Save Money by Sending a Tweet? Really?

By Ben Lies, MBA Class of 2012

American express has just launched a brand new program that they refer to as Sync, Tweet, Save. The way this program works is you sync your eligible American Express card to your twitter account, then tweet any specials that come across your twitter feed from American Express, partner retailers, or even friends, that have #Amex prefix in them and the special will automatically be loaded to your card and show up on your statement as a credit. (Check out the video below or visit the Sync American Express website for more details and to sign up.)

This really is an incredibly innovative and effective use of social media. By requiring that their customers tweet the special in order to obtain the discount American Express is getting exposure to an extended network of people that they may never have reached using traditional methods. According to Mediabistro in the first 48 hours of this program there were over 2000 tweets. This demonstrates the viral nature of this type of promotional program. As more and more people sign up and start tweeting the reach will grow exponentially with very little effort by American Express.

The other major benefactors of this program will be the partners of the program that include Best Buy, Dell, FedEx, H&M, McDonalds, TicketMaster, and Whole Foods. Anytime one of these businesses wants to announce a special they can just tweet it through this program and it will instantly reach thousands of people with very little effort. This program not only benefits American Express and the partner businesses but  the customers themselves also see a benefit in the form of discounts and convenience.  No longer do people have to clip or print out coupons or even show a digital coupon through their smart phones. All they have to do is Tweet. This really is a win-win for all parties that are involved.

This type of promotional program really shows how online and offline marketing and commerce are merging. As technology continues to improve and businesses come up with innovative new uses for social media and other technologies the lines between online and offline will continue to blur and we will inevitably we will drop the distinction between e-marketing and marketing.

Discussion Questions:

What do you think about losing the E from E-Marketing? Is it really inevitable? Are we becoming so integrated with technology that the line is no longer distinguishable?

Although not specifically addressed in this post the mobile web and mobile phones are no doubt an integral part of this program. Do you think that a program like this could survive without the use of a mobile platform? Would people be as likely to tweet if they had to do it from a laptop or PC?

Are there any other forms of media out there that would be as efficient as twitter is with this type of program? Why or why not?

This week, February 13-17, 2012 is Social Media Week (SMW)!

By Lindsey Dietz, MBA Class of 2012

SMW is an emerging trade show in its third year that takes place in 21 cities across the globe. The purpose is to discuss and share emerging trends in the ever-changing landscape of social media. The discussion spans across diverse industries, technology platforms, cultural and geographical areas.  This year, the overarching topic is the global impact of social media and how it drives social, political, economic and even cultural change. SMW is owned and operated by a New York based strategy firm called Crowdcentric Media LLC.

Nicky Yates of Crowdcentric Media wrote the introductory post to kick off SMW12. The post – which can be found on the global blog alongside daily updates from SMW12 – informs interested readers on ways they can follow and engage in the discussions taking place at SMW12. Attendees and fans can engage in the following “social” activities, to provide and receive real-time updates during the event.

1. SMW RealTime: A data aggregation dashboard that gives up to date tracking and trending information regarding the show.
2. Twitter: Individuals interested in the show can follow and interact on Twitter. To make it a little more interesting, each SMW host city has its own twitter handle. They are competing for attention and engagement. You can get involved!
3. Social Media Week Live: Live streams of the content being offered at the shows from different cities.
4. Social Media Week Blogs: There is the global blog located on the main SMW website and city specific blogs written by college students and editorial staff.
5. SMW Mobile App: The app is available in six languages and makes it easier to engage while on the move.

Social media are tools for customer engagement. In our e-marketing class we drilled down to define engagement and how it differs from conversion. Engagement uses interactions and relationships, which are qualitative, pull strategies. Social Media Week is all about engagement and metrics. Crowdcentric Media is focused on engagement for SMW12, and is likely measuring successes based on the level of engagement created.

What metrics are they likely using to measure engagement?

Which of the five following activities described in the blog are engagement tactics? Why do you think so?

Based on the dashboard information provided with SMW Real Time do you think they are successful at generating engagement?

One of the videos created for SMW12 is “Future Hipsters.” This is a funny video depicting a group of social media gurus in 2062 reminiscing about the good old days. Check it out for a laugh: