1. What benefits would Foley gain from each of the three social media plans? What risks does each entail? How can Foley better reap the benefits and mitigate the risks of each of the programs?
- The benefit of being in the social media plan is that UnME would have a presence where their target market goes to socialize and communicate with each other. It would give them the opportunity to interact with their customers in their world and raise the level of involvement with their customers and potential customers. The risk is that they will not be able to engage their customers in a personal and meaningful manner, which seems to be critical for successful online marketing. I would advise her to seek out several marketing plans for online engagement and really look for a firm with a proven track record with online and will focus on more than just the interface.
2. How should Foley integrate social media into her traditional media plans? Should Foley take money out of traditional media (television, magazine, radio, Internet banner and search ads) to fund her social media programs? Why or why not?
- I would recommend that Foley work with a firm to run a campaign that leverages the advantages of different traditional media in conjunction with online social media. There is still a solid (if shrinking) market in print and television so I would choose to be strategic with those dollars. But I would definitely run a marketing campaign that went hand in hand with the online media.
3. How should Foley measure the results of her social media plans? Which media metrics are best and least suited for a Web 2.0 world?
4. How well do the social media plans address the emerging challenges of the rapidly changing media environment outlined in the case? What can you change in the social media plans to make them more effective for UnME’s target