Smart things: From Giraffes to CMOs (2.3.12)

New numbers from Facebook, a toddler with marketing genius and the CMO Council’s lastest survey are part of this week’s “Smart Things” post — a weekly wrap up with commentary of some of the most interesting things I’ve seen, read or heard about marketing and PR this week.

1. The 3 year-old brand manager. Sainsbury may be the oldest retailer in London, but it’s clearly open to new ideas. According to The Telegraph, Sainsbury renamed it’s fresh baked bread from “Tiger” to “Giraffe” after a 3 year-old, with parental help, responded to a Facebook campaign aimed at re-branding the product. Reportedly the little girl felt the delicious spots on the bread bore a stronger resemblance to a giraffe’s spots than tiger stripes. The company has enjoyed positive coverage in trades, the HuffPost and at least 145 comments in one Reddit thread. Add Sainsbury’s efforts to similar campaigns, like well-conceived contests, to the line up of especially effective and creative PR moves (Photo credit: Sainsbury’s Facebook page).

“It should be called Giraffe bread.”

2. The genius of humor. Snarketing 2.0 rolls humor into it’s analysis of marketing with social media. In a post called RIP Social Media Gurus, author Ron Shevlin argues companies don’t need social media strategies, they need better marketing strategies.

“Social media does not make you a good marketer. Good marketers figure out how to effectively use social media.”

3. New Facebook numbers. Since Facebook’s S-1 filing announcing it’s IPO there’s a slew of new data out about the company. Brian Solis noted the company had $1 billion in profits in 2011, up 65% year-over-year. The Economist produced a graphic that shows while Facebook’s user count eclipes the population of the United States, and has a market capitalization that rivals McDonald’s — the company has very few employees, just 3,000. That’s not counting you, of course.

“Analysts are quick to point out that the site’s users effectively act as employees, adding content and value for others.”

4. Google’s IPO vs. Facebook’s IPO. Some financial analysts take exception to Facebook’s enormous valuation, and it’s a similar story line from Google’s IPO. We’re all wishing now we purchased GOOG at 80 bucks a pop given it’s currently trading at nearly $600 per share. However, Forrester’s Nate Eliot really pinpointed the issue when compared the two in a post called How Facebook’s IPO Could Transform Marketing.

“In 2004, even the least sophisticated marketers were generating enormous ROI on Google; today, even the savviest marketers often struggle to do likewise on Facebook.”

5. CMOs down on ad agencies. Scott Brinker wrote aboutthe CMO Council’s new survey of 6,000 corporate marketers that found just 9% believe their ad agencies is adapting to digital age. As a result nearly half are planning to consolidate the agencies they retain. It’s unbelievable that in 2012, this is still a topic of discussion: social media is not new!