Companies have learned that social media works: 39% of companies surveyed by McKinsey use social-media services as their main digital medium to reach customers, and that percentage is expected to increase to 47% within the next four years.

Influence does work^*: Eighteen months before Ford re-entered the US subcompact-car market with its Fiesta model, it began a broad marketing campaign called the Fiesta Movement. A major element involved giving 100 social-media influencers a European model of the car, having them complete “missions,� and asking them to document their experiences on various social channels. Videos related to the Fiesta campaign generated 6.5 million views on YouTube, and Ford received 50,000 requests for information about the vehicle, primarily from non-Ford drivers. When it finally became available to the public, in late 2010, some 10,000 cars sold in the first six days.

Learning: Campaign Amplification using influencers can really generate tremendous buzz around your product. To learn how influencers can be added for your marketing campaigns, visit www.myRosys.com

 

* Demystifying social media, McKinsey Quarterly, April 2012