Writing on the AgencySpy blog, Modernista!’s head of planning Gareth Kay argues that we should stop obsessing over social media and what it can do for a business and instead spend our time trying to deliver social ideas that delight consumers. He says:
Rather than focusing on social media shouldn’t we be focusing on social ideas? This may sound a little trite, but I think it’s important. Rather than (again) using communications as a sticking plaster to cover real fundamental issues a business faces, it forces us to confront what it is that we need to do at a more fundamental level.
It means ideas that are inherently open, generous and want to include you. It means developing communication that lets you join the dots and complete the story rather than telling you what to do (in the same way at every point of contact). It means thinking about what it is that people like to do and working back from there to figure out what it is we can do as a brand to be useful, helpful or entertaining rather than starting from what we think first.
…So, let’s stop obsessing about social media and worry instead about what’s important. While social media channels fade in and out of social significance (was it only two or three years ago that Second Life was the channel we were all talking about), social ideas are timeless in their power. There’s two types of ideas in the world – social ideas and anti-social ideas. And it’s plain to me that those ideas that contribute positively culture are the ones that are going to help build business.
More: AgencySpy!
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I think the problem is that once again we have allowed a useful encapsulation term – social media. networking, UGC or earned media etc. – that we can use to explain a philosophy to clients to hijack the agenda. By giving it a label we have encouraged people to think of it as a channel.
Just like no-one thinks we are operating in a world of “new media” any more, we should stop thinking we are operating in a channel/sector called social media.
It is just the reality of interactive expereience. It is what real people are doing now.
http://davidjcarr.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/what-are-real-people-doing-in-the-digital-world-2009-trends/
April 17th, 2009 at 7:36 am
I tend to agree with David…by generating “social ideas” Gareth has generated another label for a better idea. But I guess we need them. Gareth is right, all our concepts should be “socialized” going forward. I believe its because brands are tools and we want them to be social. Why? Because as human beings, we are social creatures (nod to Mark Earles work on this).
Marshall McCluhan once wrote “We become what we behold. Our tools shape us. And then we shape our tools.” So “socialized marketing” should generate “Brand Tools” (my label, tada!) to be useful to folks. Social + Useful = Being Human. Thus, social ideas should be useful.
April 17th, 2009 at 9:57 am