MC Hammer Launches Online Dance Social Network - Baller Status; December 1, 2007
"According to AndPop.com, Hammer has launched a new social network aimed at bringing together dancers called DanceJam.com...Users can engage in the usual social networking tools, watch tutorials by professional choreographers and be entertained by complete amateurs...It will also feature a database of every high school and college in America allowing each school to represent itself with videos via cheerleading competitions or any other dance related activities..." FULL STORY
Power to the People - destination CRM; December 01, 2007
"Bazaarvoice combined its review technology with analytics software from Coremetrics to measure the impact of the reviews. Quantifiable data fed into Coremetrics reveals information such as who the user is, each user's purchase history, and how much each user spends. More important, the software quantitatively measures which reviews are best at increasing conversion rates. This helps determine which quote is best in an email, an online banner, or even on a poster in the physical store...Regardless of whether or not marketers want to loosen their grip on their campaigns, UGC is an undeniable force that cannot be ignored. The shift from push to pull marketing has put the consumer in control and for the most part, it has improved marketing efforts dramatically. "Sites that are getting high satisfaction scores and the ones that are continually growing their base of loyal customers appear to be using user-generated content at a very high level," Squire says..." FULL STORY
Retailers Embrace the Social Network Model - eWeek; November 30, 2007
"Amway is the place where social networks meet e-commerce...In any digital era prior to Web 2.0 this postulation may have seemed absurd, but it is true thanks to a new online entertainment store called Fanista. The site is the latest example of how retailers are employing social networking practices to sell their products and create connections among customers...It is this monetary motivation that is not available on Facebook or MySpace, which together boast more than 150 million users. However, Adler doesn't expect users to flee Facebook or MySpace for Fanista. Rather, he sees it as a complement to those networks, which are more general interest..." FULL STORY
Circuit City Launches Social Networking Website - Blogging Stocks; November 30, 2007
"Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) has apparently been listening to all the media chatter this year centered around social networking and has decided to jump into the game. The second-largest consumer electronics chain in the U.S. has launched its new 'CityCenter' social networking website (within its regular website)...This new interactive website will let Circuit City customers compare experiences about certain products (and Circuit City itself, I'd imagine), find out pre-purchase information from real customers and seek out detailed advice on which products to buy..." FULL STORY
Saaga Says 'Spill It!' in U.S. Debut - Adweek; November 29, 2007
"Priced at $30-50, the vodka targets an upscale professional demographic through a combination of word of-mouth marketing, limited print and what Wolff Olins calls "trade advocacy." The latter consists of convincing bartenders, waitresses, chefs and other influencers to recommend Saaga to patrons...This is accomplished in a variety of ways, e.g., tastings at bars, menu placements for cocktails that use Saaga vodka and event sponsorships..."We want to impress the bar staff. They need to feel comfortable and have a sense of belief in the brand," said Dean Crutchfield, svp, marketing at Wolff Olins...Print broke in this week's New York Village Voice and Time Out. The work shows a frosted bottle with the headline, "Spill it." The text-heavy vessel features short narratives..." FULL STORY
Social Networking is Here to Stay - Marketplace; November 29, 2007
"Social networks are this year's "next big thing." Facebook is so hot that it's theoretically valued at $15 billion. Why? Because it has allegedly reinvented something huge: the way human beings interact in their social cliques and circles...Partly true, because technology is certainly enhancing, and sometimes complicating, our real offline social behavior...So, for example, it will soon be completely normal for a group of new moms to create their own social network to blog about pediatricians, share info about this week's play group, upload videos of the toddlers and so on. They can already do all that, but it will get easier and easier..." FULL STORY
Bazaarvoice: More Shoppers Turning to the Web for Product Research - Austin Business Journal; November 29, 2007
"Compared to last year, almost four times as many holiday shoppers went online before visiting merchants, relying on online ratings and reviews before making purchases, according to a recent report...Traffic to online ratings and reviews on retailers' Web sites spiked during the week of Nov. 19-26, according to Austin-based Bazaarvoice...Activity was strongest on Thanksgiving evening, a sign that shoppers were turning to the Web to research goods before purchasing them on Black Friday, reports Bazaarvoice..." FULL STORY
Delightful Deliveries Packages Holiday Discovery With Aggregate Knowledge - Business Wire; November 28, 2007
“Our average conversion rates on Delightful Deliveries jumped to 10 percent when people selected products through the Aggregate Knowledge Discovery window, which is a really significant result,”...Delightful Deliveries is also integrating Pique Onsite product placements with customer ratings and reviews from Bazaarvoice, a leading online customer ratings and review service. These integrations were initially rolled out across select areas such as the candy and chocolate gift section. Now customers can see relevant product suggestions along with ratings and reviews from fellow customers with every click on a Delightful Deliveries gift item. “Working with both Aggregate Knowledge and Bazaarvoice allows our shoppers to see what other customers are both buying and saying about all of our great Delightful Deliveries gifts,” said Lituchy..." FULL STORY