Ad Noises

Welcome to Power Windows, where I present highlights in the world of marketing. 

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• Two-way communication is among people not things; and in most cases a product or company is a thing.  The very nature of social networks (one-of-many communication) makes social advertising the elephant in the room - it doesn't produce immediate returns.  IDC referred to ad targeting on social networks as a 'stillborn' idea.   Why? Because we aren't there to shop and we aren't there alone to follow an interesting link.    It is no longer 'to' in any form, but 'with' or 'among.'
• However, money will still spent according to eMarketer.- $1.8b in 2009.   How and for what purpose may change as we better understand the rules of this new venue. 
  
• It is generally true that tapping into a network accelerates and extends the reach of a good (or bad) message.   However, knowing which participants in a given network are appropriate is still a mystery to advertisers.  We know the connections, we can draw a social graph, but knowing the difference between my 'digital camera' and my 'fly-fishing' network is not easily determined from data alone.  In a sense this type of social advertising is still mass broadcasting; the only difference is the point of entry.
• Rather than thinking of it as an advertising platform, it may be instructive to think of it as a sales tool.   According to research by Kaplan Test Prep - 20% of the colleges and universities surveyed use social networks to learn about prospects interests - what better way to join a conversation than knowing a bit about your audience. 
• Social media is simply one of many channels; its use should complement other channels.   Even press releases can be distributed that way - see www.pitchengine.com.   Marketers should focus on integrated programs rather than - social vs online vs offline.   They are like planes, trains and automobiles - each a vehicle for carrying a message, but with unique strengths and roles. 
• Often forgotten is the fact that outbound communication is ONLY ONE of marketing's responsibilities.  Equally important is understanding people's needs, wants and desires.   Social media is an excellent forum for understanding the language and emotion of people.  It is true that there are often very opinionated people who dominate conversations - but given time the sense of it all comes together in a better understanding. 
• For a list of social media marketing examples, see Peter Kim's list here.