Our Work

Cisco Linksys Router

Cisco and Friend2Friend show that Facebook users will engage with and buzz about a sexy black box.

Background

Cisco is the industry leader in networking hardware, software, and services that create the backbone of the internet. The Linksys brand takes networking into the home, with more than 70 products for both wired and wireless home networks. Although Cisco did not typically advertise on social networks, they wanted to engage on Facebook and connect with people in social setting, where they like to hang out. Cisco was looking for a way to reach online consumers that was interactive, engaging and social.

Objectives

  1. Put a human face on a technology brand
  2. Reach a consumer audience on social networks
  3. Test the viral marketing possibilities for a technology product
  4. Obtain consumer feedback on the new Linksys router design

Results

Friend2Friend added two Linksys routers to the ProductPulse application on Facebook, and set up a weekly contest. They weren’t sure what response they would get for a router — a technology product which may appear a simple “black box” to many consumers.

To their surprise, the routers generated a high level of engagement, comments, and participation from users. The two-week campaign generated almost 10,000 participants, and although comments were not required to enter the contest, an astounding 43% of participants commented on the routers. Their participation and comments were posted on their friends’ Facebook news feed, resulting in almost 2 million social impressions in the two week period.

The Cisco marketing team was curious to know just what social networkers were saying about their routers, so the Friend2Friend team developed a tag cloud interface designed to help the marketing team synthesize the social media content. This tag cloud feature remains today as a valuable tool for Friend2Friend customers, allowing them to quickly capture the essence of the online buzz generated by Friend2Friend’s applications. An example of this technology is currently displayed at TweetCloud where users can see what’s being said about any topic or brand on Twitter.