Significance (238)
Wacky challenge for the greater good
The “défithon “ is an initiative within the annual Telethon event broadcasted on national television in France. It aims to collect donations for a muscular disease called myopathy. The challenge for 2011 invited both sufferers of the disease and celebrities to push their boundaries. To get to see one of the participants fulfil their challenge, web users have to pay anywhere between 50 and 20,000 euros as a donation contribution. For example, for 50 euros, you can watch a myopathy patient going across a city dressed up as a sumo wrestler.
Why it matters
The Défithon helps raise awareness about the disease in a respectful yet humorous way. By allowing viewers to donate online, it also generates social buzz. Is this an innovative way to encourage people to donate? Could this strategy be effective in the long run for others social causes?
A diva like no other
Stradivarius, a big retail Spanish fashion shop, created an original and powerful platform to connect with its consumers: StraDivas, a social media and blog platform where consumers can get special offers, participate in competitions and receive fashion tips.
StraDivas’ innovation comes from segmentation; it differentiates consumers by their preferences and puts forward offers specific to the user.
Why it matters
Being closer to consumers is one of the main issues brands face. It’s not easy to achieve, but some brands are already successfully doing segmented and personalised communication. Is this the first step towards a more efficient communication strategy between brands and consumers? What’s next for customer relationship management?
Love and hate network
Bananity is a social media site based on a user’s personal taste. People define their taste by what they love and hate. They give their opinion about everything and anything from thousands of categories: movies, TV programmes, music, places, feelings, etc. The site also suggests recommendations and connects users with similar preferences. The community is actually on a beta site, but more than 2,000 users have already expressed their opinion on it.
Why it matters
Consumer’s voices are getting louder and some brands are still only starting to listen to what they have to say. Are these kind of social media networks useful tools to know what your target audience wants, in a very binary way?
