Social Media Monitoring of Cabin Fever Maple Whisky

     History: Cabin Fever Maple Whiskey is an 80 proof whiskey originally produced in New Hampshire. What started out as a back yard hobby has quickly turned into a successful family business. After traveling through different parts of the world and trying local Spirits, Rob Robillard decided that New England needed a local Spirit of it's own. "You can easily identify Scotch with Scotland, Tequila with Mexico, and Bourbon with The South. That trend extends all the way down to such roots and fruits as Icelandic Moss. Now being a man of reason, Rob sensed immediately that a Maple Whisky was going to taste a whole heck of a lot better than one derived from Icelandic Moss. From that point forward, the Cabin Fever project was underway, (cabinfever.com)"

Rob brought on board his wife Melissa, brother John and sister-in-law Julie to help create the perfect recipe. After making and testing several recipes, and sounding a bit like Goldie Locks, they were all deemed either too sweet, not sweet enough or too weak. Finally, after 3 years and countless "Marketing Unfocused Groups" (aka: volunteer taste testers), they created the recipe that is today's Cabin Fever. Rob, Melissa, John and Julie Robillard are now the proud owners of Custom Spirits, LLC.



Grassroots Marketing: With full time jobs and little to no budget, The Robillards had to market their product the old fashioned way; Grassroots Marketing. In their free time, they literally went door-to-door offering samples and tastings of their product to anyone that would try it. With their target market being males and females between the ages of 21-35, they went to bars, liquor stores, clubs, sports events and any other place they could think of. And in order to get the word out to where they would be heading next, they turned to Facebook. Along with the Cabin Fever fan page, each Robillard had their own Facebook page that they would post tastings on and send out event invitations to friends and family. Soon, Julie Robillard became, Julie CabinFever Robillard on Facebook, and went from a few hundred friends, to 3,085 friends as of March 15, 2011. That's about 1,000 more friends than the official Cabin Fever Facebook page. Her personal Facebook page has become the unofficial Cabin Fever page where friends, family and Cabin Fever fans can post all things Cabin Fever. And when someone posts a question or a comment, Julie personally responds. Her cell phone number is posted on her page, and if you call her with a question, she will call you back with an answer.

People are encouraged to post pictures, add their favorite Cabin Fever Recipe, tell their favorite Cabin Fever related story and spread the word about Cabin Fever. And they do!



 

The Robillards also use Twitter to market Cabin Fever. Julie's Twitter account is strictly to promote Cabin Fever and announce events. She has 122 followers, so it doesn't have the same impact as Facebook for Cabin Fever.

@CabinFever80pf Julie Robillard

Join Cabin Fever on St.Patricks Day at Cigar Masters Worcester with the Tom Dixon Band, Friday night at Amesbury... http://fb.me/MteG82yI

13 Mar via Facebook Favorite Retweet Reply

Social Media Monitoring:  To monitor Cabin Fever in social media, I used several different resources. Along with Flickr, Youtube and Facebook, I also used IceRocket, google.com/insights/search, Social Mention, Yahoo!Pipes, Addictomatic, Twazzup, and blogsearch.google.com. I found there to be growing talk about Cabin Fever in the Groundswell.

Through google blog search, there were quite a few people talking about Cabin Fever, and almost all of it was positive. Here's what a few people are blogging about Cabin Fever, including one man talking about buying his father Cabin Fever for his birthday, and the other posted on a New Hampshire bloggers site on March 9, 2011

"visited over at my folks place with the family, my sister and her husband. my dad's birthday is this week - so Holly baked a kickass carrot cake! we got my dad a bottle of Cabin Fever for his birthday. we picked a bottle up for a cake over the christmas holiday and found it was just awesome stuff! my dad had some last week (he's not a whiskey drinker much) and mentioned he wanted to take a bottle down to the keys for the trip coming up. figured we'd just pick it up and he wouldn't forget it. if you haven't had the stuff - try it. it's maple infused whiskey and is something really fantastic!" (bobbyroastbeef's blog).

Most creative maple syrup uses:
I have a maple flavored something that is amazing... but I didn't make it. Cabin Fever Whiskey. Made right here in NH. Who ever thought of that was a genius. -Lisa (nh.com blogger).


I found a few Cabin Fever related videos on Youtube. The top one was a commercial made by the owners of Cabin Fever. It has 964 views, 3 'likes' and 0 'dislikes,' and two comments, which are both positive. The other video is from an episode of 'Cigar Think Tank.' It's over 12 minutes long, has only 33 views, 0 comments, and doesn't mention Cabin Fever until several minutes into the video, which is longer than most people will have the patience to watch.

I found an increased interest for Cabin Fever in Food & Drink related searches over the past few months through google. The graph shows a huge jump from January 2011 to February 2011. The amount of searches increased from 44 to 75 on the google chart. There was an even greater increase of Cabin Fever coming up in Alchohol related searches from January to February of this year.

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fig%2Fmodules%2Fgoogle_insightsforsearch_interestovertime_searchterms.xml&amp;up__property=empty&amp;up__search_terms=cabin+fever+whiskey%7Cmaple+infused+whiskey&amp;up__location=empty&amp;up__category=71&amp;up__time_range=empty&amp;up__compare_to_category=false&amp;synd=open&amp;w=320&amp;h=350&amp;lang=en-US&amp;title=Google+Insights+for+Search&amp;border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&amp;output=js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fig%2Fmodules%2Fgoogle_insightsforsearch_interestovertime_searchterms.xml&amp;up__property=empty&amp;up__search_terms=cabin+fever+whiskey%7Cmaple+infused+whiskey&amp;up__location=empty&amp;up__category=71&amp;up__time_range=empty&amp;up__compare_to_category=true&amp;synd=open&amp;w=320&amp;h=350&amp;lang=en-US&amp;title=Google+Insights+for+Search&amp;border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&amp;output=js"></script>

Facebook overall has the most mentions, pictures, comments and talk of Cabin Fever. And, a majority of this happens on Julie's page. There is a constant stream of her 'friends' posting on her wall, tagging her in Cabin Fever related pictures, asking and getting answers to Cabin Fever related questions, and where word of mouth marketing is working. On March 11th, Julie posted a picture of her new liscence plate for her car. There were 52 'likes' and over 15 positve comments just about her liscense plate. There were several comments about how much people liked the liscense plate and wanted one for themselves, but there was also a comment that simply had to do with another person passing on their enthusiasm for Cabin Fever.

Felicia Germain fred you got danny hooked on cabin fever through your dad,,,,thanksssss,,,love to all of you

Saturday at 7:16am ·

Cabin Fever has gone from being brewed as a hobby, to being sold in over 20 states in just 4 years. The Robillards are using social media as a successful marketing tool to listen, embrace, energize and encourage word of mouth marketing through the groundswell to get the word out about their product. They have marketed their product to thousands of people they may not have otherwise reached, and openly give credit to their customers, "Doubling sales each year validates that Cabin Fever has been warmly embraced by consumers. Our only means to build the brand has been grass roots marketing, a meager advertising budget, and a lot of sweat equity. Cabin Fever's growth is a credit to the legion of folks that have tried the product, embraced it, and spread the word that America has something to be proud of. No corporate bail outs here, no foreign investment takeovers; Cabin Fever is brought to you by a small, American family," (cabinfever.com). The last few months of monitoring have shown an increase in sales and interest for Cabin Fever, it'll be interesting to see if that growth can continue through the next several months.

*I would like to appologize because the graphs appear as graphs in the preview, but will not show up when I hit publish.

Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to the (Animal) Rescue!

 I have been an animal lover my whole life. I grew up with dogs, cats, hamsters, turtles and almost every other species you could think of. My favorite birthday present I have ever received was for my 16th birthday; my Golden Retriever Willie. After I moved away from home, I always said the first thing I would get when I bought my own house was a dog. Three years after buying our house, my husband and I have two big fat hairy labs that live quite a comfortable life.  Norman and Doug (my two furry boys) not only posses human names, but we treat them like they are our kids. They have doggie play dates with their dog relatives and friends, come to cookouts and if at all possible, come on vacation with us. Are my dogs spoiled? Absolutely! My favorite blanket is now a dog snuggie courtesy of Doug! But I wouldn't have it any other way. And all of my friends and family treat their dogs the same way.

 But not everyone feels the same way about their pets as myself and my friends and family. I first witnessed the indescribable abuse and neglect that animals in this country suffer when I went to visit my friend while she was working at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. She worked in Dogtown, which at the time housed 700 dogs. There were dogs there that had been neglected, abandoned, had one eye because the other had been shot out during it's owner's target practice (with the dog being it's target!), had been bait dogs in dog fighting rings, or the owner just didn't have any use for the dog anymore. I had never seen anything more heartbreaking in my life. For the two weeks I spent visiting my friend, I went to work with her every day as a volunteer helping anyway I could. When it was time to go, I had a really difficult time leaving. I wanted to help, but I lived 2,000 miles away. I would send a donation every few years and would occasionally go to local shelters to walk a dog or pet a cat, but I didn't feel there was much more I could do. But then I received an email in April 2010 that would change my life.
 I opened my email one afternoon and there was a message from a friend with a picture of a chocolate lab named Wade that was going to be euthanized at 4:00 pm if there wasn't a rescue or foster lined up. It was 1:00 pm already. I had no idea how old Wade was, if he was healthy or not, or even what state he was in. But I took one look at him and I HAD to help. I replied to the message and said I would foster him. I would figure out the details later, which included breaking the news to my husband. For the next two excruciating hours I messaged back and forth with my friend. Finally, at 3:30, I got a message that Wade had been picked up by a rescue group from the shelter in Georgia, and would be transported to my house in a few weeks. I literally burst into tears I was so happy! Even though it seemed like an eternity at the time, in just a few short hours I had helped save a dogs life literally moments before he was to be gassed to death. Right after I texted my husband with a picture of our new foster dog and reassured him we REALLY weren't going to keep him, I posted a picture of Wade on my Facebook page with a note that said, "Here's our new foster dog! He'll be here in a few weeks and is looking for his new fur-ever home."



 Within minutes people started commenting about how cute he was, was he really my foster dog, how could they get more info about him and who would they need to contact about adopting him. I answered each question immediately, and to make a long story short, within a few short days, Wade was adopted before he even got here! Something that I was positive would not have happened as quickly without Facebook.
 With Wade adopted before he even arrived, I had space for a foster dog still. I agreed to foster a yellow lab from the same shelter, and he was going to be coming up on the same transport as Wade. So again, I posted a picture and note about my new foster dog named River on Facebook. Again, in just a few days, River was adopted from someone I knew on Facebook. So again, with space for a foster, I went onto the Facebook page of Have a Heart, the rescue group I had started working with, to find another foster dog. I found a black lab, agreed to foster her, posted it on Facebook, and again, another dog was adopted. All three dogs I had posted on Facebook in one month had been adopted almost immediately! I couldn't believe it.
 Animal rescue groups are turning to social media more and more to get the word out about pet adoption. NAID Charities is a new virtual animal rescue sight. The idea behind it is to build a data base consisting of current pet owners, specific demographics, animal bloggers, tweeters, etc. in the hopes of reaching people who have a higher potential to adopt. The data base will grow and include more potential adopters the more it is used and shows up in other search engines.

NAIDCharities is a ‘virtual animal rescue’. We don’t keep any animals, we don’t feed any animals, and most times, we don’t even see any animals. But we’re making a big difference anyway. Just being invisible.
We are a non-profit organization that helps abandoned animal placement services find homes for pets faster. How? Well, it’s all about social networking. We tell more people about the pet than would have ever known with traditional methods. And not just any home will do - we work to find the right type of owner with a little extra homework behind the scenes.

Pedigree dog food started a non-profit organization to increase pet adoptions. The company uses it's commercials to advertise its product, but also to encourage people to adopt by using shelter dogs as the stars of the ads.

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Pedigree's website has links to twitter, facebook and places to volunteer. The site also has the amount of money donated so far this year along with the comapnies goal, how to pick the perfect breed of dog for your family, training for puppies, and other advice for current and potential dog owners. Obviously Pedigree is using its site to advertise its product as well, too. Listed under the "Really Good Food' tab are all possible types of dog food, all Pedigree of course. But the company is using its brand to draw people's attention to an important cause. People have found the commercials to be so touching, there are countless numbers on YouTube. And not only can you watch a commercial you liked again, there are follow up videos of some of the successful adoptions.

 Social Media has truely begun to impact almost every part of our society. We can not only reconnect with old friends on Facebook or follow celebrities on Twitter, but we can save the lives of pets we otherwise would'nt have even known about. My hope is that some day shelters will be a thing of the past. That there can be more 'virtual rescues' or rescues without walls because more people will have access to how to help and adopt. Thousands of dogs are euthanized every day because shelters are overcrowded and not enough pets are being adopted. With the help of social media, those numbers have the potential to change. The number of adoptions can increase as people have access to more available pets, which will decrease the number of pets euthanized every day in our country. In the meantime, check social media sites for pets available for adoption, and PLEASE spay and neuter your pets!




sources: http://jason-fayling.blogspot.com/2010/07/naidcharities-virtual-animal-rescue.html, http://naidcharities.org/, http://www.haveaheartfl.org/, http://www.pedigree.com/03adoption/

Grammy 2.0

 As I sat down in front of my TV Sunday night, I could barely contain my excitement that the Grammy's were on! I watched as Lady Gaga was carried inside of an egg (she truly never ceases to amaze me!) and each artist that performed was better than the last. When Lenny Kravitz came out to introduce Muse, I could no longer keep my excitement to myself. I HAD to share my thoughts on Facebook. So, I posted exactly what was on my mind, "I freakin love Muse! And even though Lenny Kravitz hasn't changed his look (or outfit) since 1991, he's still dead sexy!" Pulitzer Prize winning material? Not at all. But, thought provoking? Apparently. Within 10 minutes I had three 'likes' and a, "Omg I could Not agree More." Thus began my night of status updates and comments with friends about anything and everything Grammy.



 At the same time I was updating my status and commenting on my friends posts during the show, I was also going to grammy.com for updates and behind the scenes videos that I couldn't get from watching the show or from Facebook.

 For years the music industry has fought with different types of social media (Napster anyone?) in order to hang on to their rights and control over music. But, after years spent fighting, the industry is now finally embracing social media and figuring out how to use it to their advantage and include their fans as well. This year's Grammy's was proof that the recording industry is taking social media seriously. In an interview on mashable.com, Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer of the Recording Academy said that, "...the Academy established a social media task force in 2008 and did a lot of outreach in 2009, basically assessing the climate, the places where the fans were spending their time, and evaluating the decision to jump in full force. Evan made it very clear that the Academy didn’t want to just haphazardly get involved, if the organization was going to do social media, it was going to do it correctly, (mashable)."

 As part of this year's marketing campaign, the Grammys got their fans involved through WereAllFans.com. The site basically lets fans interact with their favorite artists by creating a video compiled of youtube videos, pictures, tweets, blogs and other fan generated social media 'blips.'  Some of this year's most popular artists on we're all fans were Lady Gaga, Beyonce and The Dave Mathews Band.

 In the days leading up to the show, the Grammy's showed their openness to embrace all things social media by hosting the Social Media Rock Star Summit. Amongst stars Adam Lambert and Chamillionaire, the founders of Digg.com, Mashable.com and Foursquare.com were also a part of the panel. The summit was streamed live on grammy.com and YouTube, and for anyone who missed it, there are videos broken down by topic on grammy.com. The video clips are broken down into topics such as, "Foursquare Discussion at Social Media Rockstar Summit," and "Social Media v. Creativity at Social Media Rockstar Summit."

 During the show, fans like myself could go to grammy.com and check out behind the scenes pictures and videos. And the next day, there were links to download performances, answer polls, videos from every category, 'thank you' blogs, pictures, and this list goes on. Basically, if I missed one second of the Grammy's I could just go to grammy.com and find it.


 This year, the Grammy Awards were an interactive experience for fans like myself. It allowed us to experience the show by watching it play out on TV, but also made us feel like we were part of it all through the Grammy website and We're All Fans site. I am looking forward to what the future holds for Grammy groupies like myself. Who knows, maybe some day they'll be a virtual Barbara Streisand standing in my living room. In the meantime, I'll be on grammy.com watching the video of her performance whenever I choose. After all, it was like buttah!












sources: http://mashable.com/2010/01/25/grammys-2010/, http://www.youtube.com/, http://www.grammy.com/,

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