Company: Sony Electronics
Contact: Mildred Center, Director of Web Services at Sony Electronics
Location: San Diego, CA
Industry: Personal electronics, B2C
Annual revenue: $2,147,500,000
Number of employees: 26000

Quick Read:

About half of all Americans say that companies not only should have a social media presence but also should interact with customers via social media, according to a Cone survey conducted in late 2008.

Sony Electronics rolled out a series of online, community-focused features in 2008, including electronics-related courses and tutorials, forums and discussion boards, contests, and more—all aimed at providing value for, and making a connection with, personal electronics users of all brands.

The endeavor is already paying off with high usage rates, increased insight into consumer preferences, consumer loyalty and advocacy for Sony products, and month-after-month growth in product sales.

Challenge

Some 59% of Americans who use social media (approximately 60% say they do) report that they interact with brands via social media, according to the Cone 2008 Business in Social Media Study fielded by Opinion Research Corporation in September 2008.

Moreover, 41% say they prefer that companies solicit product/service feedback via social media, 56% say they feel better served when they can directly interact with brands via social media, and 37% say companies should develop new ways for consumers to interact with their brands via social media.

In 2003, Sony Electronics debuted the Sony 101 learning center, an informational Web resource featuring six free online courses on general digital imaging, personal computing, and home/personal entertainment topics. The ultimate goal of the site was to convert customers and drive purchase consideration through value-based content that did not tout Sony products specifically but, instead, aimed to build trust and forge consumer connections with the brand.

In 2008, after several years of growing success, Sony endeavored to enhance the site (which by that time had been renamed "Backstage 101"), in order to achieve the following five strategic initiatives:

  1. Transforming the site into a branded social community and increasing awareness
  2. Engaging more consumers, growing member registration, and increasing return visits to the site
  3. Retaining high-value global segments such as "innovation enthusiasts," who desire the latest technological features and highest performance
  4. Bolstering consumer loyalty and advocacy
  5. Providing increased value to the Sony Electronics business and its retailer base

Campaign

Sony worked with Powered, a social-media marketing firm based in Austin, Texas, to create and launch the following in 2008:

Backstage 101

Backstage 101 was re-launched in April 2008 as a branded community and social-networking site with dynamic content and community features. The site now includes more than 100 interactive courses and tutorials, plus articles and videos, for four areas of interest: personal computing, home entertainment, digital photography, and digital video.

The content is non-promotional, designed to appeal to everyone from beginners to savvy users, presented by industry experts, refreshed quarterly, and selected based on community feedback (through forums and discussion boards, user interactions with course instructors, and feedback provided via two annual user-based studies and routine surveys presented to users upon completion of a course or tutorial).

"Our content is shaped around what users need...something that benefits them personally," said Mildred Center, Sony's director of Web Services, adding that, for instance, "Cannon owners can get the same benefits."

In addition, registered users can rate and review any of the content offered; participate in forums and individual course discussion boards; tag other users' reviews or discussion posts; share content on Digg, Delicious, Technorati, etc.; add the site's and forum's RSS feeds to their RSS readers; invite friends to the site; and more.

Sony has also created modified versions of Backstage 101 to be incorporated into retailer Web sites and included on the company's CyberScholar site, which is used as an online training and certification resource for Sony sales associates.

Digital Darkroom

In August 2008, Sony launched its "Digital Darkroom" community within Backstage 101's Digital Photography 101 section.

The Digital Darkroom is a community space for users to upload and showcase their photos; view, rate, and comment on others' photos; compete for Sony gift certificates in a monthly photo contest; participate in forums and share techniques; access best-practice videos, tutorials, and articles; take on photography assignments designed to hone a user's skills; and attain advice from other enthusiasts, professional photographers, and Sony.

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Case Study: How Branded Social Communities Help Sony Increase Consumer Engagement, Loyalty... and Sales!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Smith is a freelance writer. Reach her via dtkgsmith@gmail.com.

LinkedIn: Kim Smith