2010 continues to bring the trend of companies struggling to figure out how to harness the power of online conversations. Every day, people who have never met are joining forces online, taking a stand and persuading change. We have all heard the stories about mommy bloggers getting ads pulled or irate consumers demanding policy changes. These stories spark “how can we do that?” conversations in boardrooms across the country.
For every single huge success, there are thousands of ineffective campaigns that do nothing but add to the noise in our daily lives.
Pepsi has created a site that encourages Latinos to share stories of why they “count,” a timely topic derived from the uproar over the 2010 Census form options. Inspiration seems to derive from the need to show that instead of the abstract idea of “being counted,” they matter as individuals. The stories will then be edited into a documentary produced by Eva Longoria Parker.
Lots of star power, talking to the demographic in the appropriate medium, timely topic, feel good purpose – good-to-go, right?
Not so fast. Take a look at the site, the manifesto in particular. What really is the point of this campaign? When I go to the site and listen to these stories, what am I supposed to do? What is the storyline and purpose of the documentary? Where will the documentary be shown? What am I supposed to learn from this?
Corporations use social media to promote their product through a soft sell associated with behavioral change. Pepsi is definitely soft selling their product to a growing population. But what social change are they endorsing? Do we really need an online documentary to appreciate that Latinos are a vital part of our society? In Jacksonville alone, many of our community leaders are Hispanic and it has been that way for years.
As a non-Latino, Pepsi’s message feels like a step back rather than a step forward. Pepsi is taking the position that people do not realize the impact of Latinos in the industry and culture of our country. Or maybe since I am not the demographic, I completely missed the message. It feels like a “we need social media and this is a good idea” type of campaign but not a campaign that will truly accomplish anything.
