• Warby Parker: A Success in Social Media Marketing

    Joshua Pelletier

    3–4 minutes

    Enough can be said about the age of social media as well as this new digital age. Companies along with the top brands out there compete trying to reach the masses through various channels and platforms. In doing so creating content that matches the likes and wants of their target audiences. It seems like you cannot go online anymore without companies making this content and plugging it on our social media pages while we are trying to stay up to date with friends and family.

    However, companies think they need to continuously need to make content to please their customers and get them in stores or to purchase products from an ecommerce site. In reality, sometimes it is the simpler things that consumers want that does not involve seeing content. A success story comes from a social networking site called Orkut.

    No Content Needed!

    If I were to tell you that we would be talking about a social networking site that did not live long, only surviving for 10 years as a tool for success, I could be getting some mixed reactions. However, Orkut did serve as a social networking site that proved wonders in the country of Brazil.

    The site was created by a Google employee, Orkut Büyükkökten. The purpose of the sight was to connect people within communities and using keywords in the search bar such as titles and descriptions. Quickly, the amount of users of the site rose creating communities over 50,000 in its first four months, then to 1.5 million within the year. The app created prestige, creating an invite only membership for the site.

    Why did it work?

    So the site seems just to be a page people come together and chat, however, it was much more than that. With the site being easy to use and navigate through, joining a community on the site was simple and users can join at ease. With an example and explanation through a case study saying

    Orkut’s interface was clean, simple and sophisticated, making it easy for users to navigate and join communities. Friends could rate other users based on how sexy, cool and trustworthy they found each other (Recuero, 2011). This competition element spread into the number of friends and the largest communities on the site. In addition, there were many reasons for its popularity, beyond the ability to connect.

    Mahoney, Tang 191

    In a way you can compare this to combination of Facebook, and Myspace mostly during the early 2010s. However, they were on to something here. Users would share experiences and recommendations on products through the site which is what made it a hit in Brazil, as the users had trusted sources they can go to instead of going to a third party site that can make up anything for you to get to buy.

    What Happened?

    Discussed above the site eventually faced its demise and shut down in the fall of 2014. And the demise was simple to understand. They changed their identity and the site stopped being simple. As well started limiting the amount of friends a user can have and difficulty in loading screens and photo sharing can attest to the issues they had. Once the site stopped providing the needs of consumers, the site was no longer needed and shut down for good.

    Lessons Learned

    In cases like this it is simple, human connection is key to marketing. Why create content and try to gain followers through that when sometimes the answer is through human connections. A site or place where consumers can come together and through this you get organic marketing as fans or normal users can attest to the brand giving customers their opinions and help promote the product. Through this, marketing comes easier and cheaper because you have your customers doing the marketing for you through word of mouth.

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  • Warby Parker: A Success in Social Media Marketing

    By Joshua Pelletier

    3–4 minutes

    Today’s age you cannot go anywhere without hearing about what was happening on any social media site. Asking your friends, if they saw that funny video on Facebook, or saw your recent vacation pictures so you can talk about it the next day. Social Media has taken over part our society and day to day operations it seems like as well. Businesses are always looking for their new campaign or social media tactic to drive their company and bring new customers in as well.

    Using social media, you have to understand your audience which ultimately is your customer base. mainly so, you are not wasting time marketing something that does not work. A perfect example, of this is a social media site from China, Weixin.

    Weixin’s Beginnings

    Now if you take some social media apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Amazon and even Uber, then you have the site which is known as Weixin. Starting in 2011, the site started it’s massive launch in China, and the app allowed users to interact with others by sending messages, pictures and other things with other users. Such as our social media sites in the United States does for us.

    Now on the app, there is not much you cannot do on it as it combines features from sites you may see above along with others that are not social media. Including shopping sites such like eBay and others. That is by design by Weixin as they search for a younger generation who are in search for an All-In-One App.

    The Success of The App

    Weixin generated an app that provides many features to its users, and now users can do almost everything they want from one app. Understanding their audience Weixin, provides their users an app that brings everything to their palm of their hands. Being easy to use as well, even providing a button that records messages and talk as well. Even shopping is a breeze with the app, including a store which means users rarely have to leave the app. Hard to imagine an app that has the power of this one.

    However, not only being an All-In-One app. let’s look at the social media engagement portion of this app. In Chinese culture a Red Envelope is given to friends and family of monetary value usually given during the holidays. Weixin provided a way to incorporate this tradition in their app in the beginning of January 2014. Users would participate by sending their friends and loved ones in a grouped message and then Weixin with this group would randomly send the recipients a random amount of money.

    Users were excited about this feature more than 5 million people participated in this campaign and increased levels of spending on the app as well increased engagement. As well to add to the result over 20 million Red Envelopes were sent out.

    Adding aspects of Uber, the app also introduced a taxi feature called Didi Taxi. This service gives consumers a chance to book a reservation for taxi using the Weixin payment, which also helps the taxi industry as well. Only might be a niche market but it helps train consumers to be able to pay using the app.

    Final Thoughts

    Now Weixin understands their customers and provide users a great app that brings their needs all into one app and being simple to use, what individual won’t like that. Companies can examine this success mainly just by understanding their consumers and understand their needs and even wants in creating something good for them as well as the users. In the end, understanding your audience will contribute to the success of the business.

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  • Warby Parker: A Success in Social Media Marketing

    Published by Josh Pelletier

    3–4 minutes

    How many times have you been on Social Media this past week, seeing content creators using their platform for dancing, stupid pranks making peoples lives a little difficult? Having a platform that can be used to create change but instead using it poorly and for selfish reasons should not be what social media is used for.

    Social Media and its infinite power, should be used to create change and bring notice to causes that mean something or does work for the greater good. Let’s take a look at a cause near to mostly everyone’s hearts and it revolves around Breast Cancer.

    Every October, awareness spreads for Breast Cancer and the horrible affect it has on women. Most companies during the month change colors to match the color of the ribbon the symbolizes the courageous journey that women undergo for treatment and the battle to fight this horrid disease. So during this month everyone tries taking their part bringing awareness and their support for the cause. Doing this as a form of cyberactivism, which can be challenging to see the benefit actually.

    Now as said before, using social media is powerful because you can reach millions of people just by one simple post or one 10 second video. Already the awareness of Breast Cancer is nationally known, however, awareness on social media is still posted everyday. Now, discussed before each company tries taking part in the cause and to show their support for these women battling this disease.

    Most people participate in these Facebook Memes that help diffuse the overall situation in the room, with all participating and adding their own form of personalization to these posts, as one trend that went around, women were posting statuses including their name and the color of the bra they were wearing at that moment. Eventually most of these posts turned sexual as well, including more participation even from men.

    Did this actually help the cause at hand though? The problem that can be seen here is, even though it brings attention to cause, does campaigns or posts provide the real information as well, does it give people the wrong idea about the cause. Mostly everyone thinks only women can contract Breast Cancer, however, men can contract it as well and have died from the disease as well, but again posts like these do not give the whole story.

    As well, you bring notice to the cause but is anything else happening in this. This can be explained perfectly through the second to last paragraph in the case study,

    “Before creating a social media mobilization campaign, it is important to ask whether lack of awareness is the biggest challenge to the cause. Is your biggest challenge that individuals don’t know that you exist, or are they just not interested in your services? In some cases, lack of awareness is a huge issue. Nonetheless, breast cancer campaigns do little to actually spread tangible information regarding the initiative’s goals, even though these viral campaigns put great efforts into disseminating prevention and self-check information to the general public.”

    Mahoney, Tang Tang 72

    In cases like this, spreading out to social media, can give the awareness to the cause you choose, but is it truly effective? Would volunteering or donating to the cause be more effective than a simple post on social media, where you are sharing private personal info with strangers? At the end of the day, simply going out and doing your part will do more for the cause than a post on the internet.

    Help the cause and find out ways you can help by visiting My Breast Cancer Support, website below

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    pelletierj18's avatar

    pelletierj18

    I am a graduate student at Southern New Hampshire University obtaining a Master’s Degree in Marketing concentrating in Digital Marketing. Currently I am a Store Manager for GameStop and have spent all of my professional career 13 years in Retail.

    References

    Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2016). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change. Wiley Global Research (STMS). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781118556900

  • Warby Parker: A Success in Social Media Marketing

    Published on Joshua Pelletier

    From the Beginning

    Since the early days of our world, individuals have tried to reach the masses in various different forms of communication. This can include simple forms such as newspapers, telegraphs and printed books. However, now we have seen an evolution in forms of communication as we have it easy today with simply having a phone in the palms of our hands. And now we have a form of communication through social media , channels such as Facebook, Instagram, X and the list can go on.

    Now we ask, is social media beneficial in terms of marketing. A simple answer can be yes, as we can reach more customers around the globe which in turn with generate revenue for our companies. If done correctly, this will hold true. A perfect example, of this trend in social media, is Warby Parker.

    The Story

    Think back to the year 2010, the age of social media gets its feet wet with sites like Myspace and Facebook just in its infancy. It is a scary thought in marketing through the internet nonetheless through a social media channel.

    Conducting business in normal means was not working for college students Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, and Jeffrey Raider. As they were trying to find cheaper and better options for prescription eyewear. What they did would change the eyewear industry for the better.

    Using an online site, they cut out the doctor visits and trying to book appointments months in advance and offered a site where consumers can create and shop their own version of glasses that represents them and the style they are going for.

    Genius, that to lower costs they made the glasses in house instead of buying the glasses from a distributor. They offered a service, in which they would directly sell to the customers giving them a more personal experience and connection to the customer.

    Photo Credits: modernretail.com

    Where’s the Success?

    A simple business story, where the entrepreneurial spirit takes over and hopes to create something bigger than themselves took over. The help of social media helped boost their presence in this industry mainly because beginning out consumers still had the feeling of doubt and wanting to buy their glasses online. As to some people this can be a major purchase, that can cost a lot. Definitely coming from a customer who needs glasses himself, I as others do as well, I would want to try on a pair and see how they look or if they fit. So the question was posed, how does the company get over this obstacle in consumer’s thinking.

    This is where now social media takes effect for the company and increases their presence. At first, the company pushes a “Home Try-On” campaign, where consumers can order their glasses online up to five pairs and try them on before committing to the glasses. Taking care of the concerns customers were reluctant on in the first process.

    So, in doing this customers can now try on the glasses at home and only keep the ones that best suit their styles. Even better for the consumer, returning the others comes at no cost to them. Warby Parker would encourage their customers to post their purchases on their social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

    You see companies posting on social media with little sense of a personal connection to their customers and just trying to sell their product. Warby Parker through this campaign gave customers a personal and meaningful shopping experience that you can get through going to a store, however, this can be done through online. Mainly because this company encourages the use of transactional communication and studies their market through posts made online with their products and does not focus on simply trying to sell their glasses.

    Final Thoughts

    Social media is a powerful tool that can be used in different ways whether if it is simply to stay in touch with other people, promoting yourself or even promoting your business. Using it for marketing can make or break a business simply in the way it gets to the masses. Warby Parker saw an issue, and rose to the evolution that was coming and that we see today. Change can be unexpected and to some crazy, but taking a chance like they did and disrupted a whole industry.

    There’s an expression in business in terms of ownership, from Mark Cuban,

    Photo credits: imgur.com

    Ending on this and relating that quote to the terms of social media marketing, reaching 60% of the world is better than 100% of a state.

    References

    Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2016). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change. Wiley Global Research (STMS). Pg 18 https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781118556900

    One response

    1. kelseyswieringa Avatar
      kelseyswieringa

      I think this post is a really good overview of how Warby Parker used social media to disrupt the traditional eyewear industry. I really liked your analysis of the “Home Try-On” campaign which overcame a major barrier but also encouraged user-generated content, which connects really well with Mahoney and Tang’s (2016) point about brands needing to create meaningful interactions rather than just pushing products. You also did a great job showing how Warby Parker built trust by humanizing their brand through direct engagement, which reflects a bigger trend in marketing of shifting from transactional approaches to more relationship-based ones. One way to take this even further might be to explore how Warby Parker used/uses data or audience targeting on their social media platforms to tailor their messaging.

      Reference: 

      Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2016). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change. Wiley Global Research (STMS).

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    About The Author

    I am a graduate student at Southern New Hampshire University obtaining a Master’s Degree in Marketing concentrating in Digital Marketing. Currently I am a Store Manager for GameStop and have spent all of my professional career 13 years in Retail.

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