ViRAL:Skittles’ Social Experiment

Posted by InterativeU

March 16, 2009

The entire concept around social marketing is that it IS social. This means that it is social — a conversation. For our private clients I am constantly reminding them to get in the conversation. This means more than show it. It means that you need to participate in a conversation. If someone comments, comment back.

I personally applaud MARS for taking the the risk that comes with innovation. However, the shortcomings of the campaign itself as well as the lack of understanding of social rules and relationships by the Mars marketing team is standing out like a beacon for criticism.

Skittles.com menu

A few modifications to the campaign and they could be back on track. The most serious campaign flaws are noted below.

The Products button clicks through to Wikipedia. I must admit I was stunned to see a product marketing page on Wikipedia and wonder why the moderators allow it. Not only that but Wikipedia is probably the least “social” of any of the Web 2.0 properties. Think of being social with the Encyclopedia Britanica…not my idea of exciting reading. Mars could receive the full impact and benefit of a wiki without the restrictions of Wikipedia, by launching at WetPaint. At WetPaint, they could create a wiki that they can “control”. Skittles fans could post there and it would be a real social campaign with contributions from fans and conversation. Imagine an entire Skittles world. After all, marketing is all about brand management.

Chatter rolls right up to Twitter like a bull in a china shoppe. Twitter faithfuls shout strong ridicule as the private sanctuary and marketing segment for the solo-preneur and small business owner is “invaded” by a seeming goliath.

And where’s the blog? Missing in Action.

The overall missing element in the campaign is any cohesive conversation that ties everything together. It is almost like spraying YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia out over the net and hoping something sticks. People expect social marketing to be social… to be an interactive experience allowing the participants to experience.

Unlike “Peeps” or the M&M Guys who have a cult following, personality and a story to tell, Skittles have not had a recognizable marketing personna. This may be at the heart of the challenge MARS is having with their campaign.

While the campaign is viewed as flawed by professional social marketers, MARS has managed to get a lot of increased visibility for Skittles. The dramatic rise in brand awareness is obvious to even the novice social marketer.

Skittles Campaign Stats

As the bigger brands begin to embrace social marketing, we may see a dramatic change to the way we all “socialize” on the net. We will begin to see a significant level of proof that social marketing works. As more people are staying home due to the economic tides and traditional advertising proves to have too little of an ROI, more larger corporations will look for ways to expand their marketing to include social media.

We love it when your business SOARS!

This article was written by Deb Murray, buzz marketing specialist and founder of Soaring Interactive Media a buzz marketing agency bringing social media marketing strategies and campaigns to life. http://www.soaringinteractivemedia.com