(no subject)
Click to viewThis is the Old Spice Guy in one of his recent media blitzes. The idea here is that he has some how gone viral - everyone is talking about these commercials and how awesome they are. And I can't deny that his first two commercials were pretty awesome, as were his responses to some people, such as George Stephanopolis.
But of course, this is the goal of every advertising organization. Everyone is talking about the Old Spice Guy, which means everyone is thinking about Old Spice products, which means that a good portion of these folks will purchase said products. And how did this campaign become so successful? Signs of course point to a coordinated social media campaign. This is why every organization should seek to be on Facebook and Twitter as much as possible, because this is where your customers are at.
Of course, this completely ignores the fact that the commercial was originally a... commercial. On an actual tv. People who watched tv saw it. Oh sure, they looked it up on Youtube and shared it with their friends, but the didn't happen to share it because they had friends on Facebook or twitter or Youtube. They happened to share it because it was good.
That is why I am suspicious of the idea that marketers and politicians and schools and organizations and corporations and everyone else should be so interested in this idea of social media and social marketing. Oh sure, I'll buy something on a recommendation (A good portion of the anime, comic books, and music I buy was recommended to me by friends), but maybe, just maybe it has more to do with the fact that I respect my friends' opinions than succumbing to some sort of teenage horde of buying power.
And I don't know why I don't hear marketers talking about that. I am beginning to suspect that this is a dirty secret or something.