Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
4. Prior to joining CoverGirl’s “So Lashy” campaign, James Charles was primarily a
__________ on social media.
a. creator
b. critic
c. collector
d. joiner
e. spectator
5. If CoverGirl posted on one of their social networking pages asking fans to vote for candidates
for the next new face of CoverGirl, this would be an example of __________.
a. crowdsourcing
b. social media monitoring
c. social commerce
d. networking evaluation
Great Ideas for Teaching Chapter 18
Mandeep Singh, Illinois University
Analyzing an Organization’s Web Presence
Assignment Overview
The rapid proliferation of the World Wide Web (Web) has seen the emergence of a multitude of
websites accompanied by a multitude of business models. While there is no certainty of who will
Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
19
survive in the competitive Web environment, one thing is for certain: the Web has changed the
way business is conducted. The intent of this assignment is to heighten student awareness and
understanding of an organization’s Web strategy by critically evaluating their online presence.
The assignment may be completed by students working in teams or individually, depending on
the desired level of rigor in the analysis.
Project Objective
Company websites should mirror the marketing strategy of the business those sites drive. This
assignment serves a dual purpose:
1. Students must critically evaluate an organization’s Web presence. Students are expected to
identify the key elements of an organization’s Web presence.
2. Students must evaluate an organization’s website from the integrated marketing
communications (IMC) perspective.
Students are assigned specific websites and are required to evaluate the key elements driving an
organization’s Web strategy.
Overview of the Website
• Identify the nature of site (product/service) provider. Develop a brief industry profile.
• What is the value source from the customer vantage point?
• Identify their revenue model (i.e., how do they generate revenue?). Is their path to
profitability clearly identified?
• Source of volume: Which non-web-driven activity is being replaced (substituted) by the
website?
• Target market: Develop a detailed profile of consumers attracted to website and why. What
share of the existing business volume do they represent?
• If this is a website for a traditional business, what is the value addition for the current or
new customer base?
• Traffic/growth: What are the primary methods used to drive traffic to the website? What is
the implication of this strategy on profitability?
Competitor Analysis
• Who are the main non-Web competitors? What are their main competitive strengths?
• Who are the Web competitors? What are their Web strategies? What are their unique
strengths? Are their sources of volume and target market shares different from ours?
• How does this website rate or rank relative to the respective competitors’ strengths?
• Is this website crossing traditional competitive boundaries and forming a new basis of
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20
competition?
• What is the main competitive threat to this Web business?
Competitive Advantage—Is It Sustainable?
• The Web brand: Provide a brand positioning statement (the value proposition).
• How is the end user’s (and intermediary user’s) value proposition redefined? Compare the
old benefits structure with the new website-driven benefits structure.
• How is the delivery system redefined?
• What is the economic benefit (to the customer and to the business)?
• What benefits provided by the website (individually or in combination as a bundle) are
truly unique and provide the potential for sustainable competitive advantage?
• What is the likely competitor response to this Web benefit structure?
Consumer Perspective
Web Presence from the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Perspective
• Discuss how this Web presence parallels the organization’s overall marketing strategy.
• Identify and match common elements of the creative strategy along with the media utilized
in the promotional process.
• Evaluate the clarity and consistency of message components
• Evaluate the tonality of the promotional campaign.
Part 5: Integrated Case Assignments
Marketing Miscues
Yellow Tails Tails-for-Tails Campaign
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Yellow Tail is an Australian wine produced by Casella Wines Pty Ltd. The company entered into
bottled wine commercialization around the beginning of 2000 and quickly became a top
imported wine into the United States. As such, it is not surprising that the company has targeted
cause-related promotional efforts in the United States. However, the company created quite a stir
in 2010 when it donated $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). At first
glance, one might think (as probably did executives at Yellow Tail) that this type of donation
would engender strong support and affinity among American consumers. Unfortunately, just the
opposite happened!
The Humane Society of the United States
Tails for Tails
On February 4, 2010, a Yellow Tail press release announced a collaboration between the
company and the HSUS. In support of the HSUS mission to celebrate animals, the wine
company made a donation of $100,000. The company said that it embraced animals and pointed
to the company’s logo of a yellow-footed rock-wallaby as an example of that affiliation. In
addition to point-of-sale visibility for the Tails-for-Tails campaign, Yellow Tail’s Facebook page
would include a link to the HSUS pet photo contest. Via this online collaboration, consumers
would receive information on how to make a donation to the HSUS animal rescue program.
The Uproar
The agriculture community has long felt like it has been a target of the HSUS. It was thought that
the HSUS was an organization with a core mission of removing meat, dairy, and eggs from the
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22
American diet and, as such, putting farmers and ranchers out of business. Soon after the
announcement of the Tails-for-Tails campaign, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance sent a letter to the
American distributor of Yellow Tail wine. In the letter, it was pointed out that efforts by the
HSUS weaken wildlife conservation within the United States while attacking a major economic
sector. The Alliance also tweeted about the collaboration between Yellow Tail and the HSUS.
The agricultural community picked up on the news and word began to spread throughout the
Twitterverse, and a public relations nightmare began for Yellow Tail.
Open-ended questions
1. Yellow Tail engaged in cause-related marketing. Why did the effort misfire?
The effort misfired because Yellow Tail did not do due diligence in vetting its “cause”
partner. There were various interpretations of what the cause actually believed and
Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
23
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
and a group that seeks to outlaw progressive and humane agricultural practices. Since wine
is often served with some sort of meat or fish product, it seemed odd that a wine company
would partner with a group that was opposed to meat consumption. Adding fuel to the fire
was the evidence that less than one percent of the HSUS budget actually went toward the
caring of animals. Supposedly, the American Institute of Philanthropy gave the HSUS a
grade of “C–” in its Charity Rating Guide since the vast majority of its budget goes to
fundraising, lobbying, and salaries.
2. What role did the social media ecosystem ply in this public relations nightmare?
Social media played the key role in the dissemination of the angst about the tails-for-tails
campaign. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance tweeted about the collaboration between Yellow
True/False
1. There was a disconnect between the benefit of Yellow Tail product—wine—and its animal
welfare initiative, Tails for Tails.
2. Seen from the context of the communication process, a YouTube video of a rancher
shooting bottles of Yellow Tail is also noise.
Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
25
b.
Sales promotion
c.
Publicity
d.
Public relations
e.
All of the above
3. The $100,000 donation “did not engender the strong support and affinity among American
consumers.” It did not get any support from American agricultural groups representing the
meat and dairy industry. What does this suggest about a global company like Yellow Tail?
a.
It should have hired a lobby group first.
b.
Its home market lacked the kinds of controversy the U.S. market had.
c.
HSUS had successfully deceived the Australians.
d.
It did not understand the politics or culture of its chief export market.
e.
All of the above
4. Yellow Tail finally performed some crisis management and withdrew its sponsorship from
HSUS. This suggests the winemaker does not engage in __________.
a.
advocacy advertising
b.
due diligence
c.
institutional advocacy
d.
environmentalism
e.
animal rights
Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
26
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: A
Advocacy advertising is a form of advertising in which an organization expresses its views
on controversial issues or responds to media attacks.
PTS: 1 OBJ: 16-2 TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Strategy MSC: BLOOMS Level II Comprehension
5. Why would it have been difficult or even impossible for Yellow Tail to leverage its support
of HSUS?
a.
The winemaker lacked a complementary product for vegetarians and vegans.
b.
HSUS did not soften its tone.
c.
HSUS has no real animal shelter or rescue program.
d.
The winemaker wants to portray itself as friendly to animals without controversy.
e.
All of the above
6. What went wrong with the Tails-for-Tails campaign is an example of the power of _____
in undoing the good will that a company wants associated with its brands.
a.
Facebook
b.
social media
c.
Twitter
d.
a plant-based diet
e.
all of the above
Critical Thinking Case
Lap Dance at Boston Blazers Lacrosse Game: Promotional Mistake or Creative Genius?
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The Boston Blazers is a professional indoor lacrosse team based in Boston, Massachusetts, that
began play in 2009. It is one of ten teams in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Other teams
are Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Edmonton Rush, Minnesota
Swarm, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Nighthawks, Toronto Rock, and Washington Stealth. The
Boston Blazers lacrosse team also faces pretty stiff competition in the professional sports arena
with teams such as the Boston Celtics (basketball), the Boston Red Sox (baseball), the Boston
Bruins (hockey), the New England Patriots (football), and the New England Revolution (soccer).
Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
28
the video remaining on the news website. Criticism of the halftime performance used vocabulary
such as “raunchy,” “scandalous,” and “extremely offensive.”
The Apology
The day after the game, the president and general manager of the Boston Blazers, Doug Reffue,
posted an apology on the team’s Facebook page. He said, in part:
The Boston Blazers halftime act for Saturday’s game was clearly not executed
according to plan. We are extremely disappointed with elements of the halftime show.
We had intended to provide an entertaining and fun halftime environment for our fans
and that is not what transpired.
In addition to the posted apology, Reffue offered 2,000 free tickets to the team’s next home
game. Reffue’s apology, however, did not stem the media flare over the halftime performance.
While it seemed that Reffue was attributing the performance to an unplanned and unexpected
mistake, the detail and clarity of the performance made it obvious to fans that the performance
was well-choreographed.
Open-ended questions
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1. Do you think the performance was a well thought-out effort to generate publicity for
the Boston Blazers?
Given the impact on attendance at the next game and the NLL commissioner’s comment
about bringing attention to lacrosse, students tend to think that the halftime performance
was a well thought-out effort. While the team’s president and general manager offered an
2. How did viral marketing impact the Boston Blazers?
For a professional sport that rarely garners public attention and one that has struggled to
even get news coverage, viral marketing had a huge impact on both the team and the sport.
Students could be asked to search online for information about the Boston Blazers and its
halftime lap dance show. A search conducted in February of 2011 came up with over
True/False
1. More people attended subsequent Boston Blazer games because the team had turned a
sophomoric stunt into a competitive advantage.
Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
30
© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: T
PTS: 1 OBJ: 18-1 TOP: AACSB Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Promotion MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
2. The viral YouTube videos of the lap-dancing incident were cleverly exploited by the
Boston Blazers.
3. YouTube uploads of the halftime show provided a source of feedback for the marketing
people of the Boston Blazers.
4. The YouTube uploads provided both product placement and reason for crisis management.
Multiple Choice
1. When a company develops its product, it must communicate (i.e., promote) the benefit to
consumers. Does Doug Reffue’s Facebook posting (and free ticket offer) meet that
criterion?
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a.
No, it is simply an apology.
b.
Yes, sex sells and there is no such thing as bad publicity.
c.
No, only the team benefits and there are always free tickets set aside for
promotions.
d.
Yes, because Reffue, even if insincere, is still promoting the team as family
entertainment.
e.
No, because only the team’s gate receipts benefitted and the public was essentially
teased.
2. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that the halftime lap dance was intended because it
looked little different from what cheerleaders choreograph anyway. What role did the
cheerleaders play and mascot play in the communication process?
a.
Senders
b.
Encoders
c.
Message channel
d.
Decoders
e.
Receivers
3. If the lap dance had only been intended to titillate rather than market the Boston Blazers,
what was social media’s role?
a.
YouTube made it possible for an isolated event to go viral.
b.
Facebook allowed the CEP to initiate a crisis communication strategy.
c.
It provided visibility that would cost the team very little in free advertising.
d.
Social media provided a two-way, real-time channel of communication between
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the team and its fans and potential fans.
e.
All of the above
4. Although not intended for a wider target audience, the lap dance controversy did
accomplish the major tasks of promotion in the highly competitive Boston metro market.
Which of the following would be an exception?
a.
The lap dance informed sporting event-goers that the Blazers were not a fringe
league but part of a national sport league.
b.
The lap dance turned out to be a positive form of public relations that could be
repeated in the future despite the front office apology.
c.
For those who may have seen one game, they were not reminded that they had
“missed something” by not being repeat customers.
d.
The male demographic was persuaded to buy tickets (i.e., sex sells).
e.
Any perception that lacrosse was not a hot game had been changed in the public
mind.
5. For most organizations, publicity is intended to win good will and manage crises. So why
did the Boston Blazers public relations people on the field allow for such risky behavior?
a.
The cultural context of a halftime show has changed from marching bands to
entertainment that pushes the same boundaries other entertainment businesses do.
b.
The role of cheerleaders has evolved beyond dance numbers and pom-poms—they
can be bad girls along with the bad boys on the field.
c.
The Duke lacrosse scandal added the cachet of sex to the sport and invites satire.
d.
American sports reflect American society.
e.
all of the above
Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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© 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
ANS: E
Major league teams sell entertainment and have to compete with not only other sports but
other forms of entertainment. Just like television and film, sex has been added to the mix
and so the teams can indulge in having both ways, being saint and sinner.
PTS: 1 OBJ: 16-5 TOP: AACSB Ethics/Reflective Thinking
KEY: CB&E Model Promotion MSC: BLOOMS Level II Comprehension
6. The lap dance had a national audience, and it can still be found on the Internet. For the
NLL, what its affiliate team did was achieve the lowest cost per contact of any kind of
advertising. What is the most likely reason for not trying to do these kinds of shock-value
stunts more often?
a.
The public would eventually be insulted.
b.
It could open up the league to criminal investigation.
c.
It would eventually harm the league’s value as family entertainment.
d.
The CEO of the Blazers promised not to risk his organization’s reputation again.
e.
It is offensive and demeaning.