Free webcast about Cisco social media case

Tomorrow at 2.15 PM (CET) you have the chance to participate in a free webcast with LaSandra Brill, Manager, Web & Social Media at Cisco. She will present the slides that I linked to two days ago about the use of social media in a launch of server products. You can attend the Cisco session directly here below on this blog, but also several other webcasts during the day. See here for more info and links to attend. Be sure to register for a free account on BrightTalk before the sessions start, to save time.

http://www.brighttalk.com/dc/swf/dotcom_base.swf?channelid=43&commid=786&autoStart=TRUE

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Social media case study by Cisco

If you think that social media tools only can be used effectively for consumer products, think again. This is a great case study by LaSandra Brill, manager of Web and social media marketing at Cisco. It shows how Cisco used social media for the launch of the ASR 1000 launch router series.

Building a Community with Social Media and Web 2.0 – A Cisco Product Launch Case Studyhttp://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=leveraging-social-media-and-web-20-in-a-product-launch-1206554285971971-4&stripped_title=leveraging-social-media-and-web-20-in-a-product-launch

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: forums discussion)

ReadWriteWeb lists the major steps of the campaign.

ASR 100 Launch Campaign Steps
1. Created a fun micro site directed at uber users (the tech and early adopter audience) to help create and spread buzz.
2. Cross posted videos from the micro site to YouTube to extend reach.
3. Established Second Life presence that included a countdown calculator and pre event live concert to increase visibility; research showed much of their audience is on Second Life.
4. Created a FaceBook group to cater to users not part of Second Life.
5. Created an interactive 3D game – Edge Quest – to attract the large gaming audience.
6. Created a widget that holds a collection of key videos, documents and images that allows sharing for their content, while remaining on their server.
7. Blogged about it on the Cisco blog to try and intrigue bloggers and customers.
8. Heightened buzz with press with a vague two paragraph teaser press release to extend press coverage and fuel buzz.
9. Created a social media release to reach out to bloggers.
10. Introduced product via live online event; video on Second Life that was cross posted on FaceBook and YouTube.
11. Created ‘Ask the Expert’ – a forum where customers could talk to the engineers that created the product.

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Positive response to Cisco’s corporate blog

A quick follow up post to my last comment about Cisco’s lawsuit against Apple for the use of the trademark iPhone. On a forum like a corporate blog you are bound to have many supporters, but critics are also known to come running. So when I read through the 50+ first comments on Cisco’s blog I noticed that the supportive outnumbered the critics by about 5 to 1, which is very good. Here are a few good examples and especially note the ones calling out for a (blog) response from Steve Jobs:

“Excellent response. It’s amazing what wonders blogging can do.”

“This post reflects Cisco’s openness in their communication. Very well explained. I just wished Apple showed some respect to Cisco’s and its openhandedness.”

“I am impressed by Cisco’ transparency and willingness to communicate, especially so when these traits are exhibited by the senior management. Congratulations, Cisco. You’re doing very well indeed.”

“Excellent. Absolutely excellent, and that’s coming from as big an Apple fan as you’re likely to ever encounter. What Jobs and Company did was (and is) wrong.”

“Very well stated. Apple, where are you? Oh, that’s right, you guys don’t blog…”

“Hats off to Cisco for your candor on the subject and willingness to have a dialog with comments open to all-comers. Steve Jobs? Care to chime in here?”

“I am an Apple fan indeed, but I must say I fully understand and support your point of view. Thank you for the excellent answer, it is time for Apple to think that way, too.”

“I’ve never seen a suit explained as clearly as this before. Your openness is the reason that you will prevail in this suit. Thanks for posting this information for all of us to read! Great idea to blog it!”

The opinion battle is far from won for Cisco. The biggest criticism against the company is that they seem to want a piece of the action rather than just to sell or license the trademark. But they are off to a good start.

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Corporate blog supports Cisco in iPhone lawsuit

Cisco yesterday announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Apple, “to prevent Apple from infringing upon and deliberately copying and using Cisco’s registered iPhone trademark.” For communicators it is expecially interesting to check out how Cisco uses its corporate blog to support the official press release. In the blog, Mark Chandler, Cisco’s SVP and General Counsel, is able to add pathos to the story, appealing to the emotions of the audience. Apple on the other hand does not have an official corporate blog to my knowledge which could be a disadvantage at this stage. Advantage Cisco.

[Via WSJ Law Blog.]

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