Joseph Lepore

Professor Adam Padgett

ENGL 1102
April 2, 2014, 2014
Title?
The internet is a giant billboard. And more than 75% of internet users also use the massively
popular portion of the internet known as social media or social networking. These sites continues
to grow at a ridiculous rate. With hundreds of millions on social media it has become the new
frontier for the marketing world (Planning in the age of Facebook 408). Some think that social
media is risky area to advertise on and it is creating bad customers. That is an opinion of those
looking in on social networking from the outside not from within. Social media is a valuable
marketing tool that can be successful if used correctly.

With the internet being the ruthless place it is and the amount of freedom people have to
post whatever they please. Internet users can anonymously post whatever pleases them through
an online pseudonym like a screen name or a twitter handle (Sanette 193). With this one could
see how social media may seem like a shark tank to marketing agencies. Some companies dive in
without thinking only to get chewed up. McDonalds for example initiated a twitter campaign
using the hashtag #McDStories. A hashtag is a feature on twitter that allows users to tag their
tweet with a topic. Twitter users can click on the hashtag and they can see other tweets with the
same hashtag. The original intent was for customers to tweet about a positive experience had at a
McDonalds fast food restaurant. Most versed social networking users could guess what
happened to the campaign. It was taken over by people sharing negative experiences and by
Comment [AP1]: Proof read closer
Comment [AP2]: Nice metaphor to start out
the paper!
Comment [AP3]: Again, proof read.
Comment [AP4]: I dont think this needs
citation. its like citing that the sky is
sometimes blue.
Comment [AP5]: Ha!
trolls bashing McDonalds. ( Social Media is creating bad customers). Even with McDonalds
failure social medias value as a successful marketing tool has been proven in the past by other
companies who took more precaution. Burger Kings whopper sacrifice ad campaign on
Facebook was hugely successful. Facebook users could delete 10 Facebook friends for a free
whopper at Burger King. The Facebook application was so successful it had to be shut
down(The Social Media Marketing book). Even small companies like Blendtek have made it
big by using social media to make viral videos that advertise their product. Blendtek made videos
that showed the power of their blenders by blending things like cellphones and wood. The videos
went viral making the company well known within a short period of time (The Social Media
Marketing book). As time goes on more and more big companies are moving there advertisement
focus to the marketing frontier of social media. Like Pepsi, the widely popular cola company,
decided not to advertise in the super bowl and use the extra money to advertise in social media
(socialnomics 5). Pepsi dropping one of the biggest advertising events in America exemplifies
the opportunity in marketing in social media.
Social medias most valuable asset for marketing is its ability to communicate with
customers. While taking feedback through social media, businesses can also spot emerging
market trends to get a head start (SOCIAL MEDIA'S INFLUENCE). Social media also
allows consumers to communicate to other consumers worldwide. In fact a study about health
communications in social media showed that social media has increased connectivity and
direct participation (Journal of Medical Internet Research). The biggest advertisement on
social media is the costumers themselves, they create a mass network of people conversing on
the internet. Erik Qualman says it best in his book its like word of mouth on steroids
(Socialnomics page xvii). Word of mouth is one of the oldest forms of advertising. Studies of
Comment [AP6]: Or is social media giving
disappointed customers a stage?
Comment [AP7]: This seems odd. What
does deleting fb friends have to do with BK?
Seems like an odd campaign.
Comment [AP8]: This is all very interesting,
but Im at a loss for the ultimate point here.
Comment [AP9]: Your in-text citation is
incorrect. Reference that handbook you were
supposed to get for this class.
word of mouth show that receiving positive word of mouth about a product or service the
likelihood of a purchase. (Language Abstraction in Word of Mouth). If companies can
maintain their positive image on social media they can keep the power of influence on
consumers. Companies can look their customers tweets and see what peoples actual opinions
are and respond to them. For instance after tweeting about how good my meal was at Firehouse
Subs I was surprised to find Firehouse Subs replied to my tweet to thank me for choosing
Firehouse subs. This made me feel appreciated, which was their goal. Or a company could
respond to a negative post by apologizing and offering some sort of incentive to return. Then
taking action to solve the issue that occurred.
Social networking can also be used to market job opportunities or for individuals to
market themselves for employment. This can be done on the business-orientated social
networking site called LinkedIn. Many CEOs have personal and corporate LinkedIn accounts.
LinkedIn allows one to connect with business contacts while also being able to view contacts
connections with other business people. This allows more exposure for themselves and for their
company thus advertising it. Stories about industry trends and news can also be found on
LinkedIn (The North American).
With the majority of internet users being active in social media making it the largest
network of opinion and word of mouth yet. The success and transition in social media marketing.
Social media is undoubtable a valuable source for marketing


- social scientists observed that social media have increased individuals connectivity and
enabled users direct participation. (Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health
Communication)

Work Cited
Sanette Nel
The Comparative and International Law Journal of Southern Africa, Vol. 40, No. 2 (JULY
2007), pp. 193-214
"Social Media is Creatin Bad Customers." Sensei Marketing. N.p., 09 Nov 2012. Web. 7 Apr
2014. <http://www.senseimarketing.com/social-media-is-creating-bad-customers/>.
SOCIAL MEDIA'S INFLUENCE ON BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SALES PERFORMANCE
Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management
2012
0885-3134
32(3): 365-378
M.E. Sharpe Inc.

"Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health Communication."
Journal of Medical Internet Research. 11.4 (2009): n. page. Print.

The Effect of Customers' Social Media Participation on Customer Visit Frequency and
Profitability: An Empirical Investigation
Rishika Rishika, Ashish Kumar, Ramkumar Janakiraman and Ram Bezawada
Information Systems Research, Vol. 24, No. 1, Special Issue on Social Media and Business
Transformation (March 2013), pp. 108-127

Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business.
2nd. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2013. xvii. eBook.

The Social Media Marketing Book
By Dan Zarrella
Language Abstraction in Word of Mouth
Gaby A. C. Schellekens, Peeter W. J. Verlegh, and Ale Smidts
Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 37, No. 2 (August 2010), pp. 207-223
Planning in the age of Facebook: the role of social networking in planning processes
Jennifer S. Evans-Cowley
GeoJournal, Vol. 75, No. 5 (2010), pp. 407-420
The North American Third-Party Logistics Industry in 2011: The Provider CEO Perspective
Dr. Robert C. Lieb and Dr. Kristin J. Lieb
Transportation Journal, Vol. 51, No. 3 (Summer 2012), pp. 353-367

Joe,
Youve done some really interesting and engaging research here. I think youve done a good job
compiling some compelling information that really sheds light on some of the inner workings of
social media marketing. The biggest area of concern here is your lack of a real thesis. Some of
the stories about bad marketing campaigns are really great, but Im wondering who your ideal
audience is and what it is that you are attempting to argue. As it is, this seems like a compilation
of static information, where you are acting as a passive reporter, as opposed to an active
participant in the conversation. Who would disagree that marketing via social media is effective
or can easily blow up in the companys face? But really, there have been bad campaign ads since
before the internet. You really need to find an area of conflict with which to have a more specific
and purposeful conversation.