As the years go by, social media marketers have more examples to learn from. Just as brands in 2010 looked back at campaigns from the previous year for ideas, marketers welcoming the New Year are taking time off to learn from previous examples.

1. 2011: Looking Back and Learning
The Year That Was
As we bid adieu to 2011 and look forward to the year ahead, we know that this is a crucial time of the year when
marketing budgets are planned, strategies are rolled-out and frameworks for future campaigns are created. While this
may be one of the busiest times for marketers, it is also a time when brands look back at the year that was and
wonder what they can do to make the coming year less stressful and more productive. From highly creative viral
campaigns to complete social media gaffes, 2011 had more than its fair share of memorable moments that can teach
brands a thing or two about marketing online. And it was not just online campaigns and events that stood-out; the
social media marketing world itself underwent massive changes. Let us look at some of the highlights:
The launch of Google+ in late June was one of the most
talked about topics during the year.
No sooner had Google announced the launch of its social
network, Facebook revealed plans to introduce their video
calling option, in partnership with Skype.
In September, the networking giant announced a major
overhaul, including the introduction of its new Timeline
and Open Graph features, which did not go down well with
users.
October saw Google+ Brand pages open to marketers.
During the same month, LinkedIn launched „Company
Status Updates„ enabling companies to broadcast
messages to their followers.
Just before the end of 2011, YouTube underwent a major redesign which focused on channels, video discovery
and social sharing. This was YouTube‟s biggest renovation since it was bought by Google five years ago for
$1.76 billion.
Not to be left behind, Twitter introduced a whole new look for Twitter.com and TweetDeck, as well as its
mobile apps towards the tail-end of the year. The changes were made with the aim of simplifying user-
experience.
December sure appeared to be busy month for the social media world, with Facebook buying location-based
service Gowalla to improve their Timeline feature.
With 88% U.S. companies expected to use various social media
channels for marketing purposes in 2012, and overall US social
network ad revenues projected to continually increase through
2012 (eMarketer), the future is full of opportunity for social
media marketers. Considering the dynamic nature of online
marketing, especially social media, it is difficult to predict how
the months ahead will span out. However, one way of keeping
crisis at bay and ensuring there are fewer „oops‟ moments
involves learning by example.
Twitter Tales
Be it celebrities, political figures, or brands, almost
everyone today is using Twitter to share information, sell
products and keep their followers updated in general.
Twitter, when judiciously used, can be a powerful and
persuasive microblogging tool that can do wonders to a
brand‟s image online. However, as famous saying goes,
„with great power comes great responsibility„. This couldn‟t be more apt in the case of Twitter. Here are some
interesting examples from 2011 that social media marketers can learn from:
o How One Tweet Can Affect Brand Image: The Anthony Weiner controversy in mid-2011, over that
one tweet that obviously wasn‟t meant to be shared, saw the New York Congressman eventually
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2. resign from the House of Representatives after 12 years in office. Besides sending the networking
community into a tizzy, the embarrassing tweet adversely affected the political figure‟s image
among his followers and political circles. The Weiner episode highlights two important things that
brands need to keep in mind before taking to Twitter: a) Tweet responsibly: this can either propel
your brand into the limelight or it can have a negative impact on the image and reputation built
over the years b) Own up: Fans and followers understand that a brand‟s social media expert
responsible for the tweet is only human and is bound to slip-up occasionally. Instead of going into
denial mode, owning up and claiming responsibility can be seen as a sign of maturity and prevents
the issue from snow-balling further.
o Timing it Right: The Qantas contest launched
in November 2011 couldn‟t have been more
inappropriately-timed. The Airline aimed to
increase visibility and grow their fan-base by
asking followers to describe their “dream
luxury in-flight experience”. However, with
customers still recovering from the grounding
of the entire fleet in October (Qantas and its
unions had stopped contract talks the day
before), the general sentiment toward the
company was hardly positive. No sooner had
Qantas announced the promotion, audiences
and followers used the #QantasLuxury
originally meant for the contest to vent their
ire. The message for marketers? Time your
promotions right. A smart marketer always does his homework by testing the waters and
determines the customer‟s mood before launching a contest or a product. If it‟s not the right
time, then it would be wiser to wait it out.
o The Power of Promoted Tweets: McDonalds Canada, in April, launched a geo-targeted Promoted
Account to increase the @McD_Canada‟s followers count. The fast-food chain did this by using a
‟suggested follow‟ that targeted users through specified keywords and hashtags. The outcome?
McDonalds Canada, with a total budget of $15,000 (USD), not only gained 9,503 new followers, but
also drew in 14,200 profile views and resulted in a 4% overall engagement rate. This included
retweets, replies, favorites and clicks. Keeping in mind the fact that advertising click-through
rates are usually sub-zero percentages, this is quite an achievement. For brands looking to
increase their followers, engagement and visibility via Twitter, using paid advertising including
Promoted Tweets, Trends and Accounts is a good idea.
Famous (and Some Not Quite…) Facebook
Campaigns
According to the Rise of Social Advertiser, a 2011 report by
The Pivot Conference and Brain Solis, 93% of social advertisers
have already deployed campaigns on Facebook, while 5% of
the respondents said that they planned to do so in the next 12
months. Statics like these indicate that Facebook continues to
remain one of the most favored platforms among online
marketers to launch their campaigns and promote products and services. However, before planning your
marketing strategies for the year ahead, let us look back at some case studies from 2011 which could provide
valuable lessons in Facebook marketing:
o Promoting a New Launch? Why Facebook Marketing is a Good Idea: Prior to the release of their
Muppets movie in November 2011, Disney jumped onto the social media bandwagon with great
enthusiasm to generate enough pre-launch buzz. The company‟s promotional efforts on Facebook,
however, deserve special mention. Besides boasting +217,000 „likes‟, the visually appealing
„Kermit-the-Frog‟ page featured the „Fan-a-Thon‟ contest aimed at young audiences. The
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3. campaign was not only hugely successful, but generated considerable online buzz prior to its
release. Facebook, with +800 million users, is the preferred choice for most marketers looking to
‟spread-the-word‟ about that ‟soon-to-be-launched‟ product. With Disney showing how it‟s done,
need we say more?
o Keeping it Simple: For the politicians gearing
up for the 2012 Presidential Elections, the
campaign strategy during 2011 featured a
liberal dose of social media. Barak Obama, on
one hand, used the „Are You In‟ Facebook
Page tab app to drive awareness and invite
support for his campaign. The app is easy-to-
use and the Facebook page neatly designed.
The campaign has been a success from the
word „go‟, with 23.7 million fans so far.
However, Republican presidential primary
candidate Ron Paul‟s Facebook page looks like
it needs a little more thought and planning.
With only +563,000 „likes‟, his page a) features a fake „like‟ button image in the banner, right
next to the real „like‟ button; definitely increasing confusion for potential supporters and b)
features a “Support Ron Paul” landing tab app, though it has not actually been set as the Page‟s
default landing tab. The message for brands and marketers from this is clear: Keep your Facebook
page easy-to-navigate and simple to use, else you could increase the possibility of frustrating and
keeping off potential customers.
Winning it on YouTube
When it comes to online marketing, it is no secret that videos, especially those uploaded YouTube, can have more
impact than other channels. Audiences, when asked to choose between reading marketing messages and watching
creative promotional videos, usually go for the latter. However, simply uploading a video on this channel and
expecting to see results immediately may often lead to frustration, followed by abandoning of efforts. This is why
we have listed some of the most viral YouTube campaigns of 2011. These, in our opinion, highlight some of the
do‟s and don‟ts of YouTube marketing for brands:
o Overstepping the Line: Although some of the most memorable ads are the ones that are funny,
brands first need to understand that humor is highly subjective. The cheeky Groupon Super Bowl
„Save the Money-Tibet‟ ad on YouTube rubbed off people in the wrong way. The ad started off
with the narrative about the plight of Tibet, suddenly shifting to actor Timothy Hutton pitching a
Groupon for a Tibetan restaurant. Although Groupon eventually apologized for being insensitive to
the suffering of Tibetans, it was clear that audiences were not amused. Our advice? When it
comes to creating a humorous ad, brands need to draw the fine line that separates funny from
insensitive.
o Buzz Equals Sales? Hoping for a successful repeat performance in 2011, Old Spice decided to
launch another installment of their Isaiah Mustafa campaign, albeit with some changes. The 2011
Old Spice „Mano a Mano‟ advert on YouTube certainly garnered the expected attention and
occupied the #1 position on Visible
Measures‟ viral video chart. However, there
was one not-so-small problem…sales did not
lift as had in 2010. According to
SymphonyIRI data, sales of Old Spice body
wash declined to a 24% in the four weeks
ended July 10 and witnessed a 9% decline
for the 12-weeks period vs. the same period
in 2010. The message for brands from this?
Increase in buzz does not always mean
soaring sales. Sometimes a tried-tested-and-
previously successful formula is not enough
to send fans reaching for their wallets.
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4. Considering the ever-changing tastes of the social consumer, trying something new is always good.
o The Power of Storytelling: Everybody loves a good story…and consumers love brands that can
market their product(s) by narrating a good one. This is exactly what the Dirt Devil Brand did in a
highly creative YouTube campaign. The „You Know When It‟s the Devil‟ ad not only recorded +26
million views, but was also shortlisted at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in 2011. Now
that‟s some story! For marketers looking to promote their company or product on YouTube, this
ad can teach a thing or two about how to sell a product without going overboard with the sales
talk. We say this is definitely a good tip.
LinkedIn Lessons
Think „online campaigns‟ and LinkedIn is not one of the platforms that come to mind, at least, not immediately.
While not the first choice for many marketers, LinkedIn can be a valuable online marketing channel when used
smartly. Although the professional networking site made its API available to developers in late 2009, only a few
brands have used it to create successful campaigns. Our search for one such campaign in 2011 ended when we
came across the Volkswagen brand name.
o LinkedIn Campaigns Don’t Have to Be Boring: One of the reasons why marketers shy away from
LinkedIn as a platform for social media campaigns is because of the incorrect perception the site
is „boring‟. Volkswagen didn‟t seem to think so. The company‟s “LinkedUit” (LinkedOut) campaign
for the Netherlands not only pushed „boring‟ out of the window, but was also one of the most
talked about LinkedIn campaigns of the year. Little surprise that industry gurus used terms like
‟smart‟ and „brilliant‟ to describe the promotion for VW‟s new Passat model. For marketers who
have put LinkedIn on the back-burner, this case study should be inspiration enough.
Conclusion
Unlike before, when brands approached social media with skepticism, today‟s marketers are much more enthusiastic
about using social media for marketing. Going back a few years, marketers believed social media was a mere fad and
is something that was best suited for a young crowd. Considering the fact that some of these brands (who were
marketing mavens otherwise), had nowhere to look for inspiration, we wouldn‟t say they were entirely wrong in their
hesitancy to jump onto to the social media bandwagon. A lot has changed since then. The last two years in particular
are rich with social media marketing case studies and events made the world stand up and take notice (Remember the
Women2Drive campaign and Occupy Wall Street?). While some stories are inspirational and can be added to a
marketer‟s of „tips for online marketing‟ list, there were others that were lessons in everything a brand should not do.
As the years go by, social media marketers have more examples to learn from. Just as brands in 2010 looked back at
campaigns from the previous year for ideas, marketers welcoming the New Year are taking time off to learn from
previous examples. Today‟s social media marketers are no longer green-behind-the-ears; they are smart, willing to
learn and careful about not making the same mistakes as the others did. While these are certainly good signs, we are
eager to see if 2012 has its healthy share of motivational case studies that can serve as learning examples for
marketers in the years to come.
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5. About Position2
Position2 is a Search and Social Media Marketing firm that delivers continuous growth for our clients using our
proprietary “Surround and Intent” Marketing Methodology, delivered by our products. Our proprietary methodology is
a result of years of experience in working with diverse clients to deliver customer acquisition goals through search
engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing (SMM), and Pay Per Click (PPC) and online media advertising.
Position2 was founded in 2006 with funding from Accel Venture Partners, and has offices in Palo Alto, Bangalore and
Mumbai. Position2 is a certified agency with Google, Yahoo, Bing and is also part of the Google Adwords advisory
council.
Position2's flagship product is Position2 Brand MonitorTM, a platform that allows users to listen, discover and engage
with social media conversations in real time. With a team of over 100 professionals, Position 2 also provides expertise
in online marketing solutions: SEO, PPC, Media and Advertising.
Position2 works with leading global brands:
This article is also available on the Position2 Blog: http://blog.position2.com.
For more information, visit http://brandmonitor.position2.com or email info@position2.com.
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