A new piece of research conducted by TNS, TRU and Marketing Evolution, Never Ending Friending: A Journey into Social Networking, is available as a downloadable PDF from TNS.
“For the young consumer, there is no greater influence and no more desirable commercial context than within their friend group… only social networking is by its very nature populated and defined by friends and relationships. That makes it one of the most powerful potential commercial environments available today.”
“There is much more to social network marketing than advertising and page profiles… The extra
punch of social network marketing comes from something we call ‘the momentum effect.’ The momentum effect occurs when consumers become motivated to tell their own personal stories using your brand as a prominent reference point.”
“To succeed in the social networking environment, consider how you can personify your brand or offering. What’s the appropriate personality and voice for your entity? How can you create a character or characters to embody and speak for your brand on an ongoing basis? Should that be an employee? An imaginary character? A brand-aligned advisor? A social Marketing program that reveals your brand’s soul?”
“Generally, social networking adherents participate in the community because they value the wholly consensual, value-added relationships cultivated therein. When asked whether they wish to be Advertising targets, adherents overwhelmingly respond ‘no.’ When asked whether they’d like to enter into two-way, ‘friend’-like relationships with brands they know, trust, and like, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’”
A worthwhile read.
Posted by David Cushman, form:substance