I think that this Tic Tac video is extremely effective. They are basically pointing out with this that bad breath kill somebody. If that doesn't make you want to freshen your breath, I am not sure what would! While watching this video, my interest was held because I was curious as to what exactly this was for.  I believe this was a good marketing video since it makes a clear point and it keeps the consumer in suspense making them hold out until the very end to find out exactly what it is for.

Another effective video in my opinion! This video gives you a sense that if you drink Coca Cola happy times are upon you! Everybody in this video that gets a bottle of Coke or takes a drink of Coke or even comes up to the Coca Cola truck is just smiles all around. I can see where this feel good video would draw you in. It makes you happy, you feel good and you want to go out and buy Coke.  Very good campaign on their part!

This is very much like the Tic Tac video. You have no idea exactly what it is for, but it draws you in to keep watching it. The excitement of it just keeps your attention. TNT is giving you the idea that everything that they have on their network is just full of drama. It makes you think if you like drama, then this is the channel to be watching! I think it is extremely effecitive marketing on their part.

In summary, I believe a good marketing video has several qualities. First and most importantly, I believe it needs to keep your interest. Next, I believe keeping you in suspense is completely necessary! Then, I believe it needs to make you feel good. Feeling good makes you attracted to whatever it is that made you feel that way.  I think all three of these videos possess those qualities.

The 3 organizations I chose to rank are: Starbucks, BuzzBallz and Bath and Body Works. 

I ranked them as follows:

-Most effective: Bath & Body Works
-Middle: Starbucks
-Least effective: BuzzBallz

Bath & Body Works is just awesome. The fact alone that an option from their Facebook page is to set your own Facebook Cover Photo as your 'Signature Scent' is genius on their part. I just set my cover photo to their Paris Amour fragrance. So now every time I log on to my Facebook account I am reminded of Bath & Body Works and how much I love their products. When I did this it also added a few entries to my wall about doing this and actually promoting it to my friends. We all know how much time the population spends on Facebook, so to have a constant reminder out there would be extremely effective in my opinion. Nicely done Bath & Body Works! Also, it seems that their Facebook account is updated daily. They have excellent photo choices which draws me to them; I am sure I am not alone here. There is a section where you can see what type of events are going on, which could lure their customers into the stores or onto their website to shop. From a marketing perspective, I'd say this one is extremely effective.

The Starbucks Facebook page is good too. It does appear to be updated regularly. Looks like they have contests that go on; which I think is great to keep people interested. There are a good amount of photos which in my opinion is a good thing. Some of the photos made me want to go out and visit my nearest Starbuck's for one of my favorite drinks. Good thing for me is that I don't have one close ~ which in itself is odd since they seem to be on every street corner these days!! One thing I noticed in common with Bath & Body Works is Pinterest. There is a link to Pinterest on both Facebook pages. So it appears that they are keeping up with the times since Pinterest appears to be the 'up and coming' latest craze!

As far as BuzzBallz goes, they might as well not even have a Facebook account. Now, I clearly realize that this company is a much smaller scale company than the other two that I have rated. But It is apparent that they do not update their page at all. There is an 'About Us' section and a few photos. Really no presence at all.

Facebook has around 960 million users while Google Plus has around 153 million. Big difference in the size of each. This alone gives Facebook the upper hand from a marketing perspective. 

There tends to be a difference in the content between the two. Facebook tends to be more of 'whatever' and the Google Plus community tends to be more solid information. There is also a difference in the users. Facebook has every kind of user, while the typical user of Google Plus leans towards business professionals. So it would seem that both platforms do serve a purpose. It sounds as if Google Plus would be more of a platform for building relationships with business partners who can help each other, possibly as a lead exchange. While Facebook tends to be more of a 'get it in front of the customer quick & make them want it' platform.

Google Plus has an item called Circles, which makes it easy to separate content between your friends and your business acquaintances. In Facebook there is a way, but from what I understand it is not as easy as the Google Plus application. I would think that this would make it easier for the Google Plus'ers to direct their marketing content to their customers only vs. getting it to everybody you are connected with.

Google Plus has a video chat option which is called a 'Hangout'. You can have up to 10 people join a 'Hangout'. This could easily be used for product demonstrations. Facebook does not have a video chat option. So from a marketing perspective, this avenue would be difficult for Facebook to compete with.

http://businessonline360.com/facebook-vs-google-plus-marketing-perspective.html

http://marketing.about.com/od/socialmediamarketing/a/Google-Vs-Facebook-Whats-The-Difference.htm

http://infographicsmania.com/facebook-vs-google-plus-infographic/

http://seekingalpha.com/article/917761-google-vs-facebook-what-is-the-verdict-for-2012

I have chosen two posts from my classmates blogs that I have found to be very informative and well written. The first one I chose was written by Alfred Zander and titled: Guidelines for Effective Social Media Marketing on September 8, 2012 during Week 2 of class. I feel that this post definitely captures the top 5 things that make for a successful social media 'campaign'. I especially liked the examples provided in the post. I feel that this post could really benefit somebody who is looking to start up the social media marketing side of their business. Very good information is provided in this blog!

http://doobers.com/wordpress/?p=12

The other post I chose was written by Dylan Green and titled: Planning to Plan, Under the Hood of Social Media Marketing on September 24, 2012 during Week 4 of class. I thought that this was a very good post because the items that Dylan lists in this post are exactly the items I think are important to think about as we head into our semester project. I will personally use this information. So I thank him for this useful information!

http://apisnectar.tumblr.com/post/32187984675/planning-to-plan-under-the-hood-of-social-media

An interesting blog I found is written by Brian Solis, who is according to his blog, a digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist. I have found a few of his posts particularly interesting. The first one is titled: Why do customers use social media networks for customer service? Because they can. This article details the difference between traditional customers and how they obtain customer service and what Brian refers to as 'Connected Customers' and how they obtain customer service. We have essentially entered into a time where there are now more than one platform to get service from a company. A traditional customer will call or stop into the local store if they are needing assistance. Where as a 'Connected Customer' will most likely first announce to all of their friends on Facebook or Twitter that they are having an issue with a particular company or product, then attempt to get in touch with that company via Twitter, Facebook or the company's website for help. This blog provides information on how a company should re-think the future of their customer service. Since I do not consider myself to be a 'Connected Customer' this blog really made me stop and think about how this is truly a reality for companies now.  

http://www.briansolis.com/2012/10/why-do-customers-use-social-networks-for-customer-service-because-they-can/

Another great post by Brian Solis is titled: Are you connected with your new generation of customers.....Generation C? In this post he describes the new generation of customers out there - the generation that is not necessarily any certain age category - it is actually a lifestyle. The generation of your customers that are connected. In this post he discusses how businesses need to look forward into the future and how their customers are evolving. While there are still many traditional customers out there, those customers are evolving into the new Generation C and what this means to a company. Companies need to incorporate these customers into their plans and strategies in order to be successful in the future.

http://www.briansolis.com/2012/09/are-you-connecting-with-your-new-generation-of-customers-generation-c/

Criteria I consider that makes a blog an effective marketing tool would be as follows: keep your blog up to date, post information that is useful to your customers, keep it relevant and make sure it is an interesting read so that your customers want to come back for more! 

Blog #1 - Starbucks:

http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/apex/ideaHome

I have rated the Starbuck's blog as an 'A'. The blog is definitely kept up to date, it is very interactive - the whole concept of the blog is to have their customers get involved by giving them ideas! That is a genius concept. There is even a section titled 'Ideas In Action' so that the customer can view what is in the works. Very cool blog in my opinion!

Blog # 2 - Whole Foods Market:

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/

The Whole Foods Market also earns an 'A'. This blog is filled with useful information for their customers. Each blog appears to contain something informative that would bring a customer into their store.  The posts are interesting and I can definitely see where a customer would want to visit this blog frequently based on it's content. It also appears to be kept up to date and it is neat and tidy.

Blog # 3 - Fiskars:

http://www.fiskateers.com/blog/

The Fiskars blog also earns an 'A' from me! This blog is FILLED with all kinds of information! The layout of the blog is very organized. It is updated regularly. The site visitors can also sign up to be a 'Fiskateer' which give the customer access to the entire Fiskars site. If I were a crafty individual, I would have signed up!