The otto group is an big enterprise based in germany and holds several sub companies. The most popular among them is Otto.de. A popular website for online-shopping. In July 2010 the web-shop got 5,6 million visitors. That is more than 160.000 visitors a day. This makes this website a good place to communicate social projects the company is related in. But how does Otto.de combine social projects and profit oriented marketing?
otto`s strategy
When i lived in germany some years ago i was enjoying buying things from the website otto.de. Nowadays back in spain i still visit the website sometimes. But now, after visiting the course Web communication tools at the deusto university, i am more attentive to the various social network tools Otto.de is using. And i discovered that they follow a strategy to bind the costumers via facebook and twitter more intensively using topics like responsibility, social projects and cross linking to non profit organizations.
This online strategy, that uses social-networks to declare the companies effort in social projects is a consequence that origins from the philosophy the company is based of and Michael Otto, the founder, stated:
“Ein Produkt ist nur dann wertvoll, wenn nicht nur die sichtbare, sondern auch die unsichtbare Qualität stimmt. Das ist dann der Fall, wenn seine Herstellung und sein Gebrauch so wenig wie möglich negative Auswirkungen für Mensch und Umwelt haben.”
Dr. Michael Otto
Translated it means, that the value of a product is not only the visible quality you can see. It is also important that the production is not having negative effects on human and the environment.
This statement can be found on their website. And there you also can inform yourself about other efforts they are doing to keep the production responsible according to our environment. They have a page with all the certifications that aims to make the products more valuable like from the british allergy foundation, cotton made in africa and other.
these icons were taken from the website www.otto.de
But to be honest. Who has the time to read all of these informations? One of the reason of using a web-shop is the convenience of getting things done fast. And here is where the social-networks are joining the game. They allows the company otto.de to reach the costumers, even if they have only a little amount of time.
In the following chapter i want to give one example.
otto`s social networks
On this screenshot above, taken on the official twitter-channel from otto, you can see, that otto is referring an appeal to help deaf children in india. A little message with a big effect. If you have joined the twitter channel from otto, you probably got this tweet regardless where you have been geographically. You notice this, maybe you responded or acted thereupon, but even if you did nothing. In your memory you keep in mind, that otto is committed to social projects.
links to otto`s social networks
References
- Jens Schröder, 17.08.2010: Die Lieblings-Onlineshops der Deutschen, retrieved 08.12.2012 from http://meedia.de/internet/die-lieblings-onlineshops-der-deutschen/2010/08/17.html
- Otto.de: official Homepage, retrieved 09.12.2012 from http://www.otto.de
by Maria Cascajares Salazar
Filed under: Blogs and forums, Web Communication Tagged: class activity, Social networks 
