Facebook Application “Zoo World” Supports Haiti Cause

The recent catastrophe that took place in Haiti shocked the entire world. The region not only witnessed a mammoth earthquake, but also saw thousands of its people becoming a victim. Though we cannot blame the nature, nor can we bring back the lives of people, all that we can do is support the families of those dead, provide relief to the ones saved and give our condolences to them.

However, with social media empowering users to voice out their opinions on a large scale, there are certain initiatives that play key role in encouraging people take a step ahead. A popular application on Facebook “Zoo World” has found out a unique – or rather enticing way – to encourage people contribute to the Haiti relief campaign.

India’s Leading Mutual Fund Company “UTI” Embraces Social Media

Unit Trust of India, popularly known as UTI, recently marked their presence on social media to engage with their consumers. The leading mutual fund company – with over 1 crore investor portfolios – has taken the digital route to promote the “Language of Investment” by addressing user queries and helping them achieve a stable financial life.

The mutual fund giant has set up official accounts on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to spread its message “Kisney Sikhai India ko Investment ki Bhasha” indicating that UTI MF has taught India the Language of Investment. It conducts activities that lead people to think about investments, wealth management, smart ways to getting rich, etc.

In Demand: Social Networking On The Move

You are at a party and wish to upload all the fun on Facebook for everyone to see it. What do you do? Wait for the party to get over, come back home and upload the pics on the computer, eventually uploading it on your profile? Nah! Who has so much time, especially in this fast-moving impatient world? This gave rise to mobile social networking that is fast catching up in developing economies like India and China.

Today, one of the biggest drivers for sales of mobile phones is social networking. Millions of units are sold across the world to users who are social networking addicts. Also, the number is only expected to rise in the coming years as the propensity to spend amongst the users increases. In fact, according to eMarketer, the number of mobile social networking users will grow to 607.5 million globally by 2013, representing 43% of mobile web users worldwide. It also estimates that 13.3% of global mobile users will access social media sites by 2014.

Pepsi Dumps Super Bowl for Social Media

Those who are skeptical about social media’s popularity and ability might put their thinking caps on after reading this post. World’s renowned cola brand Pepsi has astonished the advertising industry by its latest move to ignore Super Bowl this year and instead focus on social media. For those unaware, Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, and is considered as the most-watched American television broadcast.

Pepsi, in an effort to leverage social media, has opted to award grants of thousands of dollars in its “Pepsi Refresh Project”, which would be rolling out in January, 2010. As social media is all about people and communities, that’s exactly what Pepsi would be focusing on. It would allow people to visit the “Refresh Project” via several social media platforms and suggest ideas on how the brand could refresh their community. The next process involves voting, which would be carried out during February. Finally, the amount of money ($20 million) saved by not advertising through Super Bowl would be diverted to the project in form of prizes.

Bharti AXA General Insurance sets on a Stress-free Journey on Social Media

Brands that are helpful always find a special place in the consumers’ heart. As more and more companies follow the “social media” way to reach out to their customers, there are companies that are taking an extra step to make sure they create a positive impact not only on the business front, but also on the society. Bharti AXA is the latest company to join this list and use social media in a healthy way to promote its messages.

Bharti AXA General Insurance has a dedicated micro-site that focuses on providing solutions to people who are in stress. Besides, it aims at encouraging people to lead a “holistic” life by involving Mickey Mehta, India’s Holistic Health and wellness Guru, to share his health tips and secrets.

Orkut Counter-Attacking Facebook?

It was only 3 to 4 years back when Orkut was the dominating social networking site in Brazil and India. No doubt, it still maintains the lead in these two regions, however the growing popularity of Facebook has forced it to put the thinking cap on to maintain its leader’s position. Not surprisingly, Google-owned Orkut has decided to refurbish its interface and design, which would be rolled out in few days. 

Users switching to Facebook from Orkut permanently would now have a reason to stay back due to the latest developments planned by the site. To start with, the new site has fewer pages and quicker browsing to help people connect with each other through multiple activities like chatting, watching videos, browsing and searching within full friends and communities lists on the same page. Secondly, it has reorganized the most important activities on the site for easier navigation and usage with a clean, simple interface.

Unilever Ambitious About Asian Market, Adopts Social Media

Looking at the rate at which social media is growing amongst small businesses across the world, corporate giants are making sure not to be left behind in experimenting the latest marketing medium. We’ve already seen companies like Ford, General Motors, Coca Cola, Southwest Airlines, etc. embrace social media and using it effectively to create a strong online presence. Now, its time for FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies to set the gear high and ride its benefits! According to Advertising Age, FMCG mogul Unilever is all set to whirl the social media wand in the Asian market.

Apparently, Asia is the biggest market for the FMCG companies to market their products, with demand escalating from fast-developing nations like China and India. Being aware of the growing competition, Unilever has decided to promote three of its popular brands, Pond’s, Lux and Comfort through social media. The aim is to target specific regions and engage users via certain social media platforms like blogs, video-sharing sites, etc.

One Year Enough for Facebook to Triple its US Market Share

They say change is the only thing that is constant. While year 2009 has been fabulous for Facebook as it became the leading social network worldwide, MySpace has struggled to sustain its strong position that it enjoyed last year. The US market has embraced Facebook and distanced from MySpace ever since the former gained acceptance and adulation from the global social networking audience.

The Mark Zuckerberg-owned company grabbed a 59% market share in US according to online research firm Hitwise. On the contrary, MySpace managed to grab only 30% of the visits in September this year. If you still think that 30% is not bad, you are bound to get shocked after comparing MySpace’s performance during the same period last year.

Social Media Expands Horizon for Travel and Hotel Companies

There’s an explosion of social media sites that are ready to assist the travel and hospitality industry reach out to both, their existing as well as potential customers. As users increasingly use forums, review sites and social networking sites to share their experience, seek answers to their queries and assist others in need, the popularity of these social media platforms is certainly on the rise.

While Facebook and Twitter are still the favourites for most of the travel and hotel companies, other niche sites like WAYN, LonelyPlanet, Virtual Tourist, etc. are making their presence felt as well. They are soon becoming an online destination for users to share their travel pictures, likes and dislikes, views and knowledge about a particular place, etc.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Gear Up for Social Media Promotion

Though social media promotions are common in countries like the US and the UK, emerging economies like India too are accelerating into the new world of marketing. Not only businesses and the entertainment industry, but also the sports industry has started taking social media seriously – particularly Cricket, which is considered as a “religion” in India by many.

The Indian Premier League (IPL), a Twenty20 version of cricket, has earned tremendous popularity in India and several other cricketing nations. The format, which currently includes eight franchises in form of teams, comprises of professional players from different International cricket teams to compete for the tournament. Though these teams invest huge amount of money in offline promotions, some have turned up to online media since the last year after realizing its potential in connecting with the Cricket fans.