Brand Channel Summary

1. Brand Channel Summary EMBARQ YouTube Channel Review – KC/IABC Business Communicator Summit February 12, 2009 Zena Weist, EMBARQ Brand Team @zenaweist – [email_address]

2. Embarq – Backstory for ’08 Objectives <ul><li>Fortune 500 </li></ul><ul><li>Operate in 18 states </li></ul><ul><li>Competition: Cable and Cord Cutters </li></ul> Embarq – Backstory for ’08 Objectives <ul><li>Fortune 500 </li></ul><ul><li>Operate in 18 states </li></ul><ul><li>Competition: Cable and Cord Cutters </li></ul>

3. ’08 Online Brand Marketing Objectives <ul><li>Build brand awareness </li></ul><ul><li>Create a presence in an online community where customers & prospects are already engaged </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Go where our target is </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Promote customer and prospect engagement and interactivity </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Expand positive sentiment built through online customer outreach </li></ul></ul> ’08 Online Brand Marketing Objectives <ul><li>Build brand awareness </li></ul><ul><li>Create a presence in an online community where customers & prospects are already engaged </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Go where our target is </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Promote customer and prospect engagement and interactivity </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Expand positive sentiment built through online customer outreach </li></ul></ul>

4. <ul><li>4 th largest US site: Larger than eBay, Amazon, MySpace or Facebook </li></ul><ul><li>65M unique visitors/month </li></ul><ul><li>420 hrs of content uploaded/hr </li></ul><ul><li>1:4 Fortune 500s </li></ul><ul><li>1:4 Searches </li></ul> <ul><li>4 th largest US site: Larger than eBay, Amazon, MySpace or Facebook </li></ul><ul><li>65M unique visitors/month </li></ul><ul><li>420 hrs of content uploaded/hr </li></ul><ul><li>1:4 Fortune 500s </li></ul><ul><li>1:4 Searches </li></ul>

5. Customers Seek Product Information on YouTube 2008 YouTube Engagement Study Base: Tech-Decision-Makers Who Visited YouTube in Past 6 Months and Have Viewed, Uploaded or Shared Tech-Related Videos Q: Which types of technology or electronics-related videos have you viewed, uploaded or shared? <ul><li>Type of Technology Videos Watched </li></ul> Customers Seek Product Information on YouTube 2008 YouTube Engagement Study Base: Tech-Decision-Makers Who Visited YouTube in Past 6 Months and Have Viewed, Uploaded or Shared Tech-Related Videos Q: Which types of technology or electronics-related videos have you viewed, uploaded or shared? <ul><li>Type of Technology Videos Watched </li></ul>

6. Technology Videos on YouTube Prompt Action 67% Have taken action as result of seeing technology or electronics-related content on YouTube . 21% Told someone about a product or service 13% Bought a technology or electronics-related product or service 47% Gathered more information about a product or service 2008 YouTube Engagement Study Base: Past 6 Month YouTube Visitors Who Watch Technology or Electronics-Related Videos. Q: Which of these actions, if any, have you taken as a result of seeing a video about technology or electronics content (e.g., videos, user comments or reviews) on YouTube? 27% Thought more favorably toward a product, brand or service 34% Considered buying a technology product or service Technology Videos on YouTube Prompt Action 67% Have taken action as result of seeing technology or electronics-related content on YouTube . 21% Told someone about a product or service 13% Bought a technology or electronics-related product or service 47% Gathered more information about a product or service 2008 YouTube Engagement Study Base: Past 6 Month YouTube Visitors Who Watch Technology or Electronics-Related Videos. Q: Which of these actions, if any, have you taken as a result of seeing a video about technology or electronics content (e.g., videos, user comments or reviews) on YouTube? 27% Thought more favorably toward a product, brand or service 34% Considered buying a technology product or service

7. Take the time to test, validate gut

8. Content Strategy <ul><li>Short-term: Contest </li></ul><ul><ul><li>HSI focus </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Long-term: How-to Videos </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Top 10 Customer Service issues </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Online Outreach </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Call Centers </li></ul></ul> Content Strategy <ul><li>Short-term: Contest </li></ul><ul><ul><li>HSI focus </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Long-term: How-to Videos </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Top 10 Customer Service issues </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Online Outreach </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Call Centers </li></ul></ul>

9. Objectives Synched w/ Brand Promise <ul><li>Channel Objectives </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Build brand awareness through engagement </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Increase EMBARQ core services awareness </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Leverage and support other EQ online initiatives </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Contest Objectives </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Drive traffic to the channel </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Engage customers and prospects with the brand </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Build EQ HSI awareness and preference </li></ul></ul>Brand promise: Practical Ingenuity Brand pillar: Customer Focus Brand personality: Simple and Easy to do business with Objectives Synched w/ Brand Promise <ul><li>Channel Objectives </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Build brand awareness through engagement </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Increase EMBARQ core services awareness </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Leverage and support other EQ online initiatives </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Contest Objectives </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Drive traffic to the channel </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Engage customers and prospects with the brand </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Build EQ HSI awareness and preference </li></ul></ul>Brand promise: Practical Ingenuity Brand pillar: Customer Focus Brand personality: Simple and Easy to do business with

10. . Brand promise tie <ul><li>Channel Objectives </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Build brand awareness through engagement </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Increase EMBARQ core services awareness </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Leverage and support other EQ online initiatives </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Contest Objectives </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Drive traffic to the channel </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Engage customers and prospects with the brand </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Build EQ HSI awareness and preference </li></ul></ul>Brand promise: Practical Ingenuity Brand pillar: Customer Focus Brand personality: Simple and Easy to do business with “ This is not a campaign, this channel is a strong extension of our brand promise – practical ingenuity. It’s a practical communication’s vehicle helping us build relationships, continue conversations, and form deeper ties in an innovative format.”

11. . Getting the word out <ul><li>Integrated online media campaign/communication plan to meet all marketing objectives </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Interact & Engage: Channel & Display </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Drive Traffic: Search & Display </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Social Media Outreach: </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Online socmed press release </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Blogger outreach (Industry & Video-enthusiasts) </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Twitter </li></ul></ul></ul>

12. . What can you do in 48 seconds????? www.youtube.com/embarq

13. . Generating BUZZ

14. . Positive sentiment Comments Cloud

15. . Compared to similar online initiatives, we kicked it! Percentile Ranking of Delta (  ) AdIndex Score: Normative Benchmarking of Brand Metric Deltas* ^ NOTE: Metrics benchmarked against Purchase Intent norms * MarketNorms Q3/08 (Category: Telecommunications - Other, Last 3 years Baseline Unadjusted, N=43 campaigns) Avg Delta 4.1 4.5 3.1 2.3 0.6 0.6 Below Average Average Above Average Excellent Aided Brand Awareness Online Ad Awareness Brand Favorability Sign-Up/Switch Intent^ Recommend Intent^ Message Association

16. . ROI Metrics meet… <ul><li>Channel Stats </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Views: >400,000 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Subscribers: 648 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Comments: 142 </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Contest Stats </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Finalist Video Views: 397,399 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Contest Videos Submitted: 281 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Contest Videos Approved: 148 </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Votes: 15,500 </li></ul></ul><ul><li>How-to Videos </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Views: >90,960 </li></ul></ul>Orders: 1802 PR: 69 Google placements, 2,520 Windows Live Placements, and 967 Yahoo! Placements

17. . ROI 2.0 - Match Metrics to Engagement <ul><li>Contest: 4200 hours spent with Embarq brand </li></ul><ul><li>201 Videos tagged “Embarq” </li></ul><ul><li>81 Inbound blog links </li></ul><ul><li>More video contest submissions than Kmart national campaign (w/ a higher media spend) </li></ul><ul><li>~660 subscribers (this is above par w/ contest spends our size) </li></ul><ul><li>~70,000 views of EQ-related user generated content </li></ul><ul><li>‘ Finalist compilation reel’ received 326,000+ views and rated 1,456 times </li></ul>

18. . What’s helping us…

19. . Roll with it

20. . The Team that championed the Channel <ul><li>Kevin Cobb: @i_am_me (Interactive Brand Manager, YT admin, socmed fiend) </li></ul><ul><li>Jerry Green: @stickmantoo (Group Manager, He who holds the purse strings, Understands our target is media agnostic) </li></ul><ul><li>Linda O’Neill: @LindaOneill (CS General Manager, Customer Advocate) </li></ul><ul><li>Joey Harper: @Embarq_Joey (Outreach lead, CS Superhero) </li></ul><ul><li>Stephanie Meisse: @meissegirl (Media Relations Manager, socmed PR pro) </li></ul><ul><li>Alisa Hansen: @alisamleo (iCrossing, Social Media Strategist, She is all that) </li></ul><ul><li>Doyle Albee: @doylealbee (Metzger Associates, President, The wise one) </li></ul>