Social Media Spotlight: John Andrews, CEO of Collective Bias

John Andrews is the CEO & Founder of Collective Bias and formerly senior manager of emerging media at Walmart Stores Inc. The company which helps brands create intense word-of-mouth around their products was created in May 2009 and now has more than 20 employees based in Bentonville, Detroit, Miami and New York. John who envisions CB as the next generation media company recently hired Ted Rubin to lead a new division and it was the perfect timing to learn more about this exciting social media business on InfluenceOn!

•  Can you tell us about Collective Bias and the Social Fabric?

Collective Bias is a media firm based in Bentonville Arkansas, with its efforts focused on the relatively new trend of shopper marketing through social media. Social Fabric is the company's exclusive, proprietary community which has grown to approximately 1,100 members.  They are bloggers, but we refer to them as media influencers.  CB facilitates the connection of these influencers to the brands (Pfizer, ConAgra, Nestle, Sara Lee, etc.) and retailers (Walmart, Sears, Target, etc.) they have an interest in, ranging from food or fashion to babies, parenting, travel, dolls or crafters. The value add for our clients are Social Listening, Social Media Amplification and our new division called cb.socially.

1. Listening allows brands and to collect information about their audience and acquire information about their wants and needs.  CB clients use Listening to better understand the digital path to purchase and plan social media campaigns.
2. Amplification is the equivalent of producing a print advertisement for social media.  We plan, manage, and analyze social media campaigns integrated with our clients' other media tactics.
3. Cb.socially handles all the day-to-day operations of the firm's and brands Facebook and Twitter pages.

• Can you share an example of a successful community outreach campaign for a client?

Here are the recent results of a ConAgra Amplification campaign we did around the new product "Pop-Up Bowls" for Orville Redenbacher at Wal-Mart. The social media campaign included blogger review and home/office parties encouraging word-of-mouth and went so well that the Walmart buyer asked ConAgra if they could get product into distribution one week earlier.

•  Any exciting development on his way at Collective Bias in 2011?

 cb.socially was just launched and is very exciting for our firm.  Again, cb.socially handles all the day-to-day operations of the firm's and brands Facebook and Twitter pages.  We are also currently building several consumer-facing media networks featuring its Social Fabric members as the content producers.  We are also launching a shopping location-based application...think "Foursquare" for shopping.  We are excited that it's a completely new way to think about a media network powered by engaged consumers and connected retail channels.

• Bonin Bough (Social Media Director at PepsiCo) said during last Social Media Week NY 2010 that women and moms are the "transforming element as they consume more social media than anyone else". Would you agree to this point?

Women have always made the majority of household spending decisions, but now they have even more purchasing power as they contribute more money to their households. Women now make more than 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions and since without women there is no social media, in my humble opinion, then yes... they are most certainly "the transforming element" and who we should all, as brands, be dedicating a great deal of resources to turn our touch points into relationships. 

• Big retailers are starting to think of social media as a major opportunity to connect with their customers. For example, Wal-Mart recently acquired social media technology platform Kosmix for $300M (WSJ: http://ow.ly/5vwL9) and Tesco bought Bzz Agent (Fresh Networks:  http://ow.ly/5vwVo). Is it an opportunity for Collective Bias and social media businesses in general?

Digital is not a place but a new way of consuming information and interacting with peers. Big companies and agencies such as Publicis or WPP are not in a position to create socially-focused campaigns because it is not in their DNA.

• Last week, AmEx announced an ambitious partnership with Foursquare and retailers like H&M to offer special discounts through mobile check-in (Fast Company: http://ow.ly/5tcZl). How do you incorporate these new mobile usage into your business strategy/community interaction?

First have them shop.  Once engaged with proper retailer then our influencer shows their path to purchase via smart phones and the app ThisMoment. Again, we are in the process of developing our own shopping location-based app that will be live soon.  Once channel has been shopped and product is purchased our blogger showcases how they use product in their daily living activities.  

• What is your take on Klout score, PeerIndex... how should marketers use them?

It is a very interesting trend. I have seen applicants for social media jobs now being asked for a minimum Klout score. At CB, we are working on finding ways to tight it in with retail.

• Would you recommend 4-5 people to follow on Twitter?

@ChrisBrogan, @JeffreyHayzlett, @LizStrauss, @CkBurgess @TedRubin 

Do you think CB is a new community engine for brands? Any thoughts or questions for John?

(Connect with John Andrews on InfluenceOn)