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Ben and Jerry’s Social Media Usage

Introduction

All companies are trying to go social, but it takes a certain company to make their social channels likable and interesting. Some companies have a larger rate of success on social media than others. Personally, I enjoy following food companies on social media because then I can learn about social promotions or maybe learn a recipe or two! While other clothes and accessory companies may have a larger success than food companies because people are always trying to find the latest fashion. Consumers enjoy interesting content that they can relate to or find interesting.

Overview

One company I think uses social media well is Ben and Jerry’s. Ben and Jerry’s were founded in Burlington, VT in 1978. They are an ice cream company that creates outrageous ice cream flavors and they are quite popular among many Americans. They are seen as the “fun” ice cream. My personal favorite is “half baked” which is cookie dough and fudge brownie mixed in together. It is so delicious because it is my two favorite ice cream flavors in one carton. They also have ice cream shops in certain states. The shops offer about fifteen ice cream flavors and offer many deals to keep you coming back for more. Many people wouldn’t know about the deals unless if you follow Ben and Jerry’s on social media. They post “free cone day” and they offer 2 for 1 deal that they advertise on their twitter. I started following them on my personal accounts because I was first hit with a sponsor ad that had buy 2 get one free deal when I was out in Los Angeles. I took a screenshot and sent it to my friends and we followed them to get more deals. It became a tradition to go to Ben and Jerry’s whenever there was a promotion.

The reason why I decided to do my case on Ben and Jerry’s is because I was targeted by a sponsored ad and it led me to the ice cream shop to purchase ice cream and participate in the promotion. This then led me to follow them on other social media platforms. The social media platforms I follow them on are Facebook and Twitter. Ben and Jerry’s can be found on Snap-chat, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Google +, Twitter, and Facebook. Fans can also subscribe to their newsletter, which keeps them in the loop on new flavors and cool happenings.

Ben and Jerry’s Facebook page has a total of  $8,492,274 likes. They post daily, no more than once or twice a day. Their content consists of videos, pictures of new flavors, articles about their products, and quizzes. The recent content posted gets less than 1,000 likes, but overall good customer engagement with consumers reacting to posts and commenting.

Ben and Jerry’s Twitter page has a total of 14.7k followers and 3,053 following. They posted 3,000 tweets. There Twitter page is not overwhelming. In fact, it is focused on pleasing the customer. Ben and Jerry’s will almost always answer if you tweet at them. They love engaging their customers and making sure they are satisfied. I tweeted at them once and they responded to me and thanked me for coming into their store and buying ice cream. They also advertise their flavors in fun videos and photos. They do not get many re-tweets, but they get a decent amount of likes.

Ben and Jerry’s Instagram has 686k followers and follows 2,968 people. They post once a day and they are also advertising their new flavors. They pose the pint of ice cream in winter weather, or stack them, or just feature the flavor. I think for an ice cream brand it makes more sense to be on Instagram since that is seen as more of the visual social media platform. The photos they post make the ice cream look so delicious!

Overall, Ben and Jerry’s content strategy is based upon consumers seeing the new flavors and indulge in the photos posted. The content lets the consumer crave the ice cream and try the new flavors.

Evans Model

The Evans Model is a classic purchase funnel connected to the social web, which displays word of mouth (Evans, 3). It is a loop that represents the part of most every purchase or conversion process. Digital is a big part of the marketing mix, but traditional advertising still is just as effective. The way the model works is it is broken down between marketer-generated and user-generated. The marketer builds the awareness, and the consumers then considers the product. The user then purchases the product, uses it, forms an opinion and then talks about the product. This consumer could write reviews online or spread word of mouth about the product. This then loops back to the marketer-generated section where people who heard about the product then considers buying it for themselves and that then repeats the cycle. The hope is the person will purchase the item and pass along their experience to others.

Many organizations are looking for engagements and they see social media being a successful channel for that. Relating the Evans Model to Ben and Jerry’s it is clear that they use social media for engagement. They want to be able to connect with their customers and tell them about new flavors offered and the deals that are happening at the ice cream stores. The posts on their social media channels exemplify Ben and Jerry’s as creamy, odd, and delicious!

Ben and Jerry’s goal is to build awareness in the digital world by using their multiple social media platforms. The awareness acts as tweets, Instagram photos, blogs, press releases, and/or Facebook statuses. This then builds a community of fans and people are able to learn more about the brand and the awesome flavors they offer. The media posted lets fans consider purchasing the different flavors. This also lets them consider buying a pint or go to the ice cream shop and get a cone or bowl. Once they have considered their options they ill then purchase the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. This purchase will allow them to eat the ice cream and form an opinion of the brand the ice cream flavor. They will then talk about their opinion on either social media or tell their friends in person about their experience. This will then encourage others to follow Ben and Jerry’s on social media and if they don’t do that then at least check out the flavors offered.  

Four Step Engagement Process

Engagement is the central concept behind social media. The goal of social media is to have people collaborate together as compared to traditional media the goal is exposure. The “social action” building blocks create a four step engagement process. “These foundation blocks lead to and support a ladder-type engagement model with customer collaboration-not simply content consumption- as the end point” (Evans14).

The first block is consumption, relating this to social media it means downloading, reading, watching or listening to digital content (Evans 14). This is the starting point to any individual consuming media. Ben and Jerry’s lets the consumption begin when it posts media such as videos and photos. This is the first level of consumers beginning to like the Ben and Jerry’s brand.

The second block is curation which is the act of sorting and filtering, rating, reviewing, commenting, or tagging, or otherwise describing content (Evans 15). Curation is a tool that helps others because it gets the word out and it is a personal opinion. One negative thing about curation is the review is only as good as the person who wrote it. So, don’t always take reviews seriously. This is seen when Ben and Jerry’s posts its content to social channels they can monitor who likes or retweets their posts. When they post a photo of their ice cream people are able to comment if they liked that flavor or not.

The third block is creation. Content creation allows community members to offer up something they made themselves (Evans 16). An example of creation is when brands allow customers to interact with their products by either uploading photos or participating in a survey for a new flavor or something along those lines. Ben and Jerry’s kind of does it different, they announce new brands and let consumers be involved in the launching of the new brand. With past research the best branding announcement includes an image of the inside of the flavor and then a description of what is in the ice cream flavor. Another community creation they did was back in 2010 they created an online community called “I-scream” community.

The fourth block is collaboration. This is the key inflection point in the realization of a vibrant community and the port of entry for true social business (Evans 17). This collaboration can form between communities of people. Blogging is a good example of this because the individual can share his/her thoughts with the community. Overall Ben and Jerry’s brand is all about fan collaboration. They are always trying to build new flavors based on what consumers like best.

Overall the engagement process is important because first, your audience is more inclined to engage in collaborative activities. Secondly, your customers or other stakeholders have moved from reading to creating and collaborating. The end goal of the engagement process is advocacy. Overall the engagement process as applied to social business is about connecting your customers and stakeholders with your brand, product, or service.  

Citations

Evans, D. (n.d.). Social Media and Customer Engagement.

Moerdyck, A., Neck, S. V., Dambre, L., Davidson, R., Oerle, S. V., & Vantomme, D. (2011, February 4). Unilever brings Ben & Jerry's consumers into the boardroom. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://www.insites-consulting.com/unilever-brings-ben-jerrys-consumers-into-the-boardroom/

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Legal and Ethical Issues: Copyright Infringement

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

The jazzy beat that starts with thumping, the crazy dance moves that come to mind, the beat that gets stuck in your head all day. Thanks to musical geniuses, Pharell Williams and Robin Thicke they provided us with the hit single of Summer 2013, Blurred Lines. The debut single was released on March 26th, 2013. I remember the day this was released because I was listening to the radio while I was driving, and the show host was talking about a new single that was released, and it was this song! From day one, I fell in love with the funky beat. Both of them are excellent singer/songwriters.

Billboard raves, “having led the weekly Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks beginning in June, the track is the first summer season No. 1 by a lead solo male since 2004”. Billboard’s song of the summer runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. According to “Official Charts”, the song dropped out of the Top 40 on November 17th after being there since the day it was released. The song had 25 weeks of popularity. The hit single then was recognized on a popular video game which was released in 2014.

“Just Dance”, the video game series was introduced to the world in November of 2009.  The game series is made by Ubisoft and was originally made exclusively for the Wii console. Just Dance is a game where users select a song from the screen, he/she then chooses a character, and then he/she acts out that characters dance moves. The game is an interactive dance game that involves high energy and can host one to four players at one time. The game attracted a wide range of audience especially because the Wii was new and it encouraged “active” video game playing. “Just Dance” went ahead and made multiple “Just Dance” games. The latest one on the market is Just Dance 2017. They were a trend setter for all “dancing games”.

Just Dance moved to Just Dance 2,3, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. They also made an extended product line for Just Dance kids and Just Dance Disney Party. The later versions are made up of hit songs of the year it was released. It became a hit because people could dance to the hit songs with all their friends, or even by themselves. This is relevant because Just Dance 2014 featured Pharell Williams and Robin Thick’s new song Blurred Lines. Just Dance 2014 was released in October 2013. This highlighted all the hit songs, and of course Blurred Lines was one of them. They made this dance as a duet, and it was really fun to dance too.

However, on March 11th, 2015 Blurred Lines singers, Pharell Williams and Robin Thick were brought to court for copyright infringement. Marvin Gayes, Got to give it Up, was released in 1977. The family bought the singers to court because the singers, “emulate the sound of Gaye’s late-1970s music and copied the R&B legend’s hit Got to Give It Up outright” (Guardian). The court ruled the Gayes family $7.4 million dollars. Williams said Gayes was a big part of his youth, and denied using his sounds to create this single (Guardian).

“Williams, 41, also signed a document stating he didn’t use any other artists’ work in the music and would be responsible if a successful copyright claim was raised.

Thicke testified he wasn’t present when the song was written, despite receiving credit.

The trial focused on detailed analyses of chords and notes in both Blurred Lines and Got to Give It Up” (Guardian).

There was much protest against the family and the songwriters. The sheet music tends to be similar, but Gayes voice is really what made the song a true original.

Here is what Blurred Lines sounds like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU

Now listen to Marvin Gayes song, Got to Give it Up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IW9CyMPSWs

What do you think is similar? What do you think is different?

In August 2016, Thicke and Williams appealed the court ruling. The artists had support from more than 200 musicians to overthrow the ruling. Some of the artists supporting are Train, Jennifer Hudson, Linkin Park, Wind & Fire, and many more. The artists agree that they feel anxious about the creativity of their music after seeing this lawsuit (Gardner, Eric).

As the Hollywood Reporter reports, "The verdict in this case threatens to punish songwriters for creating new music that is inspired by prior works," states the artists' brief authored by Ed McPherson. When an artist creates new music it is a creative process that can be drawn from past musical artists or pieces heard, or even by a fresh sound. Overall, songwriters believe there should be a clear rule that states when the line is crossed. They believe the jury just feels that the overall “groove” or “feel” is similar (Gardner, Eric).

It is believed that past artists have drawn from other artists creativity to create the music we hear everyday. Music is apart of our lives and it inspires everyone. If artists didn’t inspire one another, how could we have the music we have today? The creative process shouldn’t be limited, but their should be strict guidelines on what counts as copyright infringement.  The amicus briefs were so varied that the case will continue to be watched.

During class we discussed ethical and legal issues. Pertaining to music, many people download music illegally along with streaming music for free or buying subscription plans. Because of new technology, there are many questions that make us wonder what is right and what is wrong. Dealing with any copyright case it is important to keep in mind “the 1976 Copyright Act. It says: “The owner of Copyright has exclusive rights to reproduction, prepare derivative works, perform the work publicly, and distribution” (Komaromi Lecture).

Overall, I feel as though Thicke and Williams had the right to appeal this case. They were trying to be creative and if you listen closely the chords are not exactly the same as Gayes song. I agree that the “groove” and the “feel” are very similar, but to owe the Gayes family 7.2 Million for the same groove or feel, is kind of crazy. I feel like having this appeal will let the court look deeper into what violates music or lyric copyright. I think it is great that over 200 musicians stand with these two men. I look forward to seeing what the court rules after this appeal is seen and heard.

Citations

Gardner, E. (2016, August 30). "Blurred Lines" Appeal Gets Support From More Than 200 Musicians. Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/blurred-lines-appeal-gets-support-924213

Grow, K. (2015, March 10). Robin Thicke, Pharrell Lose Multi-Million Dollar 'Blurred Lines' Lawsuit. Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/robin-thicke-and-pharrell-lose-blurred-lines-lawsuit-20150310

Lane, D. (n.d.). Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines drops out of the Top 40. Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/robin-thicke-s-blurred-lines-drops-out-of-the-top-40__3358/

Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke to pay $7.4m to Marvin Gaye's family over Blurred Lines. (2015, March 11). Retrieved February 14, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/10/blurred-lines-pharrell-robin-thicke-copied-marvin-gaye

Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams appeal against Blurred Lines copyright ruling - BBC Newsbeat. (2016, August 25). Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37185954/robin-thicke-and-pharrell-williams-appeal-against-blurred-lines-copyright-ruling

Trust, G. (n.d.). Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' Is Billboard's Song of the Summer. Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5687036/robin-thickes-blurred-lines-is-billboards-song-of-the-summer

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Smart Products: Fitbit

Fitbit Logo (taken from Twitter)

The category of “smart products” has evolved over the years. Each year something new is being released, if it’s a new iPhone, new Android, new Apple Watch, new fitness tracker, whatever it may be, the market is hot for the product. The article, "How Smart, Connected Products are Transforming Competition” written by Michael E. Porter and James E. Heppelmann talks about how new smart products can enter the marketplace and how the product needs to differentiate itself from other competitors. The smart product I am going to discuss is Fitbit.

Fitbit launched in 2007 in San Francisco, California. The physical product is a wristband that can be worn on either your right or left wrist. The wristband is a small sensor that is located within in the band. The band comes in different colors. There are currently seven different types of Fitbit’s on the market currently. The  “Zip” is the basic model and it a wireless fitness tracker pricing at $60. The most expensive Fitbit is the “Surge” pricing at $250. This Fitbit watch is appealing to the long distance runners and people who train for marathons. This watch has a built in GPS that maps out the runners route and how many miles it was. In between these two models are the more basic Fitbit that attracts all consumers.

The seven fitness bands on the Fitbit market as of 2/4/17. (Photo taken off of Fitbit site)

Fitbit even offers a “smart scale”, so the user can stay on track. This is a smart scale that connects with the Fitbit tracker and the Fitbit app. The scale can connect up to eight Fitbit users and keeps all information private. This is great for a family of Fitbit users! More information.

The Fitbit collection is “smart” because the band is synced to the Fitbit app. On the app the user can see how it tracks his steps, heart rate, weight, exercise, active minutes, sleep, calories burned, water intake, and monitors food intake. The user can record the exercise he completed in the day on the app. He also can record the food he eats, the water he drinks; the type of exercises completed in the day, and lastly can create goals. The user sets up his Fitbit the day he opens it. The setup is easy. The user downloads the app and takes out his Fitbit. He then connects the Fitbit by filling out a profile for himself. A battery that must be charged every four to five days does the connectivity. If the user is wearing the band, the band knows to track active minutes, steps, and sleep. If the user wants to see how many steps he’s taken he can simply open the app and see a dashboard of his fitness profile. If the user forgets to wear the band, then the app cannot sync to the band. The band must be within 20 feet of the app to sync. Overall, Fitbit only requires the user to wear the band and fill out a profile. He then can continue to track his fitness progress by checking his own dashboard located in the app. A new feature that Fitbit offers now is “fitness coaching” from Fitbit. It is called Fitstar. The user gets three months free and then pays $24 a month. This is appealing to people who are trying to get fit because these are tailored workouts. This is a great idea because the user has its own personal trainer right inside the app.

(Photo taken from Fitbit Blog)

The user can personalize his own workout regiments by watching video workouts that can last from seven to sixty minutes. The program allows for convenience and adjusts to peoples busy schedules. This is a value added service that Fitbit offers because it even has tailored recommendations of what workouts to complete, so the user has a balanced workout schedule. 

Industry Forces

Each smart product that enters the industry has to understand its competition and profitability. Bargaining power of buyers, existing competitors, new entrants, the threat of substitute products, and bargaining power of suppliers break down the industry structure.

Fitbit reshapes the industry force when dealing with bargaining power of buyers because Fitbit gives the user a better understanding of the true product performance. For instance, Fitbit has online videos about each Fitbit model. Each model is deeply described; price is marked, and has a great customer service platform. Buyers can view the products in store or online to gain a deeper understanding of the product.  The band is sold in many retailers and not just on the Fitbit site. Lastly, customer service is available on the site. Currently, if you email them they will reply within two days, they have a call center, and a user can direct message them on Twitter and they will reply within three hours. Fitbit is readily available to all buyers.

Fitbit has rivalries when it comes to competitors. For a smart product to stand out in the marketplace they must open up avenues of differentiation and add value-added services to its product. Fitbit differentiates itself from its competitors because it is an all inclusive watch and athletic band. This allows for multi usage and there are different versions of each Fitbit band. Each band meets the needs of each consumer. The Fitbit is customizable because the user can choose color and the type of fitness track he wants to complete. Lastly, there is a value-added service because Fitbit now offers, “fitness coaching”. The program is called Fitstar sponsored by Fitbit. This is a value added service because the user gets three months for free and it is a personal trainer located in the app.

Next is threat of new entrants. Fitbit has reshaped the industry because the product can function with autonomy. The steps and sleep are calculated autonomous. I think it is possible for other fitness bands to enter the marketplace, because there are competitors already, but I think it is personal to the user. Each fitness band in the marketplace like (Garmin, Microsoft band, etc.) can appeal to different users depending on what the users prefers. I feel as though Fitbit coined the term for a fitness band.

Fitbit has successfully reduced the threat of substitution because it is a wearable fitness device. It captures multiple health related data; activity levels, and sleep patterns. This is seen as a substitute for everyday devices such as running watches, stop clock, and pedometers. This is an all-in-one type of product which catches consumers interest.

As for bargaining of suppliers, I don’t think Fitbit has reached introducing partnerships with Microsoft or Apple software. I think the reasoning for that is because they are part of their competitors. However, they do have data storage, sensors, analytics, software and connectivity. This allows them to stand out in the industry when bargaining the power of suppliers.  

Commentary of Fitbit

 I think what makes Fitbit valuable to the consumer is the affordable pricing, the excellent customer support, and customizable options. Users have seven different Fitbit options to choose from. The lowest in price ranges from $60, which is a basic model to a more elaborate model for $250. Each model is tailored to a consumer and he can choose which one fits his personal needs if it is for fitness, sleep healthy eating, etc. I currently own a Fitbit Flex, which is no longer on the market. They discontinued this model and made a Fitbit Flex 2. The Fitbit Flex started having bad reviews because the battery only lasted for a day or it wasn’t tracking the steps right, and also the band kept coming off. The issue I had with my Flex was the wristband actually ripped and it fell off multiple times. I decided to contact customer service through email and the lady was very nice. She sent me a replacement band within five days. Since then, I have had no problems. I also know people who complained about the flex to customer service was sent a Fitbit Flex 2 for replacement. Lastly, as I mentioned before Fitbit lets the consumers customize their goals as well as choosing the color of the band. Consumers like when brands allow for customizable options.

 Fitbit is on the New York Stock Exchange. On June 18th, 2015 is when Fitbit was available for trade on the stock market. The IPO was filed for $358 million. Currently, the stock price for one share is $5.86 and the total volume of shares available for purchase is 8,827,836. Today’s high as of February 1st is $6.01 and today’s low is $5.81. This is a relatively low stock price to begin with, but what are interesting to look at are the 52-week high and the 52-week low. From 2016 to 2017 the stock went from a high of $18.85 and a low of $5.81. This was more than a 50% fall in stock prices. In October 2016 James Park, CEO announced, “the company was undergoing a major transformation from what he called a "consumer electronics company" to a "digital healthcare company” (Stevenson). Fitbit is continuing to launch new products while redefining their mission. It will be interesting to see if the stock price will rise again.

Overall, I feel as though Fitbit is doing well and keeping up with the healthy and social trends. I truly think Apple Watch is affecting the brand because people think they should just spend the extra $100 on a watch that will connect to my phone while keeping track of my health. I think once Fitbit redefines itself to a digital healthcare company, the brand can still be just as notable. My suggestion to Fitbit is keep selling and advancing their products. Stick with the industry trends and advertise more. On Ispot.tv, there are many commercials advertising for Fitbit Flex 2 and Fitbit charge 2. I really enjoy the tagline, “make every beat count”. I think expanding this tagline more would be beneficial for the company. Fitbit’s social media pages are active as well.  My suggestion is to promote the "Fitstar” through more media outlets such as television and social media advertisements. Fitstar has a stand alone website and social media pages, which is excellent. Combining advertisements with Fitbit and Fitstar would entice people to purchase the product and feel more prepared and motivated to get into shape. Lastly, Fitbit has Fitbit ambassadors which is excellent! 

Citations

Stevenson, Abigail (October 6, 2016). "Fitbit CEO reveals he's transforming the mission and purpose of the company". Retrieved 2016-10-06 – via CNBC.

"Fitbit." Fitbit Official Site for Activity Trackers & More. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2017.

Porter, Michael E., and James E. Heppelmann. "How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition." Harvard Business Review. N.p., 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 04 Feb. 2017.