Facebook going Ads?
I have been reading a lot of blog posts recently, about the controversial launch of an advertising platform on Facebook. One of those posts was commented by a man who, very wisely, was explaining that people don’t want to be bothered by advertising anymore and will eventually find ways to get rid of it. We zap during TV commercials, or turn off the volume. We don’t look at printed ads in our favourite magazines.
And I thought this is a very important point, which inspired me a comment that I am reposting here.
Advertising as we have known it is less and less effective and sooner or later, it will not be worth the price companies are paying for them, because us consumers find ways to avoid them.
I work in marketing. I understand what companies see in Facebook, they think that if, instead of randomly advertising to people who do not care about their products, they are going to be more sucessfull because they will be targeting better. Like pet food companies won’t talk to me anymore because I have no pet, and make-up companies will talk to me because I am interested in the subject.
Except it is not that simple: there are times when I am open to receiving that kind of information, and times where I want to be left alone with my friends, like on Facebook. Also there are companies I don’t want to hear about, whatever new fancy make-up product they have.
That is why I love Seth Godin’’s theory about permission marketing so much. The message to the industry is: stop bothering people and interrupting their life again and again, you’re just upsetting them, they don’t want to hear you. Instead, offer intersting product that people will want to hear about (which is a totally different starting point!) and will want to talk about with their friends, the buzz will do the advertising work without disturbing your potential consumers. And everybody will be happy.
Okay, granted I never read Godin’s book, so I probably shouldn’t comment, but from what I can extrapolate based on your post, it sounds like a workable idea in theory. But how do you get the word out that this interesting product exists in the first place? Word of mouth has long been a recognized advertising technique, but I guess I’m just wondering how you would start the buzz without advertising in some form or other?
Also, isn’t there a familiarity effect that works whether or not the consumer is annoyed by the ad? Isn’t that what most advertisers are going for?
Not trying to grill you here or anything! These questions just popped in my head as I read your post. Doubtless, there’s a lot about it I don’t understand since I didn’t read the book.
Singletude
Elsie
February 4, 2008
@ Elsie: got a ood example, but not time, be back later with it
Marie D.
February 4, 2008
ok, here’s the example, that was given by Godin during a presentation, by the way.
I guess you know Hallmarks. Well Hallmarks customers are very faithful to the brand, they go very often to the store and buy a lot of cards. (Godin gives the numbers, which are impressive but I don’t remember them). But they used to face a problem: eveyr year in July the sales would drop down, because after the 4th, there wasn’t much to celebrate and people were too busy with the holidays. So they had this great ideal: during the whole month of July they would sell a unique piece of Christmas decoration that wouldn’t be available anymore. To every person buying this exclusive piece, the staff would offer the possibility to sign in to get a reminder next year in July to come and buy the new exclusive decoration. That’s very smart already, because you do give Hallmark permission to contact you – very different from advertising.
But then Christmas arrives, and you have friends and family visiting, and when someone asks where that pretty piece comes from, you tell the story about the July exclusive thing. And you tell your friends: next year, when I get the reminder, we’ll go together and you’ll buy one too. Bingo: the next year, all decorations were sold within a few days!
So you see, it is a matter of treating your customers with respect so that they will give you permission to contact them, of offering something they are going to truly want, and that they will want to tell their friends about.
Marie D.
February 4, 2008