A genius fundraiser and a great marketing tool.

I just found out about Own a Colour and I was pleasantly suprised with what I found!

A colour chart, with celebrity faces intertwined, that allows you to buy a colour for just £1.00 in aid of the charity Unicef.

Unicef is the world's leading organisation protecting the rights of children and young people. 

Unicef have mentioned 'computers, smart phones and tablets can display 16.7 million colours'. When you select a colour on the chart, the 'trending' then gives you more option, around that particular colour.

A small act like this is quite fun for individuals to choose their colour and 'own a colour'. With a choice of 16.7 million colours, each colour can combine together, which in effect will raise and contribute a large donation to Unicef.

Unicef have done brilliantly in coming up with such a genius, unique idea that is so simple yet so effective. 

Having Dulux as their partner in this scheme works really well, especially when Dulux's mission is 'adding colour to people's lives'. I do not think any other brand slogan could be more accurately applied to this own a colour. It is likely that contributors will think of Dulux after buying their colour.

Own a Colour is just fantastic! I will of course be buying a shade of pink and I will be virally marketing the concept to all my friends and family.

What shade of colour are you going to own?

Brand management and Customer Service on Twitter.

Twitter is a great way for any company to manage their brand. Since millions of people are using Twitter companies should assume that many of their clients/ customers are actively using Twitter also.

I previously discussed 'when bad news spreads on social media'',  when I pointed out the key components of a brands PR strategy. Bad PR is enough to destroy a company. A few negative tweets will inform users on Twitter about that particular brand. It is not so much the independent tweets that companies need to be aware of, its the potential Re-tweets, which will enable the tweet to rapidly spread round Twitter in a matter of minutes. Eventually it will become a good news topics and could even make it to news websites and blogs.

I recently posted about my 'London Midlands appalling customer service'. In addition to this a letter of complaint was posted to their corporate website and I decided to tweet them the link to my blog.

As anyone can appreciate, when you experience bad customer service, you want to be dealt with efficiently. I must admit I was shocked to have a tweet back from London Midland, especially as I've never mentioned a company directly on Twitter.

I respect the company wanted to deal with my issue more formally. I didn't tweet them in the hope to have a Twitter argument! It was more to make them aware of my name, and for them to recognise it once they have read the letter of complaint online. I was very upset with my experience of London Midland and I didn't see why they shouldn't know this.

What I don't respect is the companies assumption. 'The main issue was that you initially tried to pass through barrier without paying the extra'. As I stated in my blog, the train did not stop at my destination, and therefore I had to get off where I did. I inserted my ticket which suggests I was unaware that it wouldn't work! I then approached the ticket attendant which suggests I had nothing to hide, but for London Midland to assume I was trying to not 'pay the extra' infuriated me. I even asked the attendant if I could pay the extra there and then. My only option was to pay for the penalty fee??????

As a customer I feel London Midland should have followed this protocol:

• Apologised to me to make me feel valued as a customer.
• Thanked me for my feedback.
• Let me know when they would respond 'formally' and how.
• Promised to resolve the situation immediately.
• Reassured me that the train attendant would be dealt with.
• Maybe some kind of compensation (In an ideal world!).

If London Midland followed these procedures, instead of accusing me of trying to not pay the extra, the matter would have been dealt with and I would have continued to be a regular customer. However, the situation did not go like that and they will get no good PR from me. In fact I will now use Virgin Trains!

What I really don't understand is whilst I was tweeting London Midland I felt embarrassed because my followers could see. London Midland obviously did not take this into consideration because what they were tweeting me remains on their profile, and to anyone, that does not look like a brand who cares about their customers!

London Midland need a tutorial on Twitter!

London Midland's appalling Customer Service...

I was due to go London for an interview with a fantastic online marketing agency, when it was proving difficult to fund the travel, especially as my parents were on holiday! The company were so understanding that they kindly paid my travel expense. I was so lucky to have such a great opportunity! I rushed to my brothers work to collect the money needed to get to London, rushed to the train station, and waited on the platform for the London Midland train.

I don't mind getting trains, I've always seen it as something fun to do. It is also a great way to have a good clear out of the brain as well! I sit there and think about everything, whilst listening to some music of course!

I was on the London Euston service which takes approximately 1 hour. I then had to get the underground for 10-15 minutes to London Waterloo. I was revising for my interview, especially as I've had a lack of confidence lately with some horrible interviews, and everything was good. I was happy to be going to London for an interview with an online marketing agency to potentially start my desired career.

I arrived to Waterloo and found my destination. I had my interview which lasted just under an hour and I decided to head home again. I felt happy. I got to Euston looked up at the train times to see I needed to go to platform 16 because my train was 'now boarding'.

I hurried to the platform quickly and set off for my journey home. The journey is not long and goes quite quick, but I did hit rush hour so I had to take the nearest seat available (First class indeed!) We stopped at 'Leighton buzzard' which is 20 minutes from 'Milton Keynes Central'. I text my brother letting him know I'll be home shortly, when he kindly offered to pick me up from the station. I realised I had got the train from 'Bletchley' near his work and was unsure if I had to get off at Bletchley. My brother advised to just get off at Milton Keynes Central. Luckily, he was right because the train did not even stop at Bletchley.

The hurdles of people scurried up the stairs, when my travel card beeped and told me to 'seek assistance'. I always have this problem! I showed the train attendant, walked through the barrier when I felt his hand on my shoulder. 'Excuse me love, this is to Bletchley. You will have to get back on the train to Bletchley'. Knowing my brother was outside instantly infuriated me. I rang my brother and informed him on the situation. He told me to meet him at the barriers and he will discuss it with the train attendant.

My brother politey asked the man if he could purchase a single ticket from Bletchley to Milton Keynes in order for me to come through the barrier. Our home was closer to Milton Keynes Central and he was already parked outside. The train attendant was what you would describe as a 'jobsworth'. He clearly liked the authority and the power that he had over us, that he decided to be arrogant and refuse our polite request. He kept repeating the phrase 'It's £20 penalty fare if you step through'. My brother was getting irate, especially as  the train attendant was being rude.

There was not much we could do, so I had to meet my brother at Bletchley. As soon as we got home my brother immediately wrote a letter of complaint! He told me that he will send it everyday until he received a humanised response, as opposed to a generic automated response.

We appreciate London Midland have rules and regulations, but sometimes with common sense you need to cater for the customer. It was 7pm, I was hungry and my brother wanted to relax after his day at work. The train attendant could have arranged a single ticket from Bletchley to Milton Keynes to save the aggravation and the inconvenience caused to us. It is valid my ticket was for Bletchley, but the train did not stop there. The train man then said to me 'You need to check trains better then don't 'ya!'.

My brother has sent his letter of complaint and I'm hoping London Midland do take it seriously, otherwise this  rude incapable train attendant will continue to treat customers like that. London Midland need to appreciate that he is representing their company. I really don't understand people with poor customer service, it is not even difficult to carry out. Just be nice and reason with the customer.

Charitable Events are great for any organisation.

My recent project was to host and organise a large handmade and vintage fair for the company 'Experience the country' in aid of Cancer Research. The reason for this event was because Experience the Country are a newly established organisation, and they need to create awareness, on their fantastic services. Although the company have been doing everything they can to gain publicity customer bookings have still remained at a minimum.

Lately the team have been concerned with the fact people can no longer afford luxuries, like experience days out, and with the trend in vintage fairs it was seen a great opportunity to utilise the 800 acres of countryside land and host the fair to ideally get the public in. By publicising the event on the company website, corporate blog, Facebook and Twitter, as well as printing posters and leaflets, and generating word of mouth the event was thought to have a high influx of people on the day.

Eventually 20 stalls were sold at £10.00 each, which is one of the cheapest rates on the market, so thats 20 people's friends/family all in the know of the Hounslow hall handmade & Vintage fair. The stalls varied from clothes, jewellery, accessories, cards, paintings, flowers and cupcakes. To cater for children a Vintage ice-cream van was also invited along with a face painter. 

The Vintage fair ended up being a great success which made my planning and preparation worthwhile! I was on a high all day! 

Hundreds of people entered the door, some of which would never have visited the location, had there not been a vintage fair on. It was great to see so many people wanting to support Cancer Research with £1 entry fee, but it was also great for Experience the Country to talk to individuals about the type of experience's on offer. As a result of this the operations manager did trial run's in the off road 4x4 military truck so guests could have a taster in the hope of a return on investment. They would then book up and pay to drive the truck themselves. 

***Experience the Country managed to raise £243.00 to Cancer Research***

I would definitely recommend a charitable event for any organisation because:

• It is a great way to get the public in.
• Attracts a wide target audience of all age ranges.
• Targets potential customers and creates recognition for the brand.
• Definitely makes the brand identity look good.
• Allows the audience to meet the team face to face.
• Gives team members the opportunity to talk about what they do.
• Enables FREE publicity.

• Encourages people to publicise by word of mouth because it is for charity.
• People are likely to give feedback on the company from the service they provided.
• Helps the company gain more contacts.

Experience the country thanked all stall holders personally through e-mail and received e-mails back stating their appreciation and gratitude for being invited to the event. The company also received lots of feedback on Facebook and Twitter that suggested hundreds of people had a great day.

This is excellent for the new business because they can now remember Experience the Country for the Cancer Research Vintage Fair.

I generated a Survey to gain more feedback which I have posted to Facebook and Twitter. The results will be taken into consideration for the next upcoming event. I am hoping to host a Christmas Fair in aid of a different charity to attract people interested in sponsoring that particular charity.

When people left the event I was issuing Christmas flyers!

The importance of social media on the 9/11 story...

It is the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack and for many news organisations it is important they prompt people to discuss their emotion and remembrance.

The New York Times have collaborated with You Tube to get people to record their answer to these following questions:

• What's your strongest memory of 9/11?
• How did 9/11 change you?
• What did you lose or gain from 9/11?

The video will then be uploaded and featured on Youtube.

If New York Times did not collaborate with Youtube, how would newspaper editors gain lots of feedback? 

Does Gemma 'Like' this?

On Facebook we can like brands, but really what is the point? Ok, Social media is great for communicating and sharing but does it really generate sales? I'm not convinced and heres why...

I read on my news feed 'Peter likes Nestle, or Kathy likes Cadbury's', does it matter what chocolate people prefer? I love chocolate but I'm not going to click on the page and then click 'like'.I don't feel like Cadbury's is an essential part of my everyday read. Logging onto Facebook and having news from Cadbury's seems pointless! Nor does it make me want to go and purchase a Cadbury's chocolate bar.

I decided to carry out some research on Facebook, to understand what the consumer can get from liking, and how liking can benefit the brand.

Heineken have enabled consumers to 'like' their brand on Facebook. 2,840, 809 people like Heineken.

This proves Facebook allows brands to build an online community and target consumers solely by interest. The millions of people that like Heineken, have given Heineken the opportunity to share information, and personal experience.

When I looked on the wall of Heineken's fan page I was surprised. Here we have a brand that embraces real life experiences- unlike the several other beer brands I looked at! It is really important for brands to share human experiences and use a human tone. For example, Heineken got several consumers to show their thumbs up with a heineken.

The million Heineken fans on Facebook then got a personal experience. They see this image and instantly relate to it, which in effect will most likely make them think of a Heineken over any other beer in the supermarket! This image suggests 'like' Heinken to have a good time!

Are you feeling extra lucky?

This image is a great way to get the consumers attention because everyone wants to be lucky! The conversation that Heineken are then generating online is positive around the brand.

The One Million Likes Video was Heineken's way to say thank you for 1,000,000 likes! This is what you call fantastic experiential marketing. Heineken sent out huggers on the streets of Amsterdam to hug people to show their appreciation. The people that then didn't know about the fan page would probably like it because of their real life experience (a hug with a Heineken hotty!)

I don't think liking a particular brand generates sales but it does help the business to be liked.

What brands do you like...have they made you like the brand more?

Why should we integrate social media?

During present times of a recession advertisers should understand it is necessary to integrate all media channels. Advertising a product, service or event should be done by as many methods as possible like T.V, radio, websites, blogs, social media and print based media. The reason for combining all methods with a campaign is so organisations can get the highest conversion and the best Return on Investment (ROI).

I recently worked with a local family run company called Experience the Country, to help market their stalls to people interested in selling goods at a handmade and vintage fair. I also helped to promote the fair to attract a high influx of people on the day.

The aim was so that Experience the Country could create awareness on their new business and raise money for Cancer Research charity. Due to the company being located on 800 acres of land they decided to host a vintage fair.

I become very passionate about the idea and loved working in partnership of a charity. I wanted to get the word out there that I integrated different media. My offline methods are as follows:

• Distribution of flyers to houses in the village where the company is based.
• Advertising posters in local shop windows.
• Virally market to friends, family and B2B clients.

I love being digital that I took the campaign online. My online method was to use social media proactively to drive sales to the main corporate website to read more about the event. 

I created a Facebook event, and invited the friends from the company profile, to get an understanding on how many people would be interested in attending. At present 144 friends have selected attending. 

When friends select attend the company comes up on their profile which is likely to generate interest from their friends, and their friends and so on... 

The conversion rate to the company's Facebook page has caused more people to add the company and 'like' the fan page.

Stall Holders are also marketing us on their profile because they want to sell their goodies! 

I then used Twitter to build relationships with companies. For example, I began to follow and tweet local companies like 'MK news', 'MK citizen', 'Buckingham Magazine' etc...whom could publicize a feature in their newspapers/ magazines, include it in their 'whats on' section online, or re-tweet to the hundreds of followers on their Twitter. 

The best part of my tweets and re-tweets was that the Facebook event was linked, which in effect created conversion to the companies Facebook page and provided online visitors with more information on the event.

Stall Holders were also marketing the vintage fair on their Twitter and promoting the business by mentioning the company name.

During the event I will continue to raise awareness from status updates to Facebook and tweets.

I have also designed some Gift Vouchers which I will try to sale face to face on the day, and I will be giving visitors a 20% off Christmas voucher when they leave. Hopefully the personal visit to the company and the promotional offer will make them want to book an experience day.

I am now planning to create a company blog for Experience the country to feature more in depth information on how the handmade and vintage fair went with photos, feedback and an opportunity to share through Facebook and Twitter.

I hope I stay engaged with the target market for this event so that I can create profit for the company and donate money to a different charity with a Christmas fair... 

The blog is soon to come!

When bad news spreads on social media...

During the London riots I witnessed naive, racist and stupid status updates on my Facebook and Twitter. The rumors were quickly spreading and people were made to believe. It made me realise how easy it is to spread bad news on social media.

If a company's PR failed they would suffer through their social media, that it has become really important for businesses to have a social media PR crisis strategy, else they are at risk of having their reputation seriously damaged. Nobody wants to have their friends or followers turn against them in a matter of seconds, and no company wants a communication crisis that takes lots of valuable time to fix. For example, Nestle is a brand who met a social media PR crisis in April 2010.

'Environmental protection group'- Greenpeace created a video to suggest 'Nestle uses palm oil which comes from rainforest deconstruction', which in turn endangers orangutans.

Nestle reacted by asking YouTube to take the video down... but it was a little bit too late for that! The video had most probably already gone viral and multipled on several sites. Customers and environmentalists were already aware of palm oil use.

The Facebook fan page was attacked by consumers (which at the date of writing is 241, 772 fans) and newly invented images portrayed the company as 'killers'.

Nestle had struck a disaster! The Facebook page was overwhelmed with negative comments, that as part of their strategy Nestle should have responded to each negative comment, and gave customers the information they were looking for. This would have shown Nestle are caring and attentive to the needs of each consumer.

They should NOT have been in denial and asked YouTube to take the video down. Instead they should have been open and honest with their customers in order to retain credibility and prevent further damage.

My advice to Nestle would have been to use this as their PR crisis strategy:

• Respond to every negative comment in a human tone.
• Ask consumers if they would like more information via Email.
• Update social media with what they are doing to solve the problem.
• Pushed consumers to their corporate website where they have more information on the subject.
• Arranged to meet Greenpeace and discuss all points to come up with a joint statement.
• To address the key issues and have a video posted on Youtube in response to the Greenpeace video. 

Have you had a social media PR crisis? What was your strategy?