyers help, too, but for the most part, if you didn’t hear about it, you didn’t know about it. The underground music scene really was very secretive.

With the addition of Facebook’s Events application and further with the addition of things like foursquare and “check-ins” everyone knows where everyone is all the time. It’s weird. This translates to there being far less privacy (and let’s not forget to mention that we’re all willingly giving up our privacy when using the social networking site). Underground shows are now inviting people to attend via Facebook. Raves and places like the Firehouse in Worcester are now “likable.” Everyone is now so much more aware.

Underground music is all much easier to access now. With FTPs and torrent sites hosting little known artists, anyone can become immediately acquainted with small bands from around the world. Variables of time and place aren’t factors anymore; you can be anywhere and hear music that was made years ago and miles away.

With the internet has come a very jarring change to counterculture and the underground. Simply put, I don’t think there is an underground anymore.