Somewhere over the rainbow...

Someday
I'll wish upon a star
And wake up
Where the clouds are far
Behind me
Where troubles melts
Like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

I apologize, this post is a bit echochamber, but if no one but my students read this, I am happy. I cannot hold my tongue. The Skittles kefuffle (always wanted to use that word) is case in point for why companies need defined strategy before implementing a social media initiative (despise the word "campaign"). If you are seeking gold at the end of the rainbow, you better have a roadmap.

Laura Fitton does an excellent job of summarizing the transformation of Skittles.com to a mashup of social media elements. What I don't understand is who did Skittles think they were targeting? I sure hope it was the pr/marketing/comm folks, because that is where the conversation started and ended.

BethHarte@ikepigott @acclimedia Once again this Skittles stunt proves to me that everyone thinks they are the target mkt when they aren't.

Yes, it is brilliant Skittles is open to new media, but where is the strategy? What about longevity of the initiative? Setting up a redirect does not show me you care what community is saying...where is participation? I don't want the Mashable version of what they think Skittles is saying: “We get it. Whatever we can do cannot be as awesome as what you guys and girls can do, so we’ll just link to it and let you do your thing.”

Am I going to go buy Skittles because of this? This is akin to an agency hiring a twenty-something straight out of college to manage social media tools. Just because the kid can set-up a Facebook and Twitter profile does not mean they know how to communicate.

Great stunt, but until I hear from Skittles, that is all it will be to me, a stunt.

And this is too funny...Skittles.com is now blocked by Websense at my work!

(Photo courtesy celiaaa.)

Comments

[frank]

hey Lauren -

great post. i found your blog by way of http://www.waxingunlyrical.com/2009/03/06/pr-please-think-it-through - @Shonali. The both of you have a great point - the need to have a strategy/plan in place with goals/objectives so things can be measured. I'd agree, but what if their plan was to create buzz and get people talking and to make managing their web site simpler. I'd say they did all those things :) - now maybe they do need to get out and participate a ton more - no doubt about that!

I talk a little bit about how i see Nonprofits can learn from this:
Skittles and Your Nonprofit - http://tinyurl.com/dctqt5

http://twitter.com/franswaa

[Air Max 2010]

I am glad it was appropriately punished. I don't work in a big agency, i am an independent, so I don't have any insight into how agencies bill, but I know how I do it, and there is no padding there, so for others to muddy that up is pretty irritating indee