An article in Advertising Age reports that the GM for interactive marketing and innovation at P&G, Ted McConnell, questions whether marketers are hi-jacking social community space. He reportedly said, "I have a reaction to that as a consumer advocate and an advertiser," he said. "What in heaven's name made you think you could monetize the real estate in which somebody is breaking up with their girlfriend?"
So my first question to you is - are social media marketers infringing on space you'd rather have free of marketing?
Please comment to this post with your opinions!
My view of social media as a marketing platform has always been that brands only belong in the space if they are contributing to the dialogue and adding value to those they reach. When brands participate in the conversation and are valued for the relationship, it's not hi-jacking.
McConnell went on to say this (as reported in AdAge): "Who said this is media? Media is something you can buy and sell. Media contains inventory. Media contains blank spaces. Consumers weren't trying to generate media. They were trying to talk to somebody."
This peaked my curiousity so I took a look at the definitions of media.
There are 11 definitions offered by The Free Dictionary and these in particular seem relevant.
1. Something, such as an intermediate course of action, that occupies a position or represents a condition midway between extremes.
2. An intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on.
3. An agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed, or transferred: The train was the usual medium of transportation in those days.
4. pl. media
a. A means of mass communication, such as newpapers, magazines, radio, or television.
b. media (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The group of journalists and others who constitute the communications industry and profession.
5. pl. media An object or device, such as a disk, on which data is stored.
6. pl. media
a. A surrounding environment in which something functions and thrives.
b. The substance in which a specific organism lives and thrives.
c. A culture medium.
7.
a. A specific kind of artistic technique or means of expression as determined by the materials used or the creative methods involved: the medium of lithography.
b. The materials used in a specific artistic technique: oils as a medium.
You can probably see where I'm going with this - social communities definitely fit the intent of the word media. Consumers generate content for the social media space, just as journalists create content for mass media. The question should not be - is this media; the question is how can we nurture the environment and the content transferred via the environment in way that allows the community to benefit.
Thoughts?
2 comments:
I definitely think social media has made all of us a bit nosier than usual. Of course, we're only human and we're curious creatures. But, social media takes it to an extreme. However, it's also a persons choice whether they join a social network AND what information they put on there is up to them as well. So, with that being said, to answer your first question my response is no, social media marketers are not infringing on space we'd rather have free of marketing... the information we put out there is our choice, they aren't digging through our personal lives and posting it without our permission.
The simplest way I can think of social media actually being media is that it is COMMUNICATION. Therefore, I agree with you.. .it is definitely media!
I appreciate the fact that the marketers have tailored the ads to fit my personality and because of that it carries the theme of my social networking page. I would feel differently if the ads didn't match my brand. But that would just be a waste of a company's money, now, wouldn't it?
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