Getting ready for Thanksgiving, but just had to share two articles I read this morning in the NYT.
- Making Social Connections and Selling Cookies - This article talks about how Pepperidge Farm is launching a social networking site for their primary customers (women) to maintain friendships. There's good info on how they're launching, metrics on how a campaign like this can replace existing marketing efforts and links to this another social networking campaign around the Goldfish line.
- Amway Adds Entertainment to Product Line - This article talks about how Amway is launching a new site that they describe as "part Amazon (online retail), part MySpace (social networking) and part Amway (direct pitch from someone you know)." Fanista will initially sell CDs and DVDs, but could move into other areas later. The rub is that members will receive a commission on purchases made by friends. They call it "common interest commerce" and the lead on the project is entertainment industry insider Daniel Adler.
It will be interesting to track both of these campaigns to see where they go.