How to create Advertising that sells by David Ogilvy

MakeMyTrip.com does a Domino’s and how!

Let’s face it. Social Media is one of the biggest trends in Marketing today. In the world of marketing, it seems like you can’t escape all the talk about social media these days.

The social media juggernaut is part of the overall mantra of “customer engagement” — and every major marketing organization is preaching it. It’s become such a phenomenon that some have even expanded the quintessential “4 P’s” of marketing to include a 5th — “participation”. As a result, social media programs have become an imperative. Everyone wants to be on social media for the obvious benefits it offers to the companies. I am no indifferent. However, what I would like to drive your attention to is how social media can ruin your company’s reputation.

It’s a fact: Your customers and prospective customers have a bigger voice than ever before! Thanks to services like Facebook and Twitter, their ability to reach people is so huge, that it can generate an avalanche of word of mouth marketing for you, (so long as you continue to exceed their expectations). However, what happens if you don’t? Of course, if you piss them off, their ability to share their frustration is just as huge and can cause a great amount of damage! Make My Trip, one of India’s largest travel company, is a case in point.

Today is Make My Trip’s Domino’s moment. Why Domino’s? Well, if you haven’t heard about Domino’s social media crisis, take a look at this video (Warning, if you are a Domino’s Pizza fan you don’t want to see it!)

So what has happened? Last year in December,  Vishal Rao went through a horrifying experience with MakeMyTrip.com. Instead of suing them, he decided to create this website to avenge the agony that MakeMyTrip.com caused to him. What’s quite interesting about his move is that it has led others to voice their angst against the brand and in some cases against many other brands as well.

We all know the virality of the digital medium and it is no surprise that his episode of customer angst has struck a chord with so many folks – the link has gone viral on Facebook, Twitter and the blog post itself has had over 130 comments (mostly negative, see below)

Make My Trip’s response to the whole episode has been rather damp. A blog post on their website is not going to help when you have such strong negative opinions about your brand. I am convinced that Make My Trip is not taking advantage of the social media platforms to listen to their customers, nurture advocates or affect people’s perception of their customer service.

So if Mark Zuckerberg is building the web where the default is social and where it is easier for people to get influenced by their friends and peers to make purchasing decisions, I wonder where does this leave Make My Trip? I am sure it will learn, but I fear, it will be the hard way.

What are your thoughts? What do you think is the best way for MMT to get out of this crisis? Your comments below please.

The Future of Social Web and Facebook’s Vision for Brands being Social

Last week, a record number of people visited Technology for Marketing and Advertising (TFM&A) from various parts of the country to witness a two-day parade of technology, media and networking and to understand the opportunities digital media brings to businesses. I was lucky enough to attend a keynote session by Stephen Haines on Facebook’s vision for brands going social.

It comes as no surprise that when Facebook makes an observation, people tend to listen. So when the UK commercial director at Facebook spoke at the TFM&A event, his thoughts captured headlines.

Here are some key takeaways from that session –

Change in Consumers’ attitude towards digital medium.

In the early internet era, people browsed the web; in 2000s they searched for things on the web but what we are seeing now is that people are starting to discover things. The web is now organising people and their connections around likes and interests. If I like something that interests me, chances are that my friends will like those things as well. In effect, knowing what my friends and family like can have huge implications on how I discover new things. Consumers will rely on their peers as they make online decisions, whether or not brands choose to participate.

The rise and rise of Social Graph

A major source of Facebook’s success is its “social graph,” a term to describe the global mapping of Facebook users and how they’re related. The robust mapping of relationships and preferences enables Facebook to deliver a personalized and targeted user experience. The term might only be a few years old, but the concept of a social graph isn’t new. Brands have always had social graphs comprised of customers and their spheres of influence. What has changed is the ability for brands to tap into their social graphs to identify key influencers, learn about their behaviour/likes/interests, and improve their marketing efforts to grow sales and acquire new customers.

Thinking differently about Facebook advertising

Friends influence each other. Therefore, an advert on a social networking site such as Facebook can take advantage of the social context which can increase  effectiveness. Facebook ads can drive organic interaction and distribution of your branded content. In some cases brands have received 68% lift in ad revenue, 2x increase in brand awareness and 4x increase in conversion.

User centric

Companies that put the user at the heart of everything will be able to move forward. This is because social media marketing gives organisations the chance to find out what people want them to do in the future. Fast food chain McDonald’s asking fans on Facebook where they should next build a drive-through store is a good example of a user centric approach.

“What we’re going to see in the next two years is advertisers and marketers actually really tapping into the whole media business and brands looking up to the users to find out what they think rather than just broadcasting advertising messages,” said Mr Haines.

The message from Facebook is clear. It is here to re-invent how brands and consumers relate to each other. If you are not here to embrace it now, then you are missing out on some serious action.

Over to you…  What do you think brands should be thinking about in 2011? Your comments below please.