Revolution Series 2 Debut: How Mercedes Benz Successfully Uses Social Media to Engage

March 12, 2011
25 Comments

Social media marketing is gaining in awareness and acceptance by businesses all over the world. According to a recent report published by Burson-Marsteller…

67% of Fortune Global 100 companies use Twitter to directly engage with consumers. This is a 78% increase over the previous year. And, 9 out of 10 companies are talked about on Twitter.

When you think about social media and customer engagement, luxury brands are viewed upon through a different lens. The question is, are buyers of luxury goods engaging in social media? At the time of this recording Eleftherios Hatziioannou was Social Media Manager and Change Agent at Mercedes-Benz. During his visit to San Francisco in December, he joined me on the season premier of Revolution Season Two to discuss how a luxury car brand is not only finding success in social media, but is also changing the organization from the inside out to connect with customers through new touchpoints. I think you’ll find this discussion to be quite sincere, enlightening, and encouraging.

Eleftherios Hatziioannou is now New Media Manager at s.Oliver

Season One:
Episode 1: Empowered with Josh Bernoff
Episode 2: Silicon Valley vs. The World with Sarah Lacy
Episode 3: Rick Bakas on Social Media, Wine and Community
Episode 4: Charlene Li on Open Leadership
Episode 5: Michael Fertik on Privacy and Social Networks
Episode 6: Philip Kaplan on Social Commerce and Influence
Episode 7: Scott Monty Steers Ford to Social Relevance
Episode 8: Frank Eliason on the Social Business and Customer Service
Episode 9: Mark Burnett on Storytelling
Episode 10: CBSNews.com Editor-in-Chief Dan Farber on the Future of News
Episode 11: Katie Couric on Social Media and Real-Time Journalism – Part 1
Episode 12: Katie Couric on Fact-First-Journalism and Digital Identity – Part 2
Episode 13: Katie Couric on Privacy and Personal Branding – Part 3
Episode 14: Stanford Law’s Ryan Calo on Privacy Harm and Education

RECOMMENDED POSTS

http://twitter.com/tknuewer Thomas Knuewer

Problem is: According to my sources, he’s not working for Mercedes anymore but for fashion company S. Oliver…

http://www.linkedin.com/in/reginawalton Regina W.

Even if he’s moved on, his work at Mercedes Benz is both interesting and relevant. I’d think it set the stage for him to move on to something else.

I like how they’re talking about social media has disrupted how big companies play the marketing game.
Eleftherios Hatziioannou

Dear Thomas, it is true that I am not working for Daimler anymore. I have left the company Dec 31st and work for s.Oliver now where I am leading the New Media activities. The interview has been recorded back in Nov/ Dec when I was still Social Media Manager for Mercedes-Benz. Thank you for making this point here I guess we need to clarify even more that I moved on. It is only mentioned in the description of the youtube video. I will inform Brian about it. Thank you very much for your attention!

http://twitter.com/TJC_Buell T.J. Claridge

Hey Solis,

Recent follower of yours and this series. Looking forward to catching up on what I’ve missed. It’s great to see companies continuing to push the aspects of social media and adoption. I’m especially glad to see a brand like Mercedes Benz forging forward and really utilizing social media as an example for other brands to follow. Trail blazers often make a huge difference in this respect but also set some interesting bars by which to compare our own ventures.

I heard Hatziioannou talk about their approach with exclusivity as a way to appreciate their followers but also encourage word of mouth; is there anything you found particularily interesting in their social media approach beyond exclusivity?

-TJ
http://twitter.com/TJC_Buell T.J. Claridge

Hey Solis,

Recent follower of yours and this series. Looking forward to catching up on what I’ve missed. It’s great to see companies continuing to push the aspects of social media and adoption. I’m especially glad to see a brand like Mercedes Benz forging forward and really utilizing social media as an example for other brands to follow. Trail blazers often make a huge difference in this respect but also set some interesting bars by which to compare our own ventures.

I heard Hatziioannou talk about their approach with exclusivity as a way to appreciate their followers but also encourage word of mouth; is there anything you found particularily interesting in their social media approach beyond exclusivity?

-TJ
http://twitter.com/AgentMagnetic Jason!

Great interview. Thank you for posting.
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Todd

I had a hard time understanding how companies could leverage Facebook as a marketing tool as opposed to Linkein and Twitter. I would never have thought a high end product like Mercedes would be using it. Watching this video has reset my impressions (and some bias that I had regarding Facebook). A great educational experience. Thanks
Cd

Great video. I like the idea of Benz starting a conversation rather than pushing messages. They get it!
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http://www.redbricksmedia.com/ Media Companies In San Francis

Like a throwback to 1848, the California Gold Rush is back in action, but instead of extracting wealth from Mother Earth it’s being found in a new age marketing medium — social media.
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John06671

Typing commnet here> I think Mercs are naff!!
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ABOUT ME

Brian Solis is principal at Altimeter Group, a research firm focused on disruptive technology. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging technology on business, marketing, and culture. Solis is also globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media. His new book, What's the Future of Business (WTF), explores the landscape of connected consumerism and how business and customer relationships unfold and flourish in four distinct moments of truth. His previous book, The End of Business as Usual, explores the emergence of Generation-C, a new generation of customers and employees and how businesses must adapt to reach them. Prior to End of Business, Solis released Engage, which is regarded as the industry reference guide for businesses to market, sell and service in the social web.

Contact Brian

Follow @briansolis