SOCIALMEDIA.ORGCASE STUDIES

Member Meeting 32Chicago, 6-15-2014

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United Airlines Allison BrownUnlocking social media sales socially

Unlocking Social Media Sales Soc ia l ly

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2UNITED

What are the b ig quest ions that keep you up a t n ight?

WSJ- Social Media Fail to Live Up to Early Marketing Hype

Just Being Social is not cutting it anymore.

Quote‐ Jan Rezab, chief executive of Socialbakers AS

“Fans and follower counts are over.

Now it's about what is social doing for you and real business objectives."

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Businesses are looking more critically at social media and its influence on the bottom line. A majority of respondents in a Gallup survey said that social media had no influence at all on purchasing decisions.

“That’s cool. Where should I go for spring break?”

Desired-I just booked a flight to Denveron United.com

I just checked in for my flight toMunich on united.com

Social Notifications Social Reactions

“I will book a flight on United.com too”

Reality-

“So what? You are going to Denver for work again.”

“Well, good for you, but I’m not about to spend $xxx.xxjust because you did”

United is having a specialdeal to Hawaiiunited.com/specialdeals

“Too bad. I wasn’t looking for a beach vacation, I wasactually searching for outdoor adventure destinations”

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Current implementation of social integrationOne way communication, product focused, lack of CTA, not too targeted

“I can buy my client a drink?! It will seal the businessdeal, and I will look good in social space. I’m so doingthat .”

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Its one-way communication

It’s not too engaging/compelling

It’s hard to track and measure

It’s not tailored beyond broad segmentation

It’s missing the social component of social

YOUR MESSAGESHOUT-OUT

What's wrong with the Megaphone approach?

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BRAND

Not a problem but can we do more?

Peer Recommendations

(Amazon, Yelp)

Group Buying

(Groupon, LivingSocial)

Peer to Peer

(eBay, Etsy)

Social Shopping

(Mattel, Go Try It On)Participatory

(Threadless, Kickstarter)

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Assessing the social commerce landscapeNoticing communication direction, who are the players?

Source ‐The 7 species of social commerce by Lauren Indvik

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Maslow's drivers of human behavior

SELF-ACTUALIZATION - Problem solving, Helping others,personal growth, fulfillment…

ESTEEM - Confidence, Achievement, Recognition, status…

LOVE/BELONGING - Friends, Family, affection…

SAFETY - Security, Employment, Insurance, order, law…

PHYSIOLOGICAL- Breathing, Food, Sleep Water…

Why do we do what we do?

SOCIAL - Connections, Sharing, Reciprocation

ESCAPISM – Entertainment, Enjoyment

EXPRESSION – Communication, Consumption, Transaction

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ALTRUISM & DISCOVERY - Problem solving, helping others, self development, learn from others, meaningful, truth

What motivates us in social space?

Source – TMW social Media Research  

Why is it important for us to understand these drivers?

FAME - Recognition, Reputation, Status

My Epiphany- baby Brown

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Basic Product Overview

“Flight Fancies” is a social storefront  intended to use our existing customers and their buying behavior to trigger purchase of our ancillary products by their social networks. 

Customers can purchase products  or pay for fees on their friend’s / client’s itinerary. i.e – pay for their baggage fee, drinks on the plane,  e plus, United club day passes, and  more.

We are helping people use social gifting to reinforce social bonds and enable travelers to help travelers in a way that leads to discovery and purchase of United products.

Social sales strategy should be around interactions and transactions between people, not corporations to people.

Flight Fancies Friends, Family & Colleagues to make your travel experience remarkable

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John books a reservation withUnited

John shares his reservation on FF and also shares it out on his Facebook

John’s social network sees the FF link on his Facebook

Allison decides to purchase something for John and clicks on the FF link on his Facebook

Social postsFlight FanciesPublic

Allison’s social network sees the FF link on her Facebook and her generosity towards John who they also know

Allison is linked to FF personal view seeing John’s FF options

Allison purchases an E Plus for John and shares her generosityon her Facebook 

Social posts

Social ActivationTakes over

Flight FanciesPersonal

John receives an email from FF of Allison’s generosity. He has an option to share this out to his social network

FF email 

Flight Fancies

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Basic Social Networking Flow

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Origin Check-in desk Gate In flight Destination

Baggage Fee paid by my sister

A drink on flight boughtby my vendor

United Club one day pass paid by my colleague A snack box bought for 

me by my boss

Flight FanciesSocial activation opportunities integrated into customers' travel journey

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AnEconomyPlus boughtby my friend

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Flight FanciesUser Experience: Sample wires

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IT’S

FUN

IT’S

SOCIAL

IT’S

HELPFUL

Enabling with infrastructure and product catalog

Take yourself out of the equation Enable your customers by providing the infrastructure and the products, then butt out

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Selling the experience, not the products

Selling products via social media is a fine strategy, but selling experience is a better strategysince social media is an experience delivery mechanism. Travelers are looking to purchaseand share experience s that are unique and personal to the them and hard to replicate.

Lowering the barrier of entry for participation

Purchasing a plane ticket is a highly committed activity and is not considered an impulsepurchase. We need to provide them with a set of products that they can purchase and willmake them look and feel good on their social channels.

Brands dictating what products customers should purchase, let alone what to buy for theirfriends, does not bode well with emotionally‐savvy customers. Leave the decision‐making toyour customers that they know what they want to buy, and let the social do its social thing.

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Organic, social communication & experience focused

I just booked a flight to DenverOn United.com and with FlightFancies,you can buy me a drink in flight!

My vendor just paid for my drink on@United flight via FlightFancies

Social Notifications Social Reactions

“I can buy my client a drink?! It will help seal thebusiness deal, and I will look good in social space. I’mso doing that .”

“I am buying my coworker a day pass to United Club, soshe will be able to join this mtg. from the businesscenter, and we won’t have to reschedule!”

Thanks to FlightFancies, and myfriends, I felt like a celebrity on myunited flight this morning

“Since I took my mom shopping and made her buy awhole new wardrobe, it’s only fair that I pay for herbaggage check–In fees.”

New approach to social activation

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Status

Smart biz?

Evil?

Solving problems?

Expression

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A win-win: How United gainsFlipping the sales funnel and leveraging the rule of reciprocity in social networking

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TRIGGER/AWARENESS

CONSIDERATION

PURCHASE

Customer Acquisition

TRIGGER/AWARENESS

CONSIDERATION

PURCHASE

Traditional mass media marketing funnel spends budget first then hopes for the best

New Customer Sales force

Existing Customer Sales force

VS

Source – Flip the Funnel Joseph Jaffe

Altruism & Discovery

Problem solving, Helping others, Doing good, Meaningful, Truth

Fame

Recognition, Reputation,Attention

Social

Friendship, Family, Connections, Sharing,Reciprocity

Escapism

Entertainment, Enjoyment

Expression

Communication,Consumption,Transaction

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Conclusion: Remember the Drivers of Motivation in Social

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THANK YOUA L L I S O N P A R K B R O W N

U n i t e d A i r l i n e s

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SOCIALMEDIA.ORGCASE STUDIES

Member Meeting 32Chicago, 6-15-2014

Learn more about Member Meetingssocialmedia.org/meetings

SOCIALMEDIA.ORG

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BER M EETIN

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CHICAGO