Stride Gum: Flavorful Social Media To Chew On
Admit it. You’ve always wanted to be a rodeo clown. Or a mystical fortune teller.
Either way, Stride gum’s new Facebook application can help (sorta). It’s called “Change Your Flavor, Change Your Life.” To promote new Stride Shift, a gum that changes flavors as you chew, this app goes beyond consumers simply clicking “Like.” You pick a new life, like adventure kayaker or ostrich jockey, and the app adds a photo gallery with pictures and stories that make it seem like you really are spending life riding rapids or large flightless birds.
People won’t just be talking about the funny photos – they’ll also be talking about how the gum changes flavor. Of course, ROI for social media isn’t easy to gauge so it helps to know what kind of return you’re looking for. As Stride marketing director Gary Osifchin says in BrandWeek:
“We’re really looking at it not just from the numbers, but also the quality of the conversation we see from our consumer. The more engaged and the more they talk with each other, the more affection they have for our brand and they’ll really become brand advocates.”
Looking at Stride’s new app, it’s easy to see that there are 3 keys to social media success:
- Start smart. Know from the beginning what your goals and benchmarks are. That’ll help shape strategy and make it easier to prove to the higher ups that the campaign was a success.
- Choose appropriate media. Where are your consumers congregating online? Which platforms make it easiest to share content?
- Stay relevant. Make sure that conversations generated will include your brand and benefits, not just passing chatter about the marketing itself.
What social media ideas are you chewing on? Will their flavor last or at least morph into something different yet still impactful, like Stride Shift gum?
