May 3, 2006 at 20:33Marketers Build Social Networks
The popularity of MySpace.com and other online services keeps marketers awake. They are trying to create their own social networks, attracting the most loyal consumers there.
Marketers have fully realized the enormous potential of online social networks. MySpace.com and similar sites are the grains of sand around which the pearls of virtual communities are created. Real human relationships are gradually moving online and focusing on those sites. For specialists who are tasked with instilling genuine emotions in relation to certain brands, social networks are simply the perfect tool for reaching out to the target audience. Creating a large virtual community around a corporate brand is the ultimate dream of every professional marketer.
A company that decides to build a social network on the Internet for its consumers takes a certain risk. She risks that she can lose control of the user community, and then the community will turn against her. Such cases have already happened, writesUSA Today. Recently, General Motors, which created a site where the owners of the new Chevrolet Tahoe SUV SUV could create their own blogs and share their impressions of the car, got into this situation. To the surprise of marketers, many users were not at all eager to praise their car, but harshly criticized it for its increased fuel consumption. The campaign has gained momentum. Satirical banners about the issue have even begun to circulate in the community. To the credit of the manufacturer, she did not try to interfere with this movement in any way, introduce censorship, or close unwanted blogs.
The opposite isCoca-Cola , which has been supporting the online community Mycoke.com for three years now.(MySpace style site). This site has a system of automatic filtering of "aggressive" content and foul language, as well as moderators who carefully monitor the order. Typically, such monitoring does not prevent people from communicating, and now the active audience of Mycoke.com exceeds 8 million people, each of which spends an average of five hours a month on the site.
Social networks are created not only by manufacturers of goods, but also, for example, cable networks. The USA Network cable network announced a talent contest among its viewers, inviting them to send photos and videos via the Internet demonstrating their unusual abilities (for example, making faces or quickly collecting a Rubik's Cube). Winners are shown on TV screens and on the company's website. As USA Network marketers proudly declare, this is the first broadcaster to have viewers as part of the brand.
Many companies prefer not to act alone, but to attract influential partners from among Internet companies. For example, Nike, a sports shoe and apparel manufacturer, has set up the online Joga community ahead of the World Cup(which means "game" in Portuguese). This site in 14 languages is an analogue of MySpace, but only for football fans. Here they can design their football web page, publish videos or other content on near-football topics. The site from start to finish created by Google programmers. Nike is responsible for the advertising promotion of the project - it distributes videos based on the viral marketing model. This is the first social network in the world specifically for sports fans.
Other companies, such as Kodak, are also building social networks. Interactive communication with your audience is now very fashionable.
Marketers have fully realized the enormous potential of online social networks. MySpace.com and similar sites are the grains of sand around which the pearls of virtual communities are created. Real human relationships are gradually moving online and focusing on those sites. For specialists who are tasked with instilling genuine emotions in relation to certain brands, social networks are simply the perfect tool for reaching out to the target audience. Creating a large virtual community around a corporate brand is the ultimate dream of every professional marketer.
A company that decides to build a social network on the Internet for its consumers takes a certain risk. She risks that she can lose control of the user community, and then the community will turn against her. Such cases have already happened, writesUSA Today. Recently, General Motors, which created a site where the owners of the new Chevrolet Tahoe SUV SUV could create their own blogs and share their impressions of the car, got into this situation. To the surprise of marketers, many users were not at all eager to praise their car, but harshly criticized it for its increased fuel consumption. The campaign has gained momentum. Satirical banners about the issue have even begun to circulate in the community. To the credit of the manufacturer, she did not try to interfere with this movement in any way, introduce censorship, or close unwanted blogs.
The opposite is
Social networks are created not only by manufacturers of goods, but also, for example, cable networks. The USA Network cable network announced a talent contest among its viewers, inviting them to send photos and videos via the Internet demonstrating their unusual abilities (for example, making faces or quickly collecting a Rubik's Cube). Winners are shown on TV screens and on the company's website. As USA Network marketers proudly declare, this is the first broadcaster to have viewers as part of the brand.
Many companies prefer not to act alone, but to attract influential partners from among Internet companies. For example, Nike, a sports shoe and apparel manufacturer, has set up the online Joga community ahead of the World Cup(which means "game" in Portuguese). This site in 14 languages is an analogue of MySpace, but only for football fans. Here they can design their football web page, publish videos or other content on near-football topics. The site from start to finish created by Google programmers. Nike is responsible for the advertising promotion of the project - it distributes videos based on the viral marketing model. This is the first social network in the world specifically for sports fans.
Other companies, such as Kodak, are also building social networks. Interactive communication with your audience is now very fashionable.