It may not have the same irresistible draw as search, but advertisers are spending money on social media, according to the
San Francisco Chronicle in an article detailing the social media
marketing efforts of a few big brands. More and more, advertisers "are finding that the social media networks are too big to ignore," claims Ian Schafer, CEO and founder of the agency Deep Focus,
which has created Facebook campaigns for HBO, Coca-Cola and New Line Cinema.
For example, Sears Holdings Corp. in March rolled out a prom-dress campaign asking high school girls to share
their favorite dresses with friends on Facebook. In June, ConAgra Foods partnered with Facebook app developer Slide to promote its Slim Jim brand through the company's Fun Wall and Top Friends apps.
Last week, Visa invested $2 million in advertising on Facebook in an agreement to create social networking apps for small businesses. Were any of these resounding successes? The article doesn't really
say, but it goes on to list the usual challenges user-generated content sites pose for advertisers. It also points out that research firm eMarketer recently lowered its social networking spending
outlook.
Nevertheless, these campaigns show that "(advertisers) are putting significant money in (social networking), which is very telling," says Heather Dougherty, director of research
for traffic measurement firm Hitwise. "It shows that there are traditional companies looking into social networks and seeing it as a vibrant media to connect with customers," albeit, on an
experimental basis.
Read the whole story at San Francisco Chronicle »