MLB doing a great job engaging Fans on Instagram

Major League Baseball was one of the first sports leagues to launch an integrated web template for all of their teams a number of years ago.  They have now done the same with Instagram and are doing a great job of integrating the fan experience online through it.

A recent promotion is centered around Miguel Cabrera's race for the triple crown (non-baseball fans click on link).  In order to have a chance to a Miguel Cabrera bat they asked users to take a picture of themselves wearing a "Triple Crown", upload the photo to Instagram and tag it with #MiggysCrown.

I love programs like this on a number of levels

1. Customer Engagement  Cabrera is an engaging figure and an exceptional talent.  Whether you are a Tigers fan or not this contest gives you a great opportunity to personally be involved at the end of the season
2. Measurement  To participate in the contest there are some simple steps, but they are all measurable and can be used to identify the key drop off (and acceleration) points
3. Repeatability  As MLB embeds their Instagram photostreams into their websites this type of program can easily be replicated across other activities and other teams
4. Sharable Moment  Taking a photo of yourself, supporting a top player and supporting the Tigers - all moments that as a fan and someone who is engaged with the game will support and share with their friends and followers

Other brands have tried programs like this using Twitter hastags and Facebook Photo Albums but it's the integration and simplicity of Instagram that MLB uses makes it a winner.

Why I like Facebook Ads, but not in my Newsfeed

Browsing Facebook this morning I experienced newsfeed ads for the first time, and I was not impressed.

The success of Facebook as a social networking platform is due to it's unique ability to connect people through various associations within a central location.  It started with a single school, moved across others until we got to the age of likes and of colleagues complaining that their boyfriends mom is trying to friend them.

Advertising drives revenue for Facebook, and like all other media platforms (yes, its a media platform) that allows users access to content.

From a marketing perspective I love using Facebook ads.  Great targeting based on profiles and activities allows me to easily attract fans, likes and engagements at basically a cost of $1 per person.  I can easily test ads and manage my budget to increase or decrease activity.

As a user I expect some friends with spammy feeds from Farmville or Photo of the Day to show up in my news.  It is part of being their friend online and if I don't want to see it anymore I can simply change their settings.

If the customized ads on the right sidebar show me relevance and catch my eye I'm happy to click through.  But ads in newsfeeds are completely out of place and distract me from the core user value proposition of the platform - to maintain relationships.

I choose which brands can promote to me by being a fan, but I can't choose newsfeed ads they choose me.

They distract me from my interactions, particularly on mobile, and they make me wonder about the pressures being applied internally about driving revenue in the face of a falling stock price.

I'm going to assume that a similar algorithm used to deploy standard Facebook ads is used within newsfeed ads, but it still distracts from my user experience.  Larger brands won't like it, but what about including them as ad units when I'm engaged with a complimentary, not competitive, brand instead?  This feature exists on brand pages today and could be easily expanded to increase relevancy and conversions.

That would keep me focused on who's dog is cute and allow me to continue to engage with brands on my own terms when it is time.

LinkedIn Ads, and why I don't think they work

I've been a long time user and believer in LinkedIn.  As a professional networking tool it is second to none and gives me the opportunity to create and maintain relationships with a wide range of people.

Screenshot from LinkedIn Email

A recent email campaign (screenshot included) from LinkedIn promoting their advertising program along with some know-how I have from developing a campaign for a client however make me think that they are missing the mark trying to generate revenue from advertising.

As a business, LinkedIn is structured in 3 divisions

1. Hiring
2. Personal/Premium Subscriptions
3. Marketing

Their positioning against other social networks is quite unique as well

• Facebook is the backyard BBQ
• Twitter is the soapbox
• LinkedIn is the business lunch

As over 70% of their users would be considered passive candidates, or not actively looking for work, LinkedIn is also not a job board.  It is however a great way to connect to opportunities or for recruiters to find you based on skills or experience.  I think in recruiting it is second to none and where their strongest value proposition is.

While the ability to customize ads to users based on profiles and locations there is no way to identify what my personal preferences or needs are that can be useful for advertisers.  This is demonstrated in the high cost per click for LinkedIn ads which typically come in around $3 - $5.

The core purposes of the platform do not allow it to advertise to it's users - or at least effectively.  Users don't expect to be marketed to, unless it's for work - which is why the platform works so well.  This offer sent to me by LinkedIn also makes no sense.  It knows what type of business I'm in, and it know what work I do.  It should also know that I'm not going to use it.

Crowd-sourcing, be careful what you wish for

Two recent examples in crowd-sourcing should serve as case studies in be careful what you wish for.  One is a minor embarrassment, the other could impact a product launch.


The home run derby is MLB's answer to the slam dunk contest and similarly is the best part of the entire festivities.  To try and increase "engagement" on their page, ESPN offered up an open-ended poll about who people thought would win the home run derby.  Noble, but maybe not thought through to the end.    A recent quote from Bryce Harper ("That's a clown question bro") ended up beating some actual players.

Mountain Dew recently asked people to submit names and vote up the most popular to become the name for their drink.  Somehow I don't think Diabeetus was what they had in mind.

I love engaging audiences for participating in brand development, but I think that both of these could be done with limits and still achieve positive results.

Letting people submit names, have them shortlisted by Mountain Dew with attribution to the contributor and then voted on would achieve the program goals.  Some goes for a closed poll with only the participants as options.