MediaPost Publications - Facebook, MySpace Aren't Making the Marketing Cut - 11/26/2008

As we said in Social Networks + Advertising = Amway, there's not going to be a big rush to use social media sites like Facebook & Myspace until there's an authentic connection to what's happening on those sites. Simply attaching ads to these sites is NOT using social media, it's advertising. For far too many advertisers, social media is simply the tactic du jour and they're not using it to create authentic and relevant connections to their audience. They're using social media the way they use all other media, to interrupt the experience in order to deliver their message. They're not using SM tools to really engage their audience because that takes real work and an on-going commitment, which is not usually how advertising works. We're used to putting up a campaign, letting it run for it's scheduled time and then moving on. We don't usually know how to keep a conversation going and, truth be told, most people in this industry aren't really interested in having conversations. So don't be surprised to start hearing people say they're not sure that sites like Facebook or myspace are good places to advertise. Anyone old enough to remember those early Amway days can tell you, socializing and selling don't always work well together!

While chief marketing officers are intrigued by social networking sites Facebook and MySpace as potential marketing vehicles, actually using them is another matter, according to the results of a new survey.

More than one-quarter (27%) of consumer and B-to-B chief marketing executives surveyed online in late October by GfK Roper Public Relations and Media for marketing services firm Epsilon identified social networking and word-of-mouth as the tools they would most like to introduce to their marketing mix to compensate for anticipated budget cuts--ahead of all other traditional or digital marketing channels.

However, more than half (55%) of the 180 responding chief marketers--representing brands with revenues ranging from $250 million to more than $10 billion--indicated low current interest in actually incorporating the networking sites into their plans.

One-third said they're "not interested at all" in getting Facebook and MySpace into their plans, and 22% said they're "not too interested," while 35% are very or somewhat interested.

MediaPost Publications - Facebook, MySpace Aren't Making the Marketing Cut - 11/26/2008.

P&G's McConnell Not Sure Marketers Belong on Social Networks - Advertising Age - Digital.

Experience Manifesto: WOMMA's Word of Mouth vs. Advertising: A logic game.