Context Optional: Social network application development and social media strategy: Facebook Applications, Facebook Pages, Facebook Connect, and the iPhone

Publicize information about Target’s corporate social responsibility activities, particularly its community outreach programs. Increase engagement with and knowledge of Target’s initiatives by soliciting consumer participation.

Solution

Create an interactive voting application that lives on Target’s Facebook page. Allow all page visitors to:

• Submit a vote for their favorite charity
• See how their vote directly influences the amount of funds given to their chosen charity
• Send out news feed items announcing their participation and soliciting more voters
• Support voting activity with regular status updates to fans and strong paid media outreach to drive page traffic

Result

Within three weeks of the campaign launch, more than 260,000 people submitted their vote for which charity deserves the largest share of Target’s $3 million dollar donation. More than 600,000 people visited the voting page (including more than 190,000 from newsfeed items alone), resulting in an increase of more than 70,000 fans for Target.