Comments on: Can brands have a social life? http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/ Where Brands and Bloggers Connect! Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:23:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Harro! http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-26 Harro! Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:34:56 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-26 Transparency is the future. What you don't know will "kill" you. :) So its better to for brands to know whats coming up, anticipate, innovate, and address the issues. However, in a multi-channel environment, each with their own community, the different messages need to be tailored for the corresponding medium. Transparency is the future. What you don’t know will “kill” you. :) So its better to for brands to know whats coming up, anticipate, innovate, and address the issues.

However, in a multi-channel environment, each with their own community, the different messages need to be tailored for the corresponding medium.

]]> By: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING » Blog Archive » Singapore Prestige Brand Award http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-25 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING » Blog Archive » Singapore Prestige Brand Award Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:06:24 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-25 [...] in Ogilvy Singapore, is a blog for brands and bloggers. They started a conversation on the topic Can Brands Have a Social Life. Interesting comments, from that [...] […] in Ogilvy Singapore, is a blog for brands and bloggers. They started a conversation on the topic Can Brands Have a Social Life. Interesting comments, from that […]

]]> By: David Yeo http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-24 David Yeo Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:56:37 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-24 Social Media is the new bridge between consumers and big corporates. I mean this is exactly what is happening here isnt it? Connecting people tops the most happening list on Social media but I think companies providing products/services to their customers will need to hop on the wagon soon. Sherman, we get something from these brands daily in exchange for hard earned cash - cant run away from that. Why not help them, and help ourselves get more buck out of each dollar. The thing is, if they turn ONLY promotional and commerical in these social spaces we are smart enough to smell a rat and just ignore them. I have not clicked on a FB ad a long time.... Social Media is the new bridge between consumers and big corporates. I mean this is exactly what is happening here isnt it? Connecting people tops the most happening list on Social media but I think companies providing products/services to their customers will need to hop on the wagon soon.

Sherman, we get something from these brands daily in exchange for hard earned cash - cant run away from that. Why not help them, and help ourselves get more buck out of each dollar. The thing is, if they turn ONLY promotional and commerical in these social spaces we are smart enough to smell a rat and just ignore them.

I have not clicked on a FB ad a long time….

]]> By: Darren Yan http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-18 Darren Yan Thu, 29 May 2008 09:21:51 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-18 IMO, the problem with brands not adopting social media is due to the perceived perception of the channel is a personal social vehicle, vis-a-vis a platform to communicate and exchange ideas. It doesn't help brands that social media cannot function the role of a website to promote and advertise their propositions to their target audience. It is important for agencies and forward-thinking professionals to get as many use cases as possible from progressive companies such as Dell to convince other brands on the necessity of having a social media channel to their customers. More importantly, the advocates of social media need to demonstrate that feedback and ideas from social media contributes to the brands' business ecosystem - product development, brand association, etc. I won't be surprised that as the number of use cases increase, the decision to embrace social media will be more of a business decision, rather than a leap of faith. IMO, the problem with brands not adopting social media is due to the perceived perception of the channel is a personal social vehicle, vis-a-vis a platform to communicate and exchange ideas. It doesn’t help brands that social media cannot function the role of a website to promote and advertise their propositions to their target audience.

It is important for agencies and forward-thinking professionals to get as many use cases as possible from progressive companies such as Dell to convince other brands on the necessity of having a social media channel to their customers. More importantly, the advocates of social media need to demonstrate that feedback and ideas from social media contributes to the brands’ business ecosystem - product development, brand association, etc.

I won’t be surprised that as the number of use cases increase, the decision to embrace social media will be more of a business decision, rather than a leap of faith.

]]> By: Tania Chew http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-17 Tania Chew Mon, 26 May 2008 11:33:34 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-17 I think if brands play "ostrich-with-head-in-the-sand" and ignore social media, they're missing out on a very integral channel for communicating directly with their customers. Engaging with customers on a digital platform isn't necessarily about collecting information so that you can spam them...with social media it's a completely different engagement experience...one that's open, honest and conversational. Dell is one good example with their Direct2Dell and Ideastorm blogs, which openly solicit feedback (criticisms included!) from their customers in order to create better products...products their customers actually want/have asked for. And if you look on Twitter these days, you'll notice that a lot of communications and marketing folks from companies are putting themselves out there as a direct point of contact (and giving direct, personal responses to gripes)...customer service at the forefront. I think if brands play “ostrich-with-head-in-the-sand” and ignore social media, they’re missing out on a very integral channel for communicating directly with their customers. Engaging with customers on a digital platform isn’t necessarily about collecting information so that you can spam them…with social media it’s a completely different engagement experience…one that’s open, honest and conversational.

Dell is one good example with their Direct2Dell and Ideastorm blogs, which openly solicit feedback (criticisms included!) from their customers in order to create better products…products their customers actually want/have asked for.

And if you look on Twitter these days, you’ll notice that a lot of communications and marketing folks from companies are putting themselves out there as a direct point of contact (and giving direct, personal responses to gripes)…customer service at the forefront.

]]> By: JoJo http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-16 JoJo Mon, 26 May 2008 04:03:00 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-16 thanks for the comments so far. sherman - agree. consumers will be involved to get a balanced view of the potential roles that brands can play. i'm interested what you think of the marmite page in facebook. it's got 85k fans. surely that's a very innocent way of opening up your brand without getting commercial or trying to pull out money. agree though that the video is one dimensional. more to come... watch this space.... including an interview we did last ewek with the 'Father of the Internet' - Vint Cerf - Google's VP & Chief Internet Evangelist.... thanks for the comments so far.

sherman - agree. consumers will be involved to get a balanced view of the potential roles that brands can play. i’m interested what you think of the marmite page in facebook. it’s got 85k fans. surely that’s a very innocent way of opening up your brand without getting commercial or trying to pull out money.

agree though that the video is one dimensional. more to come… watch this space…. including an interview we did last ewek with the ‘Father of the Internet’ - Vint Cerf - Google’s VP & Chief Internet Evangelist….

]]> By: Sherman http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-14 Sherman Sun, 25 May 2008 12:42:40 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-14 Social media is probably here to stay for quite a while but i don't think brands should even enter it... makes the experience really crappy. why should i give a brand who isn't someone i know personally information about myself? no matter how great they do it, they are still not my real friend.. they are just being nice to me for the money. social media is about sharing without monetary benefits... the moment money enters the scene, it becomes all so commercial and dictated. instead of showing just experts who are obviously pro branding on social media, please show some consumers with a mixed variety of opinions. Social media is probably here to stay for quite a while but i don’t think brands should even enter it…

makes the experience really crappy. why should i give a brand who isn’t someone i know personally information about myself?

no matter how great they do it, they are still not my real friend.. they are just being nice to me for the money. social media is about sharing without monetary benefits…
the moment money enters the scene, it becomes all so commercial and dictated.

instead of showing just experts who are obviously pro branding on social media, please show some consumers with a mixed variety of opinions.

]]> By: Michelle http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-13 Michelle Sun, 25 May 2008 11:27:49 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-13 Good Stuff. Good Stuff.

]]> By: Frei http://www.the-open-room.com/can-brands-have-a-social-life/#comment-12 Frei Sat, 24 May 2008 19:18:59 +0000 http://www.the-open-room.com/?p=17#comment-12 i think social media is about the power of connecting people together. It surely is a great way of getting loads of people together and sharing things with each other. However, I feel that if brands want to enter this inclusive but at the same time exclusive (in terms of personal usage) space, they better jolly well give us good stuff to even want to give a glance at them. Great video btw. Hoping to see more of such stuff. i think social media is about the power of connecting people together. It surely is a great way of getting loads of people together and sharing things with each other.

However, I feel that if brands want to enter this inclusive but at the same time exclusive (in terms of personal usage) space, they better jolly well give us good stuff to even want to give a glance at them.

Great video btw. Hoping to see more of such stuff.

]]>