Creative Heart

Wake up and smell the social ROI

In my 3 years as a social community manager, there is one question that has plagued me: “What’s the ROI of social media?” If you are a fellow community manager, social media strategist, or other similar role; you probably understand my discomfort and are nodding your head in agreement right now.

@kristanehr, writer of The Marketess blog shares an example of her typical conversation regarding this subject. 

You see, the trouble with determining the value of social media is that it’s difficult to “measure”. People don’t go onto Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest to buy. They go on to browse. Which means it’s challenging to quantify a like, share, retweet, mention, favourite, or pin (although people are trying to create formulas every day). What ends up happening is that companies are left blinded, not really aware of what exactly they are getting from being on a social platform.

Krista’s conversation got me thinking about how valuable social media actually is. The more I thought about it, the more advantages came to mind and the more I felt the need to share my winning answer with the world.

• Post likes: Getting a like on a Facebook post means that your content is interesting. The user likes it. It’s your job to figure out why and what that can mean for your brand. 
• Comments: Comments on a post are one of my favourite interactions to see. Not only do they provide insights on what products they are interested in, but they can also be feedback on products and services users like/dislike. Plus, Facebook comments can also reflect whether a user had a positive or negative experience with your brand.
• Praise: Recommendations on Facebook are great because they show that people are satisfied with what you offer. By writing a recommendation, users are declaring a company’s best qualities. It’s a form of promotion that gives your brand credibility and trust. 
• Brand awareness: When users “share” your content, they are sharing it with their friends. This means that your brand just got a whole bunch of eyes on it that it wouldn’t have before. Sharing gives your brand the potential to increase its reach with just one click.
• Communication: This is by far the most beneficial factor in having a social media presence. By asking the right questions, you can have conversations with your online community and gain an insight of who they really are. 

You Know You’re A Creative When…

Cheating is bad.

Remember when your parents/teachers told you that cheating is wrong? And how important it was to study and pass on your own? Even though you’re not in highschool anymore - the lesson still rings true in advertising. Copying another agency’s work isn’t cool.

So why do some ad agencies do this? I’ve seen many examples of this in print and TV, but this is the first time I’ve heard it on radio.

I recently listened to a commercial about a couple who decides that they need to “see other sandwiches” because they’ve been spending too many Sundays seeing the same sandwich. At first, I thought it was a Subway Sub of the Day commercial. But then I heard that it was for a burger, not a sandwich. It turned out to be a Burger King Deal of the Day radio spot. And the campaign name isn’t the only similarity. 

Both ideas are almost identical. They each replace the days of the week with sandwich names. (i.e “It’s Double Cheeseburger Day” and “Pick you up at eight on Subway Club day?”) These two campaigns are also running at the same time, in the same medium (presumably in the same area). Let’s not forget that both brands are in the fast food industry. So are these coincidences intentional or accidental? 

There are so many questions swimming around in my head: Was it a situation where the client said “I like what Subway is doing, let’s do that?” Did the more daring ideas get tossed aside and a “safe” option was all that was left? Was the deadline too close? Or is the same agency handling both accounts? 

What bothers me more is that the original idea isn’t great. It’s not bad (no offense to the agency responsible) but overall: 

• It doesn’t make me want to go to Subway 
• It doesn’t entice me to try something new
• It doesn’t make me remember the sub of the day

Although the Sub of the Day radio ads are memorable, it pains me to see that there is so much copied creative in this world. Even if you argue that nothing is original, at least make the effort to try something different. 

Coming up with a unique solution is what we creatives get paid for. When you copy someone else’s work one of two things will happen: the outcome will be great or it will be lousy. Either way, you’ll never learn how to be great. And in my books, that’s a #fail.

Have you heard/seen two similar advertising campaigns? Comment below.