Affinitive’s Social Media Playground

Welcome to Social Media Playground, a place to discuss all things related to word of mouth (WOM) and social media marketing. Brought to you by Affinitive, a word of mouth and social media marketing, technology and strategic solutions firm located in New York City and San Francisco.

Affinitive’s Social Media Playground

2008 Forrester Groundswell Awards - Please Vote (for us)!

September 10th, 2008 ·

Inspired by the best-selling book Groundswell (which should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in word of mouth or social media marketing), Forrester has created the Groundswell Awards, which recognizes excellence in accomplishing business goals with social applications (categories include “Listening”, “Talking”, “Energizing”, “Supporting”, “Embracing”, “Managing”, and “Social Impact”).
Affinitive is happy to announce that […]

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Tags: Case Studies · Marketing · PR · Research · Self-Promotion · Social Media · Technology

Oprah Power! Measuring the Political Influence of Celebrity Endorsement

August 6th, 2008 ·

A paper recently released by two University of Maryland economists, Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore, tries to quantify Oprah Winfrey’s influence over her fans with regards to the Democratic primaries and generating votes. From the paper’s abstract:
Candidates in major political contests are commonly endorsed by other politicians, interest groups and celebrities. Prior to the […]

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Tags: Research

Your Mom Has A Blog!

July 22nd, 2008 ·

All those “your mom” jokes just got serious. AdAge recently reported Procter & Gamble Co.’s plans to pamper top “mommy bloggers” in an effort to tap into the online influencers and inform them of Pampers diaper products. The company may bring in as many as 15 top bloggers in this category to their Cincinnati headquarters for all-expense-paid trips not to buy their loyalty, but instead let these bloggers get to know what the company is about which will hopefully bring a positive light to their product.

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Tags: Industry News · Marketing · PR · Research

WOM in the Workplace

July 15th, 2008 ·

The water cooler just got a lot sexier for marketers. A recent survey conducted by WorkPlace Media and reported by MarketingCharts indicates that 96% of workplace consumers give coworkers advice about products and services. Additionally, 93% also seek advice before making purchases.
“The American workplace is replacing the American neighborhood as the most lucrative marketing […]

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Tags: Industry News · Research

Product Placement versus Consumer Engagement

July 7th, 2008 ·

The idea of “product placement” is one that many entertainment industry veterans are so familiar with, it is likely a part of their daily vocab. There are many memorable examples of product placement throughout the years, including the origin of the “Soap Opera” which comes from the show’s original sponsors, […]

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Tags: Marketing · Social Media · Technology

Don’t forget about WOM-Moms!

May 9th, 2008 ·

In 2007, Gen X & Gen Y moms spent an estimated 1.7 trillion dollars on consumer and personal care products. With Mother’s Day fast approaching, have you thought about the importance engaging and reaching moms as part of your WOM strategy?
Some highlights from a recent study released by Keller Fay Group:

Today’s pregnant women and new […]

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Tags: Research