Lil Wayne V. Oreo: No Contest

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Oreo, arguably “the world’s favorite cookie”, set out to make history by trying to setting a Guinness World Record for the most likes on a Facebook post within a day. Eager to drum up relevant press as a marketing and advertising tool, Oreo created a goal based around social networking and its’ power. After 24 hours, Oreo did manage to set the world record with over 114,619 likes.

Not to be outdone, a few hours later rapper Lil Wayne encouraged his Facebook friends to do the same thing. He asked his friends to help him set a Guinness World Record for the most Facebook likes in 24 hours as well. I’m sure that executives at Oreo were blindsided because at the end of Lil Wayne’s time frame he garnered 473,624 more likes than Oreo did just five hours before. Game over!

While I admire Oreo’s creativity and gumption, they must have figured that they could never maintain such a record. The once novel idea will be used to stroke the ego of several other popular public figures. Lil Wayne is just the first ...
... to show off his social media power and reach. No telling who is next. Lil Wayne willfully set out to crush Oreo even before their 24 period had come to a close. Oreo never stood a chance against the musical powerhouse. Fairly enough, Guinness did recognize Oreo for its’ accomplishment, even if it was short lived.

Lil Wayne and other international pop stars have the social networking base that most companies can only dream of. Facebook, Twitter and other online networks have given stars a highly personalized outlet that enables them to communicate with their faithful friends or followers anytime they want to. Artists like Lil Wayne can promote their music and other business ventures faster than on radio and television. Celebrities can engage their fans and solicit feedback in a way that even popular companies cannot.

The difference is in the relationship between companies and consumers and celebrities and fans. People don’t normally imagine having a conversation with a company, apart from as an employee. There are few people that dream of meeting the President of Nabisco or Kraft, Oreo’s parent companies, or even know who they are. People would much rather meet a superstar recording artist and therefore are more likely to socially engage with them online. Lil Wayne has many more Facebook friends than Oreo, so acquiring that many likes should not have come as a surprise.

The increasingly celebrity driven society that we live in is only propelled by social networking sites and the blogosphere. Stars don’t have to wonder what their fans want, think or feel. Facebook essentially provides free market research and surveying services that lets Lil Wayne and others stay in tune with the beat of their fans on a very regular basis. What Oreo and other companies should take from this experience is that every effort should be made to consistently engage with consumers to make them feel like their thoughts are an integral part of your business.