Commentary

Figuring Out Social Media? The Answer Is NOT Advertising

by dave.b , Max Kalehoff , October 9, 2009

The most recent Advertising Week focused relentlessly on social media. I saw this firsthand as co-emcee of OMMA Global. I also saw it as an attendee of several other events. But for all the excitement and expert pontification, most people are getting it wrong.

The fundamental problems and opportunities of social media don't lie in creating Twitter profiles or Facebook pages. Not through Facebook apps, and not mobile social networks. They don't lie in viral videos, or co-opted conversation through bloggers and payola. These can all be important venues, tactics or risks, yet they're superficial. Most of all, advertising has little relevance at this point.

When it comes to social media, the fundamental problems and opportunities for marketers lie in culture and scale. Following are two great examples that explain why -- pulled right from Advertising Week.

On Culture

Frances Allen, Brand Marketing Officer, Dunkin' Brands, Inc. delivered a wonderful presentation at OMMA on "How Dunkin' Does Social." She took us through a savvy Facebook social media campaign, success outcomes, and lessons learned. I especially liked her opening emphasis on living out values. Yet after searching "Dunkin Donuts" on Google during her talk, I became less interested in the Facebook campaign and very interested in the third search result: Dunkindonutstalk.com. This fan blog "about the chain's donuts and coffee, including news and reader comments" assumes a dominant position for Dunkin Donuts' most valuable brand search term.

According to Dunkindonutstalk.com's About page, it was created not by the brand, but on a whim by Scott Lewis, "a husband, father, and consultant - who loves Dunkin' Donuts original blend coffee." He has no affiliation with Dunkin' Donuts other than his regular purchase of two chocolate frosted donuts and a large coffee with extra cream and extra sugar. While the site has become stale in recent months, one important fact remains: a single, passionate customer left a prominent social-media footprint on the Dunkin Donuts brand. And it's assumed a long shelf life.

Dunkindonutstalk was not the result of a calculated social media strategy by the company or its marketing agencies. It was the digital residue of a fan's liking of brand, product and experience. Importantly, these elements are most influenced by a company's culture and leadership, not a Facebook page. With thousands of employees, franchises, suppliers and other partners that create (or destroy) the product and experience, for a large company cultural alignment means everything. As this example underscores, a company's cultural alignment drives its marketing and social media halo in powerful, credible and often unintended ways. In this case, it was a customer compelled to share his passion. But it can just as easily be an employee or partner -- happy or disgruntled. That's why companies typically need less social media strategy and more purpose and cultural alignment. Again, that's why I admired Allen's emphasis on living out cultural values.

On Scale

Also during OMMA, Ford Motor Company's Scott Monty presented his work as the company's lead social media ambassador. With institutional trust eroding, Monty's social media mission is to "humanize the company by connecting consumers with Ford employees and with each other when possible, providing value in the process." He's making headway, as evidenced by growing companywide support, including from the CEO, frontline engineers, designers and customers among others.

Monty underscored that half of social media is simply showing up; it's the other half that's hard. When I asked what is the greatest friction to carrying out his mission, his answer was simple: scale. If he could get only one percent of his colleagues to become active social media participants, he'd instantly gain an army of 2,000 online employee ambassadors. This platform would be bigger, more effective and more sustainable than any single social media campaign that could possibly surface from a single department or agency.

Think about that: just one percent. How can a global company of 200,000 employees achieve that? Presuming strong leadership and culture, a company can reach that sort of social media scale only through thoughtful integration across divisional silos, grassroots education, training and incentives. Scale is a massive hurdle, but it's a huge opportunity.

It's Not About Advertising

While Advertising Week was a celebration of advertising, the greatest problems and opportunities around social media really have little to do with advertising, and a lot to do with culture and scale. Advertising agencies and advertising people need to start figuring out where they fit in that mix. The hard truth is that media and advertising is not the answer.

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10 comments about "Figuring Out Social Media? The Answer Is NOT Advertising ".

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Monica Bower from TERiX Computer Service, October 9, 2009 at 11:43 a.m.
As you probably understand, the main topic at any conference even obliquely related to marketing and/or media these days is tied into the term (if not the actual concept of) Social Media. So while it may not primarily be all about advertising-an assessment I completely agree with-the absence of a huge Social Media content glob at any of these shows would be a bizarre bit of negligence.
That said, advertising itself whether social or not needs to focus on culture and focus on scale, and it always should have since long before there were digital watches, let alone digital media. The unfortunate truth is that many marketers are as suceptible to hype and melodrama as the next person so they focus instead on splash and noise, short term publicity solutions rather than foundational methods of informing consumers for the purpose of changing their behaviors.
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Chuck Dorris from eDining, llc, October 9, 2009 at 11:49 a.m.

the duncandonutstalk thing is a REAL revelation, thanks for the spin!

Jonathan Hall from American Pop, October 9, 2009 at 12:39 p.m.

Great points on Culture and Scale. Scalability in Social Media is not like traditional media. Using employees as brand ambassadors sounds like a good idea. Part of scalability also entails hitting multiple "lifestyle verticals" with communication that speaks to them specifically. For instance, a Facebook Fan Page doesn't have to be a one size fits all. A Caribbean luxury resort could separate "Golf Enthusiasts" from "Eco-tourism". Building trust within social media is very possible if consumers think you understand them and ensures penetration into these targeted groups. The scalability is in identifying these "lifestyle verticals" and reaching them in volume. This ties Culture with Scale.

Shelly Kramer from V3 Integrated Marketing, October 9, 2009 at 1:42 p.m.

Terrific post, Max. You are spot on.

Michelle Bonat from RumbaFish, October 9, 2009 at 2:42 p.m.

Max this is a great post. You are right that 'scale is a massive hurdle, but it's a huge opportunity'. How to get social media to scale? The trick is being able to engage and leverage a company's influencers, then track and analyze that in real time. Then even that 1% you discuss is amplified and becomes significant.

All in all, I'm pleased that key publications like Ad Week are recognizing the power of social media.

John Jainschigg from World2Worlds, Inc., October 9, 2009 at 3:39 p.m.

This is a very important post - thank you for writing it. As I tell clients - it's like the old joke about how many psychotherapists does it take to change a lightbulb? (Answer: just one, but the lightbulb needs to _want_ to change.) Likewise, businesses that want to market this way need to create cultures of authentic participation and curatorial awareness, making use of whatever scale they can summon to interface with a dialogue they can participate in, but never own.

Jonathan Mendez from Yieldbot, October 9, 2009 at 3:40 p.m.

There is real value in a consumer sharing her passionate experiences with a brand in social media. As in life, social and emotional connections are most valued when they are authentic.

An army of 2,000 employees hitting social media and the very idea of social media campaigns themselves are neither authentic nor welcomed by most people.

Ford is not my friend and never could be. Neither is Dunkin Donuts. People do not have shared interest with brands and the social web is all about sharing. But Scott Lewis could be my friend and might share my interest.

Businesses should concentrate on doing what they do, doing it well, being honest, fair and responsible. Then the social media amplifiers will emerge, be authentic and truly valuable.

Aaron Smith, October 9, 2009 at 5:24 p.m.

Great post. Thanks for the insight. My divergence is in the comment "People do not have shared interest with brands". While I can appreciate the perspective this is written from, I do disagree. Many brands DO share interests with their customers... ESPECIALLY those who choose to follow them. Look at Hurley on FB, Stone Brewing on FB and Funny or Die on Twitter -- they all communicate effectively and personally with their followers on shared interests. Whether it's beer or boards, there's always a way to meaningfully connect and share interests and perspectives with your consumers. Just my 2 cents.

Mitch Anthony from titanium, October 9, 2009 at 8:44 p.m.

Great article. It reminded me that the idea is the new medium.

Doug Pruden from Customer Experience Partners, October 12, 2009 at 3:36 p.m.

The thoughts presented by Frances Allen of Dunkin Donuts - great. Her admission that through social media customers are taking ownership of the brand image - a reality that we must face. The news this morning that DD has a new CMO and that Ms. Allen has "decided to leave" the company - sad.