The Top 10 Branded Video Ad Campaigns Of 2010

From Social Times:


It’s no secret that web video is on the rise, and with it web video advertising. In 2010 we have seen some of the most innovative online video ad campaigns of all time and branded video ads are online getting better. YouTube has just announced their top 10 branded video ad campaigns of the year. Let’s take a look back at them and see why they were such a success.

Of course, none of the top 10 branded videos of 2010 really come as a surprise. They’ve all been viewed by millions, put smiles on our faces and left a lasting impression with us, and that’s the reason they’ve all made this list. So are you ready? Let’s take a trip back through 2010 in online video advertising!

#1 Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (24.2M)

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Old Spice takes the cake for the best branded YouTube ad campaign of 2010. The original Super Bowl commercial alone has been viewed over 24 million times, not to mention the millions of views the Isaiah Mustafa response campaign accrued. The single most successful online video campaign of all time, Old Spice’s Man Your Man Could Smell Like was even more popular online than Obama! The campaign sparked conversations online and off around the globe, a plethora of parodies and got people talking about Old Spice like never before. There’s no question, Old Spice deserves the title of number one online branded video campaign of 2010, hands down.

#2 Nike “Write The Future” (21.2M)

Nike’s “Write The Future” World Cup campaign has been viewed over 21 million times, but what’s really impressive is that it received its first 3 million views while it was unlisted on YouTube. Not appearing in search results, and only available to viewers who watched an embedded clip or had the actual link, the video spread entirely by word of mouth through blogs and social media. The video is now set to private on YouTube, but you can view it on Vimeo in the clip below.

Nike Write The Future from Wieden + Kennedy London on Vimeo.

#3 DC Shoes “Ken Block’s Gymkhana THREE, Part 2″ (19M)

DC Shoes’ Gymkhana Ultimate Playground clip has only been on YouTube since September, when it made our This Week In Viral Videos list, and already has over 19 million views. When you see Ken Block’s awesome segway stunt at 230, you’ll have no doubt in your mind about why this campaign was so popular.

What I really like about this DC Shoes campaign is that it that it isn’t a blatant advertisement for DC Shoes, rather it is a really cool video that just happens to be sponsored by the shoe company. Ken Block isn’t only a professional rally racer, but is also one of the co-founders of DC shoes, as well as the Chief Brand Officer. The company found a totally unique way to incorporate Block’s skills into a kickass video and I love it.

#4 Tipp-Ex “NSFW. A hunter shoots a bear” (13.1M)

The Tipp-Ex interactive YouTube campaign is one of the most original and innovative video ad campaigns we’ve seen all year. It starts out with a simple video of a hunter about to shoot a bear, when he yells, “Hey, I don’t wanna shoot this bear!” He proceeds to reach out of the YouTube video player screen to an ad for Tipp-Ex, and to use the Tipp-Ex to delete the word “shoots” from the video’s title, “A hunter shoots a bear”. Viewers are then invited to enter any other words they’d like into the title to see relevant videos.

When I first saw the campaign I tried entering all sorts of words from ‘A hunger “dances with” a bear’ to ‘a hunter “eats” a bear’ to ‘a hunter “farts on” a bear’ and even ‘a hunter “humps” a bear’ (yeah I know, I’m real mature). Tipp-ex really thought of everything, and there were relevant videos for all of my title suggestions. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can check out the campaign starting with the interactive video below.

http://www.youtube.com/tippexperience

#5 Gillette “Amazing Roger Federer trickshot on Gillette ad shoot” (7.7M)

Gillette’s Roger Federer trickshot clip made our weekly list of viral videos back in August. The video of Federer knocking a bottle off a crewmember’s head from across the room apparently just happened to be caught on tape at a Gillette shoot. To most viewers it’s pretty apparent that the video was stages, but honestly who cares? Staged or not, the trick is real and those are some mad skills!

#6 Toyota “Swagger Wagon” (7.6M)

Toyota’s “Swagger Wagon” clip made minivans cool this year when they took a hint from Old Spice and swaggerized the Sienna SE. In the clip, which has been viewed over 7 million times, the fictional Sienna Family raps about the Sienna SE minivan. Of course, minivans are probably the lamest vehicles around. They have always been thought about as the opposite of cool and rapping about them is, well, nothing short of ridiculous, which is why the video did so well. It’s also a totally catchy tune. “Where my mother-fathers at? Where my kids at?”

#7 E*TRADE “New E*TRADE Baby – Girlfriend” (6.5M)

This E*TRADE Super Bowl clip might have gone viral because of the fact that people love babies, whether they are talking, laughing, singing or dancing. However, it’s more likely that the clip spread like wildfire because of the “milk-a-holic Lindsay” that is mentioned in the video. A lot of people thought that E*TRADE was joking about Lindsay Lohan with the reference. Even Lohan herself sued E*TRADE for $100 million after seeing the ad! “Milk-a-what?!”

#8 Doritos “Crash The Super Bowl 2010 Winner: House Rules” (6.5M)

This Doritos Super Bowl commercial was the result of Doritos annual Crash the Super Bowl contest, in which they pick the best fan-generated ad to air during the Super Bowl. The video was an immediate hit. I mean, who wouldn’t love a video of a little kid slapping his mom’s new boyfriend?

#9 GEICO “Piggy” (6.2)

I’m so happy that GEICO’s “Piggy” commercial made the top ten branded videos of 2010 list. I don’t think a single video made me laugh quite as much as this one did this year. It inspired me to put together a list of the best talking animal videos on the web, but more than that it inspired me to share the link with everyone I know, on Facebook, Twitter and beyond. I’m sure I’m not the only one that was inspired to share this clip, as it’s been viewed over 6 million times since it was uploaded in July.

#10 Adidas “Adidas Originals – Star Wars Cantina” (4.7M)

We covered the Adidas Star Wars Cantina campaign back in June when it hit YouTube and since June it has been viewed over 6 million times. The campaign takes the actual footage of the famous Mos Eisley Cantina scene from Star Wars and composites David Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk, and more into the scene. The composition is seamless and looks just like the real thing. The amazing effects, paired with the fact that everyone and their mother loves Star Wars made this a viral success for Adidas.

P&G Washes Its Hands of Soap Operas and Dives into Social Media

From ReadWriteWeb:

Proctor and Gamble, the company that gave "soap operas" their name, has withdrawn its sponsorship of the last daytime TV show. After 77 years of advertising its Tide detergent and Ivory soap on shows like "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns," P&G is going online, specifically it is focusing on the social web.

The company is not deserting TV altogether, at least not yet, but the amount of money it is still spending on television commercials is nominal, and its push online is substantial.

Marc Pritchard, marketing head of Proctor and Gamble, told Boston.com:

"The digital media has pretty much exploded. It's become very integrated with how we operate. It's become part of the way we do marketing.''

The last show sponsored entirely by Proctor and Gamble, "As the World Turns" had lost two-thirds of its audience by September, and was subsequently canceled. P&G had sponsored almost two dozen shows over the years, but the migration online did not leave women, their core viewership and customer base, behind.

Big companies are like aircraft carriers. It takes forever for them to turn, and P&G is nothing if not a big company. However, this is not the company's first foray onto the social web. You may have heard some whisper regarding their social media campaign for a men's fragrance.

Mobile Year in Review 2010

Missed Opportunities

From Six Pixels of Separation:

There are no absolutes. There are no hard and fast rules.

The truth is that Marketing is changing, shifting and adapting. A lot of those changes have to do with Social Media, but not all of them. Prior to Social Media, we still had people connecting and sharing ideas (online and otherwise). The platforms and channels continue to evolve and what works for one brand may not be the right solution for another brand. You'll also note that there are a plethora of online pundits who are quick to distill the "rules of engagement" which are, ultimately, personal rules that worked for them (your mileage may vary).

You are doing it wrong.

I'm frequently asked by brands if what they're doing in these digital channels is "wrong". The phrasing of the question is off. The question (really) is: "am I optimizing this experience for the consumers that are doing their best to connect with us?" At that point, it's not about being wrong... it's about missed opportunities.

What are some of the more common missed opportunities?

• Not even knowing that someone is talking about you. Whether you're using a more complex Social Media monitoring tool like Radian6 or Sysomos or using free tools like Google Alerts and Twitter Search, there really is no excuse not to know what people are saying, where they're saying it, how much of a network they're connected to, and what the overall sentiment is.
• Not sending a simple, "thank you." You don't have to become their friends, they don't have to like you on Facebook, and there's no need to sign them up to your email blast. A simple "thank you" goes a long way and (for most) it's more than enough. Let the consumer choose if they would like more engagement and communication.
• Not responding back to someone on their Facebook page. Brands love their corporate Facebook pages. They tend to leave nice messages to those who have connected with them... on their page. Why don't more brands head over to the individual's page and thank them there? The navel-gazing desire to have everyone connect to the brand on their own page (and nowhere else) creates a feeling of, "build it and they will come."
• Not engaging in the comments on someone else's Blog. This is tied into the previous point. There are countless Blogs where individuals are talking about a brand or the industry that the brand serves. More often than not, you'll see that many of these brands have fairly active corporate Blogs, but those Bloggers spend zero time in the community. The expectation is that people will come to them (their Blog) or they simply don't have the time or desire to be truly active within the community - beyond their own garden.
• Not helping people out when you know they won't buy from you. Jeffrey Gitomer (author of the best-selling business books, The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling and the other Little Book... series) was recently speaking to a group of mortgage providers and this is what he told them to say to prospective clients if they wanted to up their game and increase their sales: "I am going to find you the best mortgage possible... even if that means you will be buying it from someone else." There are too many brands who only respond to direct inquiries or those of their direct competitors, and not enough time helping those who have questions and needs about the industry they serve.
• Not asking for permission to connect to someone. Just because someone leaves a comment, friends you, likes you, gives you a thumb's up or whatever, it does not mean that they want to be a part of your community or have a desire for more engagement. A simple, "would you mind if we stay connected?" will go a long way. It's a sign of a respect to your consumer and their attention. Beyond that, it's also a sign of submission... and this is powerful. Allow the consumer to control the level of engagement and connectedness. If you start the engagement from that point (with them leading charge and giving permission), you'll never fall into their spam filter (literally and figuratively).

Be of service. Don't be self-serving.

The brands that are of service to their consumers (and their potential clientele) are the brands who win (in the long term... not the short term). The brands who use these digital channels in a self-serving way are the ones who may be gaining friends and followers now, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of both longevity and loyalty in the long run.

101 Social Media Stats to Make Your Spirits Bright and Your Head Spin

From Social Media Explorer:

Finding the right needle in the haystack that is the Internet is often times an exercise in futility and frustration.

Sure, you can find “quick tips” for just about anything, a “how-to” guide for maximizing anything you’d like to maximize, and “case studies” that illustrate someone else’s success story which you believe – for a fleeting moment – you can just as easily apply to your own situation.

Image by the tartanpodcast via Flickr

Most often the tips are oversimplified, the how-to guides leave much to be desired, and the case studies seem to more like exceptions than they are rules.

What you really need, at the beginning, middle, and end of the day, is the truth. Or something that is almost close enough to the truth: like social media statistics.

I Wanna Know Where the Stats At

As you probably know, 108% of statistics are exaggerations, so be careful what you glean from this. I did not intend for this to be a be-all, end-all answer source, but rather a launch pad for further investigation.

That said, here is my collection of social media statistics I’ve cobbled together over the past year.

Social Media in the Daily Life of Web Users

Far from complete, here is a brief (but current) breakdown of social media usage. It is (obviously) ramping up in adoption and is woven intricately into the daily lives of many web users. This trend has no sign of slowing down.

• Internet users in the U.S. spend nearly a quarter of their time online using social media (or about 13 and half minutes per every hour spent online)
• Nearly 4 out of 5 web users visit a social networking site on a monthly basis
• 73% of US companies use social media tools for marketing purposes
• From 2008 to 2012, the percentage of US companies who use social media for marketing purposes is projected to more than double (from 42% to 88%)
• Internet users worldwide spend more hours per week with social media than any other online activity
• 46% of Internet users worldwide interact with social media on a daily basis
• 15% of social media users are more inclined to buy from brands that advertise in social media
• 25% are more likely to find out more about brands that advertise on social media sites
• 18% of new content found online is found through social media
• The average U.S. worker spends 5 hours a month with social media at the office (It’s research, I swear!)

What Sources of Info Users Trust Completely on Social Media

In general, complete trust is at a premium online (and in real life, too, to be fair). People tend to trust their friends over brands, but they also tend to trust brands over independent bloggers.

• 26% trust blog posts written by people they know
• 23% trust posts by friends on Facebook
• 12% trust their friends’ Twitter streams
• 11% trust corporate blogs (We brand marketers have work to do!)
• 9% trust Facebook updates from brands or companies
• 8% trust fellow community member comments
• 8% trust brand representative comments in online communities
• 6% trust brand-run Twitter streams
• 6% trust blog posts by independent bloggers
• 5% trust independent blogger’s Twitter streams

When building trust in social media, people look at the following features to evaluate just how trustworthy a site or account is. Factors which build trust in social media:

• 64% trust social media more if the dialogue is open to both positive and negative comments
• 60% trust social media more if the author or sponsor is responsive
• 38% trust social media more based on the size of the sponsor or authors following

On Twitter

Ever the darling of the blogosphere, Twitter has grown at an amazing rate over the past few years and has been adopted by everyone from the Fortune 500 to the revival-stage LeVar Burton. But what exactly is going on in the Twitterverse (sorry for using that terrible term)?

• Internet users (in the US) are 57 times more likely to visit Facebook than Twitter
• Only 8% of American adults who use the Internet are Twitter users.
• Between 2009 and 2012, the number of adults who user Twitter is expected to double (from 18 million in 2009, to 36 million in 2012)
• 7% of male American adults who use the Internet are Twitter users.
• 10% of female American adults who use the Internet are Twitter users.
• Young adults (18-29) are more likely to use Twitter than older adults
• Minority web users (African-Americans and Latinos) are more than twice as likely to use Twitter as are white Internet users.

Behavior on Twitter

We can’t get away from seeing that blue logo on everything from the nightly news to the placemats at the local diner, but what exactly are people doing on Twitter?

• 36% check for Tweets at least once per day.
• 21% never check for Tweets
• 72% post personal updates
• 62% post work-related updates
• 55% share links to news stories
• 54% post general life observations (e.g. “The Metro is slow”)
• 53% Retweet other users
• 52% send direct messages (e.g. “Thank you for the follow, I look forward to your Tweets, please buy my eBook now on using dir msgs to monetize Twitter”)
• 40% share photos
• 28% share videos
• 24% Tweet their location (Le sigh …)
• 37% of Twitter users are more likely to purchase from a brand after becoming a follower
• 33% of Twitter users are more likely to recommend a brand after becoming a follower

A breakdown of personal Tweets by content type:

• 43% are conversational
• 24% are status updates/ritualistic
• 12% are news-related
• 3% are seeking or giving advice
• 1% are self-promotional (Come on, really? This number seems to be missing several hundred zeroes.)

Reasons why consumers interact with brands on Twitter:

• 33% of active Twitter users share opinions about products or companies
• 32% make recommendations about products or companies
• 30% ask for recommendations
• Of those, 43% are sharing news or information about the brand
• 35% are “using” the brand (e.g. “Checking out a demo of @TweetMonetizer. They rule!”)
• 21% are voicing their opinion about the brand
• 1% are conversing directly with the brand

A breakdown of brand/marketer Tweets by content type:

• 75% are general information and news
• 16% are conversing with a consumer
• 6% are showing personality or quirks
• 2% are coupons or sales codes
• 1% are conversing with another brand (Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?)

When people leave – gasp! – Twitter, where are they going?

• 47% click on news
• 10% click on Technology-related content
• 10% click on celebrity/entertainment content
• 6% click on movie-related content
• 4% click on “how-to” and DIY content
• 23% click on “other” types of content (Helpful, isn’t it?)

On Facebook

Facebook is bigger than the Beatles (and you know what that means). But what are people doing there (besides checking up on ex-girlfriends?)

• The average Facebook user spends more than 55 minutes per day on Facebook
• 20 million Facebook users become fans of Pages per day
• 60 million status updates are made per day

Why Facebook users “Like” a brand on Facebook

• 25% want to receive discounts and promotions
• 21% are customers of the brand
• 18% want to show support for the brand
• 10% do it for fun and entertainment
• 8% want to be the first to know information about the brand
• 6% want access to exclusive content
• 5% followed a friend’s recommendation to “like” a brand
• 4% want to be part of the brand/fan community
• 2% work for the brand (Doesn’t this seem low??)

What caused Facebook users to like a brand’s page in the first place?

• 75% connected because they were invited by the brand directly
• 59% connected because they were invited by a friend
• 49% connected as the result of personal research

And why do people unsubscribe from a brand’s Facebook page?

• 32% were no longer interested in the brand
• 27% thought updates were published too frequently (i.e. Don’t flood my stream)
• 22% thought updates were uninteresting
• 12% plain did not like the updates
• 7% thought updates didn’t come enough (i.e. Don’t starve my stream)
• Only 17% of Facebook users are more likely to purchase from a brand after “liking” their page
• 21% of Facebook users are more likely to recommend a brand after “liking” their page

Where Do People Go When They Leave Facebook?

• 18% leave for news content
• 18% leave for their celebrity/entertainment fix
• 17% leave for video game-related content
• 12% leave for technology content
• 9% leave for “how-to” and DIY-related content
• 26% leave for “other” reasons (Maybe they head to Twitter?)

So What Does it All Mean?

It’s fun (sort of) to look at numbers and see how social media has erupted onto the media landscape with no signs of flowing back, but what does it mean for the future of our industry?

Instead of boring you with an analysis, I figured I’d make up some statistics myself to wrap things up. Like:

• 100% of you use social media, and will continue to do so in the near future
• 90% of you will wish you could get your money back for reading this far
• 87% of you will wonder why I didn’t mention YouTube, MySpace, or any of the other major social media spaces out there (I got sort of exhausted, and besides, 101 is a pretty nice number)
• 56% of you will think this was nice, but relatively useless for drawing conclusions
• 42% of you wish there were 101 more stats
• 2% of you counted to see if there were really 101 stats here (and yes, I’m counting these made-up ones)
• .001% of you will understand that I was just trying to be helpful because I personally get frustrated scouring the web for useful statistics when making a case, a PowerPoint, or a blog post on SocialMediaExplorer.com (thanks Mom!)

The Top Mobile Apps of 2010, According to Apple

From ReadWriteWeb:

Today, Apple has released its annual "iTunes Rewind" feature, a listing of the most popular content in music, movies, TV shows and mobile applications in its iTunes marketplace. This year, Apple has placed a large focus on mobile apps, providing lists like the top free and top paid iPhone and iPad apps as well as lists of the top grossing apps on both platforms.

It's notable that Apple has named the magazine-style "social news reader" Flipboard the iPad App of the Year, although it isn't represented on any of Apple's lists. Instead, Flipboard joins other editorially selected award winners like Hipstamatic, a photo-filtering iPhone application which Apple chose over media darling Instagram for iPhone App of the Year, Plants vs. Zombies, which won iPhone Game of the Year and not the uber-popular Angry Birds, and finally, Osmos for iPad, the iPad Game of the Year, which to be honest, hadn't really registered on our radar at all (although we don't tend to focus on iPad gaming here.)

The rest of the top app lists from Apple are as follows:

Overall Top 10 PAID iPhone Apps

1. Angry Birds
2. Doodle Jump - BE WARNED: Insanely Addictive!
3. Skee-Ball
4. Bejeweled 2 + Blitz
5. Fruit Ninja
6. Cut the Rope
7. ALL-IN-1 GAMEBOX
8. The Moron Test
9. Plants vs. Zombies
10. Pocket God
    

Overall Top 10 FREE iPhone Apps

1. Facebook
2. Angry Birds Lite
3. Words With Friends Free
4. Skype
5. Tap Tap Revenge 3
6. The Weather Channel®
7. Paper Toss
8. Bing
9. ROCK BAND FREE
10. Talking Tom Cat

Overall Top 10 GROSSING iPhone Apps

1. MLB.com At Bat 2010
2. Angry Birds
3. Call of Duty: Zombies
4. Bejeweled 2 + Blitz
5. FriendCaller 3 Pro
6. Zombie Farm
7. TomTom U.S.A.
8. TETRIS®
9. Plants vs. Zombies
10. Doodle Jump - BE WARNED: Insanely Addictive!

Overall Top 10 PAID iPad Apps

1. Pages
2. GoodReader for iPad
3. Numbers
4. Angry Birds HD
5. Keynote
6. Glee Karaoke
7. WolframAlpha
8. Pinball HD
9. Friendly for Facebook
10. Star Walk for iPad

Overall Top 10 FREE iPad Apps

1. iBooks
2. Pandora Radio
3. Netflix
4. Google Mobile App
5. Solitaire
6. Movies by Flixster - with Rotten Tomatoes
7. IMDb Movies & TV
8. Kindle
9. Google Earth
10. Virtuoso Piano Free 2 HD

Overall Top 10 GROSSING iPad Apps

1. Pages
2. Numbers
3. Keynote
4. LogMeIn Ignition
5. SCRABBLE for iPad
6. Documents To Go® Premium - Office Suite
7. Angry Birds HD
8. Real Racing HD
9. Plants vs. Zombies HD
10. Proloquo2Go

Social Media Success: 5 Lessons From In-House Corporate Teams

From Mashable:

While implementing a successful social media campaign is something to celebrate, longer term, policy-based programs (which may not garner as much immediate publicity) can be even more rewarding.

Here we are highlighting five companies that have enjoyed long term success with their own social media teams and taking a look at some of the measurable returns they have seen as the results of their programs.

Key personnel from within the five companies below (in alphabetical order) have commented on their teams’ successes to offer you an insight into their various processes. Meanwhile, please be sure to let us know in the comments about any other companies that you feel should be recognized for having strong in-house social media teams.

1. Dell

Dell currently enjoys an online presence in more than 160 countries with more than 15,000 online conversations about Dell taking place every day — a stat that makes it one of the most mentioned brands. Dell is proud of its history of online customer communication and claims to have been exchanging info with customers online since the late 1980s.

Dell’s social media activity, as we’d now recognize it, began in earnest in 2006, initially with the Online Community Outreach team (tech support experts that reached out to bloggers with queries), then the debut of the Direct2Dell blog, followed up with rating and reviews added to Dell product pages. Since then the reviews have been made shareable across major social networking platforms including via the Facebook “Tag Team” — a social product finder app.

In the summer of 2007, Dell joined the world of Twitter, with just one example being its @DellOutlet account offering Twitter-only special deals.

In addition to the specific activity outlined above, Dell sees social media as integral to the day-to-day activities of its employees all around the world. Interested employees can attend Dell’s “Social Media and Communities University” to help them better represent the brand online.

The Success Story

As far as social commerce goes, Dell has received more than 170,000 customer ratings and reviews on Dell.com across 62 countries, while its main Facebook Page has more than 360,000 fans.

The most headline-grabbing example of Dell’s social media program netting real-world results is its @DellOutlet Twitter account. Currently enjoying more than 1.5 million followers, Dell revealed late last year that it had generated $6.5 million in revenue, a figure that we can only assume has grown since.

Less easily measured success comes as a result of using feedback to improve Dell’s products in the future.

“The online conversations offer great opportunities for us to listen, learn and engage — we use what we learn to innovate and integrate technology that provides solutions our customers want,” says Kerry Bridge, head of digital media communications, EMEA and global public sector at Dell.

So, Why Has Dell Been Successful?

“Listening to our customers has always been at the heart of what we do,” says Bridge. “Dell’s heritage of direct customer connections and online leadership are the seeds of our drive to be a social media success.”

2. Ford

The social media team at Ford is spread across a number of departments. With six people across the company dedicated to social media, there are another 20 or so for whom social media is part of their wider roles. Ford’s social media push began in mid-2008 when it joined Twitter and the customer service department started a Social Media Action & Response Team (SMART), which monitors the online space for opportunities to help customers.

Now Ford can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Delicious, Scribd, Plancast and Upcoming, among others. In addition, TheFordStory.com is where Ford “insiders” can get more information and view user-generated content as featured in the “Your Stories,” “Ford on Blogs,” and “Your Ideas” sections.

The Success Story

Ford currently has more than half a million followers across Twitter and Facebook. A campaign-based example of recent social media success is the promotion for the 2011 Ford Explorer, which netted a number-one trending topic on Twitter, a number-two Google trend, and vehicle orders that were more than double what had been projected.

“We’re committed to the ‘always on’ mode, which means that we need to abandon the traditional ‘launch and leave’ approach that we previously used,” says Scott Monty, the head of social media at the motor company, who can be credited for much of Ford’s social activity.

“By taking the time to build a relationship with our fans by sharing not only our story but other people’s stories, we therefore gain awareness, trust and loyalty so that when they do make a purchase decision, we’re top of mind.”

So, Why Has Ford Been Successful?

“We’re successful for a few reasons: The first is that Ford has a strong business plan, great products and a commitment to a better world, and that is apparent in everything the company does. When we get to share that, it’s completely authentic,” says Monty.

“The second is, we realize that we have to constantly innovate and to give back to our community, as a way to reward them for spending their valuable time with us. And the third is that we realize that in humanizing Ford, it’s just as important to connect our customers and fans with each other as it is to connect them with Ford employees, because they’re more likely to believe what other people have to say about Ford.”

3. Intel

Intel has been involved in the social media space since 2004, beginning with blogs, before creating the Intel Social Media Center of Excellence two years ago. With three team members initially, this year the team has grown to seven and maintains a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, as well as running company blogs.

The Success Story

Intel’s “Social Media Guidelines” is one of the best known corporate policies around. During the past two years, the company has trained more than 1,000 “social media practitioners,” in order to help them “succeed globally by enabling with information, tools, latest and greatest best-known practices, playbooks, strategic direction” and more.

“We consistently monitor and listen to the conversations on the web, trying to address as much of the questions and issues as we can,” says Ekaterina Walter, social media strategist at Intel.

“It is important for us to have presence on social networking sites where our customers can engage in a dialogue with us and get a 1:1 attention.”

Walter tells us Intel has been especially successful in engaging on Facebook in the past year. “We have achieved about 10% to 15% monthly organic fan growth on average, which is considered the highest organic growth you can get. We are now up to over 240K fans (over 90% of which were acquired organically).”

So, Why Has Intel Been Successful?

“Intel is a pioneer in the social media space. We were one of the first to come out with the Social Media Guidelines and one of the first to adapt to this seismic shift to social and train our marketers around the world through the robust university-like training program,” says Walter.

“Our success can be attributed to the strong executive support and to passionate grassroots/social media practitioners within Intel, among other things.”

4. JetBlue

JetBlue’s social media stratagem comes under its Corporate Communications department, which it describes as “the clearinghouse for all communications.” The company’s big push for social media engagement started in the spring of 2007 and it says it regularly looks to its customers for guidance as to what they’d like JetBlue’s role to be within the social media arena.

A corporate communications employee oversees a working group of subject matter experts from a variety of departments spanning communications, marketing, TrueBlue customer commitment and operations who engage directly with customers when opportunity arises. JetBlue has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube as well as maintaining the BlueTales blog.

The Success Story

JetBlue’s Twitter presence is the jewel in its social media crown. JetBlue started a Twitter account back in 2007 and now boasts 1.6 million followers. This success has seen the company launch a separate account — Cheeps — which is used to push promotional fares. JetBlue says this second Twitter account “has proven successful as a dedicated social media channel.”

“We have come to realize that Twitter is an excellent tool not just for pushing information out, but perhaps more importantly, for taking information in,” says Allison Steinberg, an e-communications analyst for the airline.

“We are able to use Twitter to take a general pulse of our customer base as well to identify breaking news items that may not have made it down the pipeline yet internally or via mainstream outlets. This helps us to stay on top of customer service items and respond to things in a timely and efficient manner.”

So, Why Has JetBlue Been Successful?

“Social media has been hugely successful for us because we understand that communication is a two-way street,” says Steinberg. “We consider the social media tools available to us to be our eyes and ears, in addition to serving as a mouthpiece for our brand.”

5. Vodafone

Vodafone’s social media team was formed around 19 months ago. It has since grown from the original three staff members to 15 and includes online PR and social media specialists and customer care and acquisitions.

Because Vodafone doesn’t treat social media as a stand-alone channel, the activity spreads from the obvious branded channels, which include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube to all major online forums, tech and consumer blogs and more recently location-based platforms like Foursquare.

The Success Story

Vodafone currently has more than 18,000 followers on Twitter, 210,000 fans on Facebook and another 116,000 on its non-profit Vodafone Foundation “World of Difference” Page.

A recent example of success for a specific project comes in with Vodafone-backed @documentally’s challenge to travel the length of the UK utilizing only a PAYG SIM card and an iPhone. The trip resulted in 4 million impressions on Twitter alone, which Jakub Hrabovsky, head of web relations, says “demonstrates the endless possibilities and sheer power of social media.”

However, Vodafone’s in-house social media team is committed to everyday actions, as well as the splashy stuff. “Whilst our social media activities peak around launches and major campaigns, we consistently offer superb customer service across all of our channels including our eForum with an incredibly high percentage of customer inquiry resolutions,” says Hrabovsky.

“Twitter, due to its fast-paced nature, has been the most successful channel for us with almost 100% of inquiries resolved, with incoming traffic at over 5,000 customer inquiries per month at busiest times.”

So, Why Has Vodafone Been Successful?

“The major driver for our success has been the consistent commitment to social media and online channels overall, as simple as it may sound,” says Hrabovsky.

“Another reason is the ability and willingness to listen to our customers, our honest and credible interaction with online audiences and determination to explore new platforms as well as speed of reaction.”