UnME Jeans Branding in Web 2.0 Case Solution

1. What, if any, of the three social media plans should Foley pursue? Why?

It would be better for Foley to pursue Facebook as a medium of communication. There are many reasons for choosing Facebook, one includes it being fastest growing social network. It serves as a core for social affiliation, where people can interact, share discuss different aspects of their lives. Moreover, it is also with flexibility of Consumer Co-creation, relating to the utmost level of involvement. It allows people to create pages and make updates. Addition to that, it allows sharing of videos, photos, experiences, almost everything. This medium also inculcates the digital self expression, which leads to freedom of communication.

With YouTube, there is high involvement and interaction, and players can buy virtual places. Zwintopia offer almost perfect demographics or target segment and communicates brand essence of UnME itself. On the other hand, Facebook inculcates most of advantages of web 2.0, with large target audience.

Other side of it, all three options, lacks control over the content. While YouTube lacks in-depth analysis and measurement tools for the target audience. Zwintopia has 200,000 virtual products representing high competition. Moreover, for Facebook, recall might have a pessimistic impact, because of many pages. Additions to that, user can skip add easily.

2. What benefits would Foley gain from each of the three social media plans? What risks does each entail? How can Foley better reap the benefits and mitigate the risks of each of the programs?

YouTube has a more average time spending users with widespread demographics. It can take advantage of in video advertisement. Addition to that, it can get a virtual place at YouTube to promote epic level of co-creation and user engagement through various acts.

On Facebook, one can take advantage of detailed demographics and psychographics of consumer. This can be done through the creation of brand pages and getting people befriend and widgets. This will multiply the reach of the audience with each share and like.

Zwintopia, presents intense competition, but buzz can be created as both of brands have the same essence. One can also look for virtual designs and creation of programs like design competition.

One of the apparent ways to mitigate risk of each of the program is, by allocating more of the marketing budget. This will open up more options and more efforts will be put in each to reap the benefits. Moreover, more creativity and attention grabbing approach, lesser the risk will be. Last, but not the least, there should be coordination between TV, Billboards and online campaigns to ensure everyone is on the same page.

3. How should Foley integrate social media into her traditional media plans? Should Foley take money out of traditional media (television, magazine, radio, Internet banner and search ads) to fund her social media programs? Why or why not?

She should carry on with both the traditional media and the new approach. It’s indeed true that traditional media has lowest recall and clutter is increasing day by day. It is difficult to pass through the clutter, yet UnME reaches the largest portion of the target audience through traditional media. It can decrease the budget from the medium reaping lowest results and put them into a new approach. This will enhance the impact of advertisement as the money from an ineffective medium will be put into an effective medium. There can be few ways to integrate them; she can present effectiveness of a new approach in enhancing advertisement impact. This way she can get more budget approved from top management. Other way round, she can cut the budget from some of the traditional campaigns to put into online efforts. TV commercials and Ads in magazines should be supported by YouTube channels campaigns and Facebook widgets. In other words, UnME should be coherent in their approach to communicate the brand message through all channels or medium of communication.

4. How should Foley measure the results of her social media plans? Which media metrics are best and least suited for a Web 2.0 world?

All of these three options present a different way to measure the results. YouTube for instance can measure the result through a number of visits or number of clicks on in video add or a banner. Addition to that, with the YouTube cannel one can measure the impact through the number of shares or level of the visitor’s engagement and participation. Addition to that, it can also pursue the idea of CPM.

For Facebook, plans can be measured through the utilization of widgets and the approach or the fans on the fan page. Moreover, they can also measure the approach by the times it’s been befriended.

Zwintopia’s approach can be measured by the number of active participants in carrying out of different activities. If one looks at these options, one can only measure their impact and approach. The actual results can be measured through the effect on actual sales of the product. If the sales are increasing, these mediums are certainly effective.

As per one’s view Facebook is best suited for UnME because it covers almost all dimensions of web 2.0. On the other hand, Zwintopia is least suited because of intense competition and required level of engagement.

5. Is UnME Jeans the right or wrong type of brand and/or product for Web 2.0? Why? What advantages does the brand have in this new cultural world? What disadvantages does it have?

In one’s view, there is no point of not branding UnME through the internet or web 2.0. There are no standards for the types of products to be branded through the internet, as long as one is able to engage the audience and extract the necessary marketing results. UnME target audience is mostly new generation that in an active online. It can communicate its brand essence in more effective way through consumer engagement and proper brand communication.

The reason for using web 2.0 for targeting is because of increasing clutter in other media, options to skip Ads and increase in time spending online. With internet, one can reach and target audience at a large scale. The impact of advertisement can be increased through new culture as the target audience spends more time on the internet and research showed that this new culture is much more successful than traditional mediums.

There is a lack of control over the content through a new medium. Addition to that, UnME will have to be very creative in creation of campaigns that engage and attract audience.

6. How well do the social media plans address the emerging challenges of the rapidly changing media environment outlined in the case? What can you change in the social media plans to make them more effective for UnME’s target consumers?

In one’s view, Foley is not spending enough on the marketing through internet. If one looks at the plan, the highest budgets is allocated for traditional media like television, while, the lowest for internet marketing like Google Search, which deems to be very effective. As per the brand essence, teenage girls and taste leaders, and demographics of the target audience, this media plan will not be very effective. One would suggest cutting the spending on the magazines at least by 15-20% and allocate it into online marketing campaign. The reason for change in budgeting is that clutter in traditional media is at the utmost level, and new generation is shifting towards new technology. Addition to that, research has shown that recall from traditional media is at the lowest level while web 2.0 is better off in this perceptive. Addition to only two options listed in plan, Foley should consider other effective mediums like YouTube, Facebook and Zwintopia. This includes creation of virtual place widgets etc.