I was in a “Teaching with Technology” Conference at NYU
last spring, when a speaker noted that you can tell when your online network is
working because people will start posting photos of cats. His statement got a big laugh, probably
because everyone recognized that it was true.
Apparently this lesson was absorbed by Home Depot who has
decided to introduce a feline spokescat for the holiday season. Perhaps they were encouraged by recent
positive sales results to take a chance, or they could have been reacting to
data which has shown that icons appear to be an effective way for companies to
connect with people in the social media space.
Either way it seems to be a bold move. (Vranica, 2012)
You can expect to read Richard’s sarcastic comments about his
inept family’s home improvement disasters on Tumbler, and BuzzFeed‘s home page
will be Home Depot orange next week. Tweets
can be found @RichardTheCat and content is planned for Facebook, Pinterest,
Instagram and Foursquare. (Zmuda, 2012)
It all sounds like fun, but I’m not sure it will inspire me
to tackle those home improvements that I have been putting off. What about you?
Anderson,
M. (November 13, 2012) Home Depot 3Q
Results Edge up, Beat Street’s View. abcnews.go.com. Retrieved November 16, 2012, from
Vranica, S. (March 26, 2012) Knights, Pirates, Trees Flock to
Facebook. Wall Street Journal p B1.
Zmuda,
N. (2012, November 14) Home Depot Adopts
Feline Holiday Mascot. adage.com.
Retrieved November 16, 2012, from
