The Stories Brands Can Tell In Social Media
**
**
by Ciar�n Norris
**
Since its invention towards the end of the 20th century, the Internet
has changed a great many things. And one of the things that is has
done time after time is dismantle business models that had seemed,
until its arrival, absolutely rock solid. From music to publishing to
TV, the Internet has swept away seeming certainties and replaced them
with doubt and uncertainty.
Whilst this fact can not be argued with, the common perception
<http://andrewkeen.typepad.com/ajkeenbooks/>
that the reason these media models have been so badly damaged is due
to the rise of UGC is, like so many commonly held facts, actually
untrue. The reason these businesses face ruin is that their old models
simply cant be upheld in the face of a fragmenting consumer base and
advertising dollars that are increasingly being asked to pay for
everything.
The reason I say this, is that if you actually look at the content
people are consuming, its still overwhelmingly content that has been
professionally produced; its just that there isnt enough money to
pay for this production anymore.
Earlier this year, the video tracking firm Visible Measures released
a chart of the videos that had managed to amass more than 100 million
views apiece
<http://corp.visiblemeasures.com/news-and-events/blog/bid/9470/Expanding-The-100-Million-Viral-Views-Club>
. In the commentary, they claimed that the list included:
older and newer campaigns, and includes music videos, movie trailers,
user-generated spots, and clips from TV shows.
Now this is true, up to a point. Of the top 20, only 2 were actually
user-generated content: Charlie Bit My Finger Again & Numa Numa .
Visible Measures claimed that 2 others were also UGC, but Achmed The
Terrorist is a consumers video of a professional comedian performing
on stage, whilst Rick Astley was originally a professional musician.
Users may have made them popular, but they didnt make the content.
This is an interesting trend for brands, for whilst traditional
media companies now struggle to finance the sort of content that they
did in the last century (hence, NBCs recent decision to put the
relatively cheap Jay Leno show up against big budget dramas), brands
can start to step into the breach.
As the rise of social media appears to make it harder than ever for
brands to find ways to gain consumers attention, being able to fund
content that can then start conversations means that they suddenly
have a reason to be part of their customers lives. To paraphrase the
old mantra of search:
Conversation is king; content is just something to talk about
This means that brands can start to capitalize on sponsorship
opportunities by using the web, and particularly social media, to give
fans a look behind the scenes, whether by organizing Facebook chats
with football stars or inviting bloggers to cover big events. They can
mobilize music fans and find a way to talk to them, as mobile company
Orange has done in the UK. <http://www.orangerockcorps.co.uk/>
They can look to generate their very own water-cooler moments that
chime with their brands essence, in the way that Unilever did in the
US with In The Motherhood <http://itm.abc.go.com/>
, a series of online shows that started on MSN before moving to ABC,
or they can give time-poor mothers fairy-tale podcasts to play to
their kids, as Kleenex did in the UK
<http://www.mumsnet.com/microsites/kleenex-anti-viral-tissues>
*.
Interestingly, the reason In The Motherhood didnt fare as well on TV
as it did online is that the Writers Guild Of America were unwilling
to allow viewers to suggest
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/arts/television/25moth.html?_r=1>
their own stories really theres no need for UGC to try to kill
traditional media when it is doing such a good job of it on its own.
So next time someone tells you that UGC is about to take over the
world, or that their brand has no way of talking to consumers, why not
tell them a story about the stories their brand could tell that people
really want to hear.
*Disclosure: In The Motherhood was produced by Mindshare whilst the
Kleenex podcasts were produced by Mindshare & Altogether, my current &
previous employers.
BedTime stories image by Playingwithbrushes on flickr
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/playingwithpsp/2561003841/>
Opinions expressed in the article are those of the author, and not
necessarily Search Engine Land.
Ciar�n Norris <http://searchengineland.com/author/ciaran-norris/>
heads up Mindshare SocialMedia8, the new joint venture between
global media agency Mindshare <http://www.mindshareworld.com>
& social media specialists SocialMedia8. At Mindshare, he works with
Nike and other global brands, helping them to make the most of social
media & to put it at the heart of their marketing mix.
<font size="-1">
Upcoming Search Marketing Expo events you won't want to miss:<ul><li><a
href="http://searchmarketingexpo.com/west/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=text&utm_content=footertext&utm_campaign=SMX%2BWest%2B2010">SMX
West - Santa Clara, CA</a> - March 2-4, 2010</li><li><a
href="http://searchmarketingexpo.com/advanced/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=text&utm_content=footertext&utm_campaign=SMX%2BAdvanced%2B2010">SMX
Advanced - Seattle, WA</a> - June 8-9, 2010</li><li><a
href="http://searchmarketingexpo.com/munich?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=text&utm_content=footertext&utm_campaign=SMX%2BMunich%2B2010">SMX
Munich</a> - March 23-25, 2010</li><li><a
href="http://www.searchmarketingexpo.com.au/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=text&utm_content=footertext&utm_campaign=SMX%2BSydney%2B2010">SMX
Sydney</a> - April 22-23, 2010</li></ul>Attend a <a
href="http://searchmarketingnow.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=textlink&utm_campaign=SMN%2Bgeneral">Search
Marketing Now</a> Webcast - it's free! Upcoming webcasts:<ul><li><a
href="http://searchmarketingnow.com/webcasts/wc091028">Managing Search
Marketing Success at the C-level: What Your CMO Should Know</a> - October
28, 2009</li><li><a
href="http://searchmarketingnow.com/webcasts/wc091103">Ask iProspect: PPC
Strategy & Tactics from the Experts</a> - November 3, 2009</li><li><a
href="http://searchmarketingnow.com/webcasts/wc091112">PPC Advertising &
Geo-Targeting</a> - November 12, 2009</li></ul>Interested in advertising or
sponsoring Search Marketing Expo or Search Marketing Now webcasts? <a
href="http://thirddoormedia.com/contact/sales.shtml?utm_source=searchcap&utm_medium=email&utm_content=textlink&utm_campaign=General%2BSales">Contact
us</a>.
<div><a href="http://www.superbhosting.net/"><img
src="http://www.searchmarketingnow.com/_images/superb.gif"
border="0"></a></div>
You are receiving this email because you subscribed to a Search Engine
Land, Search Marketing Now or Search Marketing Expo newsletter. To update
your subscriptions or unsubscribe, use your newsletter preferences page at
http://third.thirddoormedia.com/lists/?p=preferences&id=2&uid=f9779113b77d03598707df46ae032f9b.
Or send your written request to: 279 Newtown Tpke., Redding, CT
06896</font>
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
0 comments:
Post a Comment