Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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Review and Assignments for Chapter 18
Review Quesons
1. Why is having a social media campaign strategy important?
Students’ answers will vary. Strategy is important because it links social media tactics to a
larger plan. For example, if gaining awareness is a promotional objective, then this dictates
2. What are some tools businesses can use to measure social media? How effective are
these tools?
Students’ answers will vary. Social media measurement refers to the ever-changing metrics
that are used to determine the return on investment (ROI) of each tool. Social media
Public relations measurement: Since many modern PR campaigns entail social media,
public relations measurement exists to calculate the impact of social media on press
Social media monitoring refers to tools that are used less for campaign metrics and more
for customer service improvement, brand management, and prospecting. Tools include
3. What are some problems with measuring social media (e.g., what does a “like” on
Facebook really mean?)?
Students’ answers will vary. While social media does offer more measurement than
traditional advertising, it is still evolving. There are some brands with millions of friends
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Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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4. Which social media tools do you think are the most useful for most businesses? Why?
Students’ answers will vary. Right now, the social media tools that are most useful are
5. What do you think is the future of mobile technology? How do you think mobile
technology will change people’s daily lives? How will it change marketing?
Students’ answers will vary. Mobile technology has been predicted to be the “next big
thing” for marketing, and finally it looks like this has come to pass. Smartphones enable
Applicaon Quesons
1. What are some of the ways in which social media has changed your daily life? What
can marketers take advantage of for their promotional purposes?
Students’ answers will vary. Some examples could include constant communication with
Marketer examples will depend on students’ answers. For example, location-based social
2. Choose a local business that is utilizing social media effectively. Analyze what they are
doing by conducting your own social media monitoring. What tools can you use?
What are the company’s objectives? What are they doing right?
3. Provide some examples of brands that have garnered success with social media.
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Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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Provide some examples of some brands that have not been successful with social
media. Based on this comparison, what are the key ingredients to getting customers to
engage with a brand?
Students’ answers will vary. Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and M&Ms are a few good
examples of brands that have been successful with social media. Lady Gaga, Michael
4. Assume you are starting a new yogurt store on campus. Develop a profile of your
likely target market. What social media tools do you think will be the most effective at
reaching that audience? Why?
Applicaon Exercise
One major issue regarding social media is the development of a company-wide social media
policy—that is, a policy that states who can say what, when, and where on social media
platforms (e.g., Facebook, blogs, Twitter). Companies and nonprofit organizations alike are
struggling with social media policies, and there has been an increase in the number of employees
getting into trouble for things posted on their Facebook pages. Take a look at the Social Media
Governance website (http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php). Find a social media policy
for a brand and one for a large nonprofit.
Questions
1. Why do you think social media policies are important?
Social media policies provide guidelines as to what can be said and who can say it. It is
2. What are some of the common elements you see in each of the examples of social
media policies?
Students’ answers will vary. Generally you will see rules for each tool such as Facebook,
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Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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3. How do you think social media policies should extend to employees? Should what an
employee posts on his personal Facebook page regarding his work life be held against
him? Why, or why not? Are there unfair situations in which the employee is fired for
private posting?
Students’ answers will vary. This topic has been in the news recently and therefore students
Ethics Exercise
As people become increasingly comfortable posting their lives online via social networks like
Facebook or through microblogs like Twitter, some companies have begun to build Web dossiers
of consumers. They do this by mining the social Web on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and online
forums. Then they sell it to other companies. And here is the deal—most consumers have no idea
that this is being done.
While the use of customer data has been around for a few years (especially through companies
like Amazon who use algorithms based on customer searches and purchases to make product
recommendations), there are some privacy advocates who feel that mining and using data from
the social Web crosses ethical lines. For their part, the companies that aggregate this information
say that they are using this information to detect behavioral patterns in order for companies to
provide better products and customer service.
Source: “How Companies Are Using Your Social Media Data,”
http://mashable.com/2010/03/02/data-mining-social-media/.
Questions
1. Do you think that this practice violates privacy, or is it acceptable since it uses
information that a person has posted voluntarily?
2. What are some promising ways in which companies can use this data?
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Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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3. What are some questionable ways in which companies can use this data?
Video Assignment: Markeng to Kids
Zappos, a large online retailer, has a vibrant culture focused on customer service. The company
uses social media to help customers and to interact with them personally. Part of each customer
reaction involves taking the time to demonstrate individual personality and the Zappos culture,
all of which make Zappos one of the top in customer service.
1. At which stage of effective listening does Zappos operate?
a. Stage 4
b. Stage 5
c. Stage 6
d. Stage 7
2. Based on what rob discusses in this clip, which of the following does Zappos prioritize in
its social media use?
a. Listening and learning
b. Promoting products and services
c. Managing its reputation
d. Improving customer service
3. Which category of user is it most likely that Zappos is interacting with on Twitter?
a. Creators
b. Critics
c. Collectors
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Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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d. Joiners
4. Because Zappos focuses on creating relationships with customers and interacting with
them on a personal level, which of the following metrics would be most useful to the
company?
a. Interest
b. Participation
c. Influence
d. Sentiment Analysis
5. The Zappos twitter account, @Zappos_Service, is an example of _____.
a. owned media
b. earned media
c. paid media
d. consumer-generated media
6. Zappos.com is an example of a social commerce site.
a. True
b. False
Case Assignment: CoverGirl
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Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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For years, CoverGirl has been featuring celebrities (including the likes of Zendaya, Pink, and
His name is James Charles. He is 17 years old and a high school senior from Bethlehem,
It all started a little over a year ago. Charles was doing his friend’s hair before she
He bought a makeup starter set online and started doing his friends’ makeup for fun. Then
he started charging $5 or $10. He used the money to buy new brushes and equipment. After three
Katy Perry revealed the news of James Charles’s selection on her Instagram page. She
Charles will appear in campaigns for CoverGirl’s newest mascara, “So Lashy.” The brand
“All of our CoverGirls are role models and boundary-breakers, fearlessly expressing
themselves, standing up for what they believe, and redefining what it means to be beautiful,”
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Chapter 18: Social Media and Marketing
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The selection of Charles by CoverGirl comes during a time of wide-scale questioning of
While some of the men in the beauty industry identify as transgender, Charles explained
The announcement of Charles’s selection was celebrated on social media by users who
Sources: J. Feldman, “Meet the First Ever Male CoverGirl, James Charles,” The Huffington
Post, October 11, 2016, accessed October 24, 2016,
October 24, 2016,
Safronova, “Meet CoverGirl’s New Cover Boy,” The New York Times, October 12, 2016,
accessed October 24, 2016,
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