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Kiss The Cup

The FIFA World Cup is coming to town on April 1st and Sony Ericsson are planning a special VIP party. In order to attend the VIP party, football (soccer) fans have to earn their ticket. They will compete to win the ultimate prize by showing their passion! On March 28th in Lakeside shopping center in Essex, 25 selected candidates will press their lips against a trophy structure. The one who can pucker the longest will win a VIP party in London with the actual trophy. They will get some cool SE prizes like a C510 camera phone and a Sony Gigajuke music system.

I've been working with iris Experience, the designers of the competition to promote the event through conversational media. Mainly Facebook and Twitter. It has been an interesting experience managing a campaign of this nature. First I created a Twitter account, www.twitter.com/Kissthecup, a Facebook group and event. I contacted everyone I knew shortly after. Then the real work began. Researching and contacting the right people takes time.

The event is only a few days away and I'm still talking to people about it. The VIP event is really exclusive and I don't even think I'll be able to attend. We did manage to secure a position for an Official Twitter Journalist for the event. This is an ongoing journey that has been fun, but challenging at times. Campaigns that are led by conversations tend to be dynamic by nature and require adjustments as conversations stray off topic. I'm glad Sony Ericsson was open to this type of communications. It is proving to be an excellent case study into the mechanics of engagement. I'll write more about in the near future. So far so good.

Using Twitter Part 1

Twitter is a tricky little concept to grasp for some folks. Usually until they start using it and find a use for it. The idea that people tweet about what they had for breakfast or other mundane little life events is not really a misconception. It's a small part of a larger truth. In order to get that little piece of information (eggs, toast) you have to subscribe to a person's feed. If you know the person, the information is still useless, but at least you know who said it. If you don't know the person, then why would you follow them? If you get random useless information on twitter it's because you asked for it. You get what you ask for. Following is nothing more than asking to be in someone's loop. If you don't like what they tweet about don't follow. If you don't want people following you, block them or make your information private (invite only).

I'll ask the question again, why would you follow someone you don't know? There are several reasons to do this.

1. If someone posts relevant information about your industry, you'll be in the know. Relevant information will come to you.

2. If you want to expand your network. Follow people whom you would like to network with. People tend to group themselves by mutual interest, twitter is no difference. It's a great way to get you name out and to meet people in your field. Following the right person could land you "the" job. But, it's not all about networking online. Many professional groups have regular offline meet-ups at bars or other places of interest.

You are basically creating and managing your own personal/professional network 140 characters at a time. You filter what comes through, you decide what goes out if anything and everyone else does the whatever they want. Some people don't follow anyone, some follow everyone. Tune in and out as you please. It's as complex as you make it.