Cadbury leading the way on Google+
By Andrew Barratt on Monday, June 3, 2013
On the whole, FMCG brands have got the hang of using Facebook and Twitter social media platforms to foster a community. But examples of Google+ are not so prevalent. Not least because the social population on this platform is much smaller, but also because best practice has not been established.
Google+
However, Cadbury – owned by Mondelez International – is one brand leading the way for FMCG in using Google+ to engage consumers. Late last year in September 2012 Cadbury unveiled a new secret flavour via a Google Hangout. Harnessing the power of it’s 2.5 million combined Google+ network, nine previously-selected Cadbury fans sampled the new product before anyone else in the world online.
Cadbury now boasts almost 50,000 members in it’s Cake and Baking Community where consumers share recipes and Cadbury gives a range of sweet and treat ideas. Shaping these conversations and generating a strong online, interactive community. To celebrate the social engagement on Google+ Cadbury is using Eric Lanlard – a world class French pâtissier and celebrity chef – to host a Google Hangout where consumers can ask him questions and he will do live demonstrations: https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/coj80mqhers4234s0ltd5uqpb40
Cadbury and Eric Lanlard
It is interesting to look at the relationship that exists between brands (such as Cadbury) and social media platforms (such as Google+) and to consider to what extent Google+ owes it’s social media engagement to brand activities such as Cadbury. It’s the chicken or the egg argument – do people want to engage in Cadbury content and thus join Google+, or do people want to join Google+ and then happen to engage with Cadbury at a later point during the social media consumer journey?
Whilst the example of Cadbury’s Google+ PR activity is admirable, it is still a long way off the consumer engagement, as well as quality and quantity of content, that FMCG brands are enjoying on the likes of Facebook and Twitter. However, hats off to Cadbury for actually using the Google+ platform that will inevitability become just as big as the Internet giant Google which is behind it.
