Netflix really is the future

I don't think a day has gone by where I haven't heard or seen anything to do with Netflix since its arrival in Australia. When it comes to utilising social media to its full potential, Netflix has this one in the bag.

A few posts ago I mentioned Foxtel and their terrible customer service through social media. Now, I found the following statistics hard to believe. Over its entire Facebook reign Foxtel has managed to accumulate a respectable 878k likes on it page.

For comparative reason I decided to contrast this against Netflix's relatively new Facebook page. 13 MILLION LIKES! That is absolutely jaw dropping. That is over than 13 times the likes of the Foxtel Page.

I'm going to make an educated assumption as to why these statistics are this way. Social media usage is all about keeping up with the latest trends. Netflix seems to be the way of the future. If the organisation continues to face this kind of rapid growth, I don't know how long Foxtel will be around for. People love to share emotions and connect with one another through their favourite TV programs, Netflix Australia has now made this easier than ever.

The main drive behind this post is to share with you just why I think Netflix is utilising social media flawlessly. When it comes to helping customers they have made it easier than ever. They have integrated a fully comprehensive support tab into their Facebook page. Check it out.

This isn't just your typical low key help section, this is the godfather of all things help related. They even provide fans with almost instantaneous live call and chat help. There is definitely a strong and well integrated social media team behind Netflix's optimal service. The company has taken advantage of Facebook without holding anything back.

Foxtel could learn a thing or two.

Is McDonald's lying to customers? Can they actually provide quality coffee at fast food speeds?

It's blatantly obvious that Adelaide is full of regular coffee drinkers. Many of these regular coffee drinkers are often self proclaimed professional critics. If you are going to enter the supply game here in Adelaide you should be happy as the demand is far from lacking. From small coffee shops to petrol stations, the dark, smooth and warm liquid is easily acquirable. Many people pay for the quality of the coffee and stay for the ambience. Others tend to be more of the 'on the go' coffee drinkers. 'On the go' coffee drinkers demand 'on the go' coffee service. Now without going into a debate with greater depth than a dark hole, is it really possible for a coffee shop to provide quality, barista made coffee at lightning fast speeds?

Fast food kingpin McDonald's is notorious for its quick, cheap and delicious fast food. Over the past decade it's  McCafe integration has apparently made it possible for customers to experience quality, barista made coffee to take on the go. McDonald's tends to be very enthusiastic when it comes to up-selling their products, is this promise one that customers agree with? Well let's find out.

Looks like this post turned sour very quickly. Negative comment after negative comment. Could McDonald's be biting more than it can chew? Are these nothing more than false promises? Do they have staff who are trained to provide quality coffee to customers on a 24/7 basis? Their post was quite bold, seeing these comments has made it apparent that there is no real consistency in their coffee service. When posting on social media, customers expect the truth, based on customer experiences it appears that McDonald's is not providing them with what it's claiming to. When it comes to growth, McDonald's is no new comer to the game. They have managed to consistently develop their fast food chains to the success that we currently see before us. Let's be honest, they are all about winning market share. Maybe this is a niche market that would be best left alone, if people want a quality coffee they tend to steer clear from McDonald's, attempting to integrate barista made coffee into a fast service environment seems like a recipe for a lack in quality.

What does everyone else think? Are these people just a small percentage of those who have had a bad experience? Should McDonald's stop advertising barista made coffee through drive-through due to lack of consistency? How often do you grab a coffee from McDonald's when you are on the go?

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Powerade Australia is no longer on Facebook!

Recently I made a post about the sports drink Maximus which is growing in popularity. Tonight, simply out of curiosity I decided to search up Powerade's Facebook page to see how the two compare. I was left with quite a surprise.

I've never seen anything quite like this. Turns out Powerade Australia ceased its Facebook usage well over a year ago. I was trying to figure out why they would do such a thing but it was hard to tell. I did however notice that their 'post likes' metrics in comparison with their page's likes didn't seem to match. The Powerade Australia page has 150k likes, most of their posts have less than 10 likes. This definitely seems strange, I'm just going to assume that they paid for their likes.

This has left me with a few scenarios in my head.

Their social media team no longer exists.
They weren't reaching enough fans.
They couldn't use Facebook effectively.
They got lazy.
They literally forgot how to social media.

What do you guys think? Leave a comment.

Mayweather VS Pacquiao? More like Foxtel VS Angry paying customers!

Unless you live in a basement under your house you probably have a good idea that there was some form of boxing match on today. When I say some form of boxing match; I mean a boxing match deemed the biggest match of the century. Each social media platform I turned to today was absolutely flooded with Mayweather Vs Pacquiao content. Opinions, pictures, memes, viral videos, you name it. I actually hosted a viewing of the match at my own house today accompanied with some cold beers and McDonald's (as you do). I booked the match through Foxtel's pay per view service. It took quite some time to get through but we luckily got there  It costed me $60 which I personally think is ridiculous. This evening I decided to jump onto Foxtel's Facebook page and see what kind of interaction they had with customers and fans. Turns out there were some very unhappy paying customers.

It's 2015, therefore it's perfectly normal for customers to take their complaints to social media in search for assistance. To me this just doesn't seem professional enough. You'd think an organisation as big as Foxtel would have state of the art support for any form of customer issues right? The answer unfortunately is no.

As you can see people were experiencing issues in regards to purchasing the match. Many were attempting to seek help from Foxtel themselves. Sadly this help did not come. Foxtel finally replied to the angry customers... 'Please call 131 999 urgently for assistance', how lazy do you want to be. A user even replied to the comment telling them that their support essentially sucks.

This is a good example of a powerful organisation failing to correctly communicate with customers over the use of social media. If you're going to use a social media platform to promote such a high demand event, at least hire a social media marketer who has the ability to troubleshoot such issues.

Not an impressive display from Foxtel today.








With that being said. The match was rigged. #TEAM PACQUIAO

Is this the answer to spicing up your sex life?

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

The following YouTube ad campaign by the world's number one condom brand 'Durex' is absolutely ingenious. This campaign was created for Earth Hour. If you want to avoid the spoiler than I suggest you watch the ad now.

If you are anything like me, I'm sure you were sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for this magical app to be revealed. I'm not going to lie, I was left rather disappointed, however I did have a great chuckle to myself. This video managed to rack up an enormous 37 million views in six weeks. Talk about viral. Durex has really hit the nail on the head here. There I was, along with 37 million other viewers thinking there was a magical way to spice up my sex life via smartphone, I thought the future was now.

This #connect campaign has reached millions of viewers all around the world for all the right reasons. Technology alone has made us forget about the real intimacy behind making sweet love with our partners. You know the saying 'sex sells'? Yea well, it's true. This ad demonstrates an organisation utilising YouTube so efficiently and effectively. The tie-in with Earth Hour is just so relevant. I'm sure many couples decided to switch off their smartphones and rip open a Durex after watching this cunning ad.

Turn off that smart phone and turn on your sex life- a well needed message from Durex.

#Connect

It's a Farmer Union Iced Coffee or it's nothing.

So today I was in desperate need of a pick me up at work. Decided to grab a Farmers Union iced coffee like any true blue Australian would. While drinking it I picked up on a little social media plug.

I decided to whip out my phone and join the union on Facebook. Upon visiting the Farmer's Union Australian page this was the first post to show.

You'd be telling a pretty big lie if you've never held an iced coffee all four of these ways before. Now how did the Facebook public reply to this post.

One eager fan suggested that Farmer's Union Iced Coffee out sells Coke in SA. Now without conducting some market research I'd suggest otherwise, however FUIC is not afraid to agree with the fan. FUIC are not afraid of a little light hearted competition in the market. Looks like the post did a great job of engaging fans and letting them share their own stories. FUIC know how to utilise Facebook to create strong relationships with fans and continuously win them over.

Maximus is pushing boundaries

Every time I come across the sports drink known as Maximus I can't seem to get over the overall girth of the bottle. I think it's pretty clear that this drink is marketed for the manliest of all men, don't you think?

Not convinced?

The social media team at Maximus Australia definitely have some quality content. Fans seem to agree. Their content screams manliness, they have a clear demographic which they are targeting.


The following post made it onto my news feed today and I was left with a big smirk on my face.

Maximus has sponsored this post as they want it to be seen. Boundaries have clearly been broken. 4011 people found it hilarious enough to like while 166 people thought it was worthy of a share. Posts like these can be risky as anyone can view such posts.

I feel as though organisations are now willing to break boundaries which were previously never considered breakable, in this case Maximus understands their fans and can provide quality content to continuously win them over.

Savers doesn't understand the market

The Australian company Savers is best know for being a cheap thrift store. I personally don't know anyone who shops at Savers but that is beyond the point here. Today this picture surfaced on my Facebook news feed.

This is a perfect example of an organisation not understanding its target audience

At first I thought it was a typical Facebook joke, it wasn't until I clicked on it that I realised it was shared by the official Savers Australia page as an advertisement. This post was clearly aimed for the young adolescent male age demographic. My thoughts were identical to those who commented on the post.

It looks like the post really backfired for Savers Australia. After stalking some of the top people who commented, I realised that many of them fit into this age demographic. The like to comment ratio was extremely one-sided, towards the comment end, this is never a good sign.

It seems pretty clear that this post didn't get the reaction Savers was hoping for, this may be a sign for them to employ social media workers who better understand the target audience.

Next time I pop some tags when I've only got $20 in my pocket, I'll be skipping Savers.

Fantastic social media integration?

So last night I had the midnight munchies. I decided to raid the pantry to see what I could find to cure my hunger. Can't go wrong with a cup of two minute noodles. Despite being half asleep I noticed something on the lid of the noodles.

Talk about social media finding its way into almost everything. I can't even enjoy a cup of two minute noodles without being tempted to whip my phone out and do some QR code scanning. Fantastic has it all: Facebook, Youtube and app integration into a cup of two-minute noodles. I'm not sure how many people actually get their phones out and follow the instructions, however I am sure that I did not.

The sad thing is, in our modern times, many people struggle to do anything without their smart phones by their side. 2 minutes is an optimal amount of time to whip a QR code scanner and enjoy some of Fantastic's 'cool stuff'.

But what do I know, this may be there reason why Fantastic noodles are one of the leaders in the 2-minute noodle scene.

Coles can advertise off literally anything

As I'm sure everyone is aware, daylight savings came to an end at 3 am Easter Sunday. Having to manually wind back our clocks is a thing of the past, right? In our modern times it's all automatically done for us, thank god for technology, where would we be without it?

As we all know companies can find literally anything to use as a vehicle for advertising. A company that is generally very good at doing so is Coles. The Coles Facebook page shared this post prior to daylight saving's end.

Of course Coles has taken advantage of such a 'golden' moment by advertising 30% off all Energizer batteries. We are all saved. Now no one will have to deal with old power-lacking batteries. Its posts like this that show us just how powerful social media advertising can really be. The fact that Coles has managed to use such an event as a selling point is remarkable on its own.

I'm sure a lot of mothers have spoken about how good a deal this is over a scheduled tea-party that's for sure.

John West did April Fool's Day best

The team from John West decided to contribute to the April 1st antics today. The John West Australia Facebook page shared this picture today.

It surprisingly fooled some, but others were just too wise for John's tricks.

Who ever is in charge of posting on the John West Facebook page is an absolute genius. Great character, the way they responded to some of the comments on this post was absolutely spectacular.

Seeing this pop up on my news feed has reminded me just how protein rich and delicious a can of John West tuna really is. I'm going to end this post here, a glorious can of John West Tuna awaits.

Be your best.

Does anyone actually 'Find us on Facebook'?

Walking through Uni today I came across this poster and thought I'd share it.






































This whole 'find us on Facebook' idea seems a little overkill. You see it so often where organisations use this as a marketing pull. Does anyone actually whip their phone out and 'find them on Facebook'? It's 2015, that is just too much to ask from this generation.

Something in the water works?

Now I'm all for good causes, don't get me wrong this looks like an excellent cause but lets do the maths. 1,055,360 x 100= 105,536,000 gallons. For all my metric friends that is 3.99497e8 litres... yes I wrote that to look smart.

Is this actually going to happen or is this just a game of likes. This is the real question I'm constantly asking myself in today's modern social media times.

Coca-Cola #MakeItHappy

So last month Coca-Cola created its #MakeItHappy campaign. Now according to this YouTube video uploaded by Coca-Cola, life is sad without coke. Life is nothing but negativity without coke. Well, the one thing I know for sure is that the sixteen teaspoons of sugar in a can of coke sure makes me happy. The world is what we make it. So let's make it happy right?

This is one of those feel good ads. After watching it I feel like giving everyone a loving hug.


C'mon give it a watch


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibgvkXm9Qkc


































I actually decided to follow the campaign to www.gomakeithappy.com. After seeing increasing amounts of hate and negativity going around on the internet recently, this is quite refreshing. Refreshing like a can of coke...I sure could use a can of coke right now.

It's good to see such a large player in the soft drink market portray such a lovely message to the public. Imagine how many smiles have been ruined by Coca-Cola? I guess that's a topic for a new day.

Let's celebrate St. Patrick's Day at McDonalds

Okay

You've just broken up with your girlfriend. You've missed the easiest catch in school softball. You've had a fight with mum or dad. You think the whole world is against you. There is no way up, right? Wrong. There is someone who is always by your side, no matter what. This special someone just always knows how to put a smile on your face. They smell nice, they taste nice and they understand you like no one else.

Guessed who this special someone is yet? That's right. They go by the name of McDonald's. This fast-food powerhouse has been comfort feeding hungry Aussies on a daily basis for decades. But how are they so damn successful at doing so? Everyone wants to eat healthy right? That's the new craze? It's all about chia seeds and kale chips now, right?

Well let's take a look at how this giant is playing the game on social media and continuing to win over guilty fans.

Old McDonald had a farm e i e i o, and on his farm he had a...pack of 6 nuggets? What's going on here? Turns out today is St. Patrick's day. Happy St. Patrick's day everyone. How should we celebrate this Irish holiday built on heavy drinking and all things green? I know. Let's go to McDonald's and order a pack of 6 nuggets. They're not green, they're not alcoholic (well, I'm at least 90% sure) but damn son do they taste amazing.

Could a stunt like this actually work? Are people going to go to McDonald's and load up on these golden bite sized babies? Maybe the pot at the end of the rainbow actually does contains McDonald's nuggets, gold coins are just an urban myth.




Let's take a closer look now shall we. How did the Australian Facebook community respond.

The top commenter has done us all a favour and asked the 'golden' question.

I bet she didn't expect such a fiery response.

McDonald's was clearly prepared for this question.

'duh!'

Seems as though McDonald's has won this battle with a 42-19 'like' ratio.

The public is very fond of this spicy behaviour.

I think whoever is in charge of the McDonald's Facebook page has mastered the perfect blend between sincerity and playful sarcasm when it comes to these replies.

Seems like some people are actually tagging friends, as their cravings for all things deep fried have kicked in.






Well well, the golden arches have spoken. Just because it's St. Patrick's day, it doesn't mean that McDonald's can't be on the agenda. I'm still undecided on whether or not the golden nuggets have won this round, however I am sure that they will be back in the near future to fight again.