I Luv “Skittles Candy” – But a Skittles Social Marketing Case Study WOW!
Examiner — Social media marketing is prevalent in the media and consumer products industries. I find it valuable to research organizations that have embraced Web 2.0 concepts to figure out why and how their organization saw fit to experiment with this form of social marketing. As I have explained in previous posts, determining the value of social media requires an understanding of objectives and the role interactive customer engagement plays into the overall strategy. However, after researching the tools that companies have chosen to utilize, I can usually figure out if they put thought into a strategy, especially their goal of social media.
Skittles is a great case study for several reasons:
* Tackles legal issue up front – Legal disclaimers are used to absolve the candy provider of user-generated content that is found beyond the Skittles page. Visitors have to put in their birth date and agree to terms and conditions before they can continue.
* Use of social networking vehicles – After agreeing to the terms, readers are redirected to a Skittles page on Facebook. There are over 1 million fans and the page features commercials and discussion forums to engage readers. In addition, readers can also take part in conversations facilitated by a Skittles Twitter page. Last, photos and videos are available via Flickr and YouTube. This collage of social media/networking tools are all available on the Skittles.com website.
![[Post to Twitter]](http://www.socialnetdaily.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter-big4.png){kind=icon}
