Catherine Pancake_GBTC Smo 2009

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Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

Web Ad.vantageTop 5 Worst SMO

Examples(and then some)

presented byCatherine Pancake, Director of Search Marketing

Web Ad.vantage, Inc.

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Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

SMO FAILS

• SMO FAILS review• Connecting with Social Media Audiences– Upsets– Annoyances

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Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

The Wal-Mart Plan

• “We are not bloggers, but since our lives have always been more journey than destination we are explorers at heart…. We figured we'd give it a go.”

• Wal-Mart hires a freelance writer “Laura” and Washington Post employee “Jim” to pose as an “everyday” couple & travel across American posting positive blog comments on http://walmartingacrossamerica.com.

• Since “walmarting” has become vernacular for big box stores pushing out small local businesses, the campaign made shrewd use of language to appear grass roots, as well as placed a “Working Families” banner on the RV.

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Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

The FAIL

• Identified by MediaPost and BusinessWeek as a PR ruse with no mention of official Wal-Mart sponsorship.• Wal-Mart Watch (a group tracking the corporation)

ferreted out the true identities of the “Laura & Jim’ including noting that “Jim” violated the WashPost policy of not free-lancing for special interests.• Further alarms and alienates

and alarms those whose trust in Wal-Mart is on the breaking point.• Lessens impact of authentic

bloggers with actual gripes, problems with the corporate giant.

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Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

The Motrin Plan

• The FAIL– Thousands of powerful online moms were offended by the ad and their

discontent flamed through powerful SMO channels including blogs, post, and most importantly Twitter.

– Twitter which has gained important ground this year, was crucial to the ease and speed of massive posting and reposting in a matter of hours.

– Motrin reacted quickly with a major apology and removed the ad immediately.

Slide Title

Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

The Carlton Plan

Create an epic ironic viral ad to attract YouTube audience and compel beer sales.

• The FAIL:– The expensive and epic ad contains confusing or small brand references also

requiring subtitles to understand the choral singing.

– Users love the ad, but have no memory or context for the brand.

Slide Title

Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

The Federated Media PlanUsing a highly paid staff of superstar tech writers, present expert opinions on products as grassroots Wikipedia entries.

• The FAIL– Federated gets outed by ValleyWag for

creating Wikipedia entries for the term “human network” (a marketing slogan related to a Cisco campaign).

– The Wikipedia entry links back to a Federated advertorial page featuring quotes from Phil Torrone of Make Magazine, Matt Haughey of Metafilter, David Pescovitz of Boing Boing — and Michael Arrington of Techcrunch all talking conveniently about what “human network” means.

– Affiliate sites who need to be on board to follow the “human network” media plan for advertising are upset

• They don’t want to participate in the campaign, and publicly chastise the brand and Batelle for lowering online standards for journalism and use of the public web

Slide Title

Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

The Exxon Plan

Don’t take social media seriously or monitor it.

• The FAIL– A spirited, no holds barred female corporate representative “Janet” appears on

Twitter under an Exxon-branded Twitter site and begins taking the “tough questions” about inside info on Exxon.– Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research, his wife and many other high-level

analysts engage with “Janet” on Twitter, elated that Exxon seems to be opening up.–When Exxon gets “commended”

for their participation and openness - they have to reply “it’s not us.” Their brand got jacked and exploited by a third party.–When “Janet” was called on the

false representation, she continued to post, although the account is now defunct.

Slide Title

Web Ad.vantage | 321 N. Union Street, Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078 | p. (410) 942-0488 f. (410) 942-0487

Internet Marketing Consulting

Search Engine Marketing

Online Media Buying Social Media Marketing

27 January 2009

Main SMO Problem Areas and Issues

• Not paying attention, taking it seriously, or having a plan.

• Taking bad marketing plans to social media and hoping they work.

• Paying actors or others to pose as “real people” for blog posts, comments, or online identities thus confusing the authentic voice.

• Trying to game open community sites with journalistic goals such as Wikipedia.

• Keeping your crazy CEO away from the computer - John Mackey of Whole Foods posting negative comments on a competitor's Web site under a pseudonym.