In some of my past posts, I’ve written about schools that haven’t been afraid to turn part of their marketing and branding over to their students and why institutions should embrace this as a chance for honest and open communications with their constituents. Earlier this week, one brand took that notion to the extreme. The new skittles.comwebsite links you directly to their Facebook fan page (which has over half a million members to date).
Some might call this a risky move, but it’s not nearly as risky as their initial launch which took users to a Twitter page which aggregated every single Twitter post which contained the word “Skittles.” You can imagine what happens when you give every Tweeter unfettered access to your brand’s corporate site and offer to put them on the first page. I’m sure after the 100th Tweeter posted a wave of profanity with the word “Skittles” buried in the midst of it, the marketing team at Skittles realized they’d have tomake some changes. So now, the site directs you to Facebook, but not before asking you to type in your age- a security measure probably designed to keep young eyes away from inflammatory Twitter posts and that probable has 0% effectiveness in doing so.
Although this new marketing approach has generated a lot of buzz (I’ve seen the new strategy discussed in tech, food, and advertising blogs), the real question is: how effective is this approach? The Facebook page is well done, besides the annoying toolbar that won’t disappear from the upper left corner. There’s a Skittles game, humorous Skittles ads, and family-friendly wall posts. Skittles even has a rep answering some of the wall posts. Their Twitter approach could use a bit more work: while the Facebook page promotes a dialogue about the brand, the Twitter page just seems to be a space for people who want attention. It does very little to promote their brand in any meaningful way.
The point of having your brand on a social media site or tool is to engage your constituents and have them participate in the brand, not to let them completely run it. While many institutions may be tempted to be too cautious- severely limiting their audience’s freedom on the site, it’s important not to go too far. Keep in mind that all of your actions should be in pursuit of the goal of starting a conversation- not just a publicity stunt. While I’ve often stressed constituent participation in marketing, it’s important for those who are responsible for the brand to have a voice as well.
The new Skittles Website.
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