Harris Teeter & iJustine in Charlotte, NC – The Story
Harris Teeter
As some of you may know by now, Harris Teeter (headquartered in Charlotte) has hired me on contract to assist them in getting going with social media. At this point, we’re just meeting together periodically to do the typical stuff, like building a social media policy and plan.
To their credit, the main marketing guys at Harris Teeter are wanting to get more involved in social media and new media in general. But like many companies, they are a bit hesitant and want to make sure they “do it right”. That’s normal. They have plans to get involved in Twitter, Facebook, etc soon. (Stay tuned for more on that.)
iJustine
For those of you that are not familiar with iJustine, you can check out her site here or learn more about her on Wikipedia under Justine Ezarik. But to say that she is a web celebrity is an understatement. Her primary YouTube channel has over 600K subscribers and over 111 MILLION total views.
The iJustine & Harris Teeter History
As Justine stated in her most recent video:
“ …every year, my family and I, we go on vacation to North Carolina and there’s this grocery store called Harris Teeter. And since last year, I started doing music videos in the store.”
Apparently, this year’s video is not her favorite as per her recent tweet. Yet, within 24 hours, it has gotten almost 90K views. (Then again, some of her others have gotten over 500K within a few days.) Also, last year’s video about Harris Teeter got around 275K.
iJustine’s Thoughts on Harris Teeter
Obviously, iJustine likes Harris Teeter. (At least she likes making fun videos there.) Last year’s video ended with a screen that stated in part…
I don’t know why I love this store but I do..
No this isn’t an ad
No they did NOT pay me to make this!!!This video is in no way
affiliated with Harris Teeter at all.
Harris Teeter’s Thoughts on iJustine
NOTE: I am in no way a spokesman for Harris Teeter. Nor, am I authorized to speak in behalf of the company.
Yet, I can confirm her comments above that she is not associated with them in any way.
Also, I know that the top marketing people in Harris Teeter have enjoyed watching the videos. In fact, they find them rather amusing. Obviously, they are happy to get the extra attention to their company and the Harris Teeter brand.
I also know that they have tried to reach out to her in the past. They would still greatly appreciate an opportunity to talk with her to thank her.
What’s next?
Personally, I think it would be great for Harris Teeter to offer to sponsor her to come visit Harris Teeter HQ and/or a local Charlotte event of some sort.
(Hint: They seem willing.)
Are you reading this?
So here’s my message to iJustine:
If you are reading this, please let me know. Catch me on Twitter (DM) or any other way. I’d be honored to connect you with the good people at Harris Teeter HQ so they can express their thanks.
Charlotte is a great city. We’d love to have you visit us.
And here’s my message to Charlotte:
If you’d like to have iJustine come visit, please mention it to her on Twitter (@iJustine). Maybe we’ll catch her attention.
And for all you social media gurus:
I’d love to get some ideas from you. How would you recommend Harris Teeter reach out to iJustine and show their appreciation for the extra attention she is bringing to their 192 stores in the southeast?
Drop your ideas in the comments below. If we use your ideas, I’ll be sure to get you the credit you deserve.