Fortune 100 Series... DreamWorks Animation

Please welcome Frujen Bridgewater (@Frujen) as our guest Media Words writer. He too is a student embracing social media, your comments are welcomed.


DreamWorks Animation is a film production studio that specializes in computer animated films. DreamWorks has developed an international presence operating out of the US, London, England, and Toronto, Canada. They have dominated the box office with films such as Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda.


So I wondered if they have implemented social media into their marketing strategy? They have a large outreach program working through schools to inspire and discover the next generation of animation superstars which dates back to 2005. I got in touch with the folks at DreamWorks to ask them more about their Social Media strategy but no one knew who was responsible for it. In many ways that's ok, proof that the many DreamWorks groups out here have grown organically.

DreamWorks is currently promoting on their homepage that they are on Twitter. They can also be found on networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and YouTube, and it seems they are creating a stronger presence all over the web. I've been able to see that they use these social networking tools for recruiting employees, promoting the business, and most obviously for promoting their products. The are using Twitter and most recently tweeted about Shrek the Musical. Twitter is also where they dropped the news, they'll increase their film quota to producing a total of 5 new movies every other year and included a link to see what's on deck.

By using social networks such as Facebook to spread the news, DreamWorks is able to push its newest productions into the minds of their fan base. Perhaps even more importantly, they enable their fans to stay connected and continue to enjoy their favorite characters and films. In Facebook alone they have fan bases that break 600,000 members just in Shrek fan clubs alone. With this kind of representation it is no wonder that films such as Kung Fu Panda are grossing approximately 632,000,000 dollars worldwide. Also while promoting the sequels of their box hits to the public, they are introducing three new movies: How to Train Your Dragon, Oobermind, and The Guardians (the title isn't set in stone).

I can't help but imagine the connection and additional loyalty that could be harnessed if DreamWorks were listening to the voices in these social streams with more focus. The additional value they could bring into the business and to their customers has tremendous potential.

By: Frujen Bridgewater
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Fortune 100 Series... Whole Foods Market

Please welcome Jenn Staretorp as a guest blogger on Media Words.  Jenn is one of my Social Media students at Daniel Webster College this term and this is her first blog post (ever).
We welcome your comments and continued support of her social media experience.

Whole Foods Market - Fortune 100 Company #22

When one thinks of the word ‘organic’, technology is the farthest thing from one’s mind. One well-known company however, has taken their natural and organic food store from a small one-store location in Austin Texas, to a dominant web based presence: Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market can now be found chatting away with customers and fans on one of their two blogs (Whole Story and The CEO’s Blog) Twitter (@WholeFoods), Facebook, and sharing pictures on Flickr.

Giving Social Media a Try

Since WFM first delved into the social networking world in 2005 they have become known as one of the best social networking companies. Rated #1 on the Top 3 List: Brands Using Social Media by The Beacher Agency, and can now be found ranked at #32 (based on the number of followers) on Twitterholic.com. Although their progressive attitude towards social networking is commendable (especially since most companies are having a hard time understanding the value of social media), their record in using social media sites is not completely clean.

Failing Fast

In 2007, WFM was faced with a major social backlash from customers when it was found that CEO John Mackey misused the powers of social media when he trashed Wild Oats, a WFM competitor, onYahoo!’s stock market forum under the pen name  ‘Rahodeb’. His postings had gone unnoticed until WFM began looking at acquiring the Wild Oats company, followed shortly by the Federal Trade Commission filing and administrative complaint against the merger containing the anonymous postings.

Coming Out On Top

It is safe to say that WFM learned their lesson (and were able to settle with the FTC) as they now employ a social media staff, whom probably monitor the CEO’s online posting activity now, and have become one of the top SM users.  WFM now boasts a stunning 63 Twitter accounts (not including the general @WholeFoods) as well as over 84,000 fans on Facebook. 

They recently challenged Ashton Kutcher (@Aplusk) to a “Tweet-Off” which, if accepted, could launch them into the social media record book with CNN. On the other hand, is there such a thing as too much social networking? Seeing as how multiple attempts to discuss WFM social media use was met with silence or a polite “Sorry but we can’t help you” one begins to wonder if they are reaching their limit.

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Ford Corporation and Social Media-Fiesta Movement

Please welcome Linda Formichelli to Media Words.

Businesses are still wary of social media, and our clients often ask us for examples of companies that are making social media work for them. Our plan is to profile the social media strategies of Fortune 100 companies to give you the scoop on what they're doing internally and externally, and what the results have been. One that stood out to us was Ford: Their Ford Fiesta Movement makes use of the creative and communal nature of social media to create a buzz about their new subcompact car.

In 1976, Ford began manufacturing the subcompact Ford Fiesta in Germany. Sure, it went over well in Europe -- they sold more than 10 million autos there -- but would it fly in a country filled with the precursors to SUVs and Hummers?

When gas hit $4 per gallon, the answer became "yes." Ford, which plans to bring the car stateside in early 2010, set aside 100 test cars for the U.S. market and held a blue-sky meeting to decide on the best way to use the Fiestas. Hoping to attract a younger crowd, Ford decided on a social media campaign and held a contest to find 100 people to test drive the Fiesta for six months and to create a record of their travels on social media platforms like YouTube and Flickr as well as the Ford Fiesta Movement website.

Four Thousand Applications

To be chosen, hopefuls had to fill out an application demonstrating that they had a strong presence on social media and knew how to use it to generate buzz. Applicants were asked to create YouTube videos describing why they deserved to win and to solicit votes from their social media followers.

The result? More than 4,000 applications and 640,000 views by the contest deadline. Hopeful "agents" put their all into their applications; take this video by "MysteryGuitarMan" which, as of June 1, has had more than 133,000 views and 1,300 comments, and was "favorited" 810 times.



Five Million Impressions

"The movement works on two different fronts," says Sam de la Garza, Ford's small car marketing manager. "First, people are developing some fun and innovative content. Second, we need to learn more about how people are driving this car. Ford hasn't had a subcompact for 15 years, so we need to understand the customer again."

One month into the Ford Fiesta Movement, they've logged close to five million impressions on the various social media, there are around 300 videos uploaded to YouTube, and one agent has already driven 11,700 miles. Agents are sharing their experiences with the Ford Fiesta in creative ways; for example, agent Brad Nelson twittered, "Look even a knocked up woman can fit in the hatchback of the Fiesta!" Attached to that was a photo of a pregnant woman happily curled up in the hatchback of the car.

It's too early to tell what the ROI for Ford's social media campaign will be. "We'll have to wait until we get final awareness numbers and summer sales numbers," de la Garza explains. "But we're really encouraged for the first month." One thing that's for sure is that the campaign has generated buzz -- and it's an authentic buzz, as Ford does not control what their agents write on their social media accounts such as Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and blogs.

Lightning-Quick Internal Communication

While Ford doesn't use officially social media internally, de la Garza finds it useful for getting snapshots of what's going on in the business. "I've been able to communicate with some employees via Twitter faster than via any other means," he says. "For example, I first learned that our website went down through a tweet -- even before our digital people knew it. So I sent a tweet to our digital person, who handled it over the weekend." In another example, de la Garza tweeted that he was about to go into a metrics meeting, and an employee from another division read his tweet and sent him some recommendations. "Employees monitor what's going on on Twitter to stay involved in what the conversation is," de la Garza says.

Watch This Space

While it's not yet clear what the ROI for the Ford Fiesta Movement has been, we'll be checking in to update the status; keep an eye out on this blog to find out how the social media campaign is affecting Ford's awareness measurements and Fiesta test drives and sales.

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Businesses using Social - Part 1

I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that so many businesses are still tip toeing around the social media space... but for me, I'm surprised everyday by just how many really smart business people are still afraid to broach the subject. And frankly, how many really smart people are disregarding the subject as "Twitter/Facebook fluff", deeming it irrelevant for their level of business. Its understandable to disregard something when its so overwhelming - remember Waltzing with Bears?. Just getting you're head around what it is and what it means is a big leap. Unless you're in MarComm or Social Tech the huge shifts in communications probably hasn't reached a recognizable threshold yet.

During a meeting last week I found myself answering a frequently asked question "So who (in business) is doing this (going social)?" The question's been qualified with "tell me only about best in class companies". Folks want examples and ROI which is completely understandable but if we're being honest, not completely practical or tangible in the ways we're used to.

The answer isn't simple because many organizations have been embarking on enterprise social media strategies that are not really visible to the public but that have had tremendous impact on their corporate culture, especially multinational organizations. Some of the effects have been great and many have had to learn from mistakes or struggle. But the idea that what we're talking about doesn't fit the traditional evaluation criteria is tough.

I've put together slideshares that can answer some of the basic questions but the rest require lengthy conversations to bridge the knowledge and understanding gap. The learning takes time and so the more that can happen up front and independently the better everyone is served. We need hyper-relevant material that we can provide to these very smart people so they can be learning on their own without feeling overwhelmed or being distracted by the "buzz stuff".

So I started thinking about writing a Fortune 100 blog. Researching and collecting what the Fortune 100 have done with social media, internally and externally. I know my clients' questions are not unique and I'm sure many other folks like me can put that kind of resource to good use in answering their customers' questions.

The catch is...its going to be a lot of work to collect all of this. That said, I've decided to keep it public so it can be shared for anyone else who can benefit from it and if you're in-the-know, have a blog or article on any of the Fortune 100 that is focused on their initiatives in social media, especially at an enterprise level, then please contribute here (feel free to post a link in the comments). I'll post as often as I can and will hopefully be able to act as a digital curator on the topic and produce a meaningful collection of business resources for us all.

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