Keep it Social

Google’s Social Media Platform You Probably Never Logged Onto…. Unless You’re Brazilian

May 6, 2019 meganvasil

The platform was called Orkut, which makes me want to screech out an “Okuuurrrrrrrrt” in true Cardi B fashion even though that’s completely wrong.

Orkut was named after its creator who was a Google employee in 2004. The platform worked similarly to other platforms where users found others to connect with by browsing through communities and interests on the platform. The platform earned most of its popularity with students and technology workers.

One key element that the platform had was the fact that friends could rate other users based on how sexy, cool, or trustworthy they found each other. This competition lead to people adding every and anyone to like and rate them. The higher the rating, the better the popularity and the better their ability to connect with those of higher status on the app.

Me, writing you a scathing rating on Orkut

If you haven’t seen Netflix’s series Black Mirror, Nosedive is an excellent episode to start with. In the world of this episode, different privileges are given to people in real life based upon their social media scores. This platform immediately made me think of this episode!

But really, can we just take a moment to look at this Orkut profile below. Does it scream early 2000’s or WHAT? Gotta love the duplicate vowels in the screen name and the light pink, “I’m a princess” theme. I’m having a HUGE flashback to the Myspace era looking at this example profile.

The platform had gained most of its popularity in Brazil due to the fact that Outdoor marketing is banned in the country, so companies depended on online marketing to get their customers in their doors and purchasing their items/services. However, every good thing comes to its end, and the platform stopped meeting the expectations of the users and they eventually drifted to other platforms that offered videos, social gaming, and blog posting.

“When Orkut stopped meeting the needs of the culture and audiences, they lost their consumers and were eventually replaced by other culturally appropriate cross-platform social media endeavors.”
Mahoney & Tang, 2017

References

Mahoney, M. L., & Tang, T. (2017). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change.
Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Orkut Hello Network (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.orkut.com/index.html

Weixin: An Example of a Truly Successful Social Media Platform

April 29, 2019 meganvasil

Weixin (“Way-SHIN”) is a social media app that is largely popular in China and Southeast Asia. The app has put a large amount of focus in becoming an all-in-one type of platform offering messaging, news, photo sharing, online wallet and travel services.

Weixin has prided itself in keeping a simple interface that any and all users can easily use. There was even a Beijing subway ad that stated that, “one minute is all you need to open a Weixin shop.” Oh yeah, you can do that, too, on the app.

(What can’t you do?!)

Because of all these service offerings the app has built-in, and its ease of use, it has gradually become the norm for the average Chinese citizen to utilize on a daily basis. And why wouldn’t they? Why have multiple apps on your phone that all do different things and require different log-ins and passwords and payment methods when you can have everything you need in one place? Like really, where is the U.S. version Weixin to replace my Instagram, Facebook, Uber, Message app, and Google Wallet account?

Updating Traditions

For Chinese New Year, it is customary to give a monetary gift to friends and family for the holidays in a red envelope. In 2014 Weixin capitalized on this by providing a method for users to set an amount of money they wanted to send, and the app would randomize which of their friends and family would get however much of that total amount. If you opted to give $100 for the app to allocate, your cousin may get $5 while your best friend may get $26 of the total. This campaign excited the users and added an element of surprise to the customary tradition. Also, it made the idea of fulfilling the tradition easier with integrating technology with old customs.

https://lajollamom.com/chinese-year-red-envelopes/

I cannot imagine Facebook doing something that cool for the holiday season.

Honestly, the coolest and closest thing that I think Facebook has done to what Weixin has done is when Facebook added the feature of choosing a charity to request that your friends donate to instead of giving gifts to you for your birthday. Which seems like a really cool idea, but there has been some backlash on this feature that Facebook offers. Just do a simple Google search for “Facebook birthday donations,” and you’ll find plenty of blogs and articles with mixed reviews of this feature.

https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2018/09/03/facebook-birthday-fundraisers-should-you-donate/1174254002/

Weixin’s main reason for success is how it has integrated itself with the user’s everyday routine and habits. The app is convenient by being a mobile app that users can take with them wherever they go with the vast amounts of services it provides. “When your social media product becomes part of people’s daily life, it will be easier for you to make a behavior change, whether this behavior is a purchasing decision or a positive social change, starting with an audience analysis,” (Mahoney & Tang, 2017).

References

Mahoney, M. L., & Tang, T. (2017). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change.
Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Coco (2017). WeChat vs. Weixin: For China Marketing You Need an Official Weixin Account. Retrieved from https://chozan.co/2017/09/06/wechat-vs-weixin/C

To Meme or Not to Meme… Breast Cancer

April 4, 2019 meganvasil

Every October the messages will start flooding your inbox requesting that you post something confusing and urge all your other female friends to do the same. It is Breast Cancer awareness month, so these messages start cycling around in hopes to improve the awareness and donations toward research and education on breast cancer. However, it cannot be proved that these meme/message gimmicks actually assist in the increase in donations, or just the fact that breast cancer awareness month has begun has created the influx of donations (Mahoney & Tang, 2017).

But what if I love my mom but don’t want to “like” your crummy, comic-sans post?

The epidemic of meaningless Facebook posts that request that the user “like” or “comment” on the post to show their support or express a certain fact of agreement has increased over the years. A photo of a veteran holding a sign describing the horrible conditions they endured while in duty and then it says, “I bet this won’t go viral or get any likes.” The posts bait people and guilt them into participating in the community, otherwise they are not patriotic, hate puppies, or hope that all children of the world are diagnosed with terminal illness.

Spreading a message or leaving a “like” doesn’t make much of a difference in the world other than making people pay a moment of their attention toward the matter. There are other methods that ensure that an actual difference can be made. Monetary donations toward education and treatment research can lead to sooner diagnoses and a speedier and more definite cure for the illness.

Aerie

I absolutely adore Aerie as a company. I worked there for over 3 years and witnessed them abolish the practice of retouching their photos, present a representation of a variety of different body types in their marketing, and example endless generosity by participating in Bright Pink (breast cancer awareness) and NEDA (eating disorder awareness) campaigns where donations were asked for and certain items were sold where 100% of the proceeds went toward the cause of the month.

I feel that this is a more accurate use of charitable campaigns to make a difference. Bright Pink is a non-profit that focuses on educating young women on the practice of self-examinations and other information surrounding breast and ovarian cancer. As for NEDA, Aerie promises that every un-retouched swim photo posted with their hashtag #AerieREAL, a $1 will be donated up to $50k. This is meant to promote self love and body acceptance in an industry that normally can make young women feel that they are not enough.

Aerie knows what they are doing. In an industry where the marketing has historically been flashy and showing women from a young age what “perfect” is, Aerie shows everyone that you can be happy with the skin you are in and society’s “standards of beauty” don’t matter. They are including themselves in the body positive movement and making it part of their brand. This is a message that not only young women can get behind, but also the mothers of the young women that are purchasing items for the main demographic focus of the company, 12 to 25 year-old women. Appealing to the masses and making a difference in the world is something that consumers want to see from the companies they invest in.

References

Mahoney, M. L., & Tang, T. (2017). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change.
Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Aerie. (2018). #AerieSupports. Retrieved from
https://www.ae.com/featured- aeriesupports/aerie/s-cms/7610002

Warby Parker

March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 meganvasil

You read about it in magazines from a young age that depending on your face shape, there are some things that are just NOT going to work for you. A Heart-shaped face apparently cannot have bangs and a square face needs a full and texturized hairstyle instead of a choppy, sharp look. This goes for accessories that sit on your face as well.

Some people, like myself, are fortunate enough to be given the gift of adequate eyesight and do not need the aid of eyeglasses or contacts to see. But in 2013, it was found that 6 out of 10 people on average wear eyeglasses of a range of prescription strengths (Bruggink, 2013). If you’re like me and you could never grasp the ability to put a thin film over your eyeball to improve your eyesight, then glasses or a laser to the cornea are your only other options.

But shopping for eyeglasses can be an annoying task. Those stores filled with pricey frames always have unrealistically bright lighting and tiny mirrors to see yourself in. And this is where you are meant to decide what eyeglasses frames look best on you?

Is this really the experience eyeglasses wearers are supposed to accept?

Warby Parker has probably the best solution to this problem. You can pick up to five different eyeglasses frames to try on at home before you make the decision of which pair if the one for you. And this service is completely free to you. You could even send every single frame back if they turn out to all be not quite right for your round-ish square-ish heart-shaped face.

Not to mention the fact that Warby Parker has been doing some pretty awesome things for people in need of eyewear that cannot afford it. For every pair that is sold, the Company gives a pair to someone in need through their partner, VisionSpring.

https://www.warbyparker.com/buy-a-pair-give-a-pair

Warby Parker has not only a business model that personalizes the experience for each of their consumers, but understands the importance of an impactful social media presence. Their twitter @warbyparker is full of retweets and replies to consumers and curious customers. Also, their twitter threads create a community of eyeglass wearers who enjoy and promote the brand to others. Sometimes the tweets include a Haiku of the week, which has nothing to do with the eyeglasses industry at all. Warby Parker is just utilizing the platform to engage with their customers and create a community.

This company is just one example of how the social media market has changed the game for companies all over. The growth in online shopping has shaped consumers to want a personalized while shopping in the comfort of their own home. It has also been found that consumers are incentivized to purchase from companies that are also socially responsible and making a difference in the world. Warby Parker is hitting both of those marks.

References

Bruggink, J. (2013). More than 6 in 10 people wear glasses or contact lenses. Retrieved from
https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2013/38/more-than-6-in-10-people-wear-glasses-or-contact-lenses
Warby Parker (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.warbyparker.com/