Is there really a need for potty blogging?
I have always held the notion that social media is not for everyone.
There are obvious brands that benefit from social technologies because
their customers’ are online and already talking about them. For
example Dell tapped into the active tech community through
IdeaStorm.com for product ideas. Other brands can tap into their
customers’ problems or passions. For example P&Gs BeingGirl.com tapped
adolescence to sell feminine products. And then we have brands like
Charmin and categories like toilet paper… until now. Charmin recently launched a search to find five super-fun,
enthusiastic people to work at the Charmin Restrooms in Times Square
this holiday season. Their new micro-site, EnjoytheGo.com, explains
the program in detail. The job description is simple: Greet and
entertain bathroom guests and then blog about the experience, and the
payout is big: $10,000 for 1 month. Before we focus in on the logistics around potty blogging, let’s go
back to the two key qualifiers that every organization should ask
before even dabbling in social technologies: • Does my target audience use social technologies?
• Does my target audience use social technologies to talk about my
brand, category or a related interest? While Charmin’s target customers might be active in social
technologies, I find it hard to believe that they use social
technologies to learn about Charmin, or toilet paper or a stranger’s
bathroom experience. This doesn’t pass my sniff test, how about you?
There are obvious brands that benefit from social technologies because
their customers’ are online and already talking about them. For
example Dell tapped into the active tech community through
IdeaStorm.com for product ideas. Other brands can tap into their
customers’ problems or passions. For example P&Gs BeingGirl.com tapped
adolescence to sell feminine products. And then we have brands like
Charmin and categories like toilet paper… until now. Charmin recently launched a search to find five super-fun,
enthusiastic people to work at the Charmin Restrooms in Times Square
this holiday season. Their new micro-site, EnjoytheGo.com, explains
the program in detail. The job description is simple: Greet and
entertain bathroom guests and then blog about the experience, and the
payout is big: $10,000 for 1 month. Before we focus in on the logistics around potty blogging, let’s go
back to the two key qualifiers that every organization should ask
before even dabbling in social technologies: • Does my target audience use social technologies?
• Does my target audience use social technologies to talk about my
brand, category or a related interest? While Charmin’s target customers might be active in social
technologies, I find it hard to believe that they use social
technologies to learn about Charmin, or toilet paper or a stranger’s
bathroom experience. This doesn’t pass my sniff test, how about you?
