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Honda fucked up by actually making the damn thing and THEN using Facebook to advertise something that looks like slop. You use social networking to guage interest or after you KNOW what you have is hot. Ford did a good job with the Fiesta movement but they knew from Euro sales that it was slick car. Honda doesn't have thousands of Crosstour sales to know this.
The risk is magnified when putting things on the internet because people are assholes on the internet.
The back end looks like a dog taking a shit. google the pics you'll see.
Online social marketing costs NOTHING and can potentially reach a shit-ton of people.
And like Drew said, more often than not, companies trying to use facebook amounts to little more than putting up a page, updating it every once in a while and hoping for the best. It's easy AND you can see a direct public response to your product for free.
If Honda has PR reps that know anything about how the internet works, they would delete that facebook page right now and forget it ever existed. It will only get worse the longer it is active.
Well the truth is. Every arse mat on the face of the globe thinks they IR "Masters of the Internet". From the tired 30 year old parents, to the up and comming country bumpkins from the middle of nowhere. It is like everybody who runs a twitter, myspace, youtube, or even web forum:rolleyes: thinks that they are now part of the intern-net, and that they are cool and young.
It costs nothing to put up a facebook page (I think there might be terms or something, but I don't know specifics). But there are definitely costs associated with the development and messaging of an online campaign. My company did the One Million Acts of Green website, which was a campaign in Canada to get people to be more ecologically savvy (a "challenge"). It was really successful, but we had the most popular Canadian talk show host (George Stroumboulopoulos) to spearhead the cause. But without him I doubt it would have picked up steam on its own. This is a prime example of typical offline marketing ideas (in this case a regional celebrity endorsement or tie-in) working with new media to achieve a goal.Quote:
Originally Posted by FirstBlood
The only companies that seem to "get it" are in the creative arts. And these industries have always typically been filled tech-savvy people. Hell George Stroumboulopoulos was in the punk rock music scene and a DJ on the radio for years and years. So I would even include him as someone from a creative industry. That's why he has such a strong brand name in Canada -- people recognize him from all of his work on Much Music, and 102.1 The Edge. (the biggest new rock station up here in Toronto - maybe all of Canada)Quote:
And like Drew said, more often than not, companies trying to use facebook amounts to little more than putting up a page, updating it every once in a while and hoping for the best. It's easy AND you can see a direct public response to your product for free.
If Honda has PR reps that know anything about how the internet works, they would delete that facebook page right now and forget it ever existed. It will only get worse the longer it is active.
STFUQuote:
Originally Posted by RegalSin
I found everyone bashing the car on the facebook page rather amusing.
The car is certainly not that bad looking. The grill is massive. And the car is probably uselessly ill-conceived like most vehicles, but that is nothing unique.
But this is what happens when marketing geniuses play with something they don't understand. Browse the comments of ANY new car reveal on a car blog like Autoblog and most of them are negative unless it's a sports car. New family hauler? Whooo cares, needs RWD and less weight. The Internet is just the wrong target for this type of car, and anyone that follows the auto-enthusiast community should've known that unless it was something that would excite the enthusiasts it would not fare well on the Internet. Even if it's really not that bad.
:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Drewbacca
Ford did well with their Facebook page. Not only did they start the Fiesta campaign there like Bojack said, but they also started a Taurus Cross Country tour. Releasing dates and locations via the fans of the page. When done right its a great tool. When done wrong you get the Crosstour.
FYI The Crossfire was nothing more than a 2003 Mercedes Benz SLK. The SLK was a better buy and the Crossfire was the redheaded step-child of the Daimler/Chrysler marrage.