Cultivating Relationships with FarmVille

Many view Facebook as a social platform to play games and stay in touch with friends. Where as others view these games a waste of time and perceive that those people playing these games have nothing better to do with their time.

It would be quite difficult to explain to the latter group, why and how FarmVille has 80 Million users! FarmVille is the popular farming game developed by Zynga which is now worth just over $4 Billion.

The question really is - why are so many people attracted to that game? and why are more people joining?

There are many reasons why FarmVille in particular and Zynga in general are so successful. Zynga is an extremely clever group of people that have amazing marketing skills and a very strong understanding of Social Gaming. Some concepts they put into their game are; Challenging tasks, points, levels, badges/ribbons, rewards and best of all interactivity. Interactivity is probably their key to success - "Share with Friends" or "Help your Neighbor" techniques were used excessively with FarmVille.

They marketed themselves by having the players share and post updates to their walls and by gifting their friends. This didn't only benefit Zynga, but it also benefited the people sharing and gifting.

You see, Social Media is all about sharing, building and "cultivating" relationships - whether new or existing. People that would like to have discussions seek a common interest with the second party, once that connection is made, a conversation is born! Zynga provided just that! A reason for people to talk, something to have in common, and ultimately a reason to be on FaceBook!

Personally, as a non-traditional marketer, who uses social media in order to market products/services, or to compile research data. I found it challenging to enter into conversation or to get the satisfied results I was after. This is a general challenge that most people face in life, it is not easy to stay in touch with everyone and it is quite difficult to start a conversation when you have a targeted agenda.

That is where Social Media comes in! On these platforms we are more likely to find a common interest that will ultimately lead us to conversation. FarmVille may be one of these examples amongst many other similar applications and status updates.

Here's an example of a conversation:

1. On my wall I see: "Jonny - needs 1 more nail to complete his barn"

2. I then see him online and I choose to chat with him.

3. Chat goes something like this...

Me > Jonny - "Hey, how's your farm doing? I need a nail and a brick to finish my barn"

Jonny > Me - "Hey, great, I'm almost done my barn, only need one more nail... can you gift it to me?"

Me > Jonny - "Sure, one sec..."

Me > Jonny - "Done..."

Jonny > Me - "Thanks"

Me > Jonny - "So other than FarmVille, how are you doing?"

Jonny > Me - "All is normal, how about you?"

Me > Jonny - "Great, I'm working on this marketing project - which you actually might be able to help me out with"

Jonny > Me - "Sure, how can I help?"

What happened in this example was, the common interest was used to get to a predetermined agenda by using social means. The marketer was able to give something to his friend and get something in return. When people are playing a game, their "guards" are lowered, they are now in a more social attitude. Right now their concern is to get as many friends to join their co-op or send them materials for the barn they are building. Once a friend does this "favor" for them - the latter has just scored some "brownie points" and now has the opportunity to ask a favor in return, whilst the first friend does not see it as a threat or a bother.

This is one of the many benefits of social media and what many businesses and individuals are catching on to now. No wonder why Social Media is growing at such a successful rate. Games are being used as powerful marketing tools and Ice-Breakers. Businesses can now offer fun experiences and individuals have a common interest to start a conversation.

So, will you ever play FarmVille the same way again?

Please share your experiences and your take on Social Gaming or the like.

Join KolBaKol and Social Media Squad to find out more about The benefits of Social Media and what opportunities can be found - find out how you can catch on and milk this cash cow today!

Yermi Kurkus is the Co-founder of KolBaKol and runs their Social media squad department which advises businesses, job seekers and entrepeneurs on how to use social media to maximize its usage to their individualized benefit. KolBaKol builds privatized social platforms for businesses that seek to catch on to this competitive advantage and seeks to interact with their audiences. Social Media Squad offers services for this platform which creates a unique and innovative experience for the company's audience. For more information Yermi can be contacted via email or Twitter.

Montreal Bell Center Plane "Crash"

Photo credit: Marcos Townsend, The Gazette

Montreal downtown residents woke up to a little scare. As reported by the Montreal Gazzette, an ultra-light plane appeared to have crashed into a SUV outside the Bell Center, home of the Montreal Canadian's hockey team. The "crash" was a fake, it was a publicity stunt by French Canal D promoting their new TV series "J'ai frôlé la mort!" (I cheated death) which airs March 29.

This publicity stunt was intended to create a buzz, get people and media talking about it. What better way to publicize their stunt that actually brands their show, which dramatically recreates actual accidents that people have survived.

Wether or not their feedback and comments were negative or positive, they have achieved free publicity for their show. Now more people would be curious to watch how people have cheated death since they had something quite real to relate to.

As an outsider and marketer, I personally think this was slightly extreme but definitely got the results it was looking for. (just wished the show were in English).

Marketing Take-Away:

Don't be to concerned about what feedback or comments you will generate with your publicity stunts. Creating a buzz within your own branding is the primary focus! Let the media and audience do the rest, as the old British proverb goes - "curiosity, killed the cat!"

Good job Canal D and the producers of "J'ai frôlé la mort!" I am positive your show will be great and successful!

Feel free to tweet or digg this article or share it with your friends.

Follow us on:
Facebook
Twitter

Linkedin

Google Buzz

“Eat Here and Get Gas!” - The Effects of Proper Communication in Leadership

A personal review and critique on Leadership in Action Papers – Communication (Lusthaus, C. Class Notes: Communication 2004)

About the Author: Dr. Charles Lusthaus; was an associate professor in the Department of Administration and Policy Studies in McGill University, and a partner in Universalia Management Group which is a Montreal-based management consulting firm. Dr Lusthaus is also faculty advisor to the Centre for Educational Leadership, McGill University.

Main Idea: The leader’s job is, to use all the tools needed in communicating well to his subordinates. If the leader fails to properly manage these tools and use them to their maximum capabilities, maybe the answer to the poor performance shown by the subordinates.

Points of the article: A leader is a person who monitors, makes decisions and distributes information. The leader spends 80% of his time communicating.

“Leadership, in a word, is impossible without communication” (Page 231)

Communication has some key elements. A) Sender; one who encodes a message. B) Channel; the means used to send the message, C) Receiver; the one who then decodes the message (not always decoded the way the sender has hoped), and finally D) Feedback: what the receiver has understood from the sender, which frequently differ.

“Eat here and get gas!” (Page 232)



There are three major sources to “noise:”
1. Improper choice of words or their usage: i.e. politically incorrect, racial sensitive.
2. No Feedback: One-way feedback, (which is done by memos, written reports etc.)
3. Communication Channels: The leader must choose them properly in order for them to be affective and advantageous.


There are differences between oral and written communication. Written communication is effective in many different ways especially when it is paired with oral communication.
Non-verbal communication includes; body language and gestures, voice intonation and physical appearance. Non-verbal communication is a very powerful mean in the transmission of a message. A good leader knows how to observe and pick up quickly on these little signs. These cues are done unconsciously and quite rapidly; it is just a matter of picking them up! It is very important to be aware of cultural differences. For they cause a communication breakdown.

There is a difference between formal and informal communication. According to the best selling book in Search of Excellence. “The excellent companies are a vast network of informal, open communications. The patterns and intensity cultivate the right people’s getting into contact with each other.” (Robert H Waterman Jr. (Author), Thomas J Peters (Author), later printing edition (August 15, 1988), In search of Excellence, Publisher: Grand Central Publishing;)

In order to become an effective communicator one must be an “active listener.” Which is a term used by Carl Rogers and other counselors and therapists.

To be an active listener there are five guidelines.
1. Listen for content. Hear exactly what is said.
2. Pay attention to feelings. Try to identify how the sender feels in terms of the message content.
3. Respond to that feeling. Let the sender know that you recognize their feelings
4. Note all the cues. Be sensitive to them.
5. Restate in your own words what you understood from the sender.

This will also provide feedback to the sender confirming that his message is getting across, or at least the receiver is trying to understand the message properly.
An organization with a high consensus will have fewer quarrels. This is when the information is flowing in a form of upward and downward, inward and outward. This is elaborated more in Chester Barnard’s book called, The Functions of the Executive. (Chester I. Barnard (Author), (January 1, 1971), The Functions of the Executive - Publisher: Harvard University Press; 30 Anv edition)

It is very important for the leader to know, that in order to avoid mistakes and errors in the future. He must consult the people who will carry out the objective. This ties in very well with “repairing interrupted communication.” When the leader will ask for the subordinates’ advice, he will find any crossovers or breakdowns in the communication and jobs done. This will encourage the subordinate to work properly because they are feeling more useful and part of the job, as well as not “knocking their heads together.” (Page 238)

Effective communication is a two-way process where there is a sender and receiver. The leader will play either one of these roles, it requires good interpersonal skills where he will have to understand the situation and where the other is coming from, and he has to recognize where personal biases may interfere with what is taking place.
The American Management Association published “The Ten Commandments of Good Communication.” Which is meant to give the reader a good foundation for building and maintaining a good set of interpersonal communication skills. (American Management Association (1955). The Ten Commandments of good communication. New York: American Management Association.)

Conflict is very upsetting and disturbing to some people in an organization. There are several ways how to manage these conflicts. A) Lose-Lose conflict, B) Avoidance (not such a good option), C) Win-Lose conflict, and D) Win-Win conflict (which is the ideal and most effective way.)

A personal Evaluation and Critique
The article is a very well written and informative. Many of these theories and advice have been found and proven to work. They are constantly used in many case studies our company conducts, where the feedback from our clientele is positive.

There are, however, some minor details that the author left out in his article.
Matters like; Leadership styles, the expectancy and perception of the subordinates from their leader, as well as some matters on diversity. These are some important factors to consider.

In the portion of the article where the author is talking about, the effective leader choosing the proper channels for communicating in a given situation. Some information was missing. It needs to be understood that sometimes the subordinates expect a certain type of leadership from their superiors, whereas others expect a different kind of leadership. This a great challenge a lot of leaders face.
This is where Robert House’s Path-Goal Theory kicks in. The theory says; that the leader must cater his behaviour according to the situation and in various leadership styles/behaviours that are expected from him by his subordinates.
This little detail may have played a large role in this article and may have given a little more of insight as to a true effective leader.


In regards to Diversity, this is now a growing concern with the population growth in Canada mainly dependent on immigration. More and more diverse people from different backgrounds, cultures and upbringings, are finding their way into the workforce. Therefore the Leader must accustom himself, to their needs, expectancies, and form of communication. Women may also be a factor in this diversity; the birth rate is decreasing due to women in the workforce. Therefore one must pay attention to these important factors to communication barriers and methods.



Summery
In order to be an effective leader today, in our society, it is important to remember that communications is both ways. The effective leader must consider who is the second or third party involved. He must recognize the situation, the other party’s position and expectancies, and he must recognize where he stands with his biases and perceptions. Once the leader has identified these three criterions, the outcome of the communication will be better understood, effectively executed and beneficial to all parties involved.

Follow us on:
Facebook
Twitter

Linkedin