More and more large companies are succumbing to the social media movement – and they’re literally moving! In the case of ice cream extraordinaires Ben & Jerry’s, the move to social media has been made at the abandonment of another longstanding e-marketing tool, email. Feedback received from B&J consumers suggested that they would prefer communications through social media channels rather than email messaging, and being the consumer conscious company that they are, B&J decided to make the quick switch. You can read more about B&J’s social media leap by following this link. Also discussed are the social media initiatives and strategies used by the Starbuck’s Empire. (Sorry Starbuck’s, you’ll get few kind allusions out of this caribou connoisseur)
So what do you all think? Good move on the part of B&J? Had the data cited later in the article not confirmed it, my gut would’ve told me that to abandon email marketing entirely is most definitely to a company’s own peril.
4 Responses
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lsmaagaard Says:
Really interesting post Stephen! Again, I think it comes down to your target customer. If they tend to use social media and think email is “old fashioned, then twitter and Facebook will be the preferred method of contact. This being said, there will still be a population that prefers email and even getting something in the mail. What type of marketing do you still get in the mail?
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Jason Bakker Says:
I think email and social media (and all messaging for that matter) will continue to meld together. Digital communication will become more aggregated and received through one delivery system. http://campusmediagroup.com/capabilities.html
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stephenmkelly Says:
Hi Jason! I agree with you, to an extent. For true aggregation in communication to take place technology will need to become similarly accessible to ALL peoples of differing social status, race, ethnicity, nationality, etc. Right now there is (as there traditionally has been) heavy segmentation in communication channels. Ben & Jerry’s is a pretty high profile ice cream manufacturer, among the most expensive on the Cub Foods or Rainbow shelves. I would guess the average Ben & Jerry’s ice cream eater has at-home access to computer technology, and a good number also have access to mobile phone technology with app capabilities. The aggregation you speak of seems to be leaning toward app driven mobile phone communication, a medium many have access to right now, but just as many or more do not.
Brands who market to a particular demographic that have good access to tech may see some convergence in communication outlets, and for these groups, I’m in agreement.
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Judelia Says:
hmmmm…. I was also leary of the strategy to abandom email completely until I checked the web site and the only place I found an email option in “contact us” was an opportunity to send an email comment – and even there it said not to expect a return email and to check FAQ. I know things are changing – that’s the norm but to dump email completely – that surprised me. I do agree the lines between various types of communication are blurring.
What will this all look like 3 years from now?
