Sponsorship and Social Media

Sean Williams November 9, 2011

Flow for the hour

• Introduction

• The Canadian Digital Landscape

• Some interesting industry activity

• Thoughts going forward

• Anything else?

Who is this guy?

• I‟ve been in marketing for almost 20 years

• Done the „big‟ agency thing (i.e. Leo Burnett, Dentsu, etc.) and worked for companies in marketing/sales roles (i.e. Nikon and Molson)

• Set up „marketing consultancy‟ business in 2007

• Clients in retail, tourism, automotive, higher education, telecommunications, and of course, events

• Offers strategic counsel, as well as a variety marketing and communication services

• Holistic approach with endless resources

What I‟m hoping to achieve this afternoon

1. Put forward some relevant information regarding the „digital landscape‟ in Canada

2. Highlight some „industry‟ references

3. Offer some advice and suggestions moving forward

Claim

I‟m happy to report that part of this presentation outlines a compilation of „Canadian‟ specific research from a variety of sources. This compilation of data means the information may not always correlate.

Also, additional sources of „proprietary‟ or custom data should be sought to confirm numbers given here before using them for business planning purposes.

The World of Mouth

http://www.youtube.com/user/Socialnomics09#p/u/5/x0EnhXn5boM

What‟s happening in Canada

We‟re a pretty active bunch... online

We are social beings

Usage just keeps going up

How things look based on age

Where we converse, share, and view

We LOVE facebook

Over 16.5 million

Canadians are on

2011 Checkfacebook.com

It‟s our top online destination

It‟s not just for young people

Every month, 71% of Canadian

Internet users visit

Canadians like video too

2011 comScore

We consume a lot

Monthly activity with video

We tweet...

2010 website-monitoring.com

...but it‟s not for everyone

2011 Little Fish, Big Pond Blog

Social networks are key news sources

2011 CMRC

It‟s also where we engage and „like‟

48% of Canadians with social networking profiles ‘like’ or ‘follow’

at least one brand or company

Of this group, they follow an avg. of 6.7 brands

2011 Ipsos Reid

We also like our „smart‟ phones

2011 Quorus Consulting

Q4. Do you have a regular cellular phone or do you have a smartphone? Base: All respondents; n=2,003

What do we use them for

2011 Quorus Consulting

Q9. Which of the following activities do you do on your cell phone? (Prompted questions)

Mobile means apps

2011 Quorus Consulting

Q21. Other than games, have you downloaded any other applications, or “apps”, on your cell phone, that you use at least from time to time? Base: Smartphone owners; n=618. Q22. How many apps, again excluding games, have you downloaded to your cell phone? Your best guess will suffice. Q23. How many of these apps did you pay for, as opposed to download for free? Base: Smartphone owners who have downloaded apps; n=347.

We still enjoy „traditional‟ media

„Locally‟, we‟re engaged by TV and the internet

Television Radio Newspaper Magazines Internet Out of home

61.3

6.8 7.1 8.3 11.4

1.7

Q: Which ONE of the following media carries advertising that you believe to be the most engaging?

Source: BBM Analytics OmniVU May 2011 – Atlantic Canadians 18+

What does this all mean

• People are connected most of the time

• Social networks are here to stay

– They‟re more than just „social‟ networks

– If you can get them to „like‟ you, you‟re in

• It‟s not just facebook

• Video, video, video

• Mobile devices are „smarter‟ and aren‟t just for talking

• Traditional media is still relevant

Benefits of using social media

• It‟s a main stream medium

• A very effective tool to add to your marketing mix

• Size doesn‟t matter

• Tools are free, but the thinking and resources cost money

• Get a read on people

• Gage your success and/or reputation

• Connects to those that aren‟t onsite or directly involved

• Activation through conversation

Industry examples

Rugby World Cup 2011

New Zealand isn‟t the only winner

The proof is in the numbers

• Thousands of pieces of content created, shared, liked and commented on every day

• The FB page has over 1.4 million fans

– They gained more than 25,000 new fans in the last 7 days

– Gained almost 100,000 fans over the last month

– Received around 2,700 comments or likes per post

• Finals weekend saw more than 300,000 tweets

The proof is in the numbers

• Just before the game, "Go Allblacks" was trending in 9th place worldwide

• More than 150,000 tweets mentioned "RWC 2011" or "RWCFinals" on the Sunday

• Plan to pass this legacy on to England 2015

Who else benefits from this activity?

Heineken “This is the Game”

Activation across a mix of platforms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf

omUcl75ho

Comprehensive package

• Over four billion people watched the RWC

• Sponsorship includes:

– Use event marks and designations in promotional tie-ins

– Pouring rights around stadia at all official Rugby World Cup outlets

– Most notably digital content rights to use across social media channels

• Digital media had been an integral part of its sponsorship

Saw results

• Generated a variety of digital content on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter

• Brand doubled its followers on Twitter and got more than a million views on YouTube

• Saw a significant increase in sales (vs. LY) both at key venues and with consumption at home

Stick with what works

Halifax Pop Explosion

Built a strong online community

Conversation continues

Best year yet

• 180 bands at 18 venues

• Used all key social media tools and integrated them well within website, advertising, etc.

– High level of comments and engagement through facebook and twitter

• Promoted bands, venues, key information and sponsors

• Reported „real-time‟ from a variety of events

• Sold 1,100 wristbands vs. 700 last yr

• Biggest event so far in it‟s 19 years

– 22,000 fans vs. 18,000 last year

Honda benefited from success

Honda “Civic Garage Party”

Held a party and a car showed up

Online and onsite activation

• 5 cities, 5 parties, 5 DJs – supported launch of the newest Honda Civic

• Integrated this program within HPX festival

– Brought acts to Halifax

• Facebook page was the primary destination for information and registration

– Potential attendees and DJs signed up on facebook

– People also voted for DJs

• The pre-event buzz was generated through facebook, twitter, blogs, tumblr, etc.

• Text to win onsite

Any other examples?

Going forward

How to activate through social media

Chose the right channels

Include a promotional twist

Sign-up or register ‘socially’

Use location based tools

Offer ‘real’ value

How to activate through social media

Everything is content

Report ‘real-time’

Engage those not in attendance

Keep going... after the event

Ask for input

Now what?

Talk to your „customers‟ – find out how best to engage them

Map out a plan – strategy, goals, content, tools, resources, tracking, KPIs, etc.

Think differently – you can‟t use „traditional‟ thinking in a non-traditional medium

Don‟t disregard the past – integrate with the tools you‟ve used in the past

Now what?

Start slow – don‟t overwhelm yourself with social media „toys and tricks‟

Listen, engage and act – the worst thing you can do is nothing

Revisit and adjust – if it‟s not working, change it

Thank you sean@williamsmarketing.ca www.williamsmarketing.ca facebook.com/swmgroup @swmgroup linkedin.com/in/seanwillliams Google+ (Sean Williams) seanwilliamsmarketinggroup.tumblr.com