Westfield Facebook application draws fire

This is an excellent promotion leveraging the viral aspect of facebook… Some people may have an issue with seeing their entire news feed filled with “All I Want for Christmas is a Westfield Gift Card” … However it only shows the success of the promotion that over 200,000 people have added the app! Simple, low barrier and viral. Well done Westfield & if anyone has an issue with their news feed filling up, take it up with your mates.

We wouldn’t work for Westfield, would we Chris…

I do object to my screen being cluttered with spam. Just because it may be successful for Westfield, doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to Facebook users.

how does anyone know it’s successful? have the 200,000 people all gone out and bought gift cards.

easy on proclaiming success based on a big number ppl. won’t be so successful if you annoy 800,000 people would it?

It kind of goes against everything fb Product Managers are working towards.
http://blog.facebook.com/blog......6797817130
-scroll to a Better Facebook With Less Spam

Given the changes above giving more control to the user its unlikely you will see an app. that auto status updates again.

I’m more pissy about allowing the app and then being told that (having not read the fine print) that I don’t qualify because I live in the sunny state of Queensland.

(Comment removed on the grounds of offensiveness and illiteracy – Tim, Mumbrella)

John Barry sounds more like an employee of the Westfield I’ve come to know and love.

(Comment removed on the grounds of offensiveness and illiteracy – Tim, Mumbrella)

@Justin – Agree with you that it seems to go again the direction Facebook are trying to take, and it’s interesting that they’ve not commented on it at all.

My thoughts are basically, that it’s a great campaign, and a great idea, but they could have done just as well using becoming a fan as the entry requirement rather than status updates.

I’ve tried to explain it here – http://bit.ly/73LyO4
(sorry, not pimping, just not enough space to do it as a comment).

Cheers.

John Barry…what a guy! *claps*
Westfield viral campaign is great and obviously creating a lot of awareness.
If people are sick of seeing the application coming up in their news feed you can block it, so they should really stop complaining.

Yeah its just like any app that can post to the feed block it if you don’t want to see it & if you entered you wont get it by xmas as its drawn on on Thursday 14th January 2010 so don’t go gettting you’re hopes up it going to make your xmas any better..

I’d like to ask where Facebook’s responsibility is in all this is?

Westfield did this in collaboration with Facebook. I

think the idea was well designed by Westfield and well investigated before implementation.

But there is now a backlash – and rightly so! It’s way too intrusive. The proposition and offer were strong enough without it being forced down everyones thoats.

It’s a campaign that contradicts Facebooks own policy (4.2 I believe) yet done with full collaboration with Facebook Australia.

So, perhaps Facebook Australia now have bigger revenue targets to make or something, as they’ve likely bent the rules here and now face the concequences….

I don’t hold Wesfield accountable at all, but I do look in the direction of Facebook.

(I do not work for either by the way)

By the looks of it the Westfield App has been removed.

[IMG]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d86/mossko/Picture1.png[/IMG]

or

http://i33.photobucket.com/alb.....cture1.png

I jumped the gun a little. On good authority, the fault is with the Australian managers of Facebook, something to do with being overwhelmed by the 300,000 odd entries.

Its a status update, it is gone from your page within a hour or so when more updates are put up. Is it really that big of a deal?

I am sure that this viral campaign has created a lot of awareness for the Westfield brand, but mostly this is a negative awareness. This campaign breaks the rule of ‘any publicity is good publicity’.

I am glad to see that the negative response to this campaign is starting to gain traction, if only to discourage other agencies and business from trying something else so frikken stupid…. Get this visual garbage off my screen. Westfield, the home of SPAM.

I don’t think that it is a bad thing at all. I was a bit suspicious at first as there are so many scams out there, but I checked it all out before signing up for it. okay so it is up on my, your ,their status for a little while, doesn’t have to be up there for long…I’m over it already…If I am the lucky person that wins the $10,000 Westfield gift card..it will all be worth it. If someone else wins then so be it…I’m over that too. I do not work for either Westfield or Facebook…

The problem is not everyone have “all i want for Christmas…” as their status, its the competition entry condition that you give the application permission to post unprompted branded status updates in your name. That part is the deal breaker…

Are you sure it’s not spam?

My understanding that an opt in for future marketing as part of a terms of a promotion are not allowed under ACMA’s guidelines.
http://westfieldgiftcards.com....../alliwant/ – T&C’s

4)
To be eligible to enter, individuals must, during the Promotional Period, click on any online icon associated with the promotion. Individuals will then be automatically directed to the promotional landing page.

To enter, individuals must then, during the Promotional Period, input their email address as requested on the landing page, agree to the Terms and Conditions, opt-in to receive future communication from the Promoter and agree to accept the Westfield Facebook application on the Facebook Platform. To accept the Westfield Facebook application, individuals must click on the link provided on the landing page and agree to upload the application. When the Westfield Facebook application has been uploaded, individuals must then update their Facebook status to read as “All I Want for Christmas is a Westfield Gift Card” using the application functionality. Once an individual’s Facebook status has been updated correctly, the Westfield Facebook application will be deemed successfully completed and individuals are then permitted to update their Facebook status at any time. No other means of status updates will be accepted.

ACMA – http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310574

Can I use pre-checked tick boxes to gain express consent?

No. Pre-checked tick boxes – for example, on a website where people can join a mailing list – are not an acceptable way of gaining consent. For express consent to exist, a person must actively >and deliberately give consent to receiving commercial electronic messages, either by checking the tick box themselves or by giving consent in some other clear and transparent way (for example, typing their email address into the ‘consent’ field of a web form).

All this shows is that competitions still work.

People will do anything to scrape what’s left of their integrity to enter them.

Then… great campaign folks!

Although not technically posted as status updates I still woke up today with a truck load of Farmville and Mafia Wars requests/updates from my friends.

From my POV just as irritating and meaningless. I have neither signed up to play or expressed any interest in either application yet I’m still subjected to them.

Its another form of marketing through news feed, only this time its not confined to a one off entry, I get updates every time a tomato has been watered or some jewel heist goes wrong!

If people have a problem with being spammed by meaningless status “updates” by all their friends, they wouldn’t be using Facebook anyway, so I fail to see the problem with this promotion.

But what about the issue of consent? By signing up to the competition you give Westfield the right to access not only your profile information but that of their friends. Since when did your mates have the right to give consent on your behalf?

Facebook can definately be utilised by brands like Westfield for quirky campaigns before Christmas. However we all know what it is like to be annoyed by promotion and it is not a good look.
– The Amex bloke at the airport who really annoys me.
– The Fitness First moron in the high street who I would love to pour my coffee over…

Being succesful is about getting the balance right because whilst the two characters above can be very annoying, the right sales person can actually pull it off without damaging your brand.

Why wouldnt Westfield reward connectors on Facebook? (a bit like Amway.) If the popular facebook readers spruik your wares and manage to get say 5000 sign ups then they recieve a $200 voucher. Would that be a smarter way of utilising the crowds?

Encroaching is not a good look. I just asked a few people in my office about whether they had seen this Westfirld campaign and numerous people had seen it with the majority believing it was a virus…

I agree with most comments here – it’s a great idea. It has everyone talking about it for the last couple of days. 200,000 entries – that’s pretty amazing. 3,000+ cared enough to join an against-the-promotion group. I think that’s pretty good.

@ACTbloke, I don’t think you can measure it from direct gift voucher sales just yet. Surely it’s about creating awareness of Westfield and their Gift Voucher? Ah… that good ol’ metrics debate 😉

For me, my only concern now is: am I still in the running to win $10,000 now that the app has been removed http://apps.facebook.com/westfieldwingiftcard/? I need a new iMAC and $10k will be handy.

This app felt more like spam than anything. To me, it has taken advantage of facebook, in the most disrespectful manner. It overwhelmed my newsfeed and invaded people’s status updates – negative sentiment towards Westfield has escalated to new heights.

Facebook is not “yours”. You are using someone else’s website. The owner’s of that website can do with it what they like.

Get a life, losers

I have to agree with “Concerned Citizen”. I nearly agreed to download the Westfield application until the message came up saying that I had to give it permission to post unprompted branded status updates in my name. There’s no way I’d agree to updates in my account without my approval!

What was the objective of the campaign? To get entries or sell gift cards? Let us know how many gift cards are purchased through the app and then we can judge how effective it’s been.

I just posted this article on my Facebook status;)

200,000 vote yes. 3,300 vote no. That’s only 1.65% against.

I daresday every campaign is capable of attracting as many, if not more, detractors regardless of the medium. We get a greater portion of nays in federal elections, but that seems acceptable for 3 years.

Both Westfield and Facebook are going with the overwhelming majority. As should we all.

Plus, anyone truly upset with the supposed inundation of Westfield marketing on their beloved facebook page can simply de-friend the person who brought that marketing to them.

Everyone I know thought this was spam, even people who registered later sent out a warning to their friends that this was dodgy.

The message that this ‘campaign’ was a scam spread much faster than the promotion.

I’ll leave it up to the rest of you to disect whether this is successful or not, however on the surface there was much more negative speak about the promotion.

What is so special/infringing about this? They are using the existing API to edit and publish your own status.

To all the people that cry about this sort of thing, they should realise that their precious facebook is not free and they have every right to attract marketing and advertising. Obviously for 200,000 people this is a relevant thing. The controversy and blogging activity like this just works into the hands of the brand. I’d be stoked if it was a campaign I had worked on… Everyone talking about Westfield, good or bad. I’m sure they will have a very healthy turnover as they do every year.

Well done I say.

“All I want for Xmas is for Sh1tfield to f!@# off” is a group on Facebook with 1689 members (a fraction of the 200,000 that joined up to Westfield’s own campaign.)

Will any of these 1689 members shop at Westfield this Christmas? – The answer is probably yes! Will the majority of the 200,000 who joined the official Westfield campaign to win a Westfield voucher buy one this Christmas? – Probably not?

Has it got people talking about Westfield for the right or wrong reasons? – Yes? Is that a bad thing? – Dunno?

OK, I am off to open a department store and then set up an amazing social networking campaign called: “Pin the tail on the Westfield donkey”

– What you have to do is film yourself in Westfield running up the down escalator, braying like a donkey and then pin a tail onto a Westfield security guard. Videos can be uploaded to the Facebook group: “Shopping Malls are soulless places like cruise ships, casino’s and fitness first” The funniest and most innovative video wins a prize…

This is such an irritating and irresponsible use of social media. Advertising correctly using FB is completely fine… but this campaign is up there with telemarketing, chain-letters and sweepstakes scams.

It reflects badly on M&C Saatch and their client.

Astroturfing alert

1. Chris
27 Nov 09
5:07 pm

This is an excellent promotion leveraging the viral aspect of facebook… Some people may have an issue with seeing their entire news feed filled with “All I Want for Christmas is a Westfield Gift Card” … However it only shows the success of the promotion that over 200,000 people have added the app! Simple, low barrier and viral. Well done Westfield & if anyone has an issue with their news feed filling up, take it up with your mates.

Think its spam, and as with Twitter Spam, I just block it. FB makes it easy to do this, but again would prefer if my ‘friends’ weren’t so easily sucked in 😉

Often campaigns that tread the fine line work. They create a stir and generate awareness… The fact that the app is now removed again gives it an immortal worth (like dead pop stars…)

A colleague yesterday boguht 8 sets of David Jones Vouchers for his family and friends for Christmas – when there are two giants Pepsi can sell Coke, so to speak…

So friendly.

Petty Australian social media space.

Joojah has a point and to use the analogy…”if you stay in a place rent free…don’t complain about the wallpaper”