Cars and Bananas Prove Social Media’s Staying Power

This is a tale of two stories. Both are about the use of social media. But they are usually on opposite ends of the spectrum: cars and bananas (unless you are playing a practical joke as in Beverly Hills Cop, see clip at end of article).

First, cars:

Apparently, Ford decided it would make more sense to unveil its new Ford Explorer model on Facebook instead of at an auto show, reports USA TODAY. Last week, Ford launched a Facebook campaign, releasing “teaser photos” of the car periodically and indicating that the Explorer would be revealed on the social media site soon. The Explorer is set to officially launch sometime in July.

Ford’s head of social media, Scott Monty, told USA TODAY, “We live in a 140-character society [referring to Twitter]. When we have people’s attention, we want to make sure it sticks.” Monty added that Ford wanted to use the Internet to show that Ford is not “a faceless monolith,” but rather a company that encourages consumer involvement and feedback.

Just a few years ago, such a move would be inconceivable. Auto shows have always been the accepted launching pad for a manufacturer’s new models. For Ford, no less, to introduce a car via Facebook is breaking the mold, to say the least.

Now, bananas:

Chiquita is a name that’s been associated with bananas for almost fifty years. In fact, it was Chiquita that first branded the banana by putting its famous blue sticker on the fruit.

But even Chiquita has to keep up with the times, so the brand decided to encourage consumers to create their own Chiquita stickers via a “Sticker Generator.” The company started a social media campaign at www.eatachiquita.com. Chiquita also launched “Shop A Peel,” an online store that allows consumers to take the customized stickers they make and order products with the designs on them.

According to the Advertising Specialty Institute, the “Eat a Chiquita” campaign has attracted almost half a million fans and has generated some 25,000 unique sticker designs. I guess you could say people have gone bananas over the idea.

Judy Chen, a group leader in marketing at Chiquita Brands International, says

“The response to the store has been growing, with lots of online buzz, positive response and excitement on the social media front. We fully expect the store to continue to grow in its customer base and sales, especially with future contests and refreshers planned for the overall Eat A Chiquita campaign later this year.”

Why cars and bananas are effective:

In using social media, Ford and Chiquita each took a calculated risk. Ford opened itself up to unfiltered commentary about the Explorer, and Chiquita left itself vulnerable to stickers that could be inappropriate. But these brands recognized that the benefits of grabbing attention and connecting with consumers, of being approachable and engaging, outweighed the possible consequences.

These are just two examples of big brands that have been around a long time who recognize that social media is not just a fun thing to do, it’s a necessary part of a modern-day marketing strategy. Kudos to Ford and Chiquita.

About Barry Silverstein

Barry Silverstein is a freelance writer/marketing consultant. In addition to writing for ReveNews, he is a contributing writer to Brandchannel.com, the world’s leading online branding forum. He is the author of three marketing books, The Breakaway Brand (co-author, McGraw-Hill, 2005), Business-to-Business Internet Marketing (Maximum Press, 2003) and Internet Marketing for Technology Companies (Maximum Press, 2003). Barry ran his own Internet and direct marketing agency for twenty years. You can find Barry on Twitter @bdsilv.

Website: http://www.barrysilverstein.com