If you haven’t heard the news lately, Ted McConnell, general manager-interactive marketing and innovation at Procter & Gamble Co., suggested "What in heaven's name made you think you could monetize the real estate in which somebody is breaking up with their girlfriend?"
Wow! That can set the social networking gurus back a few months, if not years.
What can we make of that statement? It suggests a serious look at the channel as an intrusion by advertisers who believe that commercial messages in the midst of a conversation between friends are okay.
When marketers hijack conversations, instead of creating their own environment, it doesn’t do them any good. While MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and the like can offer a potentially valuable space to play in, an assessment of the value marketers provide, relative to the perceived intrusion (and sometimes backlash), needs to be evaluated.
One of the better examples for the use of marketer-generated content points to Johnson & Johnson’s Health Channel created for YouTube. Over the last 3-4 months J&J created sixty-four informative videos, generating over 226,000 views … all without commercial overlays. The most viewed focused on teen obesity, an animation of cardiovascular disease (likely used by doctors for illustration) and Olympic athlete profiles. Those most discussed, followed the most viewed with the addition of ADHD in kids. The videos make you feel good and, more importantly, provide a valuable service to those seeking information. I can also argue that it provides a lift in positive awareness for J&J.
Wow! That can set the social networking gurus back a few months, if not years.
What can we make of that statement? It suggests a serious look at the channel as an intrusion by advertisers who believe that commercial messages in the midst of a conversation between friends are okay.
When marketers hijack conversations, instead of creating their own environment, it doesn’t do them any good. While MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and the like can offer a potentially valuable space to play in, an assessment of the value marketers provide, relative to the perceived intrusion (and sometimes backlash), needs to be evaluated.
One of the better examples for the use of marketer-generated content points to Johnson & Johnson’s Health Channel created for YouTube. Over the last 3-4 months J&J created sixty-four informative videos, generating over 226,000 views … all without commercial overlays. The most viewed focused on teen obesity, an animation of cardiovascular disease (likely used by doctors for illustration) and Olympic athlete profiles. Those most discussed, followed the most viewed with the addition of ADHD in kids. The videos make you feel good and, more importantly, provide a valuable service to those seeking information. I can also argue that it provides a lift in positive awareness for J&J.
Bravo J&J.
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