Problem: SOCIAL MEDIA AND HUMOR

Stokers has come a long way since its beginnings in a market town in West Lancashire, England, back in 1895, when Alfred Stoker started a business selling fabric and millinery. The furniture retail firm grew to a total of 10 stores, and in 2001, it initiated its online presence with a Web site. Stokers began promoting itself, like many other companies, through Google ads in 2008; in 2010, it launched its Facebook page, followed by Twitter in 2011. And yet-again, like many other companies-Stokers failed to recognize the impact of social media; posts on Facebook would remain outdated and negative reviews on Facebook were left unaddressed, all of which often lead to a negative impression of a brand online. Although the idea of having a Facebook page had been around for years, what to do with the site had brought many companies both confusion and frustration. Stokers realized that firm changes needed to be made to turn the companies' online consumer experience around. It chose to focus on Facebook over Twitter as a first step to promote its products. Once a firm understanding of using social media was established, the company intended to explore other relevant social media-Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. To begin, Stokers emulated other companies in using Facebook as a means to gather consumer information and increase product exposure. For example, it created competitions that required users to leave their details in order to enter a competition, thus creating a new populated database of interested onsumers.

This was an encouraging beginning, but Stokers wanted to take it to another level of engagement. Keeping consumers interested in products and encouraging them to return to the site was seen as a key objective. After various attempts to do just that, Stokers realized that it was the use of humor that resulted in a significantly high level of engagement with customers. Research indicates if humor is associated with a product, then consumers tend to have a higher consumer preference toward it. Humor can also facilitate positive associations between a product and a consumer. A vital element of social media marketing is getting consumers to actively engage, and the addition of humor has been consistently found to increase likes on social media posts. So it should come as no surprise that Stokers soon identified (through engagement figures) that the humor posts on its Facebook page received approximately 500 percent more engagement than posts that related to particular products only. The number of visitors to the Facebook page also increased by 75 percent. The increased interaction on the social media sites led to an increased activity of approximately 113 percent on the Web site. Other measures, like Web optimization, were also taken to ensure the Web site uploaded quickly, and this saw a 27 percent reduction in the bounce rate. With figures like the above to reflect upon, the company made significant changes.

The staff at Stokers were given clear directions for their daily social media activities. Any negative comments are picked up and dealt with straight away It is difficult to quantify a direct sales relation to a particular element of digital marketing, as it involves a combination of many things: email marketing, site optimization, Google Ads, and traditional marketing. Yet the numbers are telling-digital marketing as a whole led to a significant increase in sales in the target segment of garden furniture. In the first year, there was a 75 percent increase in sales, and in the second year it rose to 200 percent. Looking back, the lessons are clear. Social media will not work for a company that just has a Facebook page, even if it posts regularly. This alone will not necessarily ensure active engagement from consumers. Social media posts also require constant monitoring and updating from the company to avoid becoming stagnant and outdated. Customers need a higher level of engagement. However, companies need to be mindful of choosing appropriate social media and ensure that any humor employed is appropriate for their products and services. Humor in general works well with social media, with global brands like Oreo, Skittles, Taco Bell, and Old Spice taking full advantage of it to connect with consumers. Old Spice, for instance, is known to start mock battles with companies like Taco Bell, who then respond in the same spirit. Popchips' Facebook page provides consumers with entertaining images and funny puns. Nandos also uses humor in its social media and has received a positive response from its customers. Entertaining content is one of the top five reasons people follow particular brands or individuals online, and as more companies embrace this, it can only lead to better and more engaging customer experiences.

Discussion questions

1. Select and analyze a few online campaigns where the humor is used with the product and without the product. Are there any differences in the number of posts or responses to these? Which method do you think works best, using humor alongside the product or without the product? Give examples.

2. Are there any products where humor is not appropriate? How does this translate in the online world? Give examples.