Homeland Security Steps in to Save Us From Social Networking

Lately there has been a lot of discussion about privacy issues on social media sites, including Facebook's recent changes to 'Like' the entire Internet. The brew-ha-ha has blown up to the point that this morning I received this email from the US Department of Homeland Security:



ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! HIGH RISK! BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SHARE ON FACEBOOK! (Click the icon above to share this message on Facebook).

The irony made me laugh. The message itself was pretty basic: You may feel safe sharing personal information online, it's stupid to think that, don't be stupid.

It seems like common sense, but as social media becomes more and more prominent, it's good to recognize that just like all things on the Internet, social networking is not 100% safe. Bottom line: don't make any personal information public you wouldn't be OK sharing with the next stranger who drives down your street (especially if that driver happens to be the Google Street View truck). Read more!

Facebook's "25 Things .." says a lot about social media

Chances are, if you have a Facebook account you have been made aware of the "25 Random things" note that has spread like wildfire over the past week. It has been pretty hard to avoid. The premise of this viral note is simple: List 25 things about yourself and then tag 25 friends who must then do the same.

According to a story in USA Today no one is quite sure where the note originated, but Facebook reps report that the number of notes posted has more than doubled over the past week and the number of daily people tagged has grown more than 5 times.

This note didn't include a funny video, marketing gimmick, or offer for free stuff. It was just a simple way for people to share information about themselves (# 7. I once played Boggle with Michael Stipe (and won), #16. My first real job was collecting shopping carts from the Wal-Mart parking lot on The Strip).

Despite all the blogging and Twittering about the marketing potential of social media, it is helpful to remember why most people use it: to SOCIALIZE; to keep up with friends and family. Socialization is still at the core of social media. Here is a note that is not trying to market or sell anything, and it is one of the fastest spreading games on Facebook.

A marketer's reason for participating in social media can differ from their audiences' reason. Users are only willing to accept being marketed to when it adds value to their socializing. This can be done through entertainment, providing helpful information, or using a brand to establish a personal identity (which I found in several "25 things" notes I read. Lots of people confessed their love for specific brands).

Some are predicting that this is only the start of these type of notes on Facebook. I've already seen one note about children and one about music. I'm sure the backlash will soon follow. I know I'm not going to fill out every note that gets sent my way. Facebook isn't MySpace; that's where pointless surveys belong.

Nevertheless, it has been fun to learn new things about my friends over the past week. If we're not friends on Facebook yet, and you want to be, just click on the badge on the right (the one with my former roommate Steve striking a pose), and we'll be the bestest of friends forever and ever.

Facebook friends share '25 Things' with the world - USA Today

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Angry-Gram: When you want to say 'I hate you' with a sandwich

First, did you all know that Burger King was called Hungry Jacks in Austrailia? I had no idea that has been going on all these years under my nose. What is the point of the name change, exactly? Was there already a Burger King down under?

Anyway, I'm a fan of Burger King's new brand identity as the weird, off-beat, humorous, and slightly edgy fast-food restaurant. Agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky have done good work creating strong television commercials and fun, interactive campaigns online. Burger King has become the master of viral fast-food campaigns and McDonalds is always trying to ketchup (HA HA HA HA HA!!!)

Last week BK received a decent amount of buzz for their Whopper Sacrifice campaign: sacrifice (delete) 10 of your Facebook friends and receive a coupon for a free Whopper. It's funny, a little mean, easy to measure, and will spread like a wildfire.

However, I prefer BK's other new online effort: the Angry-Gram. Meant to coincide with their new Angry Whopper sandwich, visitors to the site can fill in a Mad-Lib like letter to a friend, which is then generated into an angry tirade given by a cartoon Angry Whopper that can be e-mailed to a friend. It's also funny, a little mean, will spread like a wildfire. In addition, it can generate repeat visits by making each tirade unique. Two of my favorites have been: "Why do you always drive so fast? Are you late for an idiot parade or something?" and "You fake being upset more than a Spanish TV soap star."

Originally the Whopper talked in an angry English cockney accent, which made things even funnier. Checking it out today, however, I noticed the accent had changed to a more normal angry voice (although sometimes it screws up and goes back to the old recordings). Maybe people complained that it was hard to make out what the Whopper was saying. I hope it wasn't changed because a couple of prudes found the accent offending. It wasn't.

Despite all these funny ads, I have yet to get to a Burger King (although the Angry Whopper does look good. Anyone try it yet?). The Burger Kings around me in Cleveland are hard to get to, dirty, depressing, and offer poor service. I'm not exactly surprised, it's still a Burger King. Now that BK has established a strong brand identity through their marketing I think now they need to work on extending that brand identity to the customers' actual BK dining experience.

Feel free to send me an Angry-gram at johndaviddrake@gmail.com.

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Addressing the Needs of the Audience on Facebook

Over the weekend the New York Times posted an article addressing the problems some brands have had seeing results from Facebook advertising efforts. The article cites efforts by Procter & Gamble as an example of campaigns that may generate a little buzz at their initial launch but quickly fade out and never lead to an increase in sales.

The folks at P&G seem dumbfounded by this. They spent a lot of money on generating creative and entertaining web "events" and sweepstakes, which resulted in thousands of "fans" of their products, how come that led few to actually purchase their products?

The amount of buzz and activity with brands on Facebook does not reflect on sales within the same audience. I call it the "Snakes on a Plane Corollary": Gen Y Internet buzz does should never guarantee specific action.

What is a brand to do? How much money do they have to throw at the Internet before Generation Y takes action? Why aren't they lining up to buy Tide? The article concludes that advertisers have two approaches available to them:

1. Be more intrusive by targeting extremely specific audience groups and using their "fans" as advertising channels by posting ads within their personal profiles.
2. Spend even more money on a regular basis to constantly create new entertaining commercials, viral videos, and games.

It seems to me that there is one other option that the article fails to mention: stop trying to be best friends with the community and start using Facebook to address the needs of your audience as they pertain to your brand.

That is not to say there is no reason to use the first two options to promote a brand, especially when launching a new brand or brand extension. However, that should only be one element of a brand's social media strategy. Use entertainment, games, and videos only to generate buzz and brand awareness. These are the sort of things Facebook users want to share with their friends and post on their profile, not direct ads for a brand.

The second element of a brand's marketing strategy should address the other needs of the audience. Altogether users seek media, including the Internet and web portals like Facebook, to meet four major needs:

1. The need for entertainment and escapism (games and viral videos would fall into this category)
2. The need to develop personal relationships (this is the main reason Facebook users log on everyday: to connect socially with friends and families, not brands)
3. The need to develop a personal identity through knowledge & interests (a Facebook profile represents the users personal identity, and can include brands that the user feels reflect their personality and interests. This is why people become "fans" of certain products)
4. The need of understanding of the surrounding world and sharing information with others (this can include information about a product or promotion that the user may find helpful)

Many brands on Facebook only try to address the first need fully and forget about the rest. In order for a brand to see results from Facebook, they should try to address all four of these needs.

If P&G wants to advertise the Tide brand to Facebook users, they should go beyond the entertainment to address the need that users want Tide to help with: stains and laundry. A lot of Facebook users are college students or young professionals living on their own. Why not use Facebook to offer advice or instructional videos to those who are washing their clothes for the first time (What does permanent press mean? Is that like ironing in the washing machine?)? I would not take movie or music advice from Tide, or consider them a better stain remover if they did, but I would certainly take laundry advice, and if it was helpful I would tell all my friends about it and feel a stronger connection to the Tide brand. Viral videos are fun, but they will not get the chili stain out of my shirt.

Brands should not forget what needs their product or service best gratifies. Facebook can be an excellent portal to generate buzz for a product, but it can also be used to address the needs of the user on a personal basis on their terms in a venue that they frequent. Companies like P&G need to realize that advertising on television or even elsewhere on the Internet serves a different purpose than advertising on Facebook.

Advertising on social media sites should focus initially on buzz, but more importantly at how a brand can really help users personally. If their need is met, I believe positive word-of-mouth will spread, and actual action will take place. That, in turn, can lead to a strong association with the brand, which creates a new influencer to spread the word.

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