One of the smartest move a marketer can make nowadays, is to use the new online communities to create true communication with a target audience, to improve their awareness, to test new products.
Websites like Facebook and Myspace, enjoying the huge media coverage about them as the “next big thing” on internet, are a very dangerous field of action for brands, a gamble. Facebook is a community with more than 40 million users, mostly college students, a critical and idealist, in other words dangerous, type of audience.
Two examples: one, very successful, is Target Stores, a cheap furnitures American chain, who has a very well defined style and is very appreciated by students. Target created a Facebook group, joined by thousands of users, about “Dorm survival guides”, with tips and interactive examples on how to furnish a small room for less. Users could upload pictures of their own narrow rooms, discuss in the message board and post comments on the guestbook. Target used an existing environment, gave students the chance of interacting (with the brand and between each others), and created awareness. This happened in relation of how Target was seen by the target audience, as a reliable, user friendly, socially responsible brand with a well defined style. They made the marketing very subtle and were rewarded by posts from people saying how much they loved Target, how much they felt close to the brand style.
A similar, this time almost suicidal, strategy was used by Wal Mart. The company decided to create an interactive discussion group about student’s rooms. The problem is that Wal Mart is considered one of the most unethical and child-labour-exploiting company in the World. Facebook users, then, talked about Wal Mart, but about other sensible issues, instead of Wal Mart room’s furnitures. Wal Mart didn’t research the conversation and the community before jumping in, and that badly reflected on its image.
Is very important not to impose the brand message, but give to the user a content that works as a social currency.
Whatever the story is, it has to be mostly told by the users, not by the brand.
Ps. On november 6 Facebook CEO will define a new way of social advertisement. Time to make some money before the bubble busts?
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