Lion Brand Yarn: The Lion Brand Notebook (co-winner)
To strengthen brand loyalty and provide a platform for both its customers and associates, longtime yarn creator Lion Brand launched a blog a year ago.
For Lion Brand, the purpose of the blog was to not only engage with customers but to gain insights from its consumers interacting with them. In this vein, Lion Brand developed several types of blog posts to determine which are the most engaging, interesting
and successful. Posts that fit this bill were customers asking for opinions and tips on various knitting/crochet skills. This strategy is key to providing Lion Brand with a vehicle to test ideas, initiatives and types of communications.
Since its inception, the Lion Brand blog has attracted 39,000 monthly visitors. According to a survey conducted by Lion Brand, blog visitors are 10% more likely to buy from Lion Brand than the average visitor to its Web site. â–
Southwest Airlines: Nuts About Southwest (co-winner)
What began as an untested foray into the blogosphere three years ago has escalated into a program boasting seven full-time Southwest Airlines employees whose responsibilities are solely dedicated to social media. Key among them is the Nuts About Southwest blog, which continues to blaze a trail for corporate communications in this space.
As the blog continues to be integrated into every Southwest Airlines communication initiative, it was also leveraged as a medium to confront tough issues head on. An example of this was in March 2008 when the FAA levied a $10.2 million fine against Southwest for alleged missed aircraft inspections. Over the next eight days, the team posted a total of five blog entries that addressed this issue, clarifying facts and dispelling myths to consumers.
Visitors to Nuts About Southwest have more than doubled year over year. Since its launch, the blog has attracted nearly 2 million unique visitors. â–
Honorable Mentions:
Peppercom & Valspar: What’s All the Color Buzz?—When Valspar launched its consumer paint line in 2007, Peppercom and Beehive Studios helped launch “Color Buzz,” a design blog for Valspar that offers offers tips on decorative painting trends, how to get started on a paint project and finding color inspiration.
Adfero Group: K Street Café: Serving Up Innovative Ideas—Adfero execs helped the K Street Café’ blog emphasize the shift from one-directional communications to multi-layered conversations in issue advocacy.
Newmanpr & Holland America Line: Holland America Blog—Launched in January 2009, Holland America’s blog features 14 sub-blogs (one for each cruise ship) and caters to potential guests, ship aficionados and employees.
H&R Block & Miller Meiers: H&R Block Digits’ Economic Stimulus Blog—The Digits blog provides customers with access to information about the 2009 Economic Stimulus Plan and gives them a forum to discuss lifestyle and tax-related topics.
GE Corporate: GEreports.com—GEreports.com is a multimedia site that offers videos, news and human interest stories about what’s happening at GE. In the six months following its October 2008 launch, it garnered 460,000+ unique visitors.