Post 4 : The Art of a Seamless Brand

“I LOVE FACEBOOK”

The interactive phenomenon gives users the chance to share content and become connected with audiences all over the world. By taking away this fear of communication users can openly connect with past and future friends. The love of Facebook has spread across the globe with over 600 million active users (Facebook 2011).

The site has been ranked as the most used social networking service (Entertainment Weekly).

Facebook as a seamless brand

Can the Facebook brand be entirely seamless?

Well…… due to the high frequency of users and continuous improvements being made to the site, audiences are often presented with this message:

The integration of users online has had an impact on the delivery service of Facebook. However, I speak on behalf of myself and other users of a similar age that we see through these small technical faults and love the brand for the amazing service that it provides.

The Facebook brand has created a seamless communication experience for users. There is just too much love for service that Facebook provides!

Below is an individual story taken from the Facebook story board, which provides evidence of the seamless service that Facebook offers it’s consumers around the world.

Raj Mengwal

Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Wednesday 23^rd February at 06,57

‘I would like to thanks Facebook for giving us the opportunity to keep in touch with all our friends. It has enabled to me find friends from all over the world and get in touch with old school friends.  Facebook has reunited us! I would therefore like to thank you for the service that you provide. Keep it up!’

Post 3 : The Beauty of Mobile Phone Technology

The phenomenal rise of the mobile phone has seen its image change from a yuppie status symbol to a daily essential (BBC News 2010)

Here is an interesting video presenting how the mobile phone has taken the world by storm.

The mobile Internet device (MID) is a multmedia-capable mobile device providing wireless internet access for us all! Amazing stuff. The device is designed to provide entertainment, informatin and location-based services for personal use. 

Just by looking around the library where i am currently sat, at least 80% of people here are in ownership of a MID device,  a majority of those are the latest Blackberrys or i Phones. I personally own a Blackberry Touch, which is loaded with all the latest technology. The smartphone applications help you make the most out of your everyday life.

  My favourite application is POYNT: 

 

The Application offers directions,  searches for nearby resturrants, cinema listings and even local petrol prices.

It has been suggested by Dickerson and Gentry (1983) that younger consumers tend to be more open minded and receptive towards technological innovations. I certainly agree with this statement.

This new type of 'always on' media offers greater opportunities for communication when other methods are not avaliable (Javenpaa 2002). 

 Applications like POYNT have the potential to increase economic activity, highlighting local businesses in the area that you may not have noticed before.

Mobile Techonology Used For PR

When i was browsing through a copy of Marketing Magazine, there was an article reporting that Universal had signed a global deal with Web 2.0 service Kyte. The aim of the deal was to develop branded mobile sites for major artists. Artists such as Amy Winehouse and Girls Aloud will use the playform to develop interactive entertainment applications to further engage,  and attract more music fans.

So technically a new interactive form of celebrity PR?

The article explains how artists will be able to use Kyte's mobile production tools to broadcast live gigs and create on-demand videos, offering fans special and personal clips. 

I think this is a great idea becaue music fans are already creating their own bespoke communities and blogs, sharing vidoes and music content. 

Why not use this a communication tool to make consumers feel more enagaged with an artist.

Post 2 : Interactive Public Relations

Ok so the whole world has gone interactive. Organisations and brands in a constant battle for the most innovative, interactive ideas and specially designed websites. 

 Howard Rheingold, author of The Virtual Community (2000) tells us:

"In the age of digital communication, anyone who has the power to harness technology has the power to harness political and social power itself "

This is an interesting viewpoint, but what does the term 'interactive Public Relations' actually mean?

I believe it implies to the two-way communication between a particular organisation and its publics. Public Relations Practitioners use the internet as a convenient way of communicating to its publics, thus can be characterised as digital PR.

Blogs and social media sites allow organisations to establish their public, and communicate with their customers. If interactive communications are managed correctly the credibility of an organisation can be increased. 

Difficulties with Interactive PR

Although dialogue is if often encouraged online, the feedback that is received can be less than desired. Organisations need to recognise that they can’t always control this interaction. For example, a negative comment placed on a corporate blog or Facebook page, organisations should participate and help shape the conversations by being honest, straightforward, and avoiding overt self-promotion.

An example of successful Interactive Public Relations Stunt.

                                          Fanta's Search for the 4th Fantana !

Fanta hosted an interactive casting call on their website www.fanta.com where aspiring Fantanas can submit a one-minute audition video. Applicants were asked to showcase their singing and dancing skills and offer an explanation as to why they would make the perfect Fantana. After a three-month nationwide search, hundreds of video submissions and more than 350,000 fan ratings, the position for the 4th Fantana was filled. 

The winner was revealed on MTV and was offered with contact of appearing in Fanta's advertising and marketing campaign. 

This interactive campaign used by Fanta has not only created vast amounts of free publicity for the brand but has sparked national interest and created a unique relationship between brand and its publics.

After all ... the famous Wittgenstein states at,

“If we can directly effect things at the touch of a human hand, we have power, and the more changes we can effect the more infinite is the power of the ordinary man”

Post 1 : Welcome to the world of Blogs

Week 1's lecture was centred around the hype of this amazing interactive source.

 Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entires of commentary , descriptions of events or other materials. By allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blog, the level of interactivity distinguishes them from other static websites.

Types of Blog

From my research i have discovered many types of blog, differing not only in type of content, but also in the way that content is delievered.

First up .....

Here we have the Personal Blogs...

This is the most traditional and most common form of blog, usually presented in commentary or diary format. Personal Bloggers take pride in their blog posts and are ofern used not only as a communication tool but a way to reflect on life. One type of Personal Blog, reffered to as a microblog, is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time. Some sites, such as Twitter allow bloggers to share thoughts and feelings instantaneously with friends and family and are much faster than emailing or writing. 

Secondly we have Corporate and Organisational Blogs

With tens of millions of blogs online today, major corporations have started to recognise the value of a corporate blog for communicating with customers. I have notced that corporate blogging are totally different to traditional forms of blogging that most of us encouter on a day to day basis. Corporate blogging brings its own unique set of challenges and opportunities that must be considered and addressed by the company in order for its users to have a positive experience.

One of my favourites is the Malibu Rum Blog.

- Promotes the easy going brand values.

- Cloquial tone.

- Strongly linked with Carribean roots.

- Blogs from live Carribean resident DJ's.

- Makes the audience want to live a Carribean 'Malibu' lifestyle.

- The Malibu Rum blog is strongly focused on streaming their audio staion -  MaliBoomBoom.com.

- Offers audiences the chance to get involved with the brand through competitions and live video chats streamed straight from a beach in barbados.

Recent Malbu Rum blog posts include.


SKEET SKEET PLAYING ON THE RADIO.

Having just embarked on a thoroughly massive tour as the opening act for Katy Perry, DJ Skeet Skeet found some time between stage time to send us a mix of pan-Caribbean goodness. With music ranging from the Dominican Republic to the shores of Colombia, here's what Radio Maliboom Boom bass music sounds like when rumbling in open-air arenas (Malibu-Rum Blog)