Bank of America fails at social media.

As a thunderstorm pounds away this morning, I have to admit that I've not been to my Flickr account in sometime. I mostly share pictures on Facebook these days and Flickr was really not about business for me. Sure there are a few shots of business stuff, like travel. That said, it certainly wasn't designed to be a component of any particular event, just a visual representation of activities in my life and that of my family.

I frankly haven't had the time to express my passion for amateur photography lately. You know, the kind of shots you take early on a weekend morning when the lighting is just right and you have no other place to be at that moment in time.

That said, I was looking at how brands are using Flickr. I came across some interesting groups, one that struck me as orphaned was the Bank of America photostream. When you dig deeper you see that they've started a promotion to coincide with the Beijing Olympics called Americascheer.com. It's clear this is about getting people to sign-up for a high-interest Visa to support the team.

Now at first glance, one could argue that this is maybe a decent idea to many mainstream corporate types. Unfortunately from my perspective this needs to be chalked up as a miss. A clear lack of commitment and understanding, even down to the Flickr profile thumbnail icon being blank.

Here's where I think they're going wrong.

1. Clear lack of commitment overall - Their photostream is left for weeks at a time...the Olympics are just around the corner are they not? More activity, engagement and discussion is needed as part of a larger strategy online. This still feels like a big bank going "here you go little minions, have fun..." at least to me.
   
2. Who are the Bank of America customers brand evangelists online and are they involved in the campaign? It doesn't appear so to me.
3. Sure people are cheering for the U.S. team, but does anybody really "love" the Bank of America?
   

This is more about B-o-A pushing as a faceless corporation. The real human aspect of this frankly is the profile of the group's contact. Photo's of a happy family, NOT a faceless corporation allowed me to feel positive about something related to this discussion and it had little to do with the bank...that's the richness that the campaign is lacking in my opinion.

I believe Bank of America could have went further with a more complete overall strategy...that said it's probably a good thing they didn't since this small effort is dismal at best. Oh well, another case study to use and teach others with...

Edmonton, Alberta Business Link

I had the pleasure once again to present at the Business Link yesterday and there was a great crowd from all walks of life. Here's what a few of them had to say...

Walter Schwabe Featured in Singapore e-zine

A small but interesting case in point that relationships can be built via social networking, if done properly. Awhile back I joined xing.com and through that and other social networking sites i met a really great lady from Singapore - Ange Teo. (By the way, email Ange and she can send you a copy of the e-zine). One of her business ventures, (she's very busy) is all related to "cross cultural consulting". To further her cause, she recently launched a new e-zine (very good idea and social object) and asked me if I'd like to be the inaugural feature, flattered, I of course said "yes". You can watch the two part video interview here.

This ongoing exchange with Ange is a also a tremendous opportunity for both of us to pursue other business related opportunities. In fact, we're currently talking about several ideas that make sense for us both...stay tuned you never know there may be a fusedlogic blog post coming from Singapore soon, right Ange?

Edmonton Alberta Real Estate Agent Judy Clare Packer

In this youtube video, I had the opportunity to interview Judy of Edmonton's leading Real Estate team ReMax Excellence and ask her some questions regarding her profession. As well as, questions regarding social networking and whether she thought that social networking, facebook were gaining importance within her industry. This video is 7+ minutes long...and it's informative...

Edmonton Alberta Real Estate - More Targeted Buyers

After having visited edmontonrealestateblog.com I was able to identify some stats on the Edmonton housing market. We talk about how Real Estate pros should generate interest from targeted buyers rather than simple leads.

Facebook, Real Estate, Alberta

Join this fusedlogic facebook group too.

fusedlogic Catalyst Moment - Communication

disruptor team...