June 3rd, 2009 Think Social Media is Just a Waste of Time?

Think again. 

A lot of businesses have no social media presence on the internet. Ignoring social media is a huge mistake because it carries benefits to all sorts of businesses, both large and small. Whether it’s a blog, Facebook page, Twitter account or something else, the investment in getting it set up is minimal and the potential rewards are large. And if you think that these sites are just for fun, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Take the case of Del Monte, the giant food production company you probably associate with vegetables and canned goods. In addition to the main Del Monte brand and several other giant brands for human consumption, Del Monte foods owns many HUGE pet food brands including Kibbles ‘n Bits, 9 Lives, Pounce, Milk Bone and Snausages.

Del Monte has had a web presence for a long time and had some experience with social media when they created the private “I Love My Dog” site. The site was open by invitation to BIG LEAGUE dog lovers. The site offered an opportunity for people to interact with one another and, perhaps more importantly, to interact with the brand’s marketing research arm.

A question was posed to the community regarding what people’s dogs liked for breakfast. Many members of the community responded and many of the responses included eggs and bacon. 

Members were also asked if a treat or pet food included vitamins or other healthy ingredients, if that would make a difference in a purchase decision. The dog lovers agreed that being able to give their beloved canines something that is good and good for them would be great.

Del Monte wasn’t asking these questions just to ask them. They were using social media as an instant feedback device and rather than sitting on the results, they acted on them very quickly. 

In six weeks, Del Monte posted images of packaging and samples of the new treat, Snausages Breakfast Bites. The treats come in these really cute fried egg and bacon shapes and have added calcium, antioxidants, and Omega 3 and 6 oils. Members loved the idea and, I think, they really responded to the fact that a megaconglomerate company was really listening to what they had to say.

Shortly thereafter, Snausages Breakfast Bites were in stores and the treat is a huge hit. The simple act of creating a site where their core market could interact with one another and share stories and ideas shortened the product creation cycle from years to months. That cost savings alone was more than worth the investment. Add to that the fact that instead of jamming a new product down people’s throats, they took the time to solicit and utilize consumer feedback shows that Del Monte really gets what the true power of social media is.

Congratulations, Del Monte, you win the 989 Design Social Marketer of the Week Award!