Social Media Is a Hammer, But I Am Not a Nail
by
on June 03, 2008,
… 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.
