With Social Media being increasingly used as a marketing tool, companies are plugging in to keep in touch with consumers to inform them, to research or give them news or information and to promote their products through this medium. About half the social-media savvy organizations spend one to five per cent of their marketing budgets on social media. Here’s an interesting article published on Lighthouse Insights by Vinaya Naidu, on how some companies have used Social Media creatively to promote their products. We have shortlisted the best 5 out of 18 campaigns. These campaigns have been creative as well as aligned to the objective.

5 Of the Coolest Indian Social Media Campaigns of Quarter 1, 2013

The first quarter of this year has been an exciting one with brands from all sectors using multiple social media platforms to drive home the message.

1. Xperia Z promotions by Sony India: The new Sony Xperia Z launched this March, created quite a stir on social media with Katrina Kaif, the brand’s new face. Along with a dedicated microsite, Twitter buzz around #BestofSony and a Sony Xperia Z playlist on its official YouTube channel, the brand had also created an augmented reality based Facebook application titled ‘Katrina and You’. The app enabled fans to visit the places shown on a map with Katrina in a poster. Her virtual image explained the features of Xperia Z and fans also got an opportunity to have their pictures clicked beside her image.

2. Balakrishnan Vaali by Nestlé Munch: To promote the new Nestlé Munch 4X4, Nestlé India roped in cricketer Virat Kohli as the new face of the brand. However, Virat plays the character of Balakrishnan Vaali who is a regular Chennai guy with affection for coffee and the chocolate. A social media profile was created for Vaali on Facebook as well as Twitter complete with believable details and regular Chennai taste. Vaali connects, communicates and entertains the community besides talking about Munch.

3. Relaunching the new Cadbury Silk: When Cadbury Silk came out with its latest version, the brand did a series of social media activations that were both fun and interactive. Beginning with announcing the imminent demise of Silk, the channels managed to successfully create the right amount of curiosity. And while fans were mourning and sending their farewell wishes, the page brought alive the new Silk for the heartbroken fans. Besides, the brand challenged Silk fans to bid for giant cubes of Silk weighing 14 kilograms each at a mall in Mumbai, by claiming what they would sacrifice to take those cubes home. With a Facebook app and a hashtag on Twitter, ‘Bid for Silk’ sure helped up the curiosity levels around the brand.

4. Special 26 promotions by Viacom 18: The heist Bollywood hit, Special 26 by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, created a formidable social media presence prior to the launch. With simple apps on Facebook that aligned with the story like ‘Which type of con artist are you’ and ‘Akshay’s Special 26’, the movie managed to drive engagement through Facebook. Interestingly, fans could watch an exclusive trailer on a Facebook app only after sharing it on Twitter. On Twitter, amongst other activities,  fans were asked what Akshay could sing for them, as he had sung one of the songs in the movie.

5. Ticket to Idea Filmfare by Idea Cellular: This year the 58^th Filmfare awards sponsored by telecom brand, Idea created a cool campaign ‘#TicketToIdeaFilmfare’ that gave fans an opportunity to earn themselves free passes and feel the glitter of the red carpet. The campaign was executed as a treasure hunt game, where the tickets were hidden in four different places in the city, while Facebook and Twitter were used to provide the clues. Interestingly, the clues related to Bollywood required fans to have a fair knowledge of it.

Organization Name: SellMojo

Organization Description: SellMojo is a unique social commerce platform, offering businesses the opportunity to sell to their customers with fun, accessibility, and ease within Facebook. SellMojo combines the best parts of an online store platform with a social shopping experience.

Location: Chembur, Next to R.K. Studios

Role Title: Intern

Role Description: Social Media, Content creation

Role Responsibilities:

• Manage SellMojo’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ in tandem with the team
• Pitch post ideas to bloggers who write about the industries in which we operate
• Launch contests and giveaways for our users

Qualification Requirement:

• College student

Skill Set Requirement:

• Smart
• Hard worker
• Detail oriented
• Talented writer

Experience Requirement: Previous experience with content writing would be beneficial. Even if they don’t have previous experience, ability to create content is required.

Compensation/Stipend: Rs 5000/month

Application Process: Write to Nameet/Janvi on hello@SellMojo.com

Name:  Shrenik Gandhi

Company: White Rivers Digital

Designation: Business Head

Questions:

1. Tell us something about your company – White Rivers Digital

White Rivers Digital is a Mobile, Social Media, Web & Creative consultancy. The company believes that brands need smart, quick-paced, nifty and creatively crafted solutions to effectively reach out to the target audience online, to stand out from the clutter and to grow.

2. Why did you decide to get into the digital industry given how competition-intensive it is?

To answer this question in a word: Passion.

Passion for Digital is what got me onto this space. This field gives us an opportunity to learn, unlearn & re-learn. Also, it is dynamic enough to keep people like me, who get bored with the same job regularly, stick to it. Speaking about competition, its too big a pie for the existing market to eat. India, as a country, is yet to see the real potential of the digital market & hence there is still a lot of space for existing players to grow as well as new players to flourish.

We, at White Rivers Digital believe that the real competition for any company is what it was yesterday! Always try to get better than what you were & then the real world competition shall not be as relevant.

3. What prompted you to start your own business as opposed to sticking to a job?

Starting up the business was always in mind. Picture this: The first time you wanted to learn swimming, everyone would have taken a round of the pool you were about to jump into, with zillions of questions in your mind, regarding fear, depth etc. You cannot understand or face the same till the time you jump into it. Even in real life, it is the same case. You have to stop constantly thinking around it & jump into it as soon as you have a sustainable plan. Simple. Be an entrepreneur, Face it!

4. What does entrepreneurship mean to you? Define it.

Entrepreneurship is dreaming about an idea, living it, sticking by it, standing up against the world & yet enjoy every second of it.

“Its about taking chances now, to tell stories on it when old!”

5. Who is the entrepreneur you look up to?

Kishore Biyani.

For his simplicity, believing in the concept of Indianness & for being a first generation entrepreneur.

6. What are the perks and pitfalls of owning/running a business?

Perks: When you start building your team for your dream, it is indeed a euphoric moment to see people working with you towards your dream & you get motivated to work all the more harder.

Pitfalls can be compromise on short term monetary gains, stabilised salary, time you cannot spend with your close ones, as you are working on ideas to get your business better & time you cant give yourself.

You may have to spend long hours on weekend working, but at the end of the day if it brings a smile on your face, it is definitely worth it.

7. What are the tips you’ll share with budding entrepreneurs/people who want to start their own business?

Believe in a better tomorrow, always. No matter what the world says, if you believe in an idea, live by it. Also, I have seen a lot of people waiting for that right idea to strike. You shouldn’t. There are millions of businesses already existing in the world. Pick up one & make it better. Simple.

Name: Mitesh Kothari

Designation: Social Media Consultant

Questions:

Q. Since when have you been in the digital/social media field?

A. I have been professionally practising in the industry for 3 years now. Even before I took it up as vocation I was helping my family and friends understand and leverage the emerging media.

Q. What entails a successful social media campaign?

A. Social media campaign – like mainline campaigns are executed to achieve a particular goal. Goals can be anything from brand awareness, increasing sales, promoting an offer to launching the brand. So on the micro level, social media activity that achieved the before set goals is successful. On the macro level a successful social media campaign is one which breaks the clutter through creative use of the medium, viral content and ability to engage audience with the brand on one-to-one level.

Q. How does one acquire the skills required to be a successful social media manager?

A. Social media managers are a different breed in themselves unlike run of the mill advertising. Since social media is not a short term activity a SM is most likely to be a Brand Manager on social media. So to be a successful SM one needs to have a knack of understanding the brand, objectives of the brand, target audience, consumption habits and psychology of the audience, innate client servicing skills and a knack for understanding numbers and creative work. Such skills can be acquired during the BMM coursework through various projects, working with people and most of all be up-to-date with ever changing social media world through industry leading blogs.

Q. How can a fresher land a job in the digital field?

A. Industry itself is in a very nascent stage and has a huge potential for growth. It is a tectonic shift in way how brands will market their goods and services to customers. So if you think that the field is for you, walk into a digital agency with your reason for joining them along with projects you have done during your coursework and sighting your current social and digital presence.

Q. Is it important for an individual to be active on social media if she/he wishes to be a social media manager? Why?

A. It is very important. We don’t expect someone to create a path breaking viral campaign or even run of the mill ones if they themselves don’t understand the nitty-gritty of the medium. For example one will never understand their target audience’s YouTube consumption pattern if they themselves are not on YouTube almost every day. Insightful knowledge of the medium comes from heavy usage of the medium itself, so if you don’t see yourself attracted by Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram or Pinterest then surely you can’t use them to successfully market your client’s products.

Q. What are the trends for 2013 in the digital media space in India?

A. 2013 is a very exciting year for digital space, it’s a year when 1/4^th of the marketer are awaking to the possibility that it won’t be Digital Marketing anymore it will be just Marketing; in short Digital will be the centre space of almost every marketing activity, be it through use of the medium or use of the technology. Some of the emerging trends are –

Moving beyond likes – It will no more be the number of people I have on my fanpage, it will be more about the number of people interacting with me, giving me input about my products and evangelising my brand.

Mobile – Future of digital space, social space and marketing space is mobile. People cannot live without their mobiles and if marketers reap it intelligently they will have first mover’s advantage.

Analytics – Analytics tools will become more and more essential for marketers to understand and leverage. These tools will aid understand consumers activities and consumption and will drive the future campaigns.

Your Mother Is On Facebook – No more can it be argued that social and digital space can cater to a limited audience. We help brands to reach audience up to age of 40 with through Fcaebook. Marketers will have to wake-up and break the traditional mind-set.

Experiential Marketing – Everything will be virtual and it will be quite essential for marketers to mix digital and real world marketing coupes to impact their audience. May it be Coke Australia’s Coke fairy vending machine or closer to home Foodhall’s  Christmas campaign to merge digital and real world. It’s the future and its inevitable, come on terms and create.

General Gyaan

5 Must-Do tips/activities that future social media managers can follow:

1. Learn what the core identity of your client’s brand. Understand what it stands for and translate it to digital and social.
2. Read articles and reports, learn what your target audience wants, what are their touch points and use the knowledge wisely.
3. Use social media extensively, if you don’t know what the medium is all about you can hardly make it profitable for your client.
4. Think out of the box, there is huge clutter on digital due to lack of entry barriers. So be creative think as absurd as you can and then go back and link it with the brand you have to work on.
5. Never let anyone tell you that digital and social are just fad and they will go away. Like TV, Newspaper and Internet, Digital and Social are tectonic shift and they will remain and grow exponentially for decades to come.

Some top blogs to follow are –

1. www.mashable.com
2. www.techcrunch.com
3. www.lighthouseinsights.com
4. www.socialmediaexaminer.com
5. www.digitalbuzzblog.com

Top 3 digital media companies (in India), according to you are:

Hunagama

WebChutney

iContract

PS: Never forget to read Marketing White book for the current year

Hello,

We at BMMBox.com are committed in our efforts of presenting media students with the relevant content and enlightening insights, all of which are sure to keep them engaged and in the loop of what’s happening in the crazy world of BMM. While on BMMBox.com/cafe we urge students to share notes and their body of work with peers, on BMMBox.com we are always looking to build interaction.

In keeping with our ‘always willing to guide/help BMM students’ motto, we have partnered with Social Samosa’s ‘Social Media Career Q&A‘. First on, Social Samosa is an Indian Social Media Knowledge Storehouse. The Social Media Career Q&A is a two-day activity (March 22, 2013 – March 23, 2013) that looks to answer ALL queries pertaining to a careers in this ever-burgeoning industry. Industry professionals and experienced panelists (mentioned below) will address career related questions posted by media students, media industry aspirants and whomsoever!

Social Media Q&A

This career guidance opportunity is FREE and open to all. To know more, click here.

Panelists

1. Sanjay Mehta – Co-Founder, Social Wavelength
2. Aadil Bandukwala – Talent Acquisition & Social Media Advisor, Dell India
3. Siddharth Bansali – Founder, Gyaanexchange.com
4. Ekalavya Bhattacharya – Digital Head, MTV India
5. Sandeep Balan – Group Product Manager, United Breweries Ltd
6. Zaeem Mirza – Digital Marketing Strategist, ex-Google
7. Quresh Moochhala – Professor Marketing, Northpoint Centre of Learning

Organization Name: White Rivers Digital

White Rivers Digital

Organization Description: White Rivers Digital is Digital and Social media consultancy and agency. We firmly believe that digital and social will not be a choice but necessity for any brand, yet they will need to work completely in tandem with off-line brand identity and goals. Even though being a recent entrant in the space we have managed to quickly carve a niche for ourselves along with a great bond with our clients. We are looking for dedicated people who share our beliefs for digital marketing, understand branding and most importantly – are ready to put a great deal of effort for perfection.

Location: Central Suburbs- Mumbai

Role Title: Social Media Manager

Role Description:

• Provide day-to-day supervision and execution of client’s campaigns including (and not limited to) social media channel and community management, content creation, digital public relations, promotions, partnerships, blogger and influencer outreach initiatives, online events, etc.
• Work closely with top management to ensure campaigns are on strategy, on time and on target.
• Ensure consistency of messages across multiple networks
• Serve as key day-to-day community and implementation manager for brands and troubleshoot issues as they arise
• Create weekly social media program status reports detailing key insights, popular content topics and monitoring results; work with analytics team and oversee preparation of metrics, tracking and activity reports as based on client reporting needs
• Offer key insights for improving programs to enhance results
• Understand basic research techniques and methodologies and use them to support development/execution of client campaigns
• Exhibit understanding of online market and digital capabilities

Qualification Requirement:

• Must have client servicing experience, preferably involving social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
• Passion for social media and community building online, including knowledge of social media platforms as well as tools of the trade
• Superior written and verbal communication skills
• Basic knowledge of latest technological trends
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills
• Ability to think, plan and execute resourcefully, across multiple tasks

Experience Requirement: 1 year of dedicated digital or social media experience at an interactive, advertising, communications/public relations or marketing agency.

Compensation/Stipend: As per industry standards+ incentives

Application Process: Mail us on jobs@whiteriversdigital.com or tweet to us@whiteriversdigi

Selection Process: Resume Screening, Telephonic Interview, Tete-a-Tete interview, Project (case basis), Final Selection

Notes, if any: If you think you have it in you and want to make a mark in the field of digital marketing – most welcome.

If you are one of those people who thought that twitter was a site just for celebrities, you might want to re-structure your beliefs. Short, witty and precise statements are what the world is looking for. And the 140 character limit that twitter boasts of makes it just the right tool for people to express themselves. No crap, just the exact point. Here’s how to carve a niche in this big tangled network of 140 characters that is Twitter.

1. Why?

Because social media in itself is a great networking tool and an image building arena. Twitter’s 140 character limit equips you with the art of coming to the point, of writing and talking precisely. Also, people will take time out to actually read what you have to say because it isn’t too long to read. It will help you interact with people you know and also those you don’t, but share similar likes and dislikes with. Twitter also makes you aware of the news that’s making the rounds.  Up-to-date with all the information and more, with 140 characters.

2. How?

Firstly, you need to set up your account. Go to twitter and enter your name, email, and a password and then click sign up.

You will now be taken to a second screen where you can select a username. This is the name by which you will be known on Twitter. What name should you use? It can be your real name or something quirky or your ‘pet’ name. Eg: it could be something like @RohanShah or @RockstarRohan or @onionhead. Just about any name that sails your boat! Now click on the ‘create my account’ button. That’s it. You are now officially a member of the Twitter community. Congratulations!

3. The basics:

Now that you’re a part of the twitter family, you need to know the lingo.

Follow: If you’re on Twitter you probably get this one already, but let’s cover it for the sake of it. If you subscribe to someone’s updates, you follow them.

@reply: When you want to talk to someone on twitter or reply to their tweet, you use the @reply option. Your response will show up in that person’s @connect menu on Twitter or under the mentions tab.

DM: A direct message (DM) is sent between users, not shown publicly on the timeline. You can only DM another user if they follow you.

RT: A re-tweet (RT) is when you share something someone else wrote.

Hashtag: The hashtag is a way to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. For example, if you were tweeting about the Olympics 2012, you might use #Olympics as a hashtag.

Lists: Twitter allows you to add users to lists rather than following them directly. This is useful if you want to check in on a bunch of people periodically, but don’t want them on your timeline all the time.

4. Do’s and don’ts:

Write some great tweets. Things that you believe in, that you think about, that amuse you. And be original. Find people you like and follow them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be famous people, just ones that say things you can connect with. They might follow you back! You don’t have to re-tweet everything, but letting people know you’re there and that you like or dislike what they say is always good, so hit reply. Don’t worry if they don’t answer back – it’s not about how they interact with you, but how you interact with them. Hashtags are excellent for grouping comments together. Why is this important? It makes it easier to find items on similar themes; it also helps identify what are the most important issues on twitter (Trending topics).

5. Tech savvy:

An entire eco-system has sprung up around Twitter. Here are some of my favorite applications:

HootSuite: This is the application I use to manage Twitter on my desktop. It will even manage Facebook profiles and pages, LinkedIn, and several other social media services. It is great because it allows you to segment people by groups (or columns). I have groups for my family, close friends, colleagues, etc. It is available for both desktop systems and mobile devices.

Mobile Apps: Each mobile platform has an app dedicated to twitter. You can try Ubersocial for Blackberry, iTweets for Twitter and so on.

Social Oomph: I use this application to bulk-schedule a whole series of tweets. For example, I have identified my 90 most popular blog posts. I have written a tweet promoting each one. Via SocialOomph, I schedule one tweet per day at a specific time. I upload the text file to SocialOomph and forget about it. Everything is on auto-pilot. It will also post to Facebook.

6. Final word:

You need to be cautious about what you post. There are a lot of fake people and untruthful people around. Updating confidential information can be risky, so avoid posting it.

Lastly, happy tweeting!

The Pros & Cons of Social Networking and Basic Safety Instructions

The Pros

Social networking sites have paved the way for easier communication with friends, family, and colleagues. One example of this increased connectivity is that instead of physically meeting in a certain place you and your classmates can discuss a project via conference on gtalk/FB/BBM/Google+ hangout. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. The privilege of socializing with millions of people of different backgrounds and cultures is something that the web facilitates.

The Cons

While social networking sites have become places for establishing connections and meeting friends, they have also become likely places for identity theft and fraud. You can log in to Facebook/Twitter and you will see multiple profiles pop up when you type in a celebrity’s name in the search tab. While most of these accounts are harmless, some can cause serious collateral damage. It has also become easier for someone to stalk and harass people online.

Keeping these pros and cons in mind, you should take the necessary precautions and trust and share information about yourself with people whom you know won’t misuse it. You can choose to not be a part of a social networking website altogether. Whether you must take this extreme step or just be cautious, is something that you need to decide on your own.

Social Networking Safety Tips

As a kid you probably learned a lot about safety and privacy: Look both ways before crossing the street; buckle up; hide your diary where your nosy brother can’t find it; don’t talk to strangers. While these will help you in the real world, here are some that you need to keep in mind when you are present in the virtual world.

• Review the Web site’s safety notifications, standards, and learn how to report violating content. Most often it will be disclosed at the registration phase. Otherwise, it might be noted at the bottom of the site. This information will educate users about the function of the website in regard to Internet safety.

• Parents must talk to their children about social networking. Suggested topics to discuss would include not posting private information, explaining what information is private and public, what pictures to upload and which ones to not, and so on.

• Understand that people are not who they claim they are. You wouldn’t reveal your personal details to just anyone, would you? Don’t post it on your profile unless you want everyone to see it. Don’t agree to meet an online friend in real unless you know that person and are sure of his/her intentions.

• Be careful — Social Networking is a double-edged sword. It’s okay to have fun and connect with different people on social networks, but just be alert to the fact that criminals and cons use social networks too. Take precautions to prevent possible negative outcomes.

• Setting your profile ‘Private’ to screen outsiders. Most social networks will permit you to set your profile on ‘private’ mode to prevent outside individuals from viewing your profile. This enables you to reach out to others who you are friends with, but excludes incoming profile requests.

• Maintain your computer’s defenses. As a general precaution, it’s important to make sure you have an updated anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware and operating system updates. It’s been noted previously, some MySpace advertisements contain malicious code and can infect your computer system. I’ve listed four ways to prevent spyware, check it out.

• Consider using a fake name or alias. There is no need to use your real name on social networks. Get creative and give yourself a wacky and freaky name.