Social Media Update

Heinz Balsamic Ketchup on Facebook

Heinz is to sell the first 3,000 bottles of its new balsamic vinegar ketchup recipe on its Facebook page. The aim of this campaign is clearly to boost “likes” of the page, rather than to push the limited edition product, but that in itself is quite a savvy move: using the promise of the physical product to incentivise digital advocacy. It’s still very early days for social commerce, but expect to see more FMCG brands experimenting with promotional Facebook stores.

Charlie Sheen on Twitter

Charlie Sheen has become an overnight success on Twitter, setting a Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers”. Until recently the most highly paid TV actor in Hollywood, Sheen has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons: Twitter allows fans to observe a very public meltdown. Sheen has signed with Ad.ly, a company that specialises in celebrity endorsements on Twitter, for $1m per year, and sent his first sponsored tweet on Monday.

Sheen's first sponsored tweet

Sheen's first sponsored tweet

Regardless of ethical concerns around the media circus surrounding Sheen, and doubts concerning who actually authors the tweets, at least it will provide plenty of fodder for the marvellous Cats Quote Charlie Sheen.

Cats Quote Charlie Sheen

Cats Quote Charlie Sheen

Glasses Direct Personalized Video

Thomas was disappointed by the service given by Glasses Direct, and tweeted about it. Glasses Direct said sorry with a personalized video.

Obviously you can’t do this for every customer (nor would it necessarily be appropriate), but this is a pretty nice example
of humanizing the customer service given by an otherwise fairly bland brand. You can read more about it on Thomas’s blog.

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