Traditional vs Social Advertising
One of the most significant pieces of research to emerge over recent weeks has been a report from Gartner which suggests that by 2012 half of all consumer spending will have some online aspect.
However, the actual act of buying a product or service will represent only a fraction of this internet activity. The vast majority of the consumer's online decision-making will be made up of reading blogs, checking reviews and comparing prices.
It has a profound impact on online advertising, with the smart money now moving away from traditional ads and towards the community-based websites that influence opinion.
Up until now, advertising on the internet has principally meant display ads, paid search and natural search (Search Engine Optimisation). These forms of advertising have worked well when all a company wanted to do was distract someone's attention and move them to a new website.
Times, however, have changed. Experts across the industry are now talking about the 'failure' of traditional online advertising and predictions abound for a decline in such spend by 5% in 2009. Engaging an audience in a brand or product in a dialogue is now the real game in town.
All traditional forms of online advertising revolve around the concept of pushing a commercial message to a user. This even includes the 'holy grail' of natural search. It is certainly true that if a website makes the top position on a Google search it will get more traffic. But more traffic doesn't necessarily mean more engagement and greater commercial return. What is needed is the introduction of different forms of advertising, while the mix and execution requires careful examination.
The internet is the most liberated form of any media yet invented. This is particularly true of the fastest rising area of the internet activity, social networks. There are over 1 billion people logging on to social networks. This is where the power of the consumer currently lies online and every business wants to reach out to them.
Many advertisers focus on targeted spot ads. Many others now have a facebook page, a twitter account and a linked-in profile. But while this remains purely an exercise in being seen, it is to miss the point of the raison d'être of social networks.
At best such a profile page is just ignored, at worst by entering into a social network's community space with this haphazard approach, your brand will receive a slap in the face from that network's users.
Social networks need a well thought out strategy and any campaign has to have a purpose.
RDF media the content creation and distribution company is a perfect example of what can be done. "A Message from Earth" created by RDF in August 2008 saw Bebo users being invited to submit and vote for video and audio recordings to be beamed 20 light years across space to another planet that may be able to harbour life. In the 8 months of the campaign, the site has so far had over 3 million views, 8000 submissions and a 50% interactivity rate, meaning that half of those who logged on entered into some sort of dialogue.
Yomego, with our sister company Huzu, is currently working with a client in the horseracing sector to launch a new community website, to grow and develop its fan base of race goers through social networking. The new site will allow race-goers to exchange tips and ideas, upload videos and join discussion groups. The strategy is to stimulate interest in the sport and harness fan-power.
Doing just that is Coca-Cola. Coke has the second biggest facebook page in terms of fans after Barrack Obama. It was created, however, by fans rather than be the company. Facebook offered to remove the page, but in a welcome move Coke said no. They not only left the page where it was, but now actively help to support it, by sharing all of the positive aspects of the brand. The page now has 3.2 million fans and rising. These are not just people who see an advert once and may or may not act; these are fans of that brand who are actively engaged.
In the Social web, people are already talking about your company and product whether you want them to or not and no amount of Search Engine Optimisation or banner ads can change that.
The simple message if you don't manage the social networks someone else will and your ad budgets will have been wasted.
Joe Hughes,
Research & Insight Manager, Yomego
