Communication

Social this, social that.

By Terrence Covin ⋅ March 30, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

There has been a lot of talk circulating social media networking; how to capitalize on networks such as myspace, bebo, facebook and the likes from an advertising and marketing stand point as well as how to capture and measure successes. There was an interesting article put out by Adage (you may have to sign up to view) a week ago that touched on this topic. In this article it was pointed out that marketers could be “fooling” themselves into thinking they’ve got it all figured out. Why you might ask? Well as the article pointed out, and we tend to agree whole heartedly, is that it’s a completely different approach to communicating with people, yet firms are consistently attempting to tread into this arena with the mindset of “advertising/marketing/search”. What happened to the “human element”?

It is quite amazing to be in the age we are currently in with technology. The vast internet, the new tech lingo such as blogosphere, websphere, social media networking, vlogging etc..etc.. Yet given this shift in our current day and age one important point is still being ignored when it comes to communicating with people. That no-one likes to be interrupted and sold to 24hrs out of the day, especially without “opting in” with each interruption. The only reason we aren’t bludgeoning each other to death now is because this tactic isn’t deployed on platforms consisting of a tightly-knit human network. They are deployed on platforms such as television, radio, mailers etc… Can you imagine getting into your car, walking into the pet store, grocery store, your house, or your car and there is a fleet of people hounding you for your attention so they can market and advertise their product? After a few black eyes and broken bones people would get the message.

The industry has become so hardened that now, given the age of “social media”, many marketers are struggling to find away to unwrap this current method of thinking. The method of thinking that encourages interruption with gimmicky dancing banner ads as well as unauthorized selling or distribution of social media network “user accounts” for advertising “tests”. Social media is a platform that can eat you up, spit you out, help or ruin a reputation. It has a voice, it speaks back. The conversation is no longer one way. We believe one of the keys is understanding culture, the way people think, human interaction, respect, as well as how to create momentum or a buzz. If you look deep enough, you will realize this is something we all are challenged to do every day of our lives when interacting with people, from different demographics. Now is the time to learn “people”, create engaging messages, and really interact from a human standpoint in a respectable manner. Good luck. …. or something like that.

Tags: changing conversation, cultural segments, engaging messages, social media