Social Media Marketing of UnME Jeans - Research Paper Example

?UnME jeans Introduction The UnMe jeans target a specific group of audience, their primary s being girls between the ages of 13 and 24. The targeted audience are seen to be fashionistas, trendsetters and those who lead trends in their groups. The important aspect, however, is that this group is seen to be versatile in the use of web applications, social networking and other such non-traditional media. It is seen that in recent times there has been a rapid decrease in the number of television viewers, with large percentages of the audience migrating to a more comfortable, customized media and web services. “Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks.” (Brent, 2011). Considering that the aim of the marketing strategy adopted by the company is to boost sales, it becomes evident that the section of funds allocated for television advertisements are not as effectively utilized as they would have been if invested in internet marketing. It is seen on Slexchange that the largest percentage of online purchases is in the apparel section (Steenburg & Avery, 2011). This means that UnMe jeans must pay particular attention to this sector of marketing. The aspects that must be taken into consideration, to conclude upon the most effective form of marketing are: the efficiency of the marketing vehicle in reaching the targeted audience, and the deliverance of the brand image. Assessment of major issues 1. Weaknesses Assessing the issues contained in the UnMe jeans case, it would appear that the major issue or weakness affecting UnME is restricted budget allocation for internet marketing. As per the media plan adopted by Margaret Foley, in Exhibit 1, the highest percentage of the budget has been allocated for television advertising, with a very small percentage for search marketing and online banners. It would be more economical to invest in online marketing and cut down on traditional forms of marketing. With the emergence of Web 2.0, it has become the most preferred form of interaction with targeted audience, pushing magazines and newspapers further into the background. But UnMe’s strategy of sticking to the traditional methods could be construed as its key weakness. 2. Threats As per current media plan, since television advertising has been allocated the maximum funds, UnMe face the threat of losing targeted audience. On the same lines, the changing behaviour of the targeted audience is a key external threat for it as well. The targeted audience are teenage girls who value unique styles, are social and take an interest in brands that have unique features. This targeted group has clearly migrated from television, newspapers and magazines to Web 2.0, the reasons being: They do not have control over the information provided to them through newspapers, television or radio. The audience are forced to see a large number of advertisements, causing too much clutter, making it impossible to reach the targeted audience effectively. Considering the control they can have over the online content they choose to view, other forms of interaction became a pleasurable experience. 3. Opportunities UnMe jeans would be able to garner sizable opportunities by allocating higher funds for online marketing due to the reason that the targeted audience can be reached more specifically. The targeted group being teenage girls, it would be easier to locate them on social networking sites, and provide them with banners and ads that would interest them. Further, the advertisements could be customized according to the choice of the audience through virtual places. The banner ads which interest the consumer lead them to go through the product list of the brand out of their own will, having a positive impact on the willingness of the consumer. It is seen that most people that work from home or households spend about 30% of their time on web based applications and the internet. This clearly shows that the marketing trends have changed drastically. The main drawback of traditional forms of advertisement according to the younger generation is that the same content can easily be found online whilst engaging in parallel access to music or other downloadable data. The younger audience are seen to be devoting a large amount of their time to alternate forms of media as opposed to the idea of watching television or reading magazines. “Better knowledge of consumer insights, as a result of the two-way social media conversation, as well as increased web traffic, are additional benefits identified by marketers.” (The Face of Social Media Marketing in Asia-Pacific, 2012). 4. Strengths The strength of the UnMe jeans lies in their willingness to adapt to changes and the steps they are taking to improve their marketing strategies. From the perspective of the company, online marketing can cost a lot lesser than television advertisements would, and would enable different forms of marketing, unlike on television where the advertisement has to be visual, causing the investment to increase. It has been observed that audiences recall very few of the advertisements that they view on television, much less the ones they hear on the radio. This is due to the clutter and the large number of advertisements that they are forced to watch in consequential order. However, most consumers recollect with ease the advertisements that they took interest in and read about on the internet. “Respondents indicated that an increase in reach and brand awareness was the biggest benefit of social media marketing.” (Bennett, 2012). Hence it would be sensible to suggest the UnMe jeans must tap their strength of willing to adapt and spend considerable part of their marketing budget on studying the online marketing strategies, to develop one that would be best suited. Possible Issues and solutions Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and YouTube are the top five social media tools used by marketers, in that order. (Stelzner, 2012). Of the several forms on online marketing, we will analyze three highly successful sites, attracting a large group of target audience, which are YouTube, Zwinktopia and Facebook. The advantages, disadvantages, threats and opportunities of each of these forms of marketing have been analyzed to give a clearer idea as to which of these would be best suited for UnMe jeans. 1. Youtube: Advantages The participation and involvement of the audience is extremely high as they are free to comment, like and discuss openly their opinions and comments with other consumers. The number of views and rating of the advertisement can be viewed which makes it easy to follow the success of the advertisement and helps better understand the response of the consumer.  It is possible to buy a channel on youtube and contribute the entire channel to updates on the brand, new trends, features and styles that are being introduced in the real world sales outlets. In the case of banner ads, the audience have the freedom to choose the positioning of their ad. Disadvantages The video advertisements on YouTube will require elaborate preparation, and hiring a professional for making the video, same as making a video for a television advertisement. Further, in the case that the advertisement does not blend well with the media, chances are that the advertisement will fail to intrigue the consumer at all. An in depth analysis of the consumer cannot be achieved through YouTube. 2. Zwinktopia: Advantages This site is seen to coincide with the ideals of the UnMe jeans, which is the attitude of individuality, uniqueness and creativity. This site targets the same audience as does UnMe jeans, which is the group between 13 years and 24 years, giving prime importance to music and fashion, which would bring the right kind of audience in response to the advertisement. As virtual worlds are gaining popularity, it would be easy to advertise on the virtual sites, which may in turn boost sales in the real world. Further, this site may be linked to other social sites such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook or YouTube. Disadvantages The main threat in investing in virtual world marketing is that there is no assurance that the popularity in the virtual world will reflect upon real world sales. The number of virtual products available is a large number, bringing up hard competition and affecting the effectiveness of the marketing strategy. Also, it is very difficult to directly communicate with the consumer as the communication is not linear and cluttered. It can become difficult to deal with if the virtual world is not well understood, and might require investigation. 3. Facebook: Advantages Facebook has the highest number of users when compared to the target audience seen on YouTube or Zwinktopia. The time spent on Facebook by users is a lot more than the time spent on other sites, increasing the frequency of views of the advertisement. Being the largest and most active site, it gives easy access and provides the viewers with immediate updates, information and news. (Borschers, n. d). Facebook makes it easy to create a page or discussion forum which enables the consumers to directly interact with the company, as they may leave comments, discuss topics and share views. It would be possible to use banner ads, posts, photos or videos, all on the same site. Widgets, posts and news feeds promote the brand further, causing other consumers on friend lists to be intrigued. Disadvantages Although the consumer response to products can be viewed from posts, it may not be possible to read and analyze each of the comments by users, as the number of comments could be on the higher side, with sizable of them being ‘irrelevant’, spams, etc., thus making it difficult to measure the success of the marketing directly. Consumers may also be distracted since the nature of the interaction is such that users will be actively engaged in reading or conversing constantly. Recommended solution Of the three-forms of online marketing, Facebook would be most likely to suit the needs of UnMe jeans. The main reasons for choosing Facebook are: affiliation, creating pages and expression. Affiliation Since Facebook is largely governed by the social group and the number of friends that are present on each user’s profile, it forms a large link promoting interaction between them. Facebook enables the brand to directly converse with the consumer, making it very easy to reach out to the targeted audience, while also making the consumers feel more ensured of the brand. The brand may share the story of the company, the new products and even offer to take suggestions from consumers on new products. It allows for constructive dialogue between the user and the brand, making it quite easy to assess response. Creating pages The users on Facebook are allowed to create pages on which they can post anything they wish to, through which they share information and content that they enjoy and believe that other users would enjoy as well. This creates room for promoting real life events by UnMe which can be circulated and viewed by a large audience when shared by friends. This would help in promoting brand identity. News feed would direct users to the brand page, causing them to take an interest. Expression Facebook may be considered as the simplest form of expressing oneself on the internet, which means that users identify themselves by connecting to movies, music, brands and places they can use to express personality. It is an easy way of sharing with friends, their interests, beliefs and ideals. Word-of-mouth would be the most important form of publicity on Facebook and can easily be doubled with a brand ambassador who would promote links. The choice that the users are given in picking out the brands they support and their freedom of expression is a strong point. Conclusion All consumers are seen to be uncomfortable with the idea of being the target of the advertising, and prefer it when they can interact with the brand. When they voluntarily support a brand, they may share it with friends. This would mean that UnMe jeans should make a marketing plan that would allow users to share, interact and directly involve in a constructive dialogue over Facebook. This gives the users maximum control of information, gives the brand a chance at successfully marketing their products and promotes brand identity. From the analysis made, it is clear that when compared to other forms of online marketing, Facebook holds a greater advantage. Facebook can target group most effectively and thus can be integrated aptly to UnME Jeans’ current marketing plan. References Borchers, A. (n. d.). UnME Jeans case study. Retrieved from: http://www.ashleighborchers.us/workforweb/case%20study/unme%20jeansca sestudy.pdf Bennett, S. (2008). Facebook, Twitter Tops For Social Marketing in Asia, Pinterest Bigger than Google+. Retrieved from: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/asia-social-marketing_b27253 Brent, M. (2011). Social Media Marketing vs. Content Marketing. Retrieved from: http://markbrent.com/?p=736 “The Face of Social Media Marketing in Asia-Pacific.” (2012). Buddy Media. Retrieved from: http://forms.buddymedia.com/rs/buddymedia/images/BM_AsiaSurvey_Letter_ WEB.pdf Steenburg, T. & Avery, J. (2011). UnME Jeans: Branding in Web 2.0. Harvard Business Publishing. Stelzner, M. A. (2012). 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow their Businesses. Retrieved from: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport20 12.pdf. Read More