I've been thinking about how social media works. For example, applying game mechanics to understand participation, thinking about users vs. customers, and deconstructing ego traps in PR campaigns. This analysis makes me wonder if social media marketing matters and if so, does it scale.
I thought you might benefit from some of my background research on these topics. And I'd appreciate your help in curating this list by providing more details and submitting additional cases.
>> Last update: 3 September 2008
>> Total brands: 123
Examples of companies using and being used by social media marketing:
- Adobe. Tagging: Delicious account used to bookmark primarily tutorials.2
- Acura. Social networks: Facebook Acura TSX Connect fan page. Widgets: Acura RDX Traffic on Yahoo.
- Acuvue. Social networks: Facebook "Wink" application.3
- Adidas. Social networks: adidas soccer on myspace; 70% of ROI driven by pass-along, aka "never-ending friending."
- Animal Planet. Widgets: Killer Clips widget on Yahoo.
- Annie's Homegrown. Blogging: Bernie's Blog (offline).4
- AOL. Blogging: Vincent Ferrari tries to cancel his account.1
- Apple. Blogging: iPod's dirty little secret.1 Social networks: Apple Students group on Facebook.
- ArcelorMittal. Virtual worlds: Second Life presence.3
- Austin Ventures. Social networks: Facebook page.
- Bank of America. Online video: Managers sing at a corporate meeting.
- Best Buy. Social networks: Created Blue Shirt Nation to allow retail employees to support each other. Widgets: Desktop Planner widget and Sarah Moulton Recipe Reminder on Yahoo.
- Blendtec. Online video: YouTube channel has almost 100,000 subscribers and over 2.2 million views, helps sell B2B products to a consumer base.
- Best Western. Blogging: On the Go with Amy travel blog focuses on travel with kids.2
- BMW. Social networks: Facebook 1-Series Road Trip application.
- Bon Appétit Magazine. Social networks: Facebook page.
- British Airways. Microblogging: Twitter account.5
- Carnival Cruise Lines. Social networks: Carnival Connections community.3
- Charles Schwab. Social networks: Money and More community with Communispace increased Gen X customer base 32% year/year.3
- Chevrolet. Crowdsourcing: Super Bowl 2007 ad contest. Social networks: Aveo Livin' Large Campus Challenge generated 217 million audience impressions.3
- Chevron. Blogging: Event blog during the World Petroleum Congress.
- Cisco. Blogging: Twelve corporate blogs.2
- Coca-Cola:
- Comcast:
- Conde Nast Traveler. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Crest. Social networks: Facebook page.
- Del Monte. Brand monitoring: Used JD Power/Umbria to listen to conversations from dog owners. Social networks: Created a virtual private community called I Love My Dog (offline) to support R&D efforts.
- Dell:
- Blogging: Direct2Dell generates 3.5 million pages views/month.3 Dell Hell. Osaka flaming laptop.
- Brand Monitoring: Uses conversation monitoring from Visible Technologies.
- Crowdsourcing: Ideastorm allows users to suggest and vote on ideas, has generated 9,800+ ideas. Employee storm, internal idea community has generated over 2,700 ideas.3
- Microblogging: 22 corporate accounts on Twitter, as well as 17+ individuals using "[Name]AtDell" handles
- Virtual Worlds: Second Life island.2
- Delta Air Lines:
- Domino Magazine. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Doritos. Crowdsourcing: Consumer-generated Super Bowl ads.
- Dove. Online video: dove evolution video on YouTube has generated over 7 million views.
- eBay. Wikis: Broadly focused community wiki (now closed).
- Electronic Arts. Online video: Integration of YouTube videos into the upcoming Spore video game.
- Ernst & Young. Social networks: Careers page on Facebook.
- ExxonMobil. Microblogging: "Janet" was a fake Twitter account.1
- Fidelity Investments:
- Fiskars. Blogging: Fisk-A-Teers blog.4 Social networks: Fisk-A-Teers brand ambassador program.3
- Ford:
- Forrester Research:
- FujiFilm. Social networks: Z Spot Now for its Z20fd camera on Ning.2
- General Motors. Blogging: Seven corporate blogs.
- Gourmet Magazine. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- GSK. Social networks: myAlli weight loss community.3
- H&M. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- H&R Block. Microblogging: Twitter account with almost 600 followers. Social networks: Facebook fan page with almost 1,000 fans.2
- Harley-Davidson. Blogging: Museum blog.
- Hewlett-Packard. Blogging: 55 corporate blogs. Microblogging: Twitter account used for promotions at BlogHer 2008.2
- HomeGoods. Blogging: Openhouse blog, written by four customers, unpaid.4
- Honda. Widgets: Honda Fit Top Videos widget on Yahoo.
- HSBC. Social networks: Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip-Off on Facebook. The HSBC Business Network for entrepreneurs.2
- IBM.
- Ikea. Blogging: Blogger relations with Jen Segrest of OHIkea, creator of "Saint Tokig" and forced to change her blog name to "FlatPack Ohio."
- innocent drinks. Photo sharing: Flickr pool for the big knit. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Intel. Social networks: Intel Software Network Communities.2
- Intuit:
- JCPenney. Online video: Fake teen sex ad.1
- Jeep:
- JetBlue.
- Johnson & Johnson.
- Kleenex. Blogging: Let It Out blog.4 Social Networks: Let It Out community.
- Kodak. Blogging: Hired a "Chief Blogger." A Thousand Words blog. PluggedIn blog. Microblogging: Chief Blogger.
- Kryptonite. Blogging: Lock picking secrets revealed.1
- Lenovo. Blogging: Voices of the Olympic Games, with assistance from Ogilvy.2 Personal blog of David Churbuck, VP of global web marketing.
- Loblaws. Ratings and reviews: Incorporated user-generated content into promotional materials to generate lift, using Bazaarvoice.
- Lucky Magazine. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Marriott. Blogging: CEO blog.
- McDonalds.
- Men's Vogue Magazine. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Microsoft. Social networks: Channel 9 developer community.
- Molson. Social networks: "No. 1 Party School in Canada" contest on Facebook backfires. Or did it?
- Monster. Widgets: Monster jobs widget on Apple.
- Motorola. Wikis: MOTO Q Wiki with how-tos on using the phone.
- National Geographic. Virtual worlds: LA Hard Hats virtual construction site.2
- NBA. Widgets: 2008 All-Star Ballot widget on Yahoo.
- NetShops. Ratings and Reviews from PowerReviews increased sales 26%.3
- Nike.
- Nikon. Blogging: Marketing blogger outreach campaign. Picturetown outreach campaign.
- Nintendo. Online video: YouTube girlfriend on Wii Fit video.
- Pampers. Blogging: Mommy blogger event.
- Patagonia. Blogging: The Cleanest Line.
- Pfizer. Widgets: Frame-Your-Horse widget on Yahoo.
- Progressive Insurance. Widgets: Progressive Traffic widget on Yahoo.
- PUMA. Blogging: Fake ad controversy. Social networks: Facebook Usain Bolt application.
- Purina. Widgets: Yesterday's News on Yahoo.
- Reebok. Social networks: Run Easy community. Facebook fan page.
- Rubbermaid. Blogging: Adventures in Organization blog.3
- Salesforce.com. Crowdsourcing: IdeaExchange has generated 8,300+ ideas.3
- SELF Magazine. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Seventeen Magazine. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Siemens. Widgets: NCAA basketball widget on Yahoo.
- Sonic Drive-In. Widgets: Gift List Manager widget on Yahoo.
- Sony Electronics. Blogging: Sony Electronics blog. Fake PSP blog in 2006.
- Southwest Airlines.
- Sun Microsystems. Blogging: 4,600+ Sun-related blogs.
- Starbucks. Crowdsourcing: My Starbucks Idea.
- Starwood Hotels. Blogging: The Lobby.
- Stormhoek:
- Target:
- Teen Vogue. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- The Economist. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- The New York Times:
- The New Yorker. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- The Nielsen Company. Social networks: Hey! Nielsen media commentary community.
- The Wall Street Journal. Blogs: 40+ content blogs. Microblogging: Twitter account.
- The Weather Channel. Widgets: The Weather Channel Mac widget on Apple.
- Toyota Motor Company:
- Turkey Hill. Blogging: Ice Cream Journal.4
- Vanity Fair. Blogging: Five corporate blogs. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Verizon. Brand monitoring: Using JD Power/Umbria to listen.3
- Victoria's Secret. Social networks: PINK fan page on Facebook.
- Virgin America. Microblogging: Twitter account.5
- Visa. Social networks: Visa Business Network application on Facebook.2
- W Magazine. Social networks: Facebook fan page.
- Wal-Mart. Blogging: Check Out, a blog written by buyers. Walmarting Across America. Working Families For Walmart? Social networks: Facebook Roommate Style Match application. The Hub.
- Wear-Dated Carpet. Blogging: The Carpetology Blog.3
- Wells Fargo. Blogging: Four corporate blogs. Virtual worlds: Stagecoach Island.
- Whirlpool. Podcasting: Developed and sponsors The American Family.
- Whole Foods. Blogging: Whole Story blog. Microblogging: Twitter account.5
- WWE. Social networks: Facebook application.2 Widgets: Fan Nation News widget on Yahoo.
- Xerox. Blogging: 11 corporate blogs.2
- Yum! Brands. Online video: vermin issues.1
- Zappos. Blogging: 13 corporate blogs. Multiple. Microblogging: Multiple Twitter accounts, including CEO Tony Hsieh.2
[Notice anything missing? Leave a link and description in the comments below. I'll add to the main list on a periodic basis.]
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1 Jeremiah Owyang's A Chronology of Brands that Got Punk'd by Social Media
2 Mashable's 35+ Examples of Corporate Social Media in Action
3 Forrester's Groundswell Awards, 2007 and 2008
4 Mack Collier's Company Blog Checkup Series
5 Social Brand Index - Twitter
