Nike as a Company that Succeeded with Social Media Use for Brand Management
The modern business environment is characterized by the high level or rivalry. Multiple companies struggle to hold leading positions in the market and attract new customers by demonstrating their goods and promoting their outstanding quality. Moreover, with the introduction, development, and mass use of technologies, diverse corporations use innovative tools to attain better results (Charlene & Bernoff, 2011). Social media is one of the approaches that might guarantee a stable level of interest because of its growing popularity and impact on users.
Nike is one of the companies that correctly realize the potency of this tool and many opportunities that become available for brands utilizing social networks to attract customers and users attention. At the moment, the brand has a powerful advertising campaign that is focused on Facebook users (Speier, n.d.). The choice of this social network is preconditioned by the fact that at the moment it is the most popular platform that is used by millions of users globally to share their feelings, emotions, and attitude towards particular things (Schaefer, 2014). For this reason, Nike company cultivated its Facebook presence to overcome its competitors such as Adidas, or Under Armour, and enhance its customer base.
The company Facebook page does not annoy viewers with multiple appeals to buy their products. Instead, they provide a detailed description o their products, science, multiple initiatives, and sports events related to their brand (Speier, n.d.). The given design helps to achieve several goals. First, Facebook users understand that the brands products are the result of numerous engineering and scientific experiments to find the most comfortable and ergonomic shape for buyers to enjoy it (Speier, n.d.). Second, the absence of obtrusive advertisement and appeals to order some shoes demonstrate that the brand recognizes its superiority and ability to overcome rivals by making good products and offering them to those people who will be able to appreciate them. It is a powerful strategy that helps to achieve particular goals.
Another important aspect of Nikes presence at Facebook is the wise use of this social networks potential and tools. For instance, the brand has created separate pages for every new line of their products for customers to remain informed about their peculiarities and to simplify the search for the desired pair of shoes or equipment (Speier, n.d.). Additionally, the given differentiation helps to enhance working with target audiences and markets. For this reason, there are pages for womens products, basketball, football, golf, and other sports (Speier, n.d.). It demonstrates Facebook users that the company cares about their clients and wants to provide them with all they might need in different spheres of activity.
Altogether, Nike can be considered a perfect example of a brand that utilizes the modern social media with the primary aim to improve its functioning and find new consumers who might be attracted by the efficient and innovative advertising campaign organized via Facebook. The company selected this very social network because of its stable popularity and the ability to impact buyers decision making by providing them with feedback and other users impressions and feelings. At the same time, Nike is one of the first corporations of this sort to create such a developed Internet presence and cultivate its further evolution. The corporations approach can be considered efficient regarding the modern business environment and the focus on the use of innovative technologies and social media to achieve long and short-term goals.
Dove as a Company that Failed with Social Media Use for Brand Management
Being a powerful tool, the modern social media can contribute to the development of a particular brand by promoting its products and supporting the high level of interest to it. However, it can be considered a two-edged weapon. If a certain organization makes a mistake while using this platform, all users have an opportunity to notice it and discuss (Schaefer, 2014). In many cases, it can result in failure or trigger numerous debates about the mentioned product. In such a way, there are multiple examples of unsuccessful utilization of social media that resulted in perverse effect.
For instance, Dove is one of the world-famous brands that is focused on the manufacturing cosmetics and other products for beauty and care. For this reason, its target audience is mainly comprised of women who look for particular products. Being the modern and powerful brand, the company utilizes social networks to promote its products and attract customers with new offers. However, recently Dove has failed to use this tool successfully and failed to generate the needed outcome. Regarding the fact that it functions in the sphere of beauty, the company started to promote a new idea about the diversity and unique attractiveness that might be associated with all shapes and sizes (Bogost, 2017). That is why, with the primary aim to redefine the existing beauty standards and eliminate existing stereotypes, Dove created shampoo bottles reflecting different types of female body (Bogost, 2017). This incentive was also promoted via multiple social networks where Dove is present. Unfortunately, it turned into a great failure.
The fact is that despite appropriate motivation that preconditioned the appearance of this idea, the company did not investigate customers perspectives on it and their attitudes to new shapes. A significant number of women were confused by new shampoo bottles thinking that there was the best or right type they should select. Many of them asked the question whether they should choose a bottle that fits their body type and what it means. The given campaign supported by numerous posts and hashtags in social media sparked the public outcry (Bogost, 2017). Unsatisfied users demonstrated their disappointment in their posts and shared their negative feelings.
The central mistake made by Dove was the absence of the preliminary analysis of the target audience, its preferences, and attitudes to the suggested idea. Being sure of the success of the new campaign, the brand had not discussed it with women who have shapes different from the accepted ones. At the same time, the company wanted to utilize social networks to associate their products with beauty and a new approach to it. This idea also failed because of the poor understanding of the concept and individuals inability to follow it.
Altogether, Dove can do better by discussing their new ideas and products with a limited number of women via social media like Facebook. It will help to understand their reaction to the new incentive and introduce alterations that might be needed to eliminate all disputable aspects and ensure that the campaign will be successful. The modern platforms like Twitter or Facebook are powerful tools; however, their utilization should be controlled and analyzed to avoid failures and guarantee that all customers will remain satisfied and the company will improve its brand by demonstrating its new features via the Internet and available social networks.
References
Bogost, J. (2017). How Dove ruined its body image.The Atlantic. Web.
Charlene, L., & Bernoff, J. (2011). Groundswell, expanded and revised edition: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. New York, NY: Harvard Business Review Press.
Schaefer, M. (2014). Social media explained: Untangling the world’s most misunderstood business trend. New York, NY: Mark W. Schaefer.
Speier, K. (n.d.). 9 brands with brilliant Facebook marketing. HubSpot. Web.