Just what is the problem with Social Media?

Once “The Ad Man” gatecrashes the party and corporate marketers are inevitably a long way down the adoption curve – the kudos rapidly evaporates.
This explains why the assumed valuations of social media companies are often built on greater financial chicanery that Bernie Madoff’s tax return.
In to-day’s market whatever supposed “next big thing” our digital culture favors in any moment faces an ever more accelerated journey to oblivion!

Because ad agencies still don’t understand it – we will not take delivery of your commercial messages – we never have and never will!

However we can create programs where your advertisement becomes a valuable source of information – with surprising ROI results - & there’s more.

Read "Television Killed Advertising"  it will show you how advertising has failed us and more...much more.

I agree with Paul. In fact, I'd extend the lack of understanding of social media to most agencies. "Social Media Marketing" is a term that has come from digital marketing speak, and for me it makes no sense whatsoever. It is diametrically opposed - Social Media: people online have conversations in areas of the web that allow for this to happen. Marketing: the messaging designed to achieve sales. How would you react if you were chatting to a friend in a coffee shop and asked him/her what the time was...to then be interrupted by someone selling watches? Exactly! Brands/Agencies engaging with consumers through the social web need to stop thinking about selling. To some this may sound crazy, stupid even, but if brands were to listen to conversations, offer meaningful information that has a value to the people conversing, and not "push" too hard...good things will happen.

 Karl thank you for responding, I really feel that this subject needs to be discussed, I now see that Unilever is coming over to the side of "Social Media", obviously some glib fancy talking New Media guy has done a hell of a  selling job...based on NOTHING!

The suits come to Social Media.  Now that’s the kiss of death!
Advertising Agencies, having all but destroyed a perfectly good Old Media are set to do the same with Social Media!
In the fickle world of online chatter, yesterday’s achingly fashionable meeting points are rapidly acquiring the appearance of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s’ headquarters.
Already Twitter, becoming bogged down with fake PR tweets as well as fake advertising tweets, so much so that already the kids dismiss it as tired!   And are moving on.
As soon as the buzz of innovation starts to fade the “cool” but influential people move on quicker than you can send a tweet.
Take Commercial Television,agencies were salivating at the prospect of commercial television and couldn't wait to get in on the act! Advertising Agencies are loath to change a medium that is to them, a money-spinner.  Despite the fact that it was non-accountable.
And now Agencies are rushing onto Social Media ignoring the fact that, as in the past, people don’t want their advertising in whatever form.  The difference here is that they can easily move away from advertising, you have only to look at the experience of Second Life, that was to be advertising’s salvation.  That’s why the early adopters have moved on!  And be warned, they still don't know how to monitize the Internet..but we do!
It's all in my book "Television Killed Advertising" plus how clients can make their own "Social Media" environment and become very successful on the Internet.  Together with the fact that you learn the real meaning of the word "communication".

 

 Hi  Karl, upon re-reading your post I thought that we should perhaps  have a "conversation" as I feel that we might have areas of mutual self-interest to explore.  I'll start the ball rolling by including my email address here: paul.ashby@yahoo.com  I really look forward to "talking" with you.  We have a proven concept that is media neutral that does all the things you set out above: "..if brands were to listen to conversations..." excellent and boy does it work!

Regards

Paul

My problem with social media is explaining it to those who aren't yet acquainted. Different people use it in different ways. It's hard to tell somebody what their 'way' should be!

Just because some social media platforms seem over-hyped now doesn't mean they won't have a unforeseen, paradigm-shifting impact in the more distant future.

 So, should social media function like IM, for instant contact, or should it be more email, to read at your leisure, when you have time after dinner in the evening, perhaps?

My view is that it's not only a mixture of both of those things, but it also depends on who you are and what you want to use it for.

Karl, that's spot on. We've had to check ourselves a lot lately. While I like people to go from our Twitter blog to our web site, I sometimes assume that that is a given, when in fact it really isn't. My blog (and yes, I realise that posting this link is now going to seem like a hypocritical thing to do - I promise I don't mind if you don't go there!) at http://spongenb.wordpress.com currently talks about using Twitter properly as a company. It's centred around thinking about your audience and contributing as much as you can rather than hoping for quick wins.

Using Twitter has been very important for my business, there are alot of closed doors in many industries but twitter makes it very easy to establish a foot in the door. The main reason it seems to be so difficult to contact people these days is because there ar too many people out there spamming and disrupting the system, so when a genuine business approaches them they are just not interested to talk to anyone.

The top 25 social media networks delivered over 155 million unique visitors in Feb. 2008 with 70 percent coming from MySpace, Facebook and Classmates.com. Add in YouTube and Flickr and you get another 60 million totaling an estimated 215 million humans viewing social media monthly.

 Evans, I never realised the figures were that high. Where did you get this information from?