PR Resources
To help PR pros navigate the social media waters we've collected some of the best case studies and research papers.
Case Studies
Fiskars
How a conservative company tapped into the passion for crafting and scrapbooking and built a community. A good example of an ongoing, successful relationship building social media strategy.
Goodwill's Social Media Strategy
Goodwill of Greater Washington is successfully using social media to intelligently raise its brand, educate new communities on its mission, and create sources of income.
Intercontinental Hotel Group
The global economic downturn has taken its toll on the hospitality sector as business and leisure travel has declined. This has forced hoteliers to be more creative in the campaigns they run to attract customers. One of the world's largest hotel chains, the InterContinental Hotel s Group (IHG), launched an online viral campaign aimed at drawing people to its Get a Free Night website.
Walmart
"Connect and Share with 200 Million of Your Closest Friends," a presentation that shows Walmart's social media goals and how they connect with their large customer base.
Why Walmart will succeed in social media - Forrester Research
Nascar Fan Council
With TV ratings and attendance slipping after a decade of growth, NASCAR refocused attention on the avid fan and worked with Vision Critical to develop a private online community to engage with core fans. Known as the NASCAR "Fan Council", this pre-qualified online community of 12,000 fans is a foundational element in NASCAR's competition, business and marketing decisions.
Bank of America Morris on Campus
Morris on Campus provides college students with tips on how to navigate campus life, including money matters, through Webisodes, additional online content as well as offline communication pieces.
TripAdvisor More Than Footprints
More Than Footprints asked site users to vote on how a million dollars should be distributed between five nonprofit groups.
Lion Brand Yarn - Blog and Podcast
Lion Brand Yarn was not sure if its customer demographic would be likely to engage in social media but was willing to experiment with the new technology in an attempt to engage and connect with its passionate consumer base. They listened to the online conversation about knitting and crocheting, to better understand their customers social media behavior, identify opportunities for engagement and develop a coherent and measurable social media strategy.
Jeep Experience
Who better to sell Jeep to new car buyers than Jeep owners? Since consumers trust what others have to say about a brand more than what a brand says about itself a Jeep community seemed like a natural. But while many advertisers go out of their way to build online communities, Jeep didn't have to. It already existed.
Wine Library
Gary Vaynerchuk took over his family business and grew it into a 60 million dollar business. He leverages social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to promote his daily video blog about wine and has become a leader in personal branding and using the internet for business growth.
Research
BlogHer Women and Social Media
Social Media for Small Business
Power to the People Universal McCann