Social Media Is a Hammer, But I Am Not a Nail
06/03/2008, 2 months 2 weeks ago
… or, Why You Don't Need a Social Network for Every Product
I have two tabs open right next to each other at the moment. Both are social networking sites for products sponsored by the companies who make the products. One is a brilliant marketing move. The other (still in invite-only beta and I'm not privileged) I haven't even seen and already know it's wrong, wrong, wrong.
Social media is the new marketing meme, and every agency, no matter how clueless they are in actually using or implementing social media in campaigns, is telling clients that this is what they have to be doing. And I've been one of the people banging the drum for enterprise companies to catch up in implementing social media for their customers. I don't, however, think it should be rolled out for every single company and every single product.
Today's culprit of abuse of social media for brand image? Clorox, with their apparently upcoming MomWire. Aside from my deep and abiding hatred of anything that automatically assumes that the person doing the cleaning and using associated products in a household is a family, Clorox here is obviously shooting for the same mom/parenting demographic that is the latest "in crowd" for online marketing. The splash page mentions a "special group of moms" (of which I'm not special, I guess) and mentions events and news about cleaning products. HOW THRILLING! With their URL (CloroxMomWire.com) and narrow focus, they may be pursuing one demographic, but have completely left out men, women who aren't mothers, and people like me who prefer to not be sorted into a neat little pigeonhole. And while I like their bleach, I don't care for this particular marketing push.
In contrast, I'm looking at Pleoworld from UGOBE. I was one of the fortunate ones to win a Pleo at Web 2.0 Expo back in April, and he just arrived last week. When I registered my adorable little baby dinosaur robot, I was invited to start a plog for my little guy, as well as join the very active community. I need another blog tool like I need another hole in my head, but with a VERY simple interface, I have a place to just talk about my Pleo, as well as interact with other members, and upload photos and videos. Membership in the community isn't limited in any way. In fact, you don't even have to own a Pleo to join and interact. A forum allows users to talk to each other, exchange tips on programming and modding their Pleos, and just socialize as Pleo owners.
The difference between the two efforts is the product. I can talk to you about how I use Clorox bleach, from cleaning mildew off my shower walls to making an 80s-era costume for my kid for Halloween with the splotched bleach denim, but there is a limit to how much I'm going to want to know about, read about, or, actually, care about, cleaning products. With a Pleo, I can program it, customize it, take it places, and treat it much like a programmable pet, all things that will spark endless discussions and social interactions. I want to meet up with people who also have Pleos, because watching them interact with each other is amazing.
Obviously, I'm of the geek persuasion, but that doesn't mean I haven't met up with and participated in a lot of non-techie communities. I've participated in parenting boards (and actually hosted some). But the most successful communities that are run by a corporate entity of some sort are those that have a wide scope, focus on a demographic that may have a common interest, and reduce the amount of "produce overlord" interaction. In other words, I don't need a social network for my cleaning supplies.
Pleo sounds cool. What, no photo of your Pleo?
Social media may be a hammer, but it sure ain’t always social.
Momwire has actually been around for 2 years, so I wouldn’t call it “new”. I’m a member and love the program (I get mailings as well…the website is a small portion of it). It does not push products but it does give me good information geared towards moms like me. Maybe you shouldn’t comment on a site if you haven’t even seen it. Just a thought…
I loved your post and responded to it in my blog http://www.webstrategyblog.com/ I wholeheartedly agree that we dont need a social network for every product! I’d simply like to see social media tools being integrated as a defecto part of most web content, that would eliminate the need ot build community or networks around everything.
Hi Cyndy,
I saw your post title elsewhere, and quickly stopped by. I heartily agree with you that not every product necessitates an online community. However, I’m of mixed opinion on your examples. From what you’ve said about Pleo, it sounds like Webkinz or Neopets: moreso an entertainment site than an online community extending from a given brand. In contrast, the Clorox site is a complement to the brand. If you find the name unfortunate, that’s just a marketing blunder in and of itself, and not related to whether or not social media is a good extention for the brand. It’s not clear to me if you think a niche community about cleaning isn’t relevant, or just that a niche community for women head-of-households isn’t relevant, and those are very different ideas…
So I take it you haven’t signed up for an invite to the upcoming Charmin Buttbook social network?
http://www.charmin.com/en_us/pages/videos_popup.shtml
@Leslie All pictures/videos of the Pleo are at his plog. See? Social media around a product done right. And I don’t have to clutter up my other blogs with that stuff.
@Mob media I think you hit the nail on the head. Ha!
@Paula There is definitely a new push for it, judging by efforts that I’ve seen. I don’t need to actually join the site to use it as an example. There are tons of brands who hear that “social media” is the next big thing in marketing and push for it, and have been over the past couple of years. The amount of money being spent in these marketing efforts would be better off targeting those same niche demographics in other areas. Otherwise, you get a lot of sign-ups, but a limited amount of retention as users realize that they just don’t have time for one more social network. The space is too crowded as it is.
@Karen I’ll have to check out your post.
@Andrea Comparing an online community for sharing stories and exchanging information about a $350 programmable dinosaur robot to a game site for children involving a $15 stuffed toy makes no sense at all. No, it’s not even close to an entertainment site, since UGOBE makes the assumption that you’d rather be playing with the robot’s programming than an online game. And I don’t think that social media IS a good extension for all brands. It clutters the already crowded space. There is a huge difference between building a community for the community’s sake and building one purely for marketing. I used the disparate examples for that reason: the Pleo community exists to facilitate communication between product owners. If UGOBE hadn’t built it, someone else would have because it’s a product that lends itself to a community sharing due to the programming feature. Would people really have built their own community around Clorox products? My guess is no, and that should be the deciding factor, in my mind.
@Drama Nosirree, I sure won’t. And I find those bears disturbing as well. I realize someone at some point got a giggle out of the “Do bears [blank] in the woods?” bit, but really, it’s served its purpose.