You ask ... I answer #SocialMedia
Woke up to this on my #Facebook Wall this morning ...
Okay, for first, let me just explain to you, that I never went to school for marketing. In fact I finished high school so darn early, I never went to college. So this is a very honest answer, from a very honest human being that has been a marketer from the womb (see the post on being in an elevator with Ray Charles and calling him the guy from the Pepsi commercials), and have been working in social media since assisting in the launch of Brad Greenspan's start up LiveVideo in 07.
There, that pleases the suits ... alrite el duderino, here's my answer ... and but unfortunately it isn't as cut and dry as Betty White's vajayjay.
There are a few facets to this. For one, let's address the medium. You're dealing with an entirely new playing field for businesses big and small - one that places advertising on an even keel for all businesses. Before, you had to allocate an exorbitant budget for advertising that cost thousands and thousands of dollars for brands to reach the end user, albeit print, radio, or TV ads. Since it was primarily only larger brands that could actually afford this form of advertising, the "leaders of the pack" were established fairly early, and were able to market their products multiple times a day airing on multiple stations etc. Bottom line: you may have been inundated in print, radio, and TV - but both brand and product awareness were established.
The world is getting what we, millennials have known since 2005 - that this shiznat isn't going anywhere. The people have certainly been given a platform in which they can express their opinions, have a direct influence on their friends, and are voicing said opinions at crazy rates. We have departed from the days of being tuned out, staring at a box in our living room while being talked to, and told how fanschmastically awesome a product was and we must. act. now. Notice how there are no internet infomercials? It doesn't translate to the medium. You would turn that off in .25 seconds!! Although the parody videos are hilarious - that is more of an example of creativity driving consumerism.
I don't think people are quite getting it yet, just how much of the entire world has changed because of social media. The way in which we receive information and the rate at which it happens is incredible. Look at what happened when Michael Jackson died. Facebook, and Twitter EXPLODED. You now have companies and these huge brands that have been around forever scrambling trying to understand how they can make their product work when all the tests and studies they have done on their demographic over the last 50 years has completely changed due to the medium. Again, users are not tuned out - they are very much tuned IN! Gone are the days of the passive consumers willing to buy anything because the person in the little box said it was special. We're DONE!
Of course companies are going to try to come up with cheeky campaigns, and marketing ploys - that's their job!! I have to admit, I love pages like the "smell of scotch tape" ... and other weird wanky Facebook groups. It not only establishes product awareness in the end user but further propels the brand's "coolness." Am I about to go run out and buy some scotch tape at Costco? Maybe not ... but I know the next time I do, I'm going to totally twitpic it and make a funny video - which is in and of itself the ultimate goal in viral marketing ... getting as much of the word out as possible because someone, somewhere in the friends/ followers list will end up buying.
Facebook is community based, community driven, user generated content. Without these little quips and quirks, Facebook wouldn't be nearly as cool. I honestly say bring it on! Like anything else, it will take some getting used to ... but now is when the leaders of the new pack are established - and personally being a marketing nerd, I can't WAIT to see what is in store.
Hope this helps Jordan!!
I am also doing a social media chit chat at 4pm PST on THIS Saturday!!! It'll be broadcast on this site, as well as on ustream. Come on by if you want to have a pretty cool Q&A session!