How many of y'all take pictures of your food at restaurants? Come on, I know it's most of us (even if we are a little ashamed to admit it). It's just so hard not to when it looks so good, am I right? A lot of us probably then go on to post this picture somewhere (whether it's Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or somewhere else). What if I told you, that you could get free food because of this...would you be as ashamed taking those pictures or would you own it?
You should own it! Because no matter what you are doing that restaurant a favor...
I'm not sure if y'all have noticed, but Worcester has some GREAT restaurants!
One of my friends did notice this and created an Instagram page (about a year ago) to advertise local restaurants in the Worcester area called @worcester_eats. Wow in just one year, and over 4 thousand followers- that's pretty great if you ask me. But want to hear the best part? Once she reached 2,000 followers, restaurants started inviting her in for EXCLUSIVE menu tastings.
Local restaurants on their own probably do not have a huge following, but @worcester_eats has a large following. So why not entice the person with the following to do the advertising for you?
Restaurants like Sweet, The Usual, NU Cafe, and other local restaurants around Worcester have taken notice to particular 'foodies' like @worcester_eats and others and have invited them in for free food. The catch, these 'foodies' post beautiful pictures of the restaurants' food on their Instagram page. So free food for an Instagram post... I'd do it. But then again I am not anywhere close to 2,000 followers, so they wouldn't want me.
So, as I mentioned above, these local restaurants do not have that large of a following on their own. Look at NU Cafe, they have a quarter of the following of @worcester_eats. Li and Bernoff say that "you want to create your own mini- groundswell within the company to embrace the groundswell of customers outside it" (p. 217). So no, these 'foodies' aren't technically part of the restaurant staff directly, but they almost are indirectly. The 'foodies' have more of a following than everyday Instagram users, and more of a following then the restaurants themselves, so they "employ them." Okay they don't actually employ them, but they get them together for free food, and the "foodies" take over advertising by taking pictures and posting them. So normal employees would get paid with money, but these "employees" are getting paid in free food. These local restaurants understand that the groundswell is powerful. They found the Creators, and energized them and made them part of their advertising team. So @worcester_eats gets to continue what she was doing and now she gets free food out of it. You all should follow her account on Instagram to see beautiful pictures of amazing food places around Worcester! Go ahead take that picture of your meal, who knows what could come of it!
Who doesn't love ice cream? More importantly who doesn't love Ben and Jerry's? Ben and Jerry's ice cream has revolutionized ice cream. From their wacky, "euphoric" flavors, to their frozen yogurt, to cores, and to their newer addition of non-dairy, there is an ice-cream to make almost everyone happy. This month Ben and Jerry's launched their "Think outside the pint" campaign. This campaign turned their well loving ice-cream pints into individual slices. Since it is just the start of this campaign, it is only available in 4 flavors: Americone Dream, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup. Below is their promo video. Have you seen this video sponsored on Facebook or somewhere else? I first saw it on Facebook, and I do not "like" Ben and Jerry's there.
This is their newest addition, and only time will tell how the groundswell likes or dislikes it. We have learned that social media is key to marketing. So we need to discover if Ben and Jerry's has used it to their advantage or not. After a company recognizes the groundswell, they need to listen to it, talk with it, and energize it (groundswell).
It seems if Ben and Jerry's listened to the groundswell. Recently, there have been numerous videos online of people slicing pints of ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches (mashable). I remember scrolling through Pinterest and seeing this (see right picture). Ben and Jerry's saw this fad too, and posted their own how to video of how to make an ice cream sandwich.
This video was posted in September of 2016, and has almost 3 million views. Ben and Jerry's does not reply on it's YouTube channel, but to one comment it almost seems like they replied in another way.
This person wrote what most of us were thinking (besides the fact that this is a pint of ice cream not a gallon). It's a great idea, but what about the extra ice cream? Even though Ben and Jerry's did not reply to this user (or any user on YouTube) they responded to the groundswell, and made something of interest to them. Individually wrapped ice cream sandwiches. Sure, it's not the chocolate chip cookie kind, but it's covered in chocolate... I'd say that's a fair tradeoff.
Twitter
Ben and Jerry's may not respond on their YouTube channel, but they seem very responsive on Twitter. Many of the replies to Ben and Jerry's introducing Pint Slices included: where can they be found, will they be in other countries, if they will be sold in non dairy, if other flavors will be involved in this new way, and a lot of happy people tagging their friends with phrases like "omg" and "I want." Ben and Jerry's did not communicate with the groundswell after the first initial replies. There were some questions that were not answered, like if this would come in non-dairy.
Here there are some really good opportunities for Ben and Jerry's to talk with the groundswell. The groundswell is voicing their opinions for a flavor they want to see. Ben and Jerry's also did not talk with people who replied with excitement either. If they replied to those people, they would help to energize the groundswell. The overall reaction from the groundswell on Twitter was excitement. The sadness came when it would not be offered in other countries, and when it was not offered in a particular flavor or type (non dairy). However, even with the sadness that is expressed from the groundswell, overall it is still happy and excitement. Other countries want it, so Ben and Jerry's succeeded there. People who want other flavors or kinds, are also still excited about the new product, but want to see it expanded. Ben and Jerry's should listen to what the groundswell wants to make this product even more popular.
Instagram
Ben and Jerry's does not use Instagram to engage with the groundswell. The groundswell responded in a very similar way on Instagram. They tagged their friends in excitement so their friends could see it too, they wondered about other countries, other flavors, and other types, but ultimately the groundswell loved this new product. With over 150,000 views, and almost 15,000 likes, this post was seen by many.
Facebook
Ben and Jerry's engages with the groundswell the most on Facebook. They talk with, and they energize the groundswell. From liking the comments posted, to responding, to just keeping people excited, they are very active with their groundswell.
The same video, to introduce Pint Slices, that was posted on Twitter and Instagram was also posted on Facebook. It appears that Ben and Jerry's largest following is on Facebook. As you can see, with over 64,000 likes, and over 18,000 shares, this video made its rounds on Facebook. I don't even "like" Ben and Jerry's on Facebook, and it appeared on my timeline multiple times, and many days after. I mentioned that Ben and Jerry's does a better job of interacting with the groundswell on Facebook. Although, they do not answer everyone (it would be extremely difficult with the copious amount of comments), they respond to people who are just showing their excitement, not just asking questions.
I really liked seeing Ben and Jerry's response to Kel. They acknowledged that they do not have it, they insinuate with that it could be on the way. With more push from the groundswell, it may make Ben and Jerry's move faster to making this product in a non dairy form.
Social Media Following
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
As you can see Ben and Jerry's reaches a large amount of people. Facebook reaches the most, then Instagram, and then Twitter. They reach people locally and globally. From their social media pages, we found the negative (if you can really even call them that) comments are based on the product not coming in certain flavors or types, and it not being available in other countries besides the US. From the way in which Ben and Jerry's responded to the groundswells comments (they can definitely do a better job on Twitter and Instagram), we can see that they are acknowledging people's opinions and hope to satisfy them once they see the product gets going. So the only potential flaws Ben and Jerry's has and could face, is if they do not respond to groundswell and make this product global, in dairy free flavors, and maybe in other flavors as well.
They interacted and heard the groundswell, now they need to act on it. However, it is clear, especially on Facebook that Ben and Jerry's is doing much more than advertising, and they are talking and interacting with the groundswell.
Ben and Jerry's interacts well on Facebook, decently on Twitter, and not at all on Instagram. They could use Twitter and Instagram more to help energize their customer base and then ultimately the groundswell.
Now that we looked at some qualitative feedback of Ben and Jerry's Pint Slices, let's take a look at some quantitative data. Google Trends: Ben and Jerry's
Ben and Jerry's Pint Slices
From looking at these two graphs we can see the introduction of Pint Slices (February 1st) is what caused both the brand itself, and the product to have a high peak. Since the initial release of the product, the talk about Pint Slices has decreased. Ben and Jerry's have had many peaks and valleys this past month. I would guess that it had to do not only with the release of the Pint Slices, but with the release of new flavors as well. Meltwater IceRocket: Ben and Jerry's Pint Slices
Ben and Jerry's Pint Slices Vs Ben and Jerry's
We can see that Meltwater IceRocket is showing a similar phenomenon as Google Trends: that Ben and Jerry's Pint Slices spiked when they were released, and consequently that Ben and Jerry's as a brand spiked as well. Like Google Trends showed, Ben and Jerry's has a lot of peaks and valleys.
Something else Meltwater IceRocket shows is the amount of blog posts per day. It seems obvious that the brand would have more on its own then the product, but it still does not seem like the Pint Slices are generating much excitement within the groundswell. Social Mention: For each of the following screen shots, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream is on the right, and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Pint Slices is on the left. Wednesday evening (5pm)
Sunday evening (4pm)
Thursday night (8pm)
From these screenshots it is somewhat difficult to get a true read on the data. Besides Sunday, Ben and Jerry's as a brand seems to be doing well with strength, positive comments and reaching a large number of people. Although the Pint Slices are not generating that much talk, it does seem that the talk they are getting is extremely positive and it appears the passion is growing with time.
Conclusion:
The Pint Slices seem to be a huge success, even though the quantitative data is not reflecting what the qualitative data is...I feel this could be because Ben and Jerry's did in fact generate excitement within the groundswell, but they do not have as many Creators so this is why it is not reflecting in the quantitative data.
In class we briefly discussed Unilever. How many of y'all had heard of Unilever before class? I personally had no idea about it until recently. However, if I had to guess most of you probably would have heard Axe prior to discussing it in class. The same probably rings true of Dove? Recently, I learned that both Axe and Dove are owned by the same company: Unilever. If you know anything about the two brands, you know that they have two totally different messages for their audience. Axe is all about "getting the woman." Just take a look at the description of the Axe brand from Unilever's website:
While Dove has a completely different message. Dove uses real people, not models for their commercials. They are about finding everyone's beauty. Here is what Unilever says about the Dove brand:
So the same company that is making women objects who have no control when they smell Axe (the "Axe Effect" as they call it), is also trying to build women's self esteem through the Dove brand... hmmmm... I see some contradictions do you?
Here is one of Axe's commercials. There are so many of them and they all have a similar message: if you wear Axe, women will not be able to resist you. Below is one of Dove's commercials with the opposite message. Dove's brand has been about embracing women and showing what makes them beautiful. You don't need a certain body type or need to look a certain way to be beautiful, because you are beautiful.
There is a clear conflicting message between the two brands. The groundswell took notice of this. Check out this article posted on US News. Or one of the other countless blog posts, and articles out there that speaks on this huge contradiction from Unilever.
This excerpt comes from AdAge, one of the many articles that exist on this controversy. Dove's video above was at the start of their campaign to advocate for real beauty, what everyone has. Even though this was a great campaign, it received flak, because the groundswell noticed this hypocrisy at Unilever. So the groundswell went to work posting about this. And you know what, it seems that Unilever may just have listened. Take a look at one of Axe's newer commercials.
Axe has begun to change its image. There is a huge difference between this commercial and the other one I posted. This commercial received a lot of positive feedback.
So it looks like when Unilever listens to the groundswell it works out in their favor. Even though this commercial is appealing to the groundswell, their website still does not reflect this change. They need to fix this or the groundswell will see this was just a front and that Unilever has not really changed. Do you think Unilever has changed or do you think the Axe commercial was just to appease the groundswell?
How many of you have heard of Patagonia? Well, if you haven't I'm genuinely surprised. Patagonia is a privately owned giant in outdoor gear. They strive to do good for the community, environment, and their staff.
From this mission statement, it is no surprise that Patagonia is known for its transparency. It once
posted an ad that encouraged people not to buy one of its jackets because of
the damage manufacturing it would cause to the environment. Pretty interesting technique right? Since the company is an advocate of the environment, it only makes sense for them to stay true to that. The purpose of the ad was to encourage customers
to think hard if the jacket was something they needed. The ad actually boosted Patagonia’s sales from customers who “would have
bought cheaper products from competitors. Patagonia somehow created a rare
perception of quality and do-gooder aura that certain people believe is worth a
higher price” (Quartz). I mean but what company actually tells you not to buy their product, and then gets more people to buy it? Patagonia is the only one I can think of. This is because they have listened, talked with, and are energizing the groundswell.
Because of this example of transparency we can see why Patagonia would encourage their customers to share reviews and stories. Patagonia understands the groundswell is who makes their brand what it is, not them. So instead of Patagonia doing all of the talking, they encourage the groundswell to do so.
Li and Bernoff discuss the idea of energizing the groundswell (Groundswell). They told us how 23% of the groundswell are Creators, one third are Critics, and two thirds are Spectators. Patagonia understood this. They gave the Creators a blog, and the Critics reviews, consequently giving the Spectators somewhere to look. Patagonia also has ambassadors who share the story of what Patagonia means to them- energizing the groundswell.
Patagonia created a blog called The Cleanest Line. From the description on the right we can see that openness, and transparency is something this company values. Blog posts are posted by anyone from their founder, to their employees, to their ambassadors, to every day people like you and me. On the blogs website, Patagonia gives us guidelines on how to submit a post. The blog is less about the specific products, but is more about Patagonia's brand. Which is why it's perfect for Creators. Patagonia gave Creators who are passionate about Patagonia and what they stand for a platform to share their stories. The posts range in topics: activism, sports, food, and much more. Not only can Creators get in on this blogging, but Critics and Spectators can too. Critics can leave comments on blogs and Spectators can read around.
Patagonia does not regulate the comments, but they do moderate them. Patagonia has this blog, and they, as well as everyone else, are finding out what their brand truly stands for. Li and Bernoff pointed out that the Mini brand has their own culture, Patagonia does as well. Patagonia realized this and provided a forum to energize its groundswell.
Patagonia also adheres to the Critics needs by allowing them to post their thoughts on the products. I went to look at what I consider one of their most popular items... the classic pullover. I mean come on, has anyone actually never seen this jacket before? I know I see it everywhere. Anyway, when looking at the product, in the top right corner you can see the star ratings. To read the comments you can simply click on the starts and it will scroll you down to where they are located.
The overall rating of this product was a 4.6 with 340 total ratings. From the screenshot above, we can see the groundswell, especially the Critics, are eager to share their input on this jacket. The first post shows just how helpful the groundswell was in helping that customer order her jacket. The Critics did their part and helped others because Patagonia gave them the opportunity to. The cool thing about this rating system is that it has the stars, the explanation, the overall yes I would recommend, or no I would not, a place to scale the fit, and lastly a place where Spectators can acknowledge if a review was helpful or not.
Since this reviewing system does not appear to have comments, I am wondering if Patagonia has reached out to people who were not satisfied.
Patagonia saw and understood their groundswell was a culture, and decided to create a forum for Creators to blog, a space for Critics to review, and an overall place for Spectators.
Patagonia energizes the groundswell and has ambassadors who will blog, post, and share the brand. They are also involved in helping to develop the gear for their particular sport.
I know that the more I learn about Patagonia from the groundswell, the more I want to buy their products. Would you buy from Patagonia too?
