When explaining Social Media to friends and relatives, that are using it, but do not understand the term, I give only one example, as I observed it is clear and simple. Social Media is when you post a review on Amazon. Therefore the analogy is simple, Social Media is Content. Social media is the power to own and mention a personal opinion while others, public or non-public figures or companies, can follow and discus about it, as it can be explained only through content and it's creators.
I divided the content in 4 categories and placed it them the semiotic square. This square is explaining the advertising relationship with content, not the inherent authority among people and generally content consumers.
Celebrity and Tribes
Most powerful social media content is celeb content. They have the highest number of fans online, reach and the highest engagement. Complementary to this, I placed the tribe content, meaning their followers, social media groupies. A celebrity could not exist without is's fans, as a politician without it's voters, an artist without a collector, an actor without the scene, etc. Celebrities expose their lifestyle and way of being to everybody, thus raising curiosity, creating role models and lots and lots of conversation. And let's not forget everybody wants to be a celebrity and they work for it with the help of Social Media.
Brands and Consumer
At the opposite side, we have brands, wishing to be celebs, with consumers wishing to gain something from brands. We never follow a brand or Facebook page/ blog/ branded community, unless there's something for us also. That something often relates to information of product and services, promotions, gifts, frisbees and seldom to real life conversation.
We never follow a coffee brand unless it has good appetizing coffee content, (like Coffeechat Jacobs community) and from time to time an app and a contest. We never follow a brand of computers like Dell, unless it invites us to compete with others.
Even though brands would like to think of themselves as celebes, they rarely understand this concept, or even worse, they forgot it, as I wrote in my previous blog post.
What's next?
This is the feeling for now, the scheme above. In the nearest future, I would like to replace consumer content with tribes, in the semiotic square above and tribes with socialism maybe? What do you think? Is there any emerging new political theory?
And then read Life's simple POV.
2 comentarii:
Interesant spus, dar nu sunt 100% de acord cu datele din patrat, ceea ce influenteaza mult si felul in care eu, cel putin, percep articolul.
In primul rand, un brand nu e obligatoriu opusul unei celebritati.
Branduri ca Apple, Coca-Cola, Discovery si alte branduri tribale, cum le spune Olins, sunt exact ca o celebritate. Si fac bine ce fac.
In al doilea rand, "consumator" nu e neaparat opusul "tribului". Depinde cum definesti tribul, pentru ca un grup de consumatori implicati in (sa ii zicem) viata unui brand pot constitui un trib.
Spuneai ca brandurile depind de concursuri si aplicatii - Inna organizeaza, si ea, concursuri, ba chiar are si o aplicatie cu pseudo-muzica pe care o produce. Inna e celebritate sau brand?
Dragă Adrian, tu ai dreptate, există branduri tribale puternice. Din unul dintre triburile menționate fac parte și eu și e o secta, nu doar un trib, doar că vorbeam de triburile din social media. Apple are un trib uriaș pe care nu îl folosește în SM, nu îl ghidează, îl lasă doar să existe. Le-au oferit consumatorilor un spațiu în care să se exprime, iar Apple există doar prin branding, nu ghidează și nici nu începe conversația. Dar nu e de condamnta, nu toate brandurile trebuie să existe în SM! Există un risc imens pentru un brand în SM să genereze un spațiu pentru Customer Support, iar dacă nu ai resusele interne să gestionezi acest lucru, mai bine aștepți.
Consumator este opus tribului, ca imagine generală pe care brandurile o au despre aceștia în SM și am menționat asta. Aș vrea ca pe viitor brandurile să vadă consumatorii ca pe un trib și să interacționeze cu ei. Vezi de face de exemplu brandul meu preferat pe SM: ASOS.
Celebritatea e un brand personal, mai tangibil. Conceptul din spatele celebrității este altul...
Trimiteți un comentariu