iPhone Trumps Blackberry in Worldwide Traffic

The Apple iPhone receives more worldwide traffic; however, Blackberry is making some headway in certain markets. For example, Blackberry appears to receive more search requests than iPhone from consumers in Toronto, Canada (click on source link below to see).










These findings are based using Google Trends. Google Trends provides insights into broad search patterns. Please keep in mind that several approximations are used when computing these results.

Data Source: iPhone vs. Blackberry Google Trends

I think Blackberry may be able to catch up in terms of buzz and search requests in the future. I love Blackberry phone. I currently have a Blackberry Pearl. I hope to get a Blackberry Storm in the future!

Does United Airlines Break Guitars?

One consumer thinks United Breaks Guitars. Check out this video awesome piece of CGM (Consumer Generated Media)!

Is Rising Unemployment Affecting Website Traffic to Popular Social Media Sites?

While working on a recent project, I noticed the number of people visiting Facebook and LinkedIn increasing. I compared the increase in website traffic with unemployment figures from May 08 through May 09. The findings were surprising.

Website Traffic versus Unemployment Rate













There is a strong correlation between website traffic for Facebook and LinkedIn, but not MySpace. Here are the correlation figures:

Unemployment Rate/Facebook-- (+) 0.984167989
Unemployment Rate/LinkedIn-- (+) 0.825408734
Unemployment Rate/MySpace -- (-) 0.82843028

I do want to remind readers that correlation does not necessarily equal causation.

I don't want to jump to conclusions by saying Facebook and LinkedIn's website traffic is driven by consumers with more available time (as a result of being unemployed), but the strong correlation is interesting. While Facebook is more mainstream social media, LinkedIn could definitely be considered a professional networking site. More people may be visiting these social media sites to get in touch with friends and develop relationships, which may lead to future opportunities.

MySpace's website traffic trend has a negative correlation with the unemployment rate. This makes sense as MySpace caters to more of a tween audience, most of which may not be in the job market or seeking employment.

Anne Mai Bertelsen (http://twitter.com/annemai) over on Musing Out Loud reveals similar findings.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about this data or findings.

Why do you think there is a correlation between the unemployment rate and website traffic to Facebook and LinkedIn?

Unemployment figures obtained from http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet.

GREAT LAKES BREWING CO. Online Buzz Trend

I found a new beer that I like. It is called GREAT LAKES BREWING Co. I would probably put it right up there with select Sam Adams beers (e.g., Sam Adams Oktoberfest). I've tried several varieties of GREAT LAKES beers including Burning River and Eliot Ness. I highly recommend giving them a try.

Also, I wanted to see if anyone was raving about GREAT LAKES beers online (like I am). And while online buzz is minimal, it is trending up. I see this as a sign of encouragement for the micro-brewery based in Cleveland, Ohio.













Visit the GREAT LAKES BREWING Co. website. Grab a 6-pack or a draft next time your out, remember to drink responsibly!

Should marketers tweet carefully when promoting brands on Twitter?

AdAge brings up very important point for marketers Tweeting their brand: "Proceed With caution." The article warns brands engaging in discussion on Twitter to be prepared for negative buzz and try to avoid directly advertising through social media. I agree with both of these points, but I'd like to layer on and add some perspective of my own.

Brands should also be transparent and reciprocal while engaging in social media. A lot of brands have a presence on social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. I do not keep up brands using social media which simply talk about themselves as much as I do with brands that interact. It is great that a company has a Facebook page or a Twitter profile. How does having a Facebook page or a Twitter profile help me though?

I expect a brand to be transparent and reciprocal. Let me know why you are on Twitter and answer my questions in a timely manner. This is not to say that I do not enjoy updates, because I do. I read almost every Ford product update that Scott Monty tweets. Scott has interacted with me as well, the few times I reached out to him. In fact, Scott Monty commented on my blog at on point, which truly impressed me.

What are your thoughts on brands using Twitter and social media as a tool to reach customers? Do you feel brands should be transparent and engaging?

Convenience Stores Leveraging Social Media

Convenience Store News reports on several convenience store chains utilizing Twitter and Facebook to bring in customers. Quick Chek is offering a free iced coffee to all its Facebook fans when the chain attains its goal of reaching 1,500 fans. Meanwhile Kum & Go, a conenience store chain in Iowa, launched what it is calling "Twitter Tuesdays." Starting this past Tuesday and going until June 23, the convenience store chain each Tuesday will select one Des Moines-area Kum & Go location as the "Secret Store." From 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., one clue per hour will be given out via Twitter to direct Kum & Go followers to the secret store.

CSNews Online, Shell Oil Co. and Chevron Corp. plan for the first time, to post hurricane season updates via Twitter this year.

Other convenience retailers with a presence on Twitter include: BP America, Wawa, Cumberland Farms, Gulf Oil, QuikTrip, Piedmont Petroleum and Express Convenience.

It is very refreshing to see convenience stores utilizing social media in such imaginative and useful ways. If only all companies could figure this out.

I just signed up for mobile blogging via Blogger.com. This is a test text only.

USA Today reports on Banks Using Twitter

USA Today points out that banks are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon. USA Today states that Wells Fargo and Bank of America have begun to "tweet” with customers about everything from bank fees to product features. Discover Financial, American Express and Citigroup have launched Facebook or MySpace pages. Some banks even put marketing videos on YouTube.

John Carney on Businessinsider.com linking to the USA Today article feels banks using Twitter is the "same corporate nonsense in a new medium."

Personally, I have to disagree with John. I think banks using Twitter is a great way to communicate. I've seen hundreds of posts where consumers have mentioned being able to resolve issues communicating with bank representatives via Twitter.

If used appropriately, Twitter may help improve the customer service experience.

Top 100 Brands on Twitter

Here is a list of the top 100 brands on Twitter. Enjoy!

Creating Social Media Plan Works Well

I came across an interesting read titled "Build a social media plan that never sleeps" on imediaconnection.com. The article emphasizes several key issues which include:

- Brands need to change their approach to social media
- Customers expect an instant and public response to their issues
- Opening up a truly valuable dialogue

As I said, I found the article to be quite interesting, but I disagree with the title, "Build a social media plan that never sleeps." Nothing in the post really points out ways to build a successful social media campaign "that never sleeps." The article primarily focuses on the prominence of Twitter and improving communication. Also, the posting encourages brands to a) listen to consumers, b) be where customers are, and c) get to know people. I do not feel this is anything new. Almost every social media blogger feels companies should use social media to help improve customer service.

Overall, I found the posting to be a very good read. I found it rather intriguing that brands such as Papa John's are creating widgets for Facebook. The blogger, Reid Carr says, “Ahead of the curve, Papa John's launched a Facebook widget to allow users to place a pizza order right from Facebook.” Creating useful widgets is something each company should do.

I have to take my hat off to Papa John's for letting consumers order a pizza right from Facebook. I'm tempted to give the Widget a try. But I'll be truly impressed when I order it over Twitter!

BusinessWeek: Innovators in Social Media

BusinessWeek published an interesting article about innovators in social media.

The article praises Scott Monty for helping transform Ford's image within social media. Personally, I couldn't agree more.

MBA Program

I recently started a MBA program at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, KY. Given that, I'm trying to get acclimated to full-time work and full-time school. I do apologize for not posting regular content as of late, but I will be updating my blog periodically in the future. Thanks for all of your support.

Ogilvy Launches a New Social Media Tool

A co-worker pointed this out to me. Ogilvy recently launched a new social media tool. The tool does not provide any metrics, but gives smaller companies the ability to view many sources/tools in an aggregated manner. This is just another example of how agencies and other stakeholders are continuing to become smarter and invest more attention toward the space as the importance of monitoring social media continues to rise.

Leading Social Search Engines

Lee Odden on Toprankblog.com provides a list of 6 social search engines to start 2009.

Will Twitter Change Blog Design in 2009?

Find out the answer on Mashable.

Mobile Social Media Expected to Expand

Mobile social networks are expected to expand as more and more consumers get mobile access to the internet.

I have to agree with this article. I feel mobile social media network will become a very lucrative market as more people get access to internet via mobile devices.

Herbert Brothers are At It Again! "Free Doritos" Crash the Super Bowl

I had the opportunity to interview Joe Herbert when he participated in Doritos' "Crash the Supber Bowl" contest in 2006/2007. Well it looks like he is at it again. Please vote for "Free Doritos".

Do Some Consumers Wait Too Long Before Filing Bankruptcy?

Foreclosure and bankruptcy online discussion trends are on the rise (see graph below). Given that, I found a recent Newsweek very interesting. It argues that some people should file bankruptcy sooner rather than later. What do you think?

Dosh Dosh Covers Fundamentals of Social Media Marketing

Doshdosh.com posts an article for those interested to learn more about social media and how you use it.

It offers some insight to social media in general, tips on leveraging social media newsites and others such as StumbleUpon.

Overall, I found the article to be quite insightful. Let me know what you think.

Twitter 10 Commandments

David Armano has published the Twitter 10 Commandments. Are you breaking any of these?