Being a pharmaceutical company Lundbeck operates in one of the most regulated industries. There are strict limitations to Lundbeck’s communication. Many pharmaceutical companies with Facebook pages simply disable their Facebook walls because they are afraid, that they will be held responsible for postings made by users.

But Lundbeck developed a concept that makes it possible to have online conversations with end customers. The sites are run by a foundation, and there are chinese walls between the commercial activities in Lundbeck and what is published at the DepNet and DementiaNet websites, of which there are more than 20 worldwide.

The first of the Lundbeck communities, DepNet, was launched in 2001 and the second, DementiaNet, was launched in 2005:

Lundbeck pays independent doctors to answer questions from users at the sites, and by this Lundbeck is able to create communities and facilitate conversations amongst patients online which are perceived as valuable by its end customers. Doctors mention products in their postings, and in many cases it is products made by Lundbeck’s competitors. The Doctors at the Danish site mention Lundbeck’s products less frequent than the seize of Lundbeck’s market share could justify.

When Lundbeck was attacked in the Danish press and accused of being unethical in marketing its medicine by the means of DepNet and DementiaNet user after user responded online and stated how much they valued the conversations and content at the sites and defended Lundbeck against criticism.

Short URL & Title:
Social media in a highly regulated industry — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/hkb

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This video tells an interesting tale about how everyone from an Ice Cream Truck to a Mobile Bistro are able to use social media to promote their products: The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, The Bistro Truck, Holton Farm:

And the trend is spreading as more food trucks are using the social networking site to draw customers. Another example is Curbside Cupcakes:

The enormously popular Creme Brulee Cart in San Francisco, has amassed over 12,000 followers in a little over a year. Most of their business comes now from people who follow Creme Brulee Cart on Twitter because Twitter is the only way that customers can find the cart’s location for the day – This has gives people a valid reason to follow Creme Brulee Cart.

Short URL & Title:
Using social networking sites to draw customers — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/bqj

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The vast majority of consumers prefer to carry out business communications via social media, according to a new survey by research firm Yankee Group for Siemens Enterprise Communications – Yankee Siemens Social Media 2010 (.pdf).

Consumers want companies to be more engaged with social media, particularly in the realms of customer support and service. Companies are being seen to fail when it comes to using the likes of Facebook and Twitter as a communication channel.

According to the survey consumers want to engage with companies via their social spaces:

• Over 70% of consumers want access to company experts and support via social media channels and trust company information provided to them via social networks
• 57% of customers feel company outreach via social media would improve their loyalty to that company
• Most customers feel that companies should be monitoring social media for customer feedback
• 50% of respondents use social media at least once a day

Businesses must understand that social media is no longer just a marketing initiative for generating leads. Businesses need to focus on how social media, combined with customer service and other revenue-generating initiatives, can help make the relationship between a company and its customers more effective for both.

Short URL & Title:
Consumers want companies to be more engaged with social media — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/ybh

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• Greenpeace, initiated a “Rebrand the BP Logo” contest. Greenpeace asked its supporters to “ . . . create a logo for BP which shows that the company is not ‘beyond petroleum’ – they’re up to their necks in tar sands and deepwater drilling.”
• A Facebook group called “Boycott BP,” it’s urging a worldwide boycott of all BP brands and services, has drawn more than 800.000 fans.
• YouTube users are uploading a steady stream of videos – about the oil spill – that use humor to express their anger about BP
• An anonymously managed Twitter account – BP Public Relations (@BPGlobalPR) – that makes glib comments, purportedly on BP’s behalf, with 185.000 followers
• The Black Oil Firefox plugin that aims to black out all mentions of BP (British Petroleum) across the web
• Flash mob attack against the BP station on Houston and Lafayette in New York City.
• And the Lady GAGA remake song “Big Oilmance”:

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Rather than try to sweep these unhappy customers under the rug, look at them as a challenge and an opportunity to improve your brand and leverage them for some publicity.

A brand that has the ability to embrace criticism as well as praise is Domino’s pizza. Instead of cowering in shame or responding angrily to negative online reviews and comments about their products, Dominos pizza met the criticism head on -  “Oh yes we did – The Pizza Turnaround“.

Dell recently held its first “Customer Advisory Panel (CAP) Days“. About 30 customers from across the United States attended the events over two days. Conversations and interactive panels took place in front of the eager ears of many Dell employees across various groups of the business, to hear firsthand what the attendees think of the brand overall, the products and the customer service. The group was split into two, a day for individuals who recently had a frustrating experience with Dell and a day for individuals who are vocal evangelists for the brand.

The attendees started the morning with their gripes – customer service issues came up again and again. The heads of customer service and marketing were present and actively engaged. As they listened, they took notes, then asked questions and they promised they would make changes.

That type of customer empowerment is important. Now, whether they’ll go through with the promised changes is another story, but it was clear that Dell understood it was time to start paying attention to the public’s perception of its brand, and make some changes to keep their customers.

Nestlé is another company that has been successful at holding an event to let people engage with its brand directly. After a resurgence in interest in the Nestle Boycott, Nestlé decided to invite a group of bloggers to what it called its “Happy, Healthy Gathering”. Mommy bloggers, who’d been tweeting up a storm about the company’s stance on breastfeeding in third world countries, were invited to tour the facilities and give their input on the company.

“In order to sell more of its infant formula in third world countries, Nestle would hire women with no special training and dress them up as nurses to give out free samples of Nestle formula. The free samples lasted long enough for the mother’s breast milk to dry up from lack of use. Then mothers would be forced to purchase the formula but, being poor, they would often mix the formula with unsanitary water or ‘stretch’ the amount of formula by diluting it with more water than recommended. The result was that babies starved all over the Third World while Nestle made huge profits from this predatory marketing strategy.” (The Nestle Boycott)

Whether the event truly changed perceptions remains to be seen, but it did a great deal to show that Nestlé was putting in the effort to reach its audience.

Short URL & Title:
Complaining customers as an opportunity to improve business — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/mes

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No longer is social networking just for gossiping, hobnobbing or telling your friends what you had for breakfast. Increasingly, it has become an effective communications tool to mobilize masses to effect change.

Lately we have seen:

• Intel was attacked by activists opposed to minerals mining in the Congo inundated Intel’s Facebook page. They wanted Intel to pledge its support for a congressional bill that would restrict the import of “conflict minerals” that contribute to fighting in the war-torn country.
• Human rights group Amnesty International  launched a social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and through bloggers, designed to raise money for a full page ad buy attacking oil company Shell in a UK national newspaper.
• Nestlé, was attacked by Greenpeace for using palm oil from companies that where trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction. Greenpeace prepared a frontal assault with prepared assets such as off-brand logos, detrimental videos, and called for their Twitter followers to attack Nestle’s Facebook page.
• Greenpeace, initiated a “Rebrand the BP Logo” contest. Greenpeace asked its supporters to “ . . . create a logo for BP which shows that the company is not ‘beyond petroleum’ – they’re up to their necks in tar sands and deepwater drilling.”
• A Facebook group called “Boycott BP,” it’s urging a worldwide boycott of all BP brands and services, has drawn more than 800.000 fans.
• YouTube users are uploading a steady stream of videos – about the oil spill – that use humor to express their anger about BP
• And the Lady GAGA remake song “Big Oilmance” – listen to the song:

There is no brand immune to a negative event … it happens, that’s life and most companies plan for this to happen by developing action plans.

Short URL & Title:
Social media as an activist tool — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/ucp

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During a turnaround, don’t focus exclusively on distinguishing yourself from the competition; find what brings you together as a company. It may be values, a vision, or a set of shared emotions. Articulate this sense of unity well and the business will follow.

Do remember the famous words of Peter Drucker: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast“.

Short URL & Title:
Build a culture that supports strategy implementation — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/srd

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Prompted by the BP rig explosion and the ensuing spill, BP has come under heavy social media attack:

• Attacked on Facebook by a boycott movement called “Boycott BP,” urging a worldwide boycott of all BP brands and services
• An anonymously managed Twitter account – BP Public Relations (@BPGlobalPR) – that makes glib comments, purportedly on BP’s behalf
• YouTube users uploading a steady stream of videos – some better than others – that use humor to express their anger at the disastrous situation
• At the BP station on Houston and Lafayette in New York City a flash mob was arranged through Facebook
• A US-based web design company launched an “Oil Spill Firefox Plugin” which blacks out all web mentions of BP with oil spill blobs

And now Greenpeace, initiated a “Rebrand the BP Logo” contest. Greenpeace asked its supporters to “ . . . create a logo for BP which shows that the company is not ‘beyond petroleum’ – they’re up to their necks in tar sands and deepwater drilling.”

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CNN’s senior editor of Middle Eastern affairs, Octavia Nasr, was shown the door after sending a tweet that expressed respect for the Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. Despite a lengthy explanation of her 140 character foot-in-mouth, CNN brass stood by their decision.

Octavia Nasr tried to explain what she meant by “respect,” and convey more fully the context behind her tweet, noting that Fadlallah took a “contrarian and pioneering stand among Shia clerics on woman’s rights.” However, in an internal memo SVP for CNN International Newsgathering Parisa Khosravi announced Nasr would be leaving the company as a result of her comments, citing that her credibility has been compromised.

The news organization has pretty clear guidelines about how its employees should represent themselves on Twitter, Facebook and other social media destinations.

The news organization’s policy was published on the blog of a terminated employee. The original post has the entire policy, but here are the highlights (all-caps emphasis is CNN’s):

UNLESS GIVEN PERMISSION BY CNN MANAGEMENT, CNN EMPLOYEES ARE TO AVOID TAKING PUBLIC POSITIONS ON THE ISSUES AND PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS ON WHICH WE REPORT.

The best rule of thumb is, keep in mind whether what you are doing or saying is “in public.” In most cases, what you write online is public or can be made public.

CAN I COMMENT IN A CHAT ROOM?

It depends on what you’re commenting on. A chat room is, of course, a public place. If you identify yourself, or could in any way be identified, then you should not comment on anything CNN reports on. Remember, even though you don’t say who you are, someone else might reveal your identity. AND if you’re discussing things that are in the news, keep in mind you could be seen as representing CNN, and therefore you should not comment on the issues CNN covers.

HOW ABOUT MYSPACE, FACEBOOK OR OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES?

Again, on these sites only write about something CNN would not report on. Don’t list preferences regarding political parties or newsmakers that are the subject of CNN reporting. Local issues that CNN wouldn’t report on would be OK. And of course private communication with friends or family about issues that aren’t in the news is fine. If you are not sure, ask your supervisor or S&P for parameters on posting. (S&P contact info is listed below).

Also keep in mind that you should not be commenting or writing about what goes on in the workplace at CNN without specific approval by CNN senior managers. For example, in some cases there have and will be exceptions made to have some staff get information out to an outside audience on platforms like Twitter about our upcoming coverage plans.

But without those approved exceptions, your workplace activity is proprietary and so you should not be writing on these sites about what goes on behind the scenes here at CNN.

CAN I HAVE MY OWN WEBSITE OR BLOG?

Yes. But you should notify your supervisor about it, to have it cleared as a non-conflict for your work. Your supervisor may choose to then have it cleared at another level or by S&P. And again, you shouldn’t post commentary on anything you might cover in your work or CNN may report on, or write about the CNN workplace or post CNN material without permission by a senior CNN manager.

WHAT ABOUT POSTING LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES, ARTICLES FROM OTHER PUBLICATIONS AND VIDEO FROM OTHER SOURCES?

Again, if your web activity clearly shows that you are taking a position on an issue CNN reports on or is likely to report on, you should avoid such activity.

In addition, you should not operate under an alias on your website or blog in order to participate in biased public behavior. Despite your use of an alias to express a view that may present a conflict of interest, it is still your opinion. Your real identity and occupation could be revealed by someone else at any point.

WHY SHOULDN’T I COMMENT ON NEWS OR CURRENT AFFAIRS?

Unless given permission to comment publicly on the issues or people we report on as a CNN analyst or commentator, it is important that you and all other CNN employees be independent and objective regarding the news and people that we cover.

If you publicly declare your preference for issues or candidates or one side or the other of the public policy issues CNN reports on, then your ability to be viewed as objective is compromised.

We appreciate that everyone has a life outside work and we encourage all of our employees to get involved with the issues that are important within their communities. That said, you need to avoid any appearance of bias or partiality. It’s just one of the responsibilities associated with working for a news organization.

The event may be a reminder that sometimes 140 characters is just not enough for expression, and that context is perhaps even important when tailoring your message for a mass audience on the viral web. Publishing is publishing, no matter the media used to broadcast. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, whether it is a TV segment or a burst of 140 characters. We are, after all, in an age in which we consume media in multiple streams and channels.

Short URL & Title:
Better stick to corporate social media policies — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/vlh

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Most group buying sites tend to offer localized deals and discounts in specific cities. Typical offers include percentage discounts at participating restaurants, coupons for savings off a minimum purchase at retail stores, two-for-one event ticket specials and other similar deals. Typically, each promotion only becomes valid if enough members sign up for it, encouraging viral sharing of individual deals. If the minimum sign-up is not met, the deal does not proceed and no one’s credit card is charged.

One of the flagship group buying web services is GroupOn:

Other services like LivingSocial have also raised significant funding.

A fleet of other competitors are cropping up as well, from Tippr to Lifebooker and a number of smaller localized deal sites.

Although still technically in its early stages, group buying is poised to become one of the bigger trends to emerge in 2010.

Short URL & Title:
Group buying the new social media trend — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/vpl

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Before the disaster at Deepwater Horizon, BP America’s Twitter page had few tweets monthly, but nothing to write home about. Since its first tweet on the oil spill, BP has used Twitter on a daily basis to send updates on what it’s doing in the Gulf and sometimes even answering questions from its followers.

BP listed all the important contact information on its Twitter page for various response-team departments as well as its other online sites so people can stay connected in several ways. All in all, looks like they’re doing a good job with Twitter although that they are facing some hard “competition” from @BPGlobalPR (BP Public Relations) with more than 182.000 followers.

BP America on Facebook followed similar suit to Twitter. Prior to the explosion, its Facebook page had few updates – maybe once every month or so.

Since then, BP has posted updates on its Facebook page nearly every day – even on weekends and holidays. Every day, BP reports how much oil has been recovered in one day and then the grand total over time. The company also set up contact, news and notes tabs on its page, where fans can comment (and it includes the good, the bad and the ugly – sans censorship). Seems like BP is trying to being transparent by stepping aside to let the public vent.

It even looks as though it has more than 33,000 people who “like” BP’s page on Facebook. Judging by the comments on the company’s profile though, this might be a perfect example where the “like” feature on Facebook gets a little vague.  Similar to Twitter BP is facing some hard “competition” from a boycott movement called “Boycott BP” with 780.000 “likes”, urging a worldwide boycott of all BP brands and services.

BP’s YouTube channel is extremely thorough. It has videos categorized by the latest response, beaches and cleanup, claims and economy, health and safety, restoration of the environment and wildlife. BP says it created the YouTube channel to “engage the public in an informative conversation and dialogue about our efforts associated with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Dealing with a crisis has totally changed because of social media but apparently BP didn’t understand this point, as it did not have a strategic plan on how to defend its response to the oil spill on social media.

Social media is a powerful crisis management tool, but make sure to have a social media risk management plan before the crisis occurs.

Short URL & Title:
Social media strategy up and running — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/dcs

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Social networks, if used correctly, can be a powerful tool. But it needs guidelines to cover on-line interaction with customers. Why?

• Employees will have a clear idea of your position when it comes to social media so they will be able to communicate that to the outside world
• Employees will feel empowered that they can leverage their social networks in support of their role, as well as for their professional careers
• Companies will be legally protected from the possible misuse and misbehaviour of their employees online
• Companies will appear more innovative, forward thinking and acknowledgeable of how social media has integrated through employees lives and the rest of the world
• Employees will have a set of best practices and guidance while they venture into the social media world, so even the beginners have some reference guide to turn to

Official social media policies may vary as widely as company cultures do, but no matter what the nature of your business, it might be good practice to consider if you’re wading into social media waters in any strategic manner.

As you write your policy, consider these items:

• Stay open to opportunities. Social media offers new options for business. Be open to how it can help you engage with your constituents, collaborate, solve problems, provide customer services, increase efficiency and more
• Make sure your policy flexible enough to adapt as the world around you evolves
• Keep it general. Social media isn’t just Facebook and MySpace. It includes blogs, groups and communities, file and link sharing, wikis, applications, mobile platforms and more. Set policies that apply to what exists now and what will exist in the future.

Last but not least remember to educate employees about the use of social media and its impact.

Below social media employee policy examples from different companies and organizations:

Short URL & Title:
Need social media guidelines — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/lgh

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• Tumblr painted its dashboard black in an effort to raise cash
• Creative agency Jess3 developed a Firefox plugin that aims to black out all mentions of BP across the Web
• The satirical Twitter account @BPGlobalPR has gained a mighty following for its biting commentary.

YouTube users are uploading a steady stream of videos – some better than others – that use humor to express their anger at the disastrous situation.

The team behind UCBComedy shows us exactly what would happen if BP executives spill their coffee:

A BP rep points out the up side to the oil leak: the fish are rich!

Short URL & Title:
Parody as a tool in social media attack — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/dzf

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• Attacked on Facebook by a boycott movement called “Boycott BP,” urging a worldwide boycott of all BP brands and services
• An anonymously managed Twitter account – BP Public Relations (@BPGlobalPR) – that makes glib comments, purportedly on BP’s behalf

BP have been under heavy social media attack:

But now BP has purchased several phrases on search engines such as Google and Yahoo so that the first result that shows up directs information seekers to the company’s official website. Terms related to the spill, from “oil spill” to “gulf disaster” to “BP,” have consistently remained in the list of most-searched terms on Google since the spill began in April.

A simple Google search of “oil spill” turns up several thousand news results, but the first link, highlighted at the very top of the page, is from BP. “Latest news and facts about the Gulf of Mexico”, the link’s tagline reads.

From BP’s perspective it’s a brilliant move – directing traffic to their own site is a great PR strategy. But controlling what the public finds when they look online for oil spill information is just another way for the company to try and rebuild the company’s suffering public image.

Short URL & Title:
Redirect traffic as a crisis management tool — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/ksz

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