By Hollie Rapello

Instagram Direct was unveiled to the world today via a live stream video press conference in New York.  Instagram compared it to the way people of olden times (like ten years ago?) got out an old shoebox and shared pictures with family and friends.  Some of the new features include:

• Ability to send pictures and videos directly to another user
• Icon showing whether or not someone has viewed the video you sent
• Ability to send a picture or video to as many as 15 people at once
• Control over your inbox—only people you follow can send a pic/video to your inbox
• Easy access from your general feed with a “direct” icon at the top of the screen you can easily navigate
• Real time likes, views and chats

Instagram is already a hit with moms.  What mom doesn’t enjoy making her already cute kid look angelic with just the right Instagram filter?  Not to mention its remarkable wrinkle-reducing qualities and ability to make that spider web photo your kid took look like it jumped from the pages of National Geographic.  My kids even have their favorite filter—“Kelvin,” naturally.

So, how will moms take to the new Instagram?  I predict it will be a success.  Instagram was very smart not to mess with a good thing, leaving all of the basic navigation tools in place, so when you download the new version you won’t be in for any kind of shock.  The new “direct” features are seemingly easy to navigate and don’t get in the way of the photo-taking ease that make this network so easy and fun for moms (and kids) to use.  I like the new Twitter-esque ability to send a picture directly to someone, and having the ability to see when someone actually views it opens up a new level of usefulness for the network. 

CEO Kevin Systrom used this for an example:  He took a picture of his pet dog and sent it to his significant other with a caption something like, “Will you bring home my favorite treat?”  Of course Kevin’s partner replied very quickly asking, “What flavor?”  Upon seeing this, a whole new world of Instagram usefulness opened up before me.  I imagined replacing Kevin’s dog with a cute picture of my kids and the caption, “Daddy, can you please come off the golf course and pick up a bucket of chicken on the way home because Mommy is too busy taking Instagram pictures to cook?”  Of course, my thoughts turned dark at the thought of that new gadget icon showing when someone has actually looked at the picture lighting up hours later after 18 holes.  Oh well, I still think it will work for some moms.

Bottom line, although these changes are largely geared toward attracting teens and keeping the cool factor at Instagram as Snapchat gains in popularity, I believe moms will readily adopt them.  My main concern going into the press conference was that this could be a Yahoo! Mail-type change that would take away the ease of use Instagram offers.  However, it appears that the new direct features don’t interfere with the simplicity of Instagram that moms love and will actually up engagement on the network.  What do you think?

By Hollie Rapello

Thanksgiving Creep, the term for Christmas retail merchandise, advertising and marketing getting closer and closer to Thanksgiving, is not a new phenomenon.  Consider this conversation between Sally and Charlie Brown some 40 years ago in “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” circa 1973.

Charlie Brown: Holidays always depress me.

Sally: I know what you mean. I went down to buy a turkey tree and all they have are things for Christmas.

Charlie: For Christmas? Already?

This year Charlie Brown would be running for the Prozac. Many major retailers are taking matters beyond the usual bombardment of Black Friday advertising, and are actually opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day. A majority of consumers do not consider this a good idea. Two polls released this week illustrate consumers’ disdain for Thanksgiving Creep. 

A UConn Poll released yesterday said that “9 out of 10 Americans say they don’t plan to spend the holiday shopping.” The poll also says that “49 percent disapprove of stores opening on the holiday and that 34 percent of Americans say they negatively view stores that open on Thanksgiving.”  And “20 percent say that decision makes them less likely to shop at such stores.” 

The Huffington Post partnered with YouGov to poll Americans on the topic, finding 62 percent who feel that business should close on Thanksgiving so workers can have the day off.

So how can brands go from being Thanksgiving Creeps to invited guests at the holiday table?  Cause marketing offers one effective avenue.  Last night I took part in a Twitter hashtag party for St. Jude Children’s Hospital—it was perfectly marketed to moms and it seriously put all of the brands associated with it at the top of my Christmas go-to list. 

I already have positive associations with St. Jude’s. My best friend’s oldest sister, who succumbed to childhood leukemia in the late 70’s, was treated there and my friend has always talked about what an amazing place it was for her family and how they prolonged her sister’s life well past what was then expected. So, when I saw a promoted Tweet yesterday inviting me to the St. Jude’s hashtag party, I made a mental note to be there at 8PM EST. 

The hashtag was #ThanksandGiving and the moderator, @SheSpeaksUp, asked questions to the group of moms about how and when they teach their children to volunteer and give back.  While the format of a Twitter hashtag party didn’t lend itself to deep insights on this subject, I did find the comments from other moms interesting and sincere.  I came away from the experience with a warm and fuzzy feeling about supporting the brands who support St. Jude’s. 

Apparently I’m not alone. According to a 2010 Cone Cause Evolution Study, 85.6% of moms said it was important for companies to support a cause, and this fact alone reportedly influences moms to pour over $1.7 billion into the economy every year (The Truist Blog).

However, one hashtag party does not equal a true commitment to cause marketing. So, today I decided to take a closer look at one of the brands supporting the St. Jude’s hashtag party, Ann Taylor, or of late, “Ann Inc.”  I was happy to discover that Ann Inc. has a deep commitment to St. Jude’s.

The company’s CEO, Kay Krill, recently spoke at the WWD CEO Summit about Ann Inc.’s commitment to two programs that give back to women: Ann Cares and Responsibly Ann. According to WWD, since 2007 Ann Cares has raised and donated more than $16 million for St. Jude’s.  The commitment to giving back comes from the top.  Kay says, “It’s obviously critical for all of us to continue to achieve and exceed financial success…but I believe, as leaders, that it’s also important to create a clear and differentiating purpose within our companies, a purpose that serves as a rallying point for our associates and provides a distinctive emotional connection to our customers.”

This is one way a brand is invited to the holiday table of the most discerning and jaded consumers. Not by bashing them over the head with Black Friday ads, or opening at 3 a.m., but by inviting them to their party first. Whether that be a Twitter hashtag party or a Google+ hangout, marketers must ensure that the time spent with them is meaningful, and there is perhaps no better way to do that during the holidays than giving back.

Megan Marie, brand ambassador for Lulu lemon

By Hollie Rapello

Following the recent post on Lululemon’s “to-the-rescue” brand ambassadors, we began to talk here more about what the term means and how other brands can build a successful program.

The term brand ambassador has become a catch-all marketing phrase with varying levels of perceived importance to the health of a brand.  Basically, three different types of brand ambassadors exist:

• Employees
• People paid to be a “live embodiment” of a brand, including actors, athletes and celebrities
• Real people who naturally possess qualities that can bring a brand to life and who feel passionately about doing so (also paid, but not always in traditional means)

Most companies already recognize the importance of communicating its core values to its employees. This is usually a function of the public relations department working closely with human resources.  However, actually getting employees to become evangelists for a brand is a bit like catching lightning in a bottle. Oftentimes it takes a charismatic CEO who is a natural at encouraging and inspiring people.  Forbes has written an excellent article on the subject here:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/ekaterinawalter/2013/10/15/want-to-find-brand-ambassadors-start-with-your-employees-2/

The second category includes athletes and celebrities paid huge sums to be the “face” of a brand or “borrowed equity.” It also includes a sort of hybrid of guerrilla marketing and events. The liquor category exemplifies this form of brand ambassador, including people on staff paid to be upmarket barflies as described in this interesting post on askmen.com.

However, possibly the most outwardly valuable brand ambassador program is the one Lululemon has pursued to great success. These are individuals who walk the walk. They are real people whose passions and interests intersect with your brand’s. Unlike brand advocates, these are people who may be supported in various ways by the brand (including being paid) and encouraged to share their experiences and thoughts about the brand the way they would talk to their friends. In fact, they are talking to their friends and are considered uber influencers through social media channels. I’ve found a particularly good blog post on how to build this type of program I would like to share with you. Kudos to Carrie Melissa Jones, community manager at Chegg, who wrote this for LonelyBrand blog.

http://lonelybrand.com/blog/creating-an-army-of-brand-ambassadors-how-to-duplicate-lululemons-success/