PROMOTED TWEETS & THE NEW ADVERTISING AGE

by Gerard on July 1, 2010

in Advertising,Social Media

Mark down April 2010 as the month when consumers took control of advertising.  That’s when Twitter rolled out Promoted Tweets—its real-time, open conversational ad platform advertising model, where the content itself is the ad and where user engagement and resonance determine an ad’s life cycle and exposure.

Historically, the advertising paradigm has relied on advertisers paying for and serving up messaging to consumers who were then forced to see the ads by virtue of their consuming media.  Consumers could certainly skim over a magazine ad, take a snack break during TV commercials, or be blinded to online banners; however, if advertisers paid for an ad flight it ran whether or not consumers cared about the message.

Not so with Promoted Tweets.  Imagine focus group and Millward-Brown testing in real time.  Consumers who see advertising within Twitter essentially “vote” with their actions in real time to determine message resonance and whether an ad gets to live or die.

Twitter’s model works like this:  A normal Tweet gets posted to a Twitter account and then gets designated and “promoted” to the top of Twitter search results when someone searches for a specific topic or keyword—similar to paid search keyword advertising.  But, unlike paid search, if consumers don’t engage with the ad (i.e. sharing, re-tweeting, clicking on link, following, etc.) it will be deemed unworthy and will disappear from the ad stream.  If advertisers don’t create compelling messaging that resonates and forces some level of interest and engagement the ad will be pushed out of the spotlight.  It’s no longer about repetition or scale, it’s about consumers giving a thumbs up or thumbs down.  Get the message and creative right the first time or suffer the consequences.

In short, advertising has become a popularity contest where resonance, ideas, and creative make the difference.  Currently, this paradigm only exists within Twitter, but the ramifications are huge—this model could easily applied to paid search, online banner advertising, and even iTV advertising.  It’s not a matter of whether it will happen; it’s a matter of when.

Will you be ready?

{ 0 comments }

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA I LEARNED IN PUNK ROCK

by Gerard on April 14, 2010

in Social Media

Photo Credit: Cynthia Connolly

Growing up in the 1980s as a young teen searching for identity and community, I found myself drawn to the world of American hardcore punk rock. I had been obsessed with iconic rock bands of the late-70s as a pre-teen, but as I was finishing off my junior high school years I began to long for more. For something that not only spoke to my musical tastes but also allowed me to have a direct and intimate relationship with the process of creation and sharing. To be part of a scene that blurred the lines between bands and fans. To connect.

I found this home in punk rock.

Fast-forward almost 30 years and I find amazing parallels between the worlds of ’80s hardcore and what’s become contemporary social media. The similarities are uncanny.

I’m sure I’m leaving some ideas out but essentially Social Media involves Community, Transparency, Viral Ideas, Long Distance Connections, Leveling the Playing Field, Conversation, Challenging the Status Quo, Innovating, Consumers Owning the Brand, Brands Ceding Control, Young Entrepreneurs, and Passion Over Profit.

American hardcore wasn’t much different.

Sure, no one thought about the scene in those terms. But the blooming of thousands of DIY bands, fanzines, promoters, and stores, the breaking down of barriers between acts and fans at live shows, the idea that anyone could be a creator, the no-strings-attached sharing between bands and kids in different cities, the cramming of sound and information into very short songs, the distrust of corporate entertainment and culture, and the organizing of political, social, and charity efforts were akin to today’s individual and community empowerment via social media’s ability to allow for the creation of an infinite number of specialty, niche platforms, to the open and free sharing of information and ideas via social networking, to the power transfer from brands to people, to the short messages on Twitter, to the flattening of organizations, and to the tangible political, philanthropic, and bottom-up-driven cultural memes and movements sprung from people using social media.  Hell, they even have noise in common.

There are differences.  No one gets their head kicked in playing in social media.  And no one got insanely rich off of hardcore.  But I think it’s safe to draw a link between the two more than any other culture/lifestyle/music movements the past few decades.

I guess the kids really did have their say.

{ 2 comments }

CRISIS CONFUSION

by Gerard on April 1, 2010

in Branding,Marketing,Public Relations

Reading about Toyota’s 30% sales jump just two months after a 24/7 onslaught of bad press got me thinking about whether too many overstate the impact of what are increasingly – and wrongly – referred to as online PR crises and disasters.  If thousands of hours of offline and online negative coverage and conversation can’t derail Toyota, how can we realistically talk about a digital tumult bruising anything but a few corporate egos.

Nestle, United Airlines, Amazon, Motrin, Dominos, and Southwest Airlines — all brands that are used as crisis examples and warnings to not ignore the wrath of angry online crowds.  But missing in all this is tangible proof that any of these perceived online missteps have REALLY hurt any of these brands.

So what that Dominos took 24 hours to respond to a gross-out employee video that made its way through millions of video players?  So what that Motrin rolled out a commercial that insulted a small group of niche echo chamber bloggers?  So what that Nestle laid a heavy hand on their Facebook page after Greenpeace launched a coordinated attack on their business and iconic logo?  So what that United Airlines served up the same crappy customer service most of the traditional airlines have perfected over the last few years?  So what that Kevin Smith chose to use his celebrity to attack Southwest Airlines for hurting his feelings?  So what?

Last I checked, none of the businesses referenced above saw their revenues impacted negatively by any of the problems they encountered online.  Not.  A.  One.

Concern?  Certainly.  Crisis?  Hardly.

My point isn’t to downplay the importance of good customer service or the need to have a PR response plan in place for when unseen events unfold but rather to highlight the reality that much of what happens online stays online.  Or at least stays within small-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things communities.  In an age where most people have no idea who’s been performing on the number one Nielsen-rated TV show, do you really think anyone outside of the digitally-focused care what’s been happening with Nestle’s Facebook whac-a-mole?

What’s needed is to step back, take a deep breath, reassess the language and coverage associated with these incidents, and come back down to Earth.

Is it worthwhile and ethical to listen and talk with your customers online?  Absolutely.  Just as worthwhile as having well-trained and courteous public-facing employees, call centers, and customer service departments.  This is book-one, page-one CRM stuff.  Nothing groundbreaking when you really think about it.

But for anyone in the digital space to inflate these online run-ins and me-too-pile-ons as serious threats to any of these companies is to be disingenuous and self-serving.  The reality is that even if Nestle, United Airlines, Amazon, Motrin, Dominos, and Southwest Airlines had followed the self-congratulatory advice of the online PR echo chamber, their bottom lines would probably be no better or worse.  So much for the crisis…

What do you think?

{ 2 comments }

SKITTLES’ RAINBOW REDEMPTION

March 15, 2010

It’s great to see Skittles making a 180-degree pivot to a new site that is a vibrant, Dali-esque online experience unlike almost any other brand-centric site.

Read the full article →

THOUGHTS ON OBSTRUCTIONIST AGENCIES

February 5, 2010

It’s time for social media agencies to stop avoiding the client need for measurement and value and begin working on answers to increasing demands for meaningful social media ROI.

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries