What Do 10 Million Facebook Friendships Look Like?

Recently, an intern working on Facebook’s data infrastructure engineering team took a sample of nearly 10 million pairs of friends from Facebook’s data warehouse and plotted out their relationships. The result? This intriguingly beautiful image and an accurate map of the world.

Here are the thoughts that Paul shared about the image and its creation:

After a few minutes of rendering, the new plot appeared, and I was a bit taken aback by what I saw. The blob had turned into a surprisingly detailed map of the world. Not only were continents visible, certain international borders were apparent as well. What really struck me, though, was knowing that the lines didn’t represent coasts or rivers or political borders, but real human relationships. Each line might represent a friendship made while travelling, a family member abroad, or an old college friend pulled away by the various forces of life.

We’d like to see an image of each individual Facebook user pinpointed on a map and see if it is attractive.

The Three Smartest Words in Advertising … Ever

What are the three smartest words ever penned in advertising? Any guesses as to what they might be? If you guessed Just Do It, Nike’s fabulous brand tag, you’d be off the mark. While certainly powerful, well crafted and fitting the three word limiter, there are three other words that have sold more product, driven more repeat business and caused a consumer behavior phenomenon that no other three words in advertising have ever accomplished.

How about Wendy’s Where’s the Beef? … guess again. Avis car rental had a good one with We Try Harder, but alas you would also be wrong. Regardless of how many words are used, there are four things that make a tag line, USP or brand message measure up.

• Longevity - do they stand the test of time? There are certainly great examples of this throughout advertising history, whether they be with three words or not. Think of Alka-Seltzer, Roto Rooter or the California Milk Board for those examples.
• Equity - Have they become synonymous with a company or product? Intel Inside is a good example of this, as is DeBeers A Diamond Is Forever.
• Memorability - Have they influenced our culture, media and language? I (Heart) NY, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up and This is your brain, this is your brain on drugs. Any questions? are all perfect examples of how a brand can influence culture.
• Originality - Have they broken new ground in advertising? ¡Yo quiero Taco Bell! … Now that was original.

The three words to which I am referring meet all the aforementioned criteria. In use for decades and still today, they are synonymous with a product, are certainly memorable and while original and ground breaking at first, have been copied more than “Got Milk?“. These three words are used today on hundreds of different brands of the same type of product and have driven repeat sales like no other three words ever could. Determining the origin or mastermind behind the copy writing has proved to be fruitless so far, but I continue the quest to give honor and accolade to the man, woman or child that had the brilliant idea to put the words “Lather, rinse, Repeat.” on every bottle of shampoo that rattles of the conveyor belt and makes it’s way into the showers of American homes from sea to shining sea. Shampoo that lasts only half as long as if the packaging had merely said … lather, rinse … we buy twice as much product because we are programmed to do as we are told.

Like Lemmings to the sea, consumers the world over … oh yes, it’s a global phenomena … having lathered and rinsed … repeat the process. Why? Because we were told to, that’s why. I will agree with those of you say that this may be less so with millennials, but even they may follow directions if they think it will make them look/smell/feel better.

So hat’s off to the brilliant package design copy writer, crafty creative guru or brand manager with a “let’s just tell them to repeat it” gleam in their eye … I salute you Sir or Madam. There are not another three words that have affected our culture of cleanliness, stood the test of time or sold more product. Well done.

Now in case any of you skipped to the bottom of this piece to see what three words I was writing about (you know who you are …), let me see if I can influence you with anywhere near their power with three of my own … Read It Again.

Paul Evans is President and CMO of Evans Media Group and can be reached at paul@evansmediagroup.com

Grass Roots Social Media Initiative To Save The Kansas City Folgers Plant

Horrors! The delicious smell of roasting coffee as you walk or drive anywhere near Broadway in the heart of down town Kansas City is about to be stanched for ever! Since 1908 the aroma that has been delighting passers-by, its caffeinated tendrils wafting passed the noses and awakening the senses of Kansas Citians for more than a hundred years is about to be snuffed out by parent company, J.M. Smucker Co.

According to an article in the Kansas City Star, Folgers Coffee Co. will close its longtime downtown plant by 2012, eliminating about 180 jobs. A Facebook fan page has already been created to try to make Folgers change that plan. The fan page can be found by going to Facebook and searching for Folgers on Facebook and then clicking the “Become a Fan” button at the top of the page. It can also be accessed directly at http://www.facebook.com/savefolgerskc. A Twitter page at www.twitter.com/saveFolgersKC has also been established for tweets about the plant, it’s history and it’s impact on the Kansas City community.

J.M.Smucker Co., famous mostly for it’s jams and jellies, bought Folgers from Proctor & Gamble Co. in 2008 and now plans to close several plants and furlough 700 workers. According to The Wall Street Journal, Smucker last month said its fiscal third-quarter earnings jumped 74% amid fewer one-time charges as revenue increased and margins surged.

Meanwhile, the company plans to spend $220 million over the next three years in its coffee and namesake businesses, building a new plant and expenditures for new equipment and technology. Construction on the Ohio facility is expected to begin this fall, with initial production start-up in the summer of 2012.

The grass roots Facebook and Twitter effort to let officials at Smucker know that their customers, jam, jelly and coffee fans alike, disapprove of a company posting record earnings, while laying off the workers who helped them get there, and the shuttering of historic buildings and operations that are part of the fabric of a city and its past.

Media Contact:

Paul Evans
paul@evansmediagroup.com
913-766-0364

Social Media is a Science. Rocket Science, in fact.

Yes, that’s what I said. Rocket science.  Shaking your head in disbelief? Really?

Well, would you design or develop your own website? Or would you look to a web development company or web designer to complete that piece of your marketing toolkit.

Likewise, would you shoot your own television commercial or buy or place your own media spots to air that commercial? And, if you did, would you be convinced that you are targeting your demographic and getting the best bang for your marketing buck?

Didn’t think so.

Recently, we met an attorney and he told us that we have a unique skill set as creative and marketing minds. In fact, he told us that we were like rock stars or athletes since our product exists between our temples.  Our product is our intellectual property.  What value does that have? What price tag can you associate with such a product? We know our value, but struggle with that in this ever changing world of new media, but we left the conversation feeling like we need to take out some hefty life insurance policies on our brains.

Just as when the internet revolutionized the advertising and marketing agencies in the 90s, and everyone sat back and waited for the established ad agencies to come in and eat their lunch, it didn’t happen. The eager college grads designed websites for big companies and tried to figure out how this new thing called the internet. The media world is being transformed again, and the question is will ad agencies leverage their client relationships in the social space? It didn’t happen with web development and design. Why you ask? Traditional agencies are about creativity not technology and they left web design and development up to the rocket scientists and we predict the same will occur with social media. Ad agencies will work with other entities that are comfortable in the space, and where the learning curve is short. Given the recent downturn of their industry, they cannot afford to take any unnecessary risks either.

The risks to not adapting to the shift in the market are great, though many are resisting and in fact, ignoring the trends, but then again, there are still nearly 40% of small businesses that do not have websites in 2010!

Consumer behavior is evolving at a frenzied pace. One in which the internet marketers find overwhelming and even those social media strategists. Why? Keeping your finger on the pulse of the marketing and advertising industry is a full time job in itself. Watching and identifying trends, seeking out new mediums to communicate and developing effective messages for those mediums is another. Here is a 50,000 foot perspective.

1.  The web is social.  48% of the 1,000 respondents in a recent study commissioned by Retrevo indicated that they check in on social media activity when they are awakened in the middle of the night.  Granted, this is heavily skewed by night owls that are in the 25 and under bracket, but a large portion of many big brands target market are online and engaged with social media networks at that time.  61% of  Facebook users are 35 and older. Still think your customers aren’t using social media?

2. There’s a reason that they call it “old media.” Media industry ad revenues declined 12% year-over-year to $125.3 billion in 2009, according to a report issued by Kantar Media.  The only major growth area? Online ad spending. TV ad spending fell 10%, with spot spending falling off dramatically due to the lack of political ads from 2008.  Magazines dropped 17%. Newspapers and radios each dropped 20% and outdoor advertising fell 13%.

3.  User content is key to the online experience of millions of US Internet users. Ranging from communications to e-commerce to entertainment, consumers are increasingly in charge of the creation, distribution, and consumption of digital content.  The number of people who consume user-generated content exceeds the number of creators.  This is true of any content loop – there are always more spectators than active participants.  The difference? User generated content is affordable, accessible and integrates well with mass participation. As a result, the gap between creators and consumers is smaller than in traditional media.  The downside? The craze of content generation is not likely to produce commensurate rewards for marketers or site publishers, since advertisers shy away from attaching their brands to unpredictable content.

What does this mean for brands and marketers? It means it is even more difficult to manage because the assets from media that traditional media used to control (print, broadcast, online publishing) is migrating to channels that they don’t control and most importantly, can’t. Why, you ask? Because the fun new media that everyone is all abuzz about is invite only.

The media world is changing, and predominantly, online media. The solution? Realize the full-potential of the over 82 million user content creators. How? Marketers and site publishers must be willing to work together. What does this mean for you and your brand? It means taking risks. Something no one wants to do in the current economy, and something few businesses every want to do with their marketing strategies or brand.  The other piece of it? It mandates becoming very savvy in the social media segment, finding safe havens with social media channels, and taking refuge among these content creators that you’ve forged relationships with.   Until these changes occur, user generated content will remain a phenomenon and the popular appeal eclipses its commercial possibilities.

So, how does this make social media rocket science? The chart below shows that 79.7 million people created content on social networks last year. What does that mean for you? It means that 23.9 million people posted blogs. 18 million videos were uploaded.  More than 13 million people participated in virtual worlds, yielding a number of over 88 million content creators, which counts everyone who generated content at least monthly. Just because it’s call the social space, doesn’t men it is like outer space and there is nothing out there. It’s crowded out there. There is a lot of competition, millions of businesses vying for attention. Plenty of things to crash into.

It’s a rocket ship alright. And in order to launch it, guide it and land it safely, you need a scientist. Choose wisely. There are many “experts” out there that may get you off the pad, but solid piloting skills? Not so much. Look for a team that can provide the telemetry you need to effect a successful mission of launching or guiding your brand in the social space.

Written by: Sara Paxton, managing partner, CTO, and Social Media Officer of Evans Media Group, Kansas City’s Social Media Agency, a boutique agency located in Overland Park, KS that specializes in traditional marketing, social media marketing, online marketing, and public relations.

What’s the Social Media ROI? Here you go.

Facebook fans and Twitter followers of a brand are more likely to not only recommend, but they are also more likely to buy from, those brands than they were before becoming fans/followers.

A study of over 1,500 consumers by market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies found that 60% of Facebook fans and 79% of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower. And 51% of Facebook fans and 67% of Twitter followers are more likely to buy the brands they follow or are a fan of.

Data was collected from 1,504 adults (aged 18 and over) via a nationally representative online survey questionnaire by Chadwick Martin Bailey Feb. 8 and 9.

Twitter Turns Tuesday Into Testing and Tweaking Time

Twitter, the micro-blogging service and social media company founded by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone among others, has seen steady growth month over month and a combined growth over the past year of 294.26%.

So, if you are a social media networking site with 23 million unique visitors, what do you do to attract a revenue stream and more users? Apparently, spend a day testing out some new features and updates. And that is just what they spent today doing.

Twitter spent Tuesday doing some experimentation and some tweaking.  These appeared and then disappeared like a blip on the radar.

One of the changes? Modifying the “update” button to “tweet,” seemingly to signify that it’s official.  Those of you sending out those 140 character message aren’t twittering but in fact “tweeting.” It only took the stats to rise to 50 million tweets per day for them to make the update, but even then, only momentarily. It was noticed by a few and TechCrunch sent out a post regarding it, but at the time of this post, it still remains “update.”

In an attempt to timidly enter the location wars, Twitter turned on the geolocation function on its website.  TechCrunch featured small screenshots of tweets with small location place markers, displaying a Google map showing the location of the tweet when a user hovered over it. This feature has also been deactivated since TechCrunch’s post broke the news and screenshots.

Twitter’s geolocation feature has been live through its API since November, but until today, there was no indication that Twitter was looking to fully integrate geolocation into the main website.  Twitter has timed this move well, with the report from the New York Times earlier today that Facebook has finally decided to enter the location war by unveiling its response next month at its f8 conference.  Coincidentally (or not), Twitter’s inaugural Chirp conference takes place 1 week before the f8 conference. Google is trying to get into the location war as well, but has made a disappointing debut thus far with meager offerings through Buzz and Latitude.  Of course, each day it seems Twitter is bursting with the buzz of the new and shiny app of the day to throw their hat into the ring of the location wars.  Most of the new apps are passing information back to Twitter, leveraging Twitter’s geolocation API, which further supports the timing and logic of Twitter to turn this function on within their own website.

UPDATE: It appears as though Twitter has launched these features or they are doing additionally testing. Either way, as of 6:45 pm CST, the location feature and the “Tweet” button are both live based on the screenshots below:

Tweet Button on Twitter

Twitter Location Feature "Add Your Location"

Written by: Sara Paxton, managing partner, CTO, and Social Media Officer of Evans Media Group, Kansas City’s Social Media Agency, a boutique agency located in Overland Park, KS that specializes in traditional marketing, social media marketing, online marketing, and public relations.

I Lost A Friend Yesterday …

Martin Stein, Founder of RMI Direct Marketing passed from this life yesterday after a losing a battle with cancer. Martin and I shared a love of the arts and as such sat on the board of a little performing arts center in Danbury, CT and enjoyed

many a warm summer evening under the stars listening to artists as varied as The Three Tenors, Willy Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Loggins and Melissa Etheridge and greats like BB King, Steve Winwood and Jerry Garcia.

Martin had a great love for food and wine and his tent at these Ives Concert Park events always gathered the most people, Martin loved to share.

There was a side to Martin that some did not see, but I had the pleasure ofwitnessing first hand. The humor and boyish glee that rose within him as he yanked the release valve on the “Pumpkin Chucking Cannon” he built with two close friends and dragged out each autumn to the joy of all his Roxbury, CT friends and neighbors.

This thing would launch a gourd or pumpkin skyward with a rush of air and send it 500 yards over field and meadow to the hoots and hollers of the gathered crowd. A cookout and picnic was always set out and whether you brought something or not Martin would not let you leave hungry. “Have a hot dog, a glass of wine … eat something,” He would say as he prepared to load the cannon again.

The last time I attended one of Martin’s events; my son went with me and will remember the day for the rest of his life. One of the attendees had parked his convertible Jaguar E-Type down range along the fence row about 400 yards from the cannon. An ill wind, an odd shaped pumpkin or Martin’s aim (we will never know) caused the projectile to drift wide. We could all see where it was going, could calculate where it would land, but were helpless to do anything but watch as 20 pounds of liquid pumpkin painted the white leather seats of the classic automobile, unfortunately parked at ground zero.

Martin was horrified of course, but with a glint in his eye and a smile on his lips, he turned to me and said … “Did you see the height on that one?”

I will miss Martin, it was a pleasure to have known him. But the next time I hear thunder, I will also hear Martin saying “Did you see the height on THAT one?”

Paul Evans of Evans Media Group recently relocated from Ridgefield, CT to the greater Kansas City metro.

Written by Paul Evans is the President and CMO of Evans Media Group, a boutique agency located in Overland Park, KS that specializes in traditional marketing, social media marketing, online marketing, and public relations.

Betty White to Appear on SNL – Thanks to Facebook Fans!

It all started with a 29-year old man living in San Antonio around New Year’s Eve. He created a simple, and even polite Facebook page called “Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!” The initial goal was to find at least 5,000 fans and then share the feedback with the executive producer of SNL, Lorne Michaels, hoping this would inspire SNL to feature the octogenarian as a Saturday Night Live host.

Near the end of January, the page hit the original goal of 5,000 fans, after about a month, and as promised, the Texan mailed his letter off to the big city.  Coincidentally, this is the same timeframe in which the Facebook campaign went viral, with the number of fans skyrocketing to over 200,000 in just under two weeks.

The effort on Facebook has been featured in People, the Associated Press, and even NPR.  And, apparently, the argument was compelling based on reports of a confirmed appearance by Betty White herself, who has declined comment to this point. On Sunday night at Elton John’s annual Oscars viewing party, when approached by People, White confirmed the news and indicated she was surprised herself. But in true Betty fashion commented, “I don’t know why or how, but it’s been wonderful.”

This recent confirmation comes just a few weeks after a story that Entertainment Weekly shared on February 21, claiming that Betty White would appear on Saturday Night Live in conjunction with some former SNL cast members Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Molly Shannon in a “Women of Comedy” episode. People reports that SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels has denied that.

But, really who could deny nearly 485,000 Facebook fans? Definitely not dear, sweet Betty.

Written by: Sara Paxton, managing partner, CTO, and Social Media Officer of Evans Media Group, Kansas City’s Social Media Agency, a boutique agency located in Overland Park, KS that specializes in traditional marketing, social media marketing, online marketing, and public relations.

Can’t Hardly Wait for the iPad?

The wait is nearly over as iPad pre-orders start is only 4 days. The pre-order date has been a large source of controversy and speculation. Now, along with the waiting game, the betting is over. Well, almost.

Apple has posted the dates for both the pre-order and the availability date on the iPad product page.

Not sure what to splurge on this spring? Well, whip out your credit cards, and break open those piggy banks. Can’t stand the long lines at the Apple store? Pre-order on March 12. Up for the long line of entertainment at the Apple store? Plan on standing all day on Saturday, April 3.

Not sure how they plan to structure the delivery as many delivery services don’t run on Saturday. So, it’s a tough question. Stand in line all day Saturday so you can get to know your new iPad for the rest of the weekend or pre-order and run the risk of sitting around waiting until Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by: Sara Paxton, managing partner, CTO, and Social Media Officer of Evans Media Group, Kansas City’s Social Media Agency, a boutique agency located in Overland Park, KS that specializes in traditional marketing, social media marketing, online marketing, and public relations.

Evans Media Group adds Director of Social Media Strategies

Overland Park, KS (Evans Media Group) – MARCH 4, 2010, Evans MediaGroup, Kansas City’s Social Media Agency is very pleased to announce the latest addition to its team. Mark Van Baale of Olathe, KS has joined the firm as Director of Social Media Strategies and will be responsible for strengthening the company’s expanding need for key client service in the social media segment.

“We were impressed with Mark’s experience in the social space, but his background in traditional marketing mirrored our philosophy of bringing the two doctrines together,” said Sara Paxton, CTO and Partner at Evans Media Group.

“There are so many “experts” in social media today,” Said Paul Evans, President and CMO. “We come across them every day, victims of “Carpal Thumb” who want to work at a social media agency because they have been Tweeting about themselves or their habits for some time.”

“Our approach at Evans Media Group is much more structured than that, driven by sound business principles and founded on solid marketing experience. We understand and know that our clients needs as they relate to social media is the eventual success of a campaign, with no less weight or return that any other marketing or advertising segment. That is why Mark Van Baale is such a good fit for us.”

Paxton concurs, “Mark has held marketing management positions in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, was a combat engineer in the United States Army and is the education Chair of the Social Media Club of Kansas City. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of Iowa and is the kind of well rounded individual that we look for when adding to our team. Mark will add a valuable layer to our existing offering.”

After a recent relocation from the New York City metro to the greater Kansas City area, Evans Media Group has focused on connecting with localbusiness owners to catapult their marketing initiatives into the online and social media marketing space. As a result of online and social media marketing, networking and word of mouth, the increased client base at Evans Media Group required a prompt addition of staff. The sudden growth also has the partners looking for larger office space.

With a strong background in corporate business strategy, public relations, sales, marketing, and consulting, the team at Evans Media Group also offers social media strategy, research, online, video and mobile marketing and a full suite of traditional agency services.

For additional inquiries contact Evans Media Group at their Overland Park, KS office 913-766-0364.
www.evansmediagroup.com
paul@evansmediagroup.com
sara@evansmediagroup.com
www.linkedin.com/in/evansmediagroup
www.linkedin.com/in/sarapaxton
www.twitter.com/evansmediagroup
www.facebook.com/evansmediagroup
www.google.com/profiles/Paulevansmediagroup

Written by Paul Evans is the President and CMO of Evans Media Group, a boutique agency located in Overland Park, KS that specializes in traditional marketing, social media marketing, online marketing, and public relations.