Marketers have found that playing off memes is an effective way to insert themselves in popular online conversations -- and pick up a little press.
See, for example, the Obama campaign's response to Clint Eastwood’s "Invisible Obama" routine, which took place at the 2012 Republican National Convention in August. The next day, staffers tweeted a picture of Obama in a chair marked "the President" with the caption, "This seat’s taken."
In other instances, PBS purchased the keyword "Big Bird" on Twitter after Mitt Romney said in the first presidential debate that he wanted to withdraw government funding from PBS despite his affection for the Sesame Street character. Wonderful Pistachios has played off a number of others, includingHoney Badger and Keyboard Cat.
Pinterest took brands by storm this year when it became the third most-popular social networking site. Marketers developed a number of ways to engage fans on the platform, from contests (like Guess's, pictured) and puzzles to visual hacks.
Many retailers -- around one in 10 -- as well as publishers added "Pin It" buttons to their own websites.
Gucci even developed a pinnable banner ad.
Data has shown that photos attract twice the number of Likes on Facebook that text-based status updates do. As a result, brands like Oreo and Burberryare investing heavily in image and video creation for the platform, as well as other visually oriented platforms like Tumblr and Pinterest.
It has become customary for brands to thank their followers when they hit big milestones.
After hitting 5 million Facebook fans, Old Navy made an complexly choreographed video that offered a 30%-off coupon at the end. AT&T made 500 customized YouTube videos thanking fans in song after it surpassed 2 million fans on Facebook in May, and Febreze gathered hundreds of team members to utter "thank you" to fans 1 million times over a video livestream in June.
Reddit's "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) section has become a promotional tool for a range of personalities, including the president. It has become particuarly popular in the entertainment space: comedian Louis C.K. and This American Life host Ira Glass used it to promote releases this year.
Kickstarter is more than a platform for crowdfunding -- it's also an effective way to grab the media's attention and market a product ahead of its launch. One PR professional we spoke to recently says she uses the platform almost exclusively for marketing new products these days.
On social media, some brands have stopped behaving less like generic spokespeople and more like people you'd want to hang out with -- i.e., those with a dynamic sense of humor.
Take Crest. When comedian John Freiler began ragging the P&G-owned brand for the quality of its toothpaste (or "toothgoop," as Freiler called it), Crest didn't ignore him or issue an apology. Instead, the account's manager engaged in a playful back-and-forth exchange that led to an agreeable resolution (and a three-year supply of free toothpaste for Freiler). Similar back-and-forths have taken place between the Twitter accounts of O2 and a customer, Old Spice and Taco Bell, and Oreo and AMC Theatres.
As marketers’ understanding of online social networking evolves, their use of various platforms has become more sophisticated. Many brands and public figures, after ascertaining that consumers respond well to images and humor, for instance, have begun to use both. Others have found that new channels, like Pinterest and Reddit’s “Ask Me Anything” section, are effective promotional tools. We’ve rounded up these and other emerging trends in the social media marketing space, above.
To learn even more about the latest trends in the media space, attend our Mashable Media Summit this Nov. 2 at the TimesCenter in NYC. Limited tickets are still available
