Feb 14
The client is (NOT) always right!
As promised earlier, here is my first post regarding my new position in the interactive media department at my job. I am specifically learning search engine optimization (SEO) and social marketing, so it is a hip new department to be a part of.
One of the problems with being part of emerging media is people often hear very little about the subject but have been told they NEED to be a part of this new and exciting marketing technique. The problem here is that social marketing does not work for everyone. The basic idea of social marketing is that you let your message spread virally through social networks, blogs, etc. That only works if you have something people want to talk about, and not every product or service is exciting enough to be considered newsworthy.
The hard part is convincing a client that their product or service, which they are generally passionate about, is not “cool” enough to spread socially. Nobody wants to hear that, and if you say it the wrong way you may lose their business altogether. This is even harder to deal with because of the mantra “The client is always right!”. As an agency our job is to please the client with the results they want to see, so if they specifically say they want to move into social media then darn it we better get them into every blog and network we can possibly find! While that would be an easy short term solution and would bring in more money to the agency up front, when (not if) the campaign fails, we as an agency will not look good and will have a hard time picking up repeat business. I am proud to say I work at an agency that prides themselves on their honesty about these types of things and hope all of our clients see the value in such honesty.
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February 14th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
That is all very interesting Klye, and it sounds really challenging. I do think that honesty is going to be valuable to the clients. But the most important thing they are looking for is the “hype” of the product. I think alot of times they realize that their products not everything, but if you can create that “hype”, then the potential to make the money is there. There is so much crap out there that has been”hyped”. For example, http://www.thebeerbelly.com has used social networking, blogs and other online resources to gain publicity. This all lead up to spots on Leno and other media outlets for this company to show off their product. A funny, interesting, and completely novelty item it is. When it comes down to the real functionality of the product, its pretty crappy. It does not even work that well, but this guy used myspace, blogs and other outlets to make it even bigger. He quit his former job, and now just sells the beer belly. The reason I believe its doing well is because of all the “hype” he created online. Just my thoughts on what you are doing, good luck. It should be challenging and exciting to see products take off, and to sometimes flop. All in all, it sounds exciting. -Marc
February 19th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Marc makes a good point. The evidence of successful hype is seen blatently all around us. The fashion industry is a good example; really, who looked good in cargo pants? Sagging? Come on, how did that ever get started? The list is endless of trends that have come and gone and fed the pockets of the industry along the way. Bread machines, Topsy Tails, Pocket Fishermen….all sold at the garage sale, yet also gold star results of successful hype.
February 19th, 2008 at 11:05 am
While the hype machine has worked for several products and services in the past, you still have to understand that it is not for everyone. This is for a number of reasons:
1) Lack of a differentiated product. No matter how much you want to socially market your company’s whole wheat flour (as an example…) people are not going to see it as something that they should be talking about. A new logo or packaging idea might make it into niche groups that discuss those sort of things, but in the end the money you put into a social campaign like this will not have the return that you can get in other mediums.
2) Social marketing is out of control. What I mean by this is the client has no control over the message that will be spread. No matter how much you try to promote a positive brand message, the chances that someone will come in and start spinning your message negatively is very high. If this new negative message is spread, it is all over. You would be surprised how easily this happens.
3) The “one hit wonder.” Cheryl, you mentioned products such as Topsy Tails and the Pocket Fisherman that are now sitting out on the garage sale table. Making a quick buck is great for some people, but there is nothing sustainable about a business that can only perform if they rely on products becoming a new fad. Granted there are excepts such as the ipod, but even then Apple has differentiated their product line to cover as much ground as they can in preparation for a time when those white earbuds fall out of style. It is our job as advertisers to steer our clients towards sustainable business practices, as it will benefit both parties in the long run.
These are just a few of the top reasons why social marketing may not be for everyone. There are many other things to consider as well, so saying “I want people to blog about me!” isn’t as simple of a decision as you’d think.