Snapchat Is Becoming Snapcash?

Social Media is now encroaching on the ecommerce industry.  On Monday, Snapchat sent a jazzy video to their subscribed users about the new Snapcash feature.  The quick picture app is now pairing up with Square Cash for a payment to payment option on the Snapchat app.  Simply, users 18 and older can add their Visa or Mastercard to Snapchat and pay their friends from the app.  Snapchat will keep their debit cards on file.  But if your friend does not accept your money offer within 24 hours, your money will be refunded back into your account.

This seems all good in theory, but does social media really need to start becoming a bank station as well?  I truly think social media and personal finances should be kept separate.  When I think of transferring money, I don't go to "I need to send a selfie along with this $20."  Snapchat might be crossing the line on this endeavor.  And does anyone not remember Snapchats hack last year, where over 4 million accounts and their information were available for anyone?  Imagine that with debit card information. I only want my debit card linked with my banking app, because that is the only app I feel is secure enough for that information.  Snapchat has had some security issues, so that could be a major setback for them.

For me, social media is about connecting with others, but not through money transfers.  Let the mobile payment apps be mobile payments, and let me focus on my Snapchat selfies on Snapchat.

Spotify's Better Without Taylor Swift

In the past week, Taylor Swift pulled her newest album, 1989, off of Spotify's streaming service.  And then everyone freaked out.  Swift's explanation was that,

"Everything new, like Spotify, all feels to me a bit like a grand experiment.  And I'm not willing to contribute my life's work to an experiment that I don't feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists, and creators of this music.  And I just don't agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free..."

Taylor Swift's net worth is estimated to be around $200 million.  I don't know what she is complaining about.

With Swift taking her album off of Spotify, the entire music and social community is now expressing their sentiments.  The Black Keys and Radiohead have previously complained about Spotify's royalties payments, but now Bono is speaking up for Spotify.  One of the most recognizable frontmen is backing up Spotify, saying "Let's experiment.  Let's see what works."  Bono recognizes that artists should get paid more, but "the greatest way you serve your songs is to get them heard."

Via Spotify's website

Spotify is a great platform for users to find new artists or listen to new albums and decide how much you love them.  I have the free service of Spotify, but I use it not only to listen to the playlists I've created, I test out what songs I like, then go over to iTunes and buy them.  Over the past two months, I have bought at least a dozen songs legally, meaning the artists get paid, and it was all thanks to Spotify.

CEO Daniel Ek says they created Spotify on the basis that "We love music and piracy was killing it."  Spotify pays about 70% of their revenue to rights holders.  They even have a formula for royalties, so if your music is played more on Spotify, you get a bigger check.  Since its creation in 2008, Spotify has paid over $2 billion in royalties, $1 billion alone in 2013.  Artists are getting paid, and if listeners become fans, they will most likely go buy your album legally on iTunes, so you get paid twice.

Artists need to realize that Spotify is creating a community.  People can follow artists and see what playlists they make, and invite others to listen to music, hear artists' commentary on their albums and more.  It's more than trying to "not" pay artists, Spotify is a platform that is trying to make people fans of music (legally) again.  Without Spotify, many listeners (probably even me) would not listen to new music and not pay for anything.  Artists should want to be a part of this community, and Taylor Swift is shooting herself in the foot for not wanting to be a part of her fans' music experience.  Spotify, you keep doing you, and the artists will realize how important you are.

How to Appropriately Celebrate a Holiday on Social Media

Halloween week is upon us - a week full of #tbt costumes from the 90's and your Woman Crush Wednesday of Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus.  Not only is Halloween one of my favorite holidays to celebrate, it's also one of the most fun to work with and use on social media.  It's definitely fun from a personal standpoint, but why can't big companies have some spook-tacular fun this week too?  Here is a list I have comprised for companies to use as guidelines for having a successful holiday social media campaign.

1.  A little fun never hurt anyone.
Halloween is known for its scary movies and gruesome characters, but why not make a little light out of this darker holiday?  Everyone likes to laugh, and Halloween is the perfect holiday to draw some funny jokes on.  All ages will love the Halloween twist on pop culture too.  Take Disney blogs, for example, they just posted a Disney Villains song to the tune of OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" to play on the evil side of Halloween.  It's hilarious and after being posted for less than 24 hours, it's already trending on Facebook.  Also, my favorite Instagram account Oreo is doing an "Oreo Laboratorium" account and posts where they create "frightening" creations (most resembling an Oreo cookie... curious...) much like Frankenstein's creation.  It's super cute and fun for this week to see what the Oreo Lab will create next!

2. Reminisce on holiday traditions
What's better than a company just talking on social media?  Starting a conversation of course!  If on your Facebook page you ask your followers to post or comment their favorite Halloween tradition, people will not stop talking about it!  Everyone loves to share their own stories, and a social media platform is the perfect space for people connect together over how they gave out candy the same way.  If people make connections on your page, they will associate your brand with good customer relations.

3. Holiday-themed contest anyone?
Everyone loves a good contest, and why not put us in the holiday spirit as well?  To coordinate well with #2, have a contest to engage with your customers on traditions or ways for them to be creative about Halloween.  Julep, an online beauty box company, posted on their Instagram for a #JulepInstaGRIM contest, where any follower could paint their nails in a Halloween theme, and post with specific hashtags in order to win a year of beauty.  Most of their followers (young women who are makeup and nail aficionados) are most likely going to paint their nails this week in a spooky fashion, so why not post them on social media and try to win?  This is perfect to spread some brand awareness too!

4. Do not smother us with pumpkins
We all love Halloween, so it is not necessary to shove it down our throats.  Subtlety is key here people.  Every single post does NOT need vampires, pumpkins, and orange in your face, but  little hints every now and then are good to keep the campaign flowing smoothly.  Dunkin' Donuts is aware of this, while most of their last posts have had something Halloween in them, most are subtle in the background or not even there.  There are only a few posts that have the main focus as Halloween, which is nice for viewers to not see the same holiday constantly.

5. If all else fails, add some orange
If you're reading this and thinking, well my product is kind of difficult to pair with a jack-o-lantern, never fear!  As long as you show your support in some way of the holiday, people will appreciate it.  For example, Allstate Insurance is kind of hard to dress up as a mummy.  But, on their Facebook page, they have a cover photo with a family playing in the Fall leaves.  Not every company can be 100% Halloween themed, which we as consumers understand, but we don't want to associate your brand as the Scrooge of holiday fun.  Show some kind of activity that is relevant to the holiday, and you can pat yourself on the back.

Hopefully these tips are useful, it's very fun to watch companies get in the holiday spirit just as much as I do.  Halloween is a great to celebrate being frightfully awesome as a brand, so why not try it!

#FreeGurley

October 9, 2014.  A day that will be long remembered.  Just over a week ago, the University of Georgia's star running back Todd Gurley was indefinitely suspended for possible NCAA allegations, and boy, did the social media world freak out. Within five minutes of ESPN posting the story online, I have my roommates crying in despair, my dad calling me from a work conference, and the Twitter world exploding with sadness.  Everyone and their mother was using the hashtag #FreeGurley and posting pictures of vigils or memes expressing their hatred for the NCAA.  That hashtag was not only trending on Twitter, but on Facebook as well.  Even after the first day of shock, Facebook had Todd Gurley as one of the trending topics.


Having social media react the way every UGA fan did can be a powerful force.  Not only has the trend of Todd Gurley been talked about through the university students, but as well with big broadcasters, such as ESPN and College GameDay.  Both those entities have been using their social media platforms to connect with knowledge-craving fans and relate as much information about the investigation as possible.  This is why social media is so crucial in this day and age - it connects us all together in times of "crisis." People can vent to the audience, start a conversation, and get creative all about some trending topic.  The social media movement about "Free Todd Gurley" (mind you, he is not arrested) has definitely gotten the NCAA's attention.  With fans tweeting, football players Istagramming, and even people making up new theme songs about Todd Gurley, the NCAA has to address the issue of college football players receiving money.  This outcry from the public has grown so much and it's all because of social media.  I can't wait to see how the social media world reacts when a decision is made, but at least for now we get some entertainment by people's creativity to #FreeGurley.

Why Doesn't Reese's Have an Instagram?

Let's be honest - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are arguably one of the greatest creations in the candy & chocolate world.  I could just rant about their perfect ratio of chocolate to peanut butter, but that's not the only great part of Hershey's popular brand.  I've always been impressed by Reese's marketing campaigns; just think of how frugal they are!  Reese's current advertisements are just orange backgrounds with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups moving and cleverly doing something in relation to the season.  Reese's doesn't have to pay for actors, a studio, and any of that part of normal live-action advertising; all they need are some technologically savvy workers that can make some Reese's animate.  I am in no way saying that is an easy process, but that it is definitely saving loads of costs.  Plus, the majority of Reese's TV ads are fifteen seconds, whereas most brands have to have a minimum of thirty seconds just to get their stories across.  Cutting TV time in half probably saves Reese's a good chunk of cash, and yet Reese's commercials are super effective in their short time frame.

So Reese's has got television down pat.  But how are they on social media?  On Facebook, Reese's is definitely one of the larger pages in the candy world with around 12 million followers, (their parent company, Hershey's, only has 6 million) but competitor Snickers is close behind with 11 million.  On Twitter, Reese's posts the same pictures and tag lines as their Facebook page, whereas Snickers has more of a conversation and "Twitter-only" posts.  It's not always about competition though, Reese's should focus on their competitive advantage - creative, funny and mouth-watering images, like the ones on their TV ads.  So why does Reese's NOT have an Instagram?  Their simplistic, yet super creative play on their peanut butter cups would be perfect for the Instagram world!  I was very perplexed when I was searching for them on Instagram, because you should know by now I do love food brands on Instagram (cough Oreo cough) and I surely thought Reese's would be Instagram champs.  I think the candy company is missing out on a good target market, with the generation that likes being creative and interactive.  If Reese's had an Instagram, they could not only be hilarious with their football-playing peanut butter cups, but create a Reese's community about sharing recipes and favorite ways to eat the beloved candy.

Instagram, where are you?

Reese's is brilliant at marketing, but I still feel like they are missing out by not having an Instagram account.  Creating posts that are original instead of copying from Facebook and Twitter and attempted to interact with the audience could really build some brand love and loyalty to this great brand.  So if you're listening, Reese's, just know you'll have at least one follower on Instagram and I promise I'll like every single one of your posts.

Who's Winning at #NationalCoffeeDay

My second favorite holiday is finally here - National Coffee Day.  It's a joyous day filled with caffeinated bliss and happy social media posters.  Many businesses are promoting the holiday on social media with free coffees or simply posting pictures of really really really good looking coffee concoctions.  But who is schooling the other businesses on social media today and will definitely have the most successful business day?

Many different coffee shops and restaurants celebrated National Coffee Day with deals and promos.  Krispy Kreme was giving away free 12 oz coffee ($1.00 extra for mocha or iced); Tim Horton's gave you a coupon for a free coffee if you liked them on Facebook; and McDonald's had free small coffee for breakfast hours only.  Dunkin' Donuts took the party to a whole new level by offering a free medium cup of their new dark roast coffee (hot or iced) all day long.  While Dunkin' Donuts won in the big promotional side of National Coffee Day, the company also destroyed the competition on social media.  Using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine, Dunkin' Donuts promoted their love of coffee as well as our favorite word: "free."

Compared to these other mentioned competitors, Dunkin' is definitely the more well-known brand for delicious coffee, but how did the donut chain destroy the icon of McDonald's?  On Facebook, McDonald's has over 44 MILLION likes, while Dunkin' Donuts only has a mere 12 million.  The pictures they posted on Facebook earlier today were almost identical, I'd say McDonald's was actually cuter, but Mickey D's couldn't even break 1,000 likes whereas Dunkin' has over 53,000 with 17,000 shares.  Dunkin' regularly focuses on their love and our love of coffee, and wants us to celebrate together.  McDonald's is too busy with their full menu and other offers to compete socially with Dunkin' Donuts one focus - coffee.  DD also built up to the holiday while McDonald's posted once and then the party was over.  Dunkin' literally took this term of a holiday to a celebratory level.

Dunkin' Donuts made this holiday fun, and that's why social media reacted so well to their posts.  The company shared on Twitter how they paired up with Sony on Sony's Vine, which was a stop motion video of a Sony camera pouring a nice hot cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee to celebrate.  It's a brilliant video and collaborating with a brand that we wouldn't associate with coffee tied everyone together for the holiday.  Even the New York Stock Exchange celebrated National Coffee Day, with a Dunkin' Donuts coffee mascot there running around.  All of these little connections really tied the idea of celebrating together, which I believe was Dunkin's main goal.

But what about one of the most affluent coffee brands?  When most people hear the word coffee, they automatically visualize a white cup with a green mermaid chilling in the center.  Starbucks has built their brand image and it does have great coffee, but how did they reach to the social outlets on this perfect holiday?  Starbucks did nothing to promote the trending hashtag nor did they really acknowledge the holiday any more than they do every other day making coffee.  I don't understand why they didn't go along, even if they didn't give out free coffee like Dunkin' Donuts, they should celebrate with the world.  Starbucks did little to celebrate, but if you scroll through the hashtag on Instagram, you'll see a good percentage of people posing with their Starbucks and using the hashtag anyways.  Starbucks brand is so strong it really doesn't need to promote, but they should have just for the fun.

By the end of the day, Instagram has over 83,000 posts using the hashtag #NationalCoffeeDay.  While it's not marked on official calendars, this holiday is important not only for these companies involved, but for social media.  People got to connect over the joy of having and sharing coffee, businesses got to prosper with booming caffeine-craving business, and the effects of happiness radiated all over the world.

Retro Reunions Are Taking Over Social Media - And It's Marvelous

I know it's not #tbt, but Missing-These-Shows-Mondays should be a new thing, right?  Over the past few weeks, some of our favorite TV shows and movies from the last two decades have decided to reunite and share their old ways via social media.  From 7th Heaven to the Mighty Ducks, or the Little Rascals to Friends, people all over social media are dying of happiness to see some of their favorite characters come back together for a reenactment or even just dinner.

While these beloved actors are most likely posting just for fun and to show that they do have friends, it is a fantastic marketing trick.  Some of these posts are in celebration of 20th anniversaries, (can we please get a re-release of D2: The Mighty Ducks) or just for old times sake, (7th Heaven should definitely come back and start a 27th Heaven series) but either way, it causes a riot.  All over social media, people are chatting about possible reunions or just reminiscing about how great that show or movie was.  It's great buzz for those old hits to finally come back into the mainstream.  I saw some throwback about Hilary Duff a few days ago, and it got me watching all of her old music videos with no shame whatsoever.  Just one little photo on Twitter or Instagram can cause a chain of thousands of other related searches and then more shares for these retro hits, which is always a bonus for their PR people.

Our generation loves a good throwback, that's why social media has created #tbt and even #fbf.  Social media is a great way to show our activities and whatnot, but it's a perfect place to reminisce and to connect with like-minded lovers of those 90's classics.  These old classics do these reunions solely for social media and for us users to share like crazy.  I love following these actors and seeing how they connect with the audience, like me, the crazy obsessed Friends fan, after all these years.  They give us the glimmers of hope that there will be some reunion, or if not at least a Buzzfeed or two that we can watch to fill our quota of walking down memory lane.  Social media does focus on the future, but sometimes looking at the past is just as much fun.

Why Social Media Might Take Down the Football Empire

Due to recent events, people all over the United States are outraged with the NFL.  The league slapped the wrists of Ray Rice who was caught on video knocking out his then fiancé and suspended him for 2 games, but when the entire world became angry for simply two weeks, Rice has now been suspended from the NFL indefinitely.  While I'm glad the Ravens have kicked him off their team and he is now suspended, I'm angry on how the NFL handled this entire situation, namely Commissioner Roger Goodell.  But I am no the only upset American.  The protest against domestic abuse has viral, and it very well could hit the NFL hard.

What's been trending recently on Twitter is the hashtag #GoodellMustGo and every kind of person or business is using it.  People want the NFL commissioner to resign since he apparently cannot give punishment well and has tried to cover up that he never saw the footage until we all did.  (The whole footage was sent to NFL headquarters a few months back.)  The equality group UltraViolet has made banners with the hashtag that have flown over several NFL games this past weekend to increase the awareness and to prove that a big group of people are willing to do what it takes to protect women in domestic violence.  

What has really sparked the social media fury is the new CoverGirl ad.  CoverGirl is the official beauty sponsor of the NFL, and has recently created the "Get Your Game Face On" make-up which color coordinates with all 32 NFL teams.  One of the ads was a girl made up with the Baltimore Ravens colors, and one person has edited the image to reflect domestic abuse.  This image is powerful and I am glad that someone did this.  It has been trending on Twitter and Facebook, and while the focus is on the NFL, people want to boycott CoverGirl as well.  CoverGirl didn't create the image, but they haven't taken down their images advertising the NFL, which has created some conflict.  The beauty of social media is that it is a two-way communication, and Covergirl released a statement last night about their stance on domestic abuse.  While they can't really come out saying that the NFL Commissioner who is paying for their sponsorship needs to go, I believe the makeup empire stood up for women.  Whether they take off the advertisements, we will just have to wait and see.  Not only does it affect CoverGirl, but every other sponsor of the NFL.  I want to know how they respond to this catastrophe, and that will surely affect my purchasing habits. 

Domestic abuse is a huge problem is the United States, and the NFL is a huge part of American culture.  If kids hear about Ray Rice and then he's still playing in the league, what lesson are we teaching them?  I hope this social media fire against Roger Goodell and the NFL works, because I love football myself, but I don't want to support a group of people that do not respect women.  Social media has fired at the NFL, and it's only time until we find out if the NFL will fall to their knees.

DuckTales Gets Literal

Not many people in my generation know of the Disney blog, "Oh My Disney."  It is definitely catered to those Disney moms that love sharing on Facebook how magical their passion for Disney is.  However, Disney is finally focusing on the generation that can change social media - the Nineties kids.

That's right, OMD is doing a 90's week, which I think is a brilliant idea.  The generation of now teenagers to young adults from the 1990s is the best target to get some viral buzz.  While moms are a good target to share on Facebook, the Nineties kids are so good at sharing on multiple social media platforms all at once and can easily make one video grow like wildfire.  This affluent group is the right target to get a blog talked about very fast.

Just yesterday, Oh My Disney kicked off its 90s tribute with a recreation of the classic DuckTales theme song - this time, using real ducks as the actors.  The bloggers actually did a great job recreating the vast adventures the ducklings and their Uncle Scrooge McDuck go on, from submarine excursions to being chased by a mummy.  I think getting the duck into the airplane was definitely the highlight for me.

In less than 24 hours, the video has already achieved over 280,000 views, which is definitely above the average amount of views Oh My Disney gets from a video from their YouTube channel.  Personally, I think this is a hilarious video, and have already shared it on my Facebook and now here on this blog.  I remember watching this show after I got home from school, and though it's been some time since I've watched an episode, it's a fun reminder of the 90s classics Disney Channel had.  Hey, I might even try to find some old episodes on Netflix!  Well done, OMD, on grabbing us Nineties kids' attention, and hopefully you will get the recognition you deserve.

Check out the reenactment video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txj6ROnIUIo

Why Oreo is the Champion of Instagram

While there might be Youtube personalities or celebrities or Beyonce that have millions of followers on Instagram, few people would consider a cookie brand to be a contender for "Hottest Instagrammer 2014".  Oreo has taken Instagram by storm and has really made itself one of the more successful businesses on this large social platform.  Just over the past week, Oreo has achieved an average of 8,500 likes per post, which has majorly increased from the average of 5,200 from the same week last year.

Here are some of the reasons why Oreo is so successful on Instagram:


1. Oreo's Best Friend
What Oreo shows on Instagram isn't how amazing their classic cookie is, but how great this cookie pairs up with everything else in the world.  Whether it's a nifty way to dunk your Oreos in milk, (thank you Party Dunk) or Oreos and popcorn for the perfect movie night, the brand gets creative for its audience in order for them to see how perfect an Oreo cookie can be for any meal at any time of day.

2. No Infomercial Needed
Rarely do you see an Instagram post with links to buy anything Oreo related.  Besides their recent two-week campaign, "Mini Delivery," the brand is not trying to get their users to buy a pack of cookies through the post.  Instead of followers thinking they are seeing an ad and scroll through the post, Oreo backs away from the sales side into the more personal side of Instagram.  And we do appreciate that.

3. Cookin' up Something
At least once a week Oreo posts a beautifully shot Instagram of some amazing dessert.  Insert drooling here.  Sometimes an Oreo cookie is visible, sometimes not.  The company's inclusion of recipes supports the fact that Oreo is so versatile and can be used in any situation.  Need a dessert for a party but don't want to be that person that brings a box of pre-made cookies?  Oreo's Instagram has you covered.

4. Simplicity is Key
They make stop-motion videos of Oreos being eaten with pictures drawn on paper plates.  I don't think you could get any simpler or more frugal.  It's a win-win for Oreo since audiences get mind-blown by the ingenuity while they get to save a good chunk of cash.

5. Are You Oreo's Next Top Instagram?
You might think, "Whatever, anyone can draw on a paper plates," but Oreo wants YOU to prove to the world how magical yet challenging it can be.  Oreo draws its followers in to be active in the conversation by creating a two-way Instagram conversation.  Followers can comment on recipes, tell about their favorite Oreo tradition, or even submit a stop-motion video.  With this level of intimacy, the followers feel like they are a part of the brand rather than just consumers, which is more powerful than you think.

I always look forward to seeing Oreo's Instagram posts because not only am I interested from the social media marketing perspective, but because they are so good at their job even I am sucked in with their funny videos and crafty recipes.  All I can say is, keep doing you Oreo.