Week 2 Part B - Business Research

Chuao Chocolatiers

Website

About Company:

    Chuao Chocolatiers is a local company in the food industry based out of Carlsbad, CA. They create unique chocolate flavors offered in many different forms. With four branches and around 30 employees total, they are a small company with a surprising reach.

Social Media Information:

Linked on Website:

Facebook - 61,746 likes | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/8/2021

Instagram - 18.4K followers | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/8/2021

Pinterest -  1,230 followers | Weekly Pins/Repins | Posted last week

Not Linked on Website:

Twitter - 12.4K Followers | Does not update | Last main tweet 2/11/2019

 Youtube - 76 subscribers | Weekly - Monthly posts | 1/28/2021

Analysis:

Chuao often posts their new items on their social media, as well as trendy, but minimal, content that showcases what they want the viewer to see and feel. Facebook and Instagram are the two social platforms they use the most, as they often cross-post. On their Youtube, they use it to show recipes that use their products which I believe can help engage fans.

 

Boochcraft

Website

About Company:

    Boochcraft is a local brewing company located in Chula Vista, CA. What makes them unique is they brew hard (alcoholic) kombucha. They have an estimated 20 employees that come together to make a tasty beverage.

Social Media Information:

Linked on Website:

Facebook - 12,911 likes | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/7/2021

Instagram - 38K followers | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/8/2021

Twitter -  1,230 followers | Monthly posts | Last main tweet 12/13/2021

Not Linked on Website:

Youtube - 1 subscriber | Never posts | 12/28/2020 

Analysis:

Boochcraft is all about hip and trendy posts, often using their posts on Instagram to push interactions with consumers. They use Instagram the most and reserve Twitter for more formal postings such as the holidays. This makes sense as their crowd is generally younger, but of legal the drinking age, making Instagram the perfect platform.

 

Native

Website

About Company:

   While Native is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, it is owned by the company Proctor & Gamble, making it international. They are in the health and wellness industry as they offer deodorants, toothpaste, and body wash. Within the company itself, they are believed to have 50 employees or fewer.

Social Media Information:

Linked on Website:

Facebook - 199,913 likes | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/1/2021

Instagram - 176K followers | Daily posts | Last posted on 2/8/2021

Twitter -  3,997 followers | Monthly posts | Last main tweet 1/5/21 

Not Linked on Website:

Youtube - N/A subscriber | Monthly | 2/8/2020  

Analysis:

Native, similar to Boochcraft, attempts to appeal to a young adult audience. While they do use Facebook and Instagram regularly, that is because they are able to create creative graphics that catch the eyes of a "hip" aesthetic. While they use Youtube, I think it makes the most sense for them to use other platforms more as it is more convenient for their audience to view.

 

Four Points Trading Co.

Website

About Company:

   Four Points Trading Co. is a national company in the home goods industry. With locations all over the country, including being sold in separate shops, they create amazing scented candles for all occasions.

Social Media Information:

Linked on Website: 

Facebook - 418 likes | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/82021

Instagram - 1,227 followers | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/8/2021

Pinterest -  14 followers | Monthly/Rarely Pins | Posted December

Analysis:

Four Points Trading Co. isn't a ginormous company, despite their products being sold all over America. I believe that is why they use the social platforms that they do. Candles don't necessarily have a demographic that they appeal to more, for Facebook and Instagram reach different age groups on the two platforms. While Pinterest isn't used often, I don't believe it is really needed as people on Pinterest use the platform to mainly focus on DIY, moodboards, and food/design inspiration.

  

Kelloggs (U.S. used for most social media data)

Website

About Company:

    Kelloggs is an international company in the food industry. They are extremely large as they have factories in 18 countries and are marketed in over 180 countries.

Social Media Information:

Linked on Website:

Facebook - 592,878 likes | Daily - Weekly posts | Last posted on 2/8/2021 

Youtube - 9.46K subscribers | Monthly posts | Last posted on 1/13/2021

Pinterest - 1,941 followers | Weekly - Monthly posts | Last posted on January

Twitter -  76.4K followers | Daily posts | Last main tweet 2/8/21

Not Linked on Website:

Instagram - 67.7K followers | Weekly - Monthly posts | 2/4/2020

Analysis:

Kelloggs/Kelloggs US is quite active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While Instagram is not linked on their website, it is clear that the Kelloggs' brand thrives there. They use their larger accounts to show a variety of their products, including newer ones. While Pinterest may not be used as much, it does make sense for them to have since they offer food-related content.

 

Findings:

    In order to better connect with an audience, many brands jump to using social media. When a company is able to form a relationship with their customers, they build loyalty and trust. While there are many social media platforms for a company to choose from, some work better than others. Because of this, brands should decide on what they want to focus on ahead of creating these accounts. Another thing for a company to consider is how established they are to begin with. For instance, a well-known brand is most likely already on social media with a following. When a new platform comes out, they may be able to take off immediately if they can get followers from other sites to follow.

 

     I've learned quite a bit from analyzing the companies and their social media. To start, while each company has its own brand aesthetic, they each tend to be able to market directly to their consumers effectively. By this, I mean that a younger company aiming at a younger audience did great and so did a more mature company aiming at multiple demographics. One thing that surprised me is that even though Kelloggs is a large brand, they still update their social media regularly. While their experience would make this an obvious finding, I typically notice that big brands don't always focus as hard on social media as they do more traditional forms of marketing. What wasn't surprising was that the two largest platforms for these companies tended to be Facebook and Instagram. Both of these sites have been around for a while now, therefore companies that existed when they came out were able to gain a quick following. Companies that were started later, such as Boochcraft and Native were also able to take off on these platforms as their demographics tend to use both. Lastly, Youtube tends to be the lowest-performing platform across the board, but that could be for a couple of reasons. Youtube's algorithm can be hard to crack, and without a big company behind it (and a decent production budget), a video can get lost immediately. Youtube also takes more time out of a consumer's day to watch versus a quick picture.

 

    While social media changes the game when it comes to marketing, there is always more to be learned. Larger, more experienced companies may have the upper hand when it comes to money they can spend on advertising, but that doesn't mean a smaller, newer brand can't take off. The creativity each brand displays needs to be curated to fit its message while remaining appealing to the consumer, which is not always an easy task. As new platforms continue to emerge, I look forward to seeing the thought process behind whether a company chooses to pursue hopping on or staying off. Overall, I believe that the one event that will push a brand to go further and try harder is the idea of competition. While none of the companies I looked at are competitors, I am certain that they keep an eye on what their competitors do. This can lead to some amazing campaigns that can truly put a brand on a map of its own.

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