Pepsi Gets In On The Harlem Shake Craze

Pepsi, named by U.S. News as one of America’s Most Connected Companies for its social media strategy, as reported this past May, understands that digital and social media marketing are important tools for building relationships and engaging with their customers.   Their digital content remains consistent and references pop culture phenomenons, most recently the YouTube Harlem Shake trend.

Recently short viral videos featuring the 2012 song “Harlem Shake” by electronic musician Baauer have become increasingly popular.  Typically the videos begin with one person, who is usually helmeted or masked, dancing to the song alone, surrounded by other people oblivious to the dancing individual. Then the videos usually cut to the entire crowd doing a haphazard dance for the rest of the video.  As of February 15, 2013 approximately 40,000 Harlem Shake videos had been uploaded to YouTube, totaling about 175 million views.

In order to capitalize on this current pop culture trend and remain relevant to its audience, our client Pepsi created its own Harlem Shake video. Watch Pepsi cans do their version of the Harlem Shake here:

Pepsi’s effective social media campaigns drive buzz for the Pepsi brand and Pepsi licensed products.  Pepsi provides a great example of how brands stay relevant and engage with their consumers.

Social Media’s Purchasing Power

SocialVibe, a digital advertising technology company, recently released a study that showed 70 percent of consumers who are active on social media have made a purchase as a result of their digital connection to a brand. Another valuable insight from the study was that 61 percent of those surveyed give preference to the brands they are digitally connected with when they are considering purchases.

Another key finding of the survey was that many consumers are driven to connect to a brand in the hopes of receiving special offers and/or stay up to date on the brand’s latest news. Additionally, the study suggested that the main reason consumers disconnect from brands online is because they are overwhelmed by too many updates from the brand.

The study defined a connection as liking a brand on Facebook, following a brand on Twitter or endorsing a brand on other social media platforms like Pinterest or Google +. SocialVibe surveyed more than 800 consumers to gain insight into how social media marketing affects their purchasing behavior.

At The Joester Loria Group we continue to integrate social media into all of our brand licensing programs. We realize that social media is a key driver in the retail success of licensed products.

A full recap of the study is available here: http://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/article/power-seventy-percent-consumers-have-made-purchase-result-being-connected-brand-onl

The World of Eric Carle Trends Worldwide on Twitter

New Insights About Social Media’s Effects on Moms’ Purchasing Behavior

Child’s Play Communications recently conducted a study about how social media influences the purchasing decisions of moms. The study revealed that toy and apparel purchases are the category most influenced by a social media recommendation. Child’s Play surveyed 1200 moms who are active in both social media and blogging.

Another interesting insight from the survey is that 92% of moms have made a purchase based on a social media recommendation and the study found that blogs are the social media platform with the most potential to influence purchases. According to the survey, moms are now spending less time on Twitter but more time on Facebook. The survey participants also indicated they are experimenting with newer social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram.

A full recap of the survey is available from Kidscreen.

At The Joester Loria Group, we realize the growing importance of social media marketing as an integral part of any successful brand licensing program. Moms are an important demographic for many of our clients including The World of Eric Carle and Kellogg’s.  One of the ways we engage with this important demographic is by building a community where moms can share ideas and information and where we are able to offer our fans and followers activities, product information and giveaways.  We also are partnering with mom bloggers on reviews, giveaways and Twitter parties.

The World of Eric Carle Expands Its Social Media Outreach

The World of Eric Carle’s social media campaign has generated more than 740,000 impressions since the March 2012 revamp of its social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and interaction with influential mommy blogs.  The relaunched Facebook page focuses on brand messaging, product giveaways, party ideas, and downloadable activities.  Over the past 6 months, the Facebook fan base has increased by 97%, with more than 5,270 “likes” and generating more than 220,000 impressions.

This month, The World of Eric Carle is hosting a do-it-yourself Halloween costume contest, asking fans to submit photos for a chance to win the ultimate Very Hungry Caterpillar prize set valued at over $150.00.  This is a fantastic way for the brand to interact with its fans while encouraging and sharing creative activities, something The World of Eric Carle brand is so much about. See the Facebook page for more details.

In April 2012, The World of Eric Carle launched its Pinterest page.  In just 5 months, the number of followers have increased by 256% with 665 followers. New boards include downloadable activities as well as a Craft & Activities board offering endless creative fun for parents and their children.  Pinterest’s popularity in party planning has allowed the Very Busy Party Planning board to be one of The World Of Eric Carle’s most popular Pinterest boards.  It features decorative cakes, dessert displays, healthy party snack options and fantastic handmade decor.

Blogging campaigns are also on-going, targeting influential mommy, daddy and educational blogs.  This outreach has generated more than 520,000 impressions with themed giveaways and product reviews.

The rise of social media has become a such a benefit to brands as it allows for the brand to develop a more meaningful relationship with consumers.  We continue to support social media efforts as a cornerstone of all branded programs.

Follow The World of Eric Carle on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Pepsi Partners with Twitter for “Live For Now Music” Program

Pepsi announced an interesting new social media marketing partnership with Twitter last week. As part of its “Live For Now Music” program, Pepsi will use the social network to offer free music downloads to its Twitter followers who use the hashtag #PepsiMusicNow. Pepsi will also use Twitter to announce special pop up concerts. Additionally, the brand will share videos about musical artists and the top trending music news as part of its year-long partnership with Twitter.

Pepsi has connected with fans through pop culture music for generations.  Many marketing campaigns featured world-class artists such as Ray Charles, Brittney Spears, Beyoncé, and most recently Nikki Minaj.  We are celebrating some of these classic collaborations through our licensed apparel programs including the most recent collection in which Pepsi partnered with the Ray Charles estate in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Ray Charles/Pepsi campaign most notably remembered by the tagline “You got the right one, baby –  Uh Huh”.

This new partnership with Twitter is a great example of using social media to add value to a fully-integrated marketing campaign.

Check out Mashable’s full post about this new partnership.

Social Media Marketing Showdown: Pepsi vs. Coke

Econsultancy recently launched a weekly series in which they will compare two household brands’ Twitter and social media marketing efforts. Last week, they put our client Pepsi up against their competitor Coke.

The article points out that both Pepsi and Coke are beginning to focus their overall marketing efforts on storytelling and content creation across all channels including social media. However, Pepsi was first to shift their focus to storytelling through social media channels with its Refresh Project in 2010. Pepsi is also focusing on video content and therefore utilizing Facebook and YouTube more than Twitter since it’s not as visual as other social media platforms.

The article describes Coke’s Twitter account as more of a customer service tool since they mainly respond to customers’ Tweets while Pepsi continues its storytelling on Twitter by sharing interesting brand content. Additionally, Pepsi’s Twitter content more clearly reflects its brand’s tone and voice. Econsultancy points out that Pepsi often shares non-branded content that Pepsi brand fans would be likely to enjoy.

The Econsultancy article is also accompanied by an interesting infographic that compares the brands side by side. Based on a number of factors, Econsultancy declared Pepsi the winner of the showdown. Check out the full article and the infographic about the brands.

Building A Brand Strategy with Pinterest

Pinterest, a rapidly growing social media application where users create virtual pinboards and communicate with others that share similar interests, recently claimed the title of the internet’s fastest growing social media website. Here at the Joester Loria Group, we view Pinterest as a valuable social media channel in building a brand.

Pinterest is an excellent example of how consumers interact with brands and branded product. For example, as the exclusive licensing agent for Pinkalicious, we have found countless themed parties centered around Pinkalicious products such as paper party supplies and dolls. Users share their ideas, photos, and comments about the products, allowing the site to act as a virtual focus group. Users also are given the experience of communicating directly with the brand.

Another Joester Loria Group client, Diet Pepsi, uses its Pinterest account to show product extension. Its boards display fan photos, recipes, and inspiration that is not directly linked to Diet Pepsi products but rather the lifestyle embodied by the Diet Pepsi brand. Pinterest allows users to connect with Diet Pepsi in a different way than traditional brand marketing.

We look forward to seeing Pinterest continue to grow and invite you to visit the following accounts:
http://pinterest.com/iampinkalicious/
http://pinterest.com/DietPepsiPins/
http://pinterest.com/worldericcarle/