Samsung Mobile: Social Media Monitoring 1

Currently the best-selling phone brand, Samsung has innovated and revolutionized the way we look at smartphones. Often looked at as the predecessor for the brilliant ideas that are applied to many smartphones (i.e. the large screened phones), Samsung continues to provide the market with the most sophisticated cellular devices through the Galaxy series. 

About

Lee Byung-chul of South Korea created Samsung in 1938 as a trading company for simple goods like dried fish and flour that moved on to other businesses throughout the 50's and 60's such as life insurance and textiles. Samsung Electronics, which is currently the world's largest information technology company) was created in 1969, initially producing televisions and moving on to PCs, VCRs and tape recorders. By the 80's, Samsung Electronics were shipped to North America and by the 90's mobile phones were making their mark in the mobile phone industry. Since 2010, Samsung has been releasing their trademark Galaxy smartphones that all run under the Android operating system. 

Presence on Social Media 

Being that Samsung is the most recognizable brand in electronics, it comes as no surprise that this company has a strong presence on social media, being on every social media site including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Typing "Samsung" on the search bar on Facebook will get you multiple page results, including "Samsung Mobile" and "Samsung Mobile USA".  Samsung Mobile, which has over 40 million likes, concentrates on the promotion of their mobile products with detailed pictures and intricate videos. 

Samsung Mobile USA, which has over 27 million followers, promotes their products with more intriguing and perople-related pictures of their products like these:

What's also great about the Samsung Mobile USA Facebook page is the customer service that it offers to its followers. This page will respond to just about any feedback, wether positive or negative, about their products with the best help that the com pay can provide. 

Their Twitter presence is similar to that of Facebook. Samsung has multiple twitter accounts, including the official account @samsungtweets, @samsungmobileus, and the support twitter @samsungsupport. These accounts offer the same things that the Facebook pages offer, such as the pictures and videos. But the twitter accounts are more frequent in giving feedback to the people who post questions or comments to them, since people are more likely to post on twitter. 

The Instagram accounts of Samsung serve the same purpose as the Twitter and Facebook accounts but they specifically show through pictures and videos what is new for the Galaxy and their other products, often using the same pictures as the Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. The Instagram accounts include Samsung Mobile USA, Samsung USA, and Samsung Mobile. 

Social Mention 

This website searches any term and sees how much it is mentioned within blog sites, social media sites, an various other sites. With the numbers constantly changing, these numbers are indicating that the Samsung Galaxy is still relevant, especially with the Galaxy S6 coming out soon.

In case you're wondering, here are the definitions of the terms used in Social Mention;

Strength- the likelihood your brand is being discussed on social media 
Sentiment- the ratio of mentions that are generally positive to those that are generally negative
Passion- a measure of the likelihood that individuals talking about your brand will do so repeatedly 
Reach- a measure of the range of influence

According to this graph from Google Trends, Samsung Galaxy has had a good position on Google's searches, showing the interest that people have had on it since the word of the first Galaxy went out back in 2009. The spikes that come after 2012 most likely indicate the popularity of Samsung due to a new phone coming out. 

IceRocket is a website that can be used to see how much of an impact the search topic has on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, or all three. This graph shows the Daily Blogs Citation trend of the Samsung Galaxy from January 25th to February 22nd. The amount of increases and drops for blog posts seem about the same considering the new Galaxy products coming out like the S6. And most likely because of this upcoming release, there are an average of 634 posts about the Samsung Galaxy per day.

With its long success in products, Samsung has also been with the program when it comes to social media and maintaing an online presence. Even though they are the innovators of mobile phones as mentioned previously, what I would suggest them doing is coming up with campaigns that will not only spread awareness of the brand but will energize their loyal customers to spread awareness of the brand. This includes campaigns that include the customers. There is never enough exposure on social media, which means that even a brand that is at the top must always continue to push the market with innovative ideas through media campaigns and advertisement to stay on top. For this reason, I feel like the mobile phones provided by Samsung will stay on top. 


http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/mobility/300072681/the-five-best-selling-smartphone-brands-of-the-first-quarter.htm/pgno/0/5
http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-samsung-2013-2?op=1

Dodge: 100 Years

For those who watched the Super Bowl on February 1st, how awesome was that last-minute win? Before I get into talking about the game, I also want to note out the obvious fact that what was just as entertaining as the game were the commercials. Being that the Super Bowl ads are a crucial part of this event, this year proved no different.

It was really cool to see Walter White back on TV, Liam Neeson get angry on some online gamers, and Pierce Brosnan be offered the "perfect getaway" by a movie executive (I still don't know what Kim Kardashian was doing). The commercial that stuck out to me the most though was the commercial that Dodge released for their 100th anniversary. If you are not familiar with it, here it is:

When I was in my Social Media Marketing & Communication class this past Wednesday, we reviewed the marketing tactics of several brands, including those of L.L. Bean in their "100 Year" commercial. This commercial uses elements like nostalgia and product reliability to not only promote the brand, but to point out that these products have survived whatever obstacle was thrown at them and prevailed at the top of their class for a century. The Dodge commercial aims at using theses same tactics for their commercial. 

The commercial contains centenarians (people that are 100 or more years old) dropping some wisdom. As simple as it sounds, wisdom is a valuable thing that we all hope to achieve through life experiences and to me the most credible knowledge; and who is more full of wisdom than the elderly? 

The icing on the cake is that the wisdom that these elderlies are sharing are to live life to it's fullest extent. They tell us to do things like "put the pedal to the metal", "live fast", "don't bitch", and "never ever forget where you came from". Having an elderly person tell you to grab life by the horns is not really expected, but for that reason it works very well for this commercial. 

This tactic of promoting is effective in having present Dodge owners feel a sense of satisfaction for contributing to the history and success of this brand and also ensure their loyalty to the brand. Also, this specific commercial will convince newcomers that Dodge has been, still is, and will always will be the brand that one can rely on and has the wisdom of 100 years to prove it. Having this commercial be broadcasted at any other time wouldn't have done much for the brand, but because it played during a huge event like the Super Bowl, the majority of America got to see it and form their opinions (wether they like Dodge or not). With 15 million hits on YouTube and counting, this commercial is sure to go down in history as one of the most memorable commercials of the Super Bowl. 

Starbucks and the Groundswell

Whenever we go into Starbuck, we feel more relaxed. I find myself going into Starbucks whenever it's nearby and whenever I want a specific beverage. As opposed to Dunkin Donuts' "on-the-go" vibe, the dark lighting and the contemporary music serve the customer a lounging mood that creates a coffeehouse atmosphere and makes them just want to relax with their coffee instead of go out and about. For me, the many variety of beverages and their names give me the feeling that I'm drinking the best-quality drink around, being pricey and all. Overall, Starbucks gives people relaxation and a sense that they can accomplish whatever work they have to do and feel relaxed (like I am right now as I type this blog post and drink my hot Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino).

One thing that makes Starbucks stand out to me is that the baristas cater to their customers. Another thing is that Starbucks has such a loyal following on social media, wether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Their desire to "embrace the groundswell", as Li and Bernoff state in Groundswell, allows their customers to become an integral part of the way they innovate and improve overall (pg.  183).

Both the Facebook (38 million likes) and Instagram (3.7 million followers) accounts of Starbucks offer store updates, visually captivating pictures of their products and freedom for their customers to give out feedback (positive or negative). On Facebook, Starbucks can actually reply back to anyone who leaves a post on their wall, wether it be a compliment or a complaint. On Facebook, Starbucks can actually reply back to anyone who leaves a post on their wall, wether it be a compliment or a complaint. All compliments are praised and shared to spread good reputation and all complaints are read and responded with the best customer service. For example:

Even through nasty comments (all companies will have negative comments), it is important for the company to do their best to assist the customer in every way possible. This ensures that the company is trustworthy as is Starbucks.

Their twitter +Starbucks Coffee , which is 7.2 million followers strong, is where the company keeps a live presence that keeps the people on the go informed and gets them thinking about their brand with updates, pictures and interesting quotes, such as this one:

As stated in Chapter 9, embracing the groundswell is a crucial way to improve a company because not only do the people give out their opinions fast and for free but because it allows the company to never stop improving; and Starbucks know how to do it well. For this reason, Twitter is by far the best social media site for a brand to create and spread their presence throughout the social universe. The ease of following an account, the quick 140-character tweets and the availability on mobile phones not only encourages Twitter users to express what they're thinking at the moment but to do so wherever they are, creating an endless amount of feedback to the company.

Starbuck's twitter also shows how much they appreciate the followers that mention them by retweeting their posts that contain @starbucks.

To get twitter users even more involved with the growth of Starbucks, a twitter page called https://twitter.com/MyStarbucksIdea  exists with 48.4 K followers solely to get new ideas for products from ther very customers. 

And since Twitter is used more than Facebook, Starbucks quickly replies to any general comment or question that's asked by a person who posts the question and mentions @starbucks. 

Companies like this one should make their customers feel like they are important and that their opinions are valuable. Like mentioned before, Twitter (and Facebook too) not only listens to what you have to say, but responds accordingly to make the commenter feel like they are contributing to the growth of the company. 

https://twitter.com/Starbucks
http://instagram.com/starbucks/
https://www.facebook.com/Starbucks

Kanye West vs. 50 Cent: How they used the Groundswell

The year 2007 was a very diverse and fruitful year for hip hop. The year had a number of commercial hits fit for the radio and clubs. Hip hop listeners were infatuated by the tunes such as "Crank Dat" by Soulja Boy, "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco, and "Buy You A Drank" by T-Pain. Albums like Lupe Fiasco's Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, Jay-Z's American Gangster, and Talib Kweli's Eardrum were at their peak and had listeners tuned in that year. Music was booming in 2007, but for two of the hottest names in hip hop, an event was taking place that had all hip hop fans paying attention.

Chicago rapper/producer Kanye West has had successful career with his own label called G.O.O.D. Music and is known for his conscious and meaningful lyrics, sample-filled instrumentals, and all-around rebellious personality (before he became the narcissistic "God" he is today).  He debuted in 2004 with the album entitled The College Dropout which brought him into stardom and sold 440,000 copies in its first week. The following year he released his sophomore album, Late Registration, which sold 860,000 albums in its first week. 

Queens rapper 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) is perhaps best known for the intense rap rivalries (called "beefs" in the rap universe) he has been a part of, which has actually been helpful in getting more people to pay attention to him. He is the head of the rap collective G-Unit and jumped on the scene in 2003 with Get Rich Or Die Tryin', which sold 872,000 copies within its first week. Two years later, he releases The Massacre, which sold a whopping 1.1 million albums in the first week. 

By 2007, rappers Kanye West and 50 Cent have made a name for themselves and already had two best-selling albums each. When it was announced that each rapper's third album would be released on September 11, the potential of competition between the two was brought to many people's attention, including Def Jam CEO Jay-Z. 

By August of 2007, the idea was too hard to ignore and the two rappers embraced the idea of a friendly competition for the top album. The most popular rap music that was on the radio in the early 2000's was that of the "gangster" kind, which is what gave 50 Cent the upper advantage. 50 Cent was so confident that he would win this challenge that he proclaimed, and I quote, "if Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent, I'll never write music again". That statement elevated this bet into the biggest hip hop moment in 2007 that had all rap nerds debating amongst one another and choosing sides, while lead singles, videos, and interviews about the bet were advertising these albums.

                   Rolling Stones interview
               Celebrities make their decision

                   
             
When September 11 came, sales were skyrocketing for the both of them and by the following week, a winner was determined. By September 18, Kanye West's Graduation sold 957,000 copies in one week (I even bought a copy at the time to join in the bet), while 50 Cent's Curtis sold a mere 691,000. Kanye West was marked the winner of this bet and his album has brought him the most first-week album sales out of all of his 6 albums. As for 50 Cent, he profited reasonably well from this bet and, not surprisingly, still makes music 'till this day.

This friendly rivalry was, as Jay-Z describes, "a great day for Kanye West and Roc-A-Fella Records and a fantastic day for hip hop and artistry". It did good not only for the sales but because hip hop has always been built on competition. Fans want to see rappers compete to see who's top dog like they want to see sports teams compete (like I mentioned earlier, it has served 50 Cent well for his career). This event encouraged people to actually buy the CDs instead of downloading the music. It also got loyal fans to encourage lukewarm fans to purchase CDs and create debates and discussions among rap fans throughout the nation, thus spreading the word for these two artists. Wether the buyers of the CDs bought them just to enjoy the music or to support a rapper in the bet, these people (including myself) aided in what is possibly the most simple example of how the groundswell works. 

http://rap.about.com/od/top10albums/tp/TopRapAlbums2007.htm
http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2013-06-27/soundscanner-yeezus/
http://www.stopthebreaks.com/hip-hop-features/50-cent-first-week-album-sales/
http://www.mtv.com/news/1570001/kanye-west-pounds-50-cent-in-first-week-of-album-showdown/

Losing its Fizz: Coca-Cola "Classic vs. New"

The basics of having a profitable and long-lasting company have always included to cater to your customers; not only to have brand loyalty but to have the word spread by those loyal customers. Even before the book Groundswell carefully detailed this fact, the success of a brand has always been a two-way street; while the company presents a product to the world that is based off of there wants and needs, the customers give feedback on what works and what doesn't. 

Your brand is whatever your customers say it is. And in the groundswell where they communicate with each other, they decide.” 

Groundswell, page 78

Smart companies know by now that the customer is always right and although this rule of thumb is pretty much common sense, there are those few companies that had to learn this fact the hard way; in this case, Coca-Cola. 

It is safe to say that Coca-Cola has been one of the many icons that defines American culture since its creation in 1886. And over those years, this soda has provided that one of a kind taste that gathered loyal customers throughout generations. 

Coca- Cola has always had a rivalry with Pepsi, which was introduced a couple of years after Coca-Cola was, due to the similar ingredients they both share. During the mid-70's, Pepsi was conducting these taste tests called the "Pepsi Challenge" that proved that people preferred Pepsi over Coca-Cola, thus making Pepsi THE new drink. 

But Coca-Cola was not just gonna let a newcomer take its place after almost a century of being the standard of refreshment. In desperation to be on top again, Coca-Cola released the "New Coca-Cola" in 1985, with the recipe altered to try and create a taste that was superior to that of Pepsi. 

Although there were taste tests conducted by Coca-Cola that showed that out of the 200,000 tested that 62% approved of the newer recipe over the classic one, the company overlooked the relationships that Americans in general had with the drink. For this reason, the new Coke suffered a huge backlash with the customers, making people buy and preserve thousands of cans of the "real" Coke, causing people to go in protest against this "fake knockoff" and actually did the exact opposite of what it was trying to do with Coca-Cola in the first place; increase Pepsi's already rising popularity. The act of Coca-Cola trying to compare its taste to that of Pepsi's only made the company look like posers instead of trying to be original like they had been for almost a century. Due to sales dropping exponentially and the customers speaking loud and clear about the new coke, it took Coca-Cola just 79 days to announce that they were going to bring back the original Cola. 

While the regular Cola was put back in the shelves by extreme popular demand, the "New" Cola coexisted and was later called "Coke II" until it existed no more by 2002. Also, the original Cola was called "Coca-Cola Classic" to avoid confusion with the new Cola until 2009, when the new Cola was non-existent and there was no longer a need to have the word "classic" on the packaging. 

Although Coca-Cola was trying to innovate the quality of their product, this event proved that Coca-Cola is just a classic drink that is perfect already. They could have followed the steps mentioned in Groundswell on pages 93/94 to find a way to innovate without tarnishing the reputation of Coca-Cola, especially the first one; to find out what your brand stands for. I know that Coca-Cola would have never changed its recipe overall if they knew just what this beverage meant to America. I would have suggested making more flavors of Coca-Cola (such as the Cherry Cola that we have today) back in 1985 rather than change the main recipe altogether. 

If this change were to happen today, then it would definitely take much quicker than 79 days to go back to regular Coke, since the Internet and social media have made the common voice stronger than ever. There would be tweets, hashtags, blogs, and even skits on popular shows like SNL or The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Although Coke currently lives up to its name, lets just hope that other aspiring companies can learn from this infamous moment in history.

“Concentrate on the relationships, not the technologies. In the groundswell, relationships are everything. The way people connect with each other – the community that is created – determines how the power shifts.”

Groundswell, page 18

http://colafountain.topcities.com/newcoke.htm
http://www.businessinsider.com/pepsi-challenge-business-insider-2013-5
http://sabotagetimes.com/life/the-coke-wars-when-the-pepsi-challenge-nearly-killed-coca-cola/
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/new-coke-and-new-media-reimagining-the-infamous-product-launch-in-the-digital-era