Without annoying pop-ups or other irritants, Jelly Belly has succeeded in making social media nearly unavoidable for Web page visitors. Click on the company's home page and a toolbar appears at the bottom displaying the various options, including "Shop JellyBelly.com," "Click here to see our latest Facebook updates," "(Facebook) Like," "Click here to watch videos from our YouTube channel," "Click here to share this page" and (while not exactly a "new media" function) a cool "Translate" button aimed at Jelly Belly's worldwide customer base. With one click, this can transform the page into Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Russian.
While not yet reaching Kutcheresque social media status, Jelly Belly's Facebook fan page boasts a respectable 236,302 members (as of Nov. 12) and the interactive toolbar function allows you to post a message and connect to Facebook if you hadn't already. And as far as the latest updates, the window fills up regularly with both corporate and fan input about everything from singer/Jelly Belly aficionado Kina Graniss' (see previous post) upcoming "Ellen" performance (Tuesday, Nov. 15) to a Nov. 11 corporate post listing the 11 best-selling Jelly Belly bean flavors (Berry Blue Blueberry, Bubble Gum, Buttered Popcorn, Coconut, Cotton Candy, Green Apple, Juicy Pear, Licorice, Very Cherry and Watermelon).
As an ardent Jelly Belly fan myself, I wasn't too surprised to see robust participation on Jelly Belly's Facebook page, but it was encouraging (and a little surprising) to see how often Jelly Belly responded and interacted with fan-generated information. Reacting to one fan's post about Graniss' "Ellen" appearance, Jelly Belly responded "We do and we can't wait! Our DVRs are already set."
The YouTube channel offers a variety of content, including a Kina Graniss-led video factory tour (where you can watch her eat a rotten-egg flavored jelly bean) and recipes and suggestions for using Jelly Belly from folks like Karen Stack, author of "Hello, Cupcake!" and "What's New, Cupcake?" Stack's latest video offers tips on how to make pumpkin-shaped cupcakes using not only Jelly Belly's signature jelly beans, but other Jelly Belly products like gummi fish, one of which she cuts in half to use the tail for the pumpkin's stem.
"You may not know," Stack tells viewers, "but Jelly Belly makes all different kinds of candy." If that weren't enough, promotion-wise, she then suggests visiting a local candy store or logging on to JellyBelly.com.
JellyBelly.com would earn high marks for "organization" from Halvorson and as long as someone can find the home page (Google it), the sky's the limit. The site is chock-full of both user-friendly and high-quality content, both company- and fan-generated.
So whether you need to shop for candy or find a winter-themed computer desktop wallpaper (listed under "Fun Stuff"), you're never more than a few clicks away.
I'm surprised to see a brand like this. Back in my country there's couple of chocolate brands that work like JellyBelly. However, the interactivity between brand and consumers on the web is something amazing, I'm glad to know this brand and I hope eat some candys in a close future.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how a simple jelly bean can reach a worldwide customer base through fun social media practices and extending to other forms of promotion. And to have a cycling team, to boot.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about how active Jelly Belly was in promoting their products. Or that they had such an active fanbase.
ReplyDeleteA good rundown of what this company is doing in social media. You have actually covered the bases on the blog prompt, while offering a lot of good examples. I find it curious, however, that in the midst of all this, they have no corporate Twitter identity. I wonder why.
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