Your ROI on Social Media

Gary Vaynerchuk GETS IT!

I wrote an article about this very topic (see Goodbye Lehman, Merrill, AIG – Hello Digital!) that Gary and so many other social media entrepreneurs have been preaching and practicing. Please read the article first, then watch this video.

more about “Your ROI on Social Media“, posted with vodpod

People Pleasing

Yesterday while having lunch with the parents, a very interesting TV talk show was playing (NOTE: my father is an oil and political economist and thus, has planted TVs in EVERY room of our house so that he can watch the news no matter where he is in the house). My father explained the concept of the show: A talk show host invites random folks who have something to complain about. The complaints are very diverse in nature. The idea is that no matter the complaint, he can solve the problem. If the complaint is “higher” than his capacity, he refers them to the right person who can solve their issue. The show is very popular in Lebanon however my intrigue came into play when I discovered that because of said popularity, certain companies who have “pissed off” the complainers have now been known to “clean up their act” so to speak — so as to avoid future negative publicity from the show.

So of course, I get to thinking. This trend of audience out lash meets company response is growing like wildfire. I mean, there were a couple of incidents way in the past where companies had to react QUICKLY to public outcry or certain product release mishaps (think, Tylenol and what was it? Cyanide?) However in those times, folks had to be poisoned first to be able to have serious ground to voice their concerns. Now, all you need is Facebook,  Twitter and a group of other angries and you’re good to go. Not that i’m bashing the angries. Its just that almost anything these days gets brands to pull their ads: Pepsi Suicicide ads, Motrin, and i’m sure a few others i’m not privvy to.

Anyway, again, i’m not saying pulling ads due to public reaction is bad. I’d be a bit hypocritical if I did given how much I preach about the power of voice through social media and how brands should leverage this trend. All i’m saying is that where is the line between staying true to yourself vs pleasing others? Should there even be a line? Should companies have their audience dictate who they are? Are the people the brand? I don’t know. All I know is that people pleasing is a chore. I used to have this thing a while back where I always wanted to appease folks and it was really tasking, so I stopped.  Mind you I didn’t really have anything to sell so it might make sense for companies to want to people please. But again.. this dreaded “line”. What about companies who have a credo, a way of thinking, a creative mantra? What happens if a particular output of that creative culture pisses some people off… where does the line draw between standing behind your culture and the need to please your following? I don’t know the answer, so there won’t be any value from me in that respect. These are my thoughts, would love for those who have an opinion to give one.

The imminence of next generation reporting

A couple of events have inspired me to write this blog post, most recently the stepping down of Steve Jobs from Apple (relax, only for a couple of months while he recovers from an impending health concern) and the US Airways crash into the Hudson River, both occurred 2-3 days ago. What I realized is how quick I came to know of these events, and more importantly, how I managed to be informed in such a short period of time. In more traditional times I probably would have been privvy to such news from word of mouth, when I pick up the newspaper on my way to work (which, I have never done but i’m taking you through a typical user journey), or if I just so happen to turn on the TV for some news (which again, I *rarely* have done… work with me here though). Now, not only am I able to be in the know as it happens, I have access to a much richer library of resources to accompany the news: People, Live, Meaningful. I wouldn’t have been able to be part of a real time reporting unless I accompanied Christiane Amanpour from CNN during the siege of Sarajevo, for example. Whilst on Twitter last night, I came across a live Twitpic (a Twitter program that allows you to snap shots on your BB or iPhone, which then automatically embeds itself into a link that you can automatically send through on a Tweet/post.) Anyway, I came across a live Twitpic of someone who was part of the rescue aid for the US Airways crash. He was on a boat approaching the crashed plane, took a photo of what he was approaching and sent it to his followers on Twitter, which virally resulted in me seeing this! This picture was realtime, it was personal. Beat that New York Times! 

So what’s the point? There is one. The Financial Times yesterday reported on emerging digital media trends that are prompting agencies to re-think their current brand communications and adjust to the online world. The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, which will publish the “Social Media Futures” report compiled by Future Foundation next week, has warned that advertising agencies face growth of just 1.2 per cent a year by 2016 if the industry fails to tackle the changes to the media created by sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. 

The article highlights the imminence of next generation reporting through social media, with specifics to Twitter in this case. I think this exemplifies quite nicely the power of conversations online and how this opportunity should affect brand communication agendas. Over and out.