“Old Spice Man” brings personality to advertising
July 14, 2010
You’ve seen him. The Old Spice Man? Yeah. We all have.
Check out this article on his new social networking YouTube responses.
From the article: For people who happen to follow Old Spice Man (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), users were able to send Twitter messages to @OldSpice with whatever kinds of comments they wanted, and were then treated with an almost-instant Youtube video of the man himself responding to each comment.
Discussion: just how powerful can social networking be when creating brand awareness? What companies use social networking in the right ways? The effective ways? Who doesn’t? Is this just a trend in advertising, or will we see it rapidly evaporate just as quickly as it gained popularity?
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I believe there is a very small window of companies that can legitimately use social networking as a bonus to their marketing and advertising plans. If we saw HR Block or life insurance companies going on Facebook, I would hope my generation would feel that there was a lack of professionalism and reliability. But in a highly competitive market with low barriers to entry such as beauty, an Antiperspirant, I feel is highly appropriate. Deodorant for example is used by everyone (I would hope), the Old Spice Man is just exciting our interests, and maybe our libido’s in a product where we have hundreds of options. So I would say let the beautiful people answer some questions on YouTube for as long as consumers aren’t bored by it. With our short attention spans this will not be long, and when the time comes, who knows perhaps Isaiah Mustafa will eventually just have to show up at my door.
Social networking can be extremely powerful when creating brand awareness because, let’s face it, almost everyone interested in Old Spice deodorant is also involved in one (if not many) social networking sites. Whether it be Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, these are mere portals to enhance advertisement and involvement with the brand being advertised. Companies such as local boutiques do a great job of using social networking sites in the right ways. For instance, on Facebook, most people have their current city/hometown listed in their “info”. Local boutiques then know where you’re listed so they can advertise to the local girl who will most likely be interested in shopping at the local boutiques. I think this is a huge step for advertising and will only help, not take away. As long as the internet is being used, online advertisement will not be a fad but a way of life.
I agree with Alia to an extent. I think that she has excluded many products and services that can use social networking as a way to promote business. I think that a lot of services can use Facebook and twitter to publish consumer reviews about their service or product. Doctors, electricians, beauty salons, plumbers and auto shops stand to benefit by using social networking as a means for advertisement and a way to receive customer feed back. Though this seems to be an effective comical publicity stunt, watching Isaiah Mustafa answer questions about flirting and talking horses does not make me want to rush to the store to buy some old spice.
Social networking sites can be extremely influential as advertising. Everyone with a Facebook occasionally looks at the ads that are sent directly to the sidebar of the page. This Old Spice commercial actor is no different. People who watch the commercial and think it’s entertaining will be intrigued to tweet him and receive a video message. It’s actually a very clever strategy on Old Spice’s behalf. I don’t know how far the trend will go though, not every commercial has a “spokesman” as popular as Mustafa, so I think this is more of a one-time thing.
I believe social networking sites are a great tool for advertising products. The main point of advertisement is to get the message out to the customers, and there are barely any people now a days that do not have a facebook page or twitter account. Not only is this a good strategy for putting the company’s message out there, but they can also receive feedback on their products. If customers “tweet” about whether they like a certain product or not it can help the company adjust to fit the customer’s needs. Old Spice made a wise decision with this advertising strategy and I would argue that many companies, if they haven’t already, will soon be putting their advertisements on social networking websites.
I think social networking is very powerful within creating brand awareness, however I also feel that social networking can only work to certain companies advantage. O’neal makes a valid point about HR block. I feel if certain companies such as insurance companies who target more of an older crowd, if their commercials were to be more lax and crack jokes such as the Old Spice guy than that crowd would not only be turned off to that company but would feel that the company is not serious. Some companies that I know who use social networking in the right ways would be, Southwest Airlines and Starbucks, but that is only naming a few. Mikela brings up a god point that local boutiques use social networking well. On facebook you can become friends with boutiques around you and that is a good way of being updated with certain sales going on or what they have in that is new. I think that this is not a trend in advertising and that it will only escalade from here on.
I think social networking betters any company in any way. Whether they use it in the right way or the wrong way, its advertisement. No matter what way they use it as soon as someone sees it and says “What The Fuck” it becomes a companie’s advantage. As long as their product is being seen! I think company interest in social networking sites is helpful. Especially if the company is getting good responses. With new companies, what better way to get out there and known by advertising? Well social networks are advertising. You look up the competition and get ideas to build.
Social networking can create massive and far reaching brand awareness. The Kin, by Windows, was a mobile phone created specifically for social networking. They advertised on Myspace by creating a video of a girl who goes out to find all of her social networking “friends.” They tried to heavily advertise the phone as an easy access point for all things socially digitized. Also, when I searched Starbucks on Facebook multiple pages came up for the brand. One of the pages had links to buy their coffee online and to follow them on Twitter. “Fans” were creating discussions about the coffee on the page as well.
The Kin is an example of ineffective social networking. Windows created a cheap version of a smart phone and tried to sell it. From what I’ve read, users weren’t happy with the product. If Windows wants to stay competitive they need to embrace the high-tech, face paced products being churned out monthly. They need to take a step back and get a handle on their social networking skills before they try to revolutionize the industry.
Most major brands and companies today are using the many outlets available for social networking because they realize how integrated this practice has become in our society. Effective social networking is to ideally promote yourself or your product, learn and communicate with others, and get yourself global. The competition in today’s markets pushes companies to use social networking.
I think this is definetly a trend in advertising because once a handful of the major brands and companies embraced the new wave of social networking their competitors had to as well in order to keep their heads above water. Major brands and companies will always ride the trend wave when it comes to selling their business. But, I don’t think social networking is going anywhere. New forms of social networking will pop up and brands and companies will ride that wave until the next comes. The social networking wave is here to stay, but which form and where it will start is stanyone’s guess.
Across the globe, social networking has not just limited itself to keeping in touch and a simple way of communication, but rather, for many, it has become a way of life. And for this very reason, social networking sites serve as the perfect candidates for brand awareness and advertising. Because of the impact social networking has had upon recent society, it is hands down one of the most powerful advertising tools around the world.
The social networking done by Old Spice is smart advertising and has definitely made the brand known even moreso than before. In my personal opinion, Old Spice attracted the most attention through personal youtube videos to ordinary individual people. Thats smart, effective, and intriguing. Interaction with the audience is what lures people in. Small ads on the sides and bottoms of social networking sites aren’t quite as effective. Sparking interest in the audience is what’s truly effective.
So what’s the deal with this new kind of advertising and is it here to stay? As long as social networking is around, this type of advertising is not going anywhere. And let’s be honest, social networking is here to stay.
The Old Spice Man is able to catch the attention of the consumers while displaying the message to buy Old Spice. It works because it is humorous and stretches our imagination when it comes to what we can do with an antiperspirant or a commercial for it. I know that many of my friends have recently bought Old Spice just because of this man who promotes it so well. They have switched from Axe (which had its own set of wild commercials) to Old Spice because it changed the dynamic of how they view themselves. Buying Old Spice today is cool because of this new face that it has and how it is portrayed by him. It reminds me of Comcast or Geico in how they had a string of funny commercials and then had a boom in their sales. People react to these kinds of things and very positively. And the fact that Old Spice currently has an ad up on the side panel of my facebook page makes it hard to deny that they are hitting the right audiences. Maybe other companies will start to catch on and discover what social networking can do for them because in this perfectly competitive market, I believe that it is a new way to get the edge on all of the competition.
I think that social networking is being used correctly here by companies. Its the best place to get people on board with a brand because so many people use a social networking site on a daily basis, I know I do. It shouldn’t be seen as “brainwashing” but as using the best opportunities placed in front of you. The company wants to make money and recognition is the beginning of that. I also think that as long as there are social networking sites, there will be adverstisments along to the borders of the pages.
This style of advertising puts an intriguing twist out there for audiences. Old Spice is obviously trying to be different and appeal to humor, which are two strategies that lead to a lot more sales. When people are directly addressed, there is a sense of inclusiveness. They feel as if there is a strong relationship between them and that product. This is exactly what Old Spice wants to happen. When there is a bond between customer and product, there are higher sales. Also, in regard to Old Spice’s appeal to humor, a customer’s guard is let down when an ad can get them smiling or even laughing out loud. Often times, audiences will attribute this happy feeling with the actual product itself, thus, once again, leading to more sales.
I have never seen an advertising company do anything quite like this project, but some commercials on the radio are taking on a similar Q & A/humorous approach to their ads. For example Mattress Giant is now doing commercials on the radio where the “mattress” answers random people’s questions about the company. They answer these humorous questions with similarly humorous answers, but also tuck in a few actual facts about the company to “edu-tain” their listeners.
Some companies may have gone as far as creating facebook “like” pages, but I think that these are less effective because most facebook users simply see a page they like, click “like”, and never return to the page again.
Social networking has definitely become very powerful and very prevalent in our society today. I believe that if advertising companies were smart, they would start taking the same direction as Old Spice, and invest in making their ads an interactive experience. This is just the beginning of a whole new shift in advertising.
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First, I have to disclose that I’m an advertising major. That said, the current Old Spice ad campaign is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, in my opinion.
In a world of copycats, clichés and creative mediocrity, it’s a refreshing splash in the face (pun intended) when a person or group can inspire others (like me.)
I wish we had more people like that running for political offices–look at the amount of same ole’ we currently have filling government positions across our country.
So why do I like this campaign so much you may ask? For starters, It makes me say, "I wish I’d thought of that."
The ad has endurability and repeatability. That means it’s not a one-shot deal and viewers will wonder what’s next.
It gets people talking. A number of people have asked me if I’ve seen the ad. They try to determine how the scene was shot without breaks.
Most importantly, the brand interacts with the public in a very personal way through the use of social networks. On a precautionary note though, the ad agency has to be careful not to let the character overshadow the brand or it will kill the campaign.
The famous advertising executive David Ogilvy once said, "You now have to decide what ‘image’ you want for your brand. Image means personality. Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the market place."
Isaiah Mustafa does an excellent job of pulling off the suave, magic-man character–better than football. I’m sure it demands a lot of time and effort being the spokesperson.
Of course it probably doesn’t hurt that you have a heavyweight company like Procter & Gamble, owner of the Old Spice brand, paying your salary. I wonder how much they’re shelling out for this campaign.
By-the-way, I believe Mustafa was also a sultan during the Ottoman Empire era.
For more information, visit the Web sites below.
http://www.oldspice.com
http://twitter.com/isaiahmustafa
http://www.amazon.com/Ogilvy-Advertising-David/dp/039472903X
http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Advertising-Man-David-Ogilvy/dp/0689708009
Social networking can be and in some ways is already a huge asset in brand awareness. I’m not gonna lie, Old Spice got me, I used to go in the store and just buy the cheapest deodorant, then after their great ad campaign, I became an “Old Spice man”. I have been on their website and watched every single commercial, that’s ludicrous, who would go on a website to watch commercials?! This is a new form of advertisement and Old Spice is definitely a company using social networking to its advantage. I think this is definitely going to be growing trend in advertising and here to stay until the next big thing in advertising comes up. Online advertising is already huge, and so many people are on the internet all the time, it is going to be hard for this market to ever stop growing.
In order for the social networking sites to properly heighten the popularity and success of a brand, there has to be an aspect that stands out from the rest. It needs to be funny and something that is original and clever. Only a few brands can really work the social networks correctly and it would most likely have to be a brand targeting a younger audience for it to really catch on and grab the public’s attention.
Being white, college, and male, I automatically find the Old Spice guy hilarious. Old Spice Guy humor falls into the same category as Chuck Norris jokes, and broslikethissite.com, both of which have the potential to make pee my pants at any moment. The Old Spice Guy has reached the unattainable level of male perfection that I am constantly striving for, along with every other college guy. I would give my right arm for perfect washboard abs, or the abilty to solve bermuda triangle mysteries with a huge magnifying glass. But lets be real- Im never having either of those. So what do I do with the immeasurable pain that comes from this realization? I find a way to laugh about it. How do I do that? I ask the The Old Spice Guy questions on freakin’ YouTube, and then I feel better about myself knowing that nobody can be as perfect as he is. As a company, Old Spice has targeted a smelly and insecure audience who will venerate their mascot and then buy his product. It is a genius marketing campaign because it allows for effective social networking where consumers are tempted to test The Old Spice Guy’s character with all sorts of questions. Obviously, he never has a wrong answer- but what’d you expect? He’s The Old Spice Guy.
Nowadays there are so many companies who have a Facebook and Twitter account and are constantly mentioning in their advertisements to follow them online. I believe that Old Spice and their popular ‘Old Spice Man’ commercials have been able to stand out from the other companies by going beyond the regular social networking accounts and creating a viral marketing campaign to gain more brand awareness. I remember Burger King had a very successful viral marketing campaign with their chicken sandwich and it significantly increased their sales. I do not think that this marketing trend will evaporate; in fact it will most likely grow and only some companies will be able to stand out from the rest.
In my opinion I believe that social networking is indeed beneficial to certain companies. However, a select few might not make profit via face book, YouTube, MySpace, twitter or any other social networks. For example, on face book, I am belonged to the University of Florida’s network. This has notified many stores, apartments, and restaurants in the Gainesville area that they may have a potential consumer. This was beneficial to me because I was able to gain knowledge about cheap apartments and delicious restaurants through the side ads on my face book home page. Face book is a great way to spread the word of many companies. Fun fact, if face book was a country it would be the world’s fourth largest. Amazing. On the other hand, watching the Old Spice man answer people’s questions by Twitter did not enhance my wanting to purchase deodorant. It only created a comical aspect.
Using social networking is a smart idea for advertising and I see it growing in the future. Fashion designers use Facebook as a way to sample their latest designs and keep consumers up to date on releases of new lines. This is effective because the fans of these products are choosing to be advertised to! Facebook even personalizes the advertisements to fit your life. For example you suddenly break up with your boyfriend and the next morning a sidebar ad for match.com is displayed. A poor example of using social networking for advertising was how Burger King had a Facebook campaign that gave a free Whopper to anyone who de-friended 10 people. A notification was sent to these people stating that they had been de-friended for a Whopper, this of course conflicted with the privacy policy of Facebook and was discontinued immediately
I think companies will continue to keep using social networking as a new advertising component because it is extremely effective and will compel people to buy more of the product. It is a new trend now, but it will not “evaporate” and disappear. Social networking happens to be another outlet for advertising and will transform the way advertisers will work in the future. I think it’s a fantastic way to get your product(s) noticed and sold!
I think that social networking is a great tool for advertising. It is convenient, and a cheap (if not free) alternative to the typical advertising schemes. It gives the companies a pulse, and it also allows them to connect with their customers on a different level. Some companies, as seen in the case of Old Spice, use this idea to their advantage. Other examples of a companies using twitter and other social networking strategies to their advantage is Red Bull, AT&T, and Starbucks. I believe that this trend is here to stay. It is a genius marketing strategy that helps get your product out to the masses. That said, it will remain popular only as long as social networking is. Once society is no longer addicted to social networking, advertising using it will consequently become obsolete.
Old Spice really seems to have hit the mark. I mean come on! Its a deodorant brand that has an internet following built around its muscular, witty spokesman. Dang that’s cool!
Social networking is extremely powerful when it comes to putting a brand’s name out there, because, in an honest sense, that’s where the people are. By that logic, as long as social networking is around (which is surely will be until my generation gets old and my kids’ generation comes up with its apocolypically cool successor), then it will be a force to be reckoned with in the advertising world.
While few companies have effectively used social networking the way Old Spice has with Mustafa, they will surely be catching on quick. After all, this is still a new development in the communications realm. But until then, Mustafa, with his uniquely “I’m black enough to attract other blacks to use Old Spice with out scaring off the white guys” demeanor will rule the online bathroom product universe! Mwahahaha!!!!!1!!
The Old Spice man is evidence that huge conglomerate corporations such as Proctor & Gramble (who owns Old Spice) have discovered ways to relate to younger target markets, which is who they are going after. Obviously, the advertising methods that worked five years ago wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow in today’s swiftly changing marketplace.
In creating the Old Spice Man, Old Spice captured the 18-34 year old audience because of the man’s sheer outrageousness. What was really brilliant was how the Old Spice Man responded via videos to viewers’ questions and remarks on the Old Spice Twitter page. This is where the ad went viral. Just about everyone who saw this felt the need to share it (I know I did).
Domino’s Pizza is another company who is on the right track. Have you ever ordered a pizza online from them? Its genius. Sheer genius. You build your pizza, type in your address, and boom…”You’ve got 30 Minutes”. After ordering a live tracker stalks every move of your pizza. An option then prompts the customer to share what they ordered on Facebook via a two-click process.
A company that bombed with a recent social media campaign was Quiznos. The sandwich company has been known for several desperate marketing stunts, but this one tops them all. They attempted to make a viral video with the title, “2 Girls, 1 Sandwich.” A parody of the widely circulated (and disgusting) pornography clip, this video created enormous amounts of negative reactions. It was so bad in fact, that Quiznos entered damage control mode and later denied any authorization of the ad to be run.
Basically, social media is where its at. The only way these big companies are going to hit home is to keep coming up with clever campaigns that engage viewers when they are least expecting it. The theory of social media “evaporating” was probably thought up by the same people who thought the internet was a fad.
Honestly there’s power in numbers, no matter what. This is how adbertisers take advantage of social networking, the concept is fool proof. Get your ads, message, idea or what have you out there to as many people as you can as fast as you can. Social networking is a powerful entity to both old and new products but i think its the old products who have been using the networking to its full potential. Old Spice? Its been available for 71 years now and all of a sudden i see the “old spice guy” everywhere. This is phenominal advertising and to top it all of the networking system they have going on is obviously working. It has made this old man smell (in my opinion) into one of the most popular scents available. One company who is also using social networking in an effective way is victoria secret. I walked in one day and they had a promotiion going via txt message. Actually a lot of clothing stores have been doing this.( i feel like it was adopted from the way clubs announce there events but i digress). It got plenty of people to come in and participate and now they are connect to there customers virtually anytime/ anywhere. The txt messaging route is the way to go for advertisers. Almost everyone has txting or a txting plan of some sort so why not. Probably one of the worst way to network is through the paper trails. Yes news is important but lets face it, not many people are reading the paper these days. I feel that this is a trend that is rapidly deterriorating but the use of social networking is at its peak and i think from here it will only plateau. Technological ways are becoming the norm and the idea of fast and wide spread information will always be the most popular route to take .
I believe social networking can be very powerful. As the times are now, the popularity of social networking has increased vastly and has yet to even reach the peak of its potential.at the rete information can travel via the internet, it isn’t surprising the man from the Old Spice commercials can become a worldwide hit. This can have its good and bad qualities. We all know too well the unheralded power social networking media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. A boss finding that unflattering photo of you completely hammered from last weekend may prevent future raises or may even affect current employment. Simply put, social networking can be very beneficial if used with astuteness. Some companies that have taken advantage of the social networking epidemic obviously include Old Spice. Old Spice has virtually resurrected their deodorant brand with these commercials that have since gone viral. Another example would be Apple making a commercial every other month for something new in the world of technology but no matter if it is the 3G OR THE 3GS or the 3GGGG, mass amounts of people will succumb to their technological junkie habits. Some companies that have used social networking to harm would be the entire FOX network and corporation. Fox alone has contributed millions of dollars to political campaigns to further their own political agenda. It is now a world where a lunatic like Glen Beck or Bill O’ Reilly can spread lies nationally.
The Old Spice advertising campaign is brilliant- and I think the same concept could be applied to most beauty products in general. When it comes to appearance, people are willing to pay as much as possible to attract others. Appealing to consumers through the use of social interaction is a great way to make them feel included, sparking the need for them to buy the product. A celebrity-obsessed society, like ours, jumps at the chance to be on par with someone of celebrity status. For example, when Kim Kardashian wore a shade of OPI nail polish, girls went crazy buying the color, or similar colors to mimic. The Old Spice man addressing everyone’s twitter comment is, in essence, doing the same thing- making everyone feel like they play an important role in their ad campaign.
First, let me just say that the Old Spice Man is awesome and can post as many videos as likes, they are all hilarious. In regards to social networking as a way to market a brand, I think it’s brilliant. It follows the same product placement trend that’s been happening for years, with AOL in the classic “You’ve Got Mail” movie and tons more. It’s a great way for movies to make money and advertisers to rack up their sales. It didn’t take long for product placement to deem itself a successful method of advertising, and I predict social networking will spread just as fast, probably quicker because of the amount of people who follow social networking sites. I’m not personally a youtube junkie but many people are, and youtube postings like these Old Spice Man videos are an effective, inexpensive way to spread brand awareness. I think this type of advertising will definitely be successful and used more in the future.
I think this is a great idea! I mean let’s face it, times are changing and the media is too. One could argue that the media may be the changing factor of our culture even. The time this company puts into responding to viewers really pays off in the end. I know it makes me feel like they care about their customers over other companies. Social networking is definitely changing things up, and I think it will be good for producers in the long run if they jump on the band wagon!
I think this is a great idea! I mean let’s face it, times are changing and the media is too. One could argue that the media may be the changing factor of our culture even. Old Spice is very smart to reach their customers that way, and even targeting women will definitely help them because they will buy it for their husbands/friends. The time this company puts into responding to viewers really pays off in the end. I know it makes me feel like they care about their customers over other companies. Social networking is definitely changing things up, and I think it will be good for producers in the long run if they jump on the band wagon!
With effective ads and marketing choices, companies and brands can greatly increase their popularity by using social networking sites. Advertising has evolved in many ways and now that sites like facebook and google can personalize the ads that each person sees depending on their interests, consumers are exposed to brands that they most likely will consider using. The companies that are creating pages on facebook for users to “like” are definitely utilizing the social networking site in the right ways. By doing this they can market their products to people that they know are interested in their brand, and they can also use this as a way to send messages about promotions and discounts. I believe this trend will continue for a very long time because it is such a productive way for companies to get in touch with potential buyers.
the direct response and the soical networking involved in these halrious Old spice commercials is rediculous. i must admit i was one the people who send these videos out to friends to get a quick laugh. the ability for these advertisiers to create such an amazing ad campaign that it can surf across the web and throughotu everyone’s living room, it utterly amazing. this type of advertising is what keep sme interested int hsi subject. these creative ads are what keep me focused. the ad itself doesnt make to much since, from a horse to a towel, but it makes you remember it. many of todays hottest and most-remembered ads, almost have nothing to do with the product, they just want you to look at it and said to yourself “that had nothing to do with anything, but it was halarious and ackward, so i think i might send it to a freind.”
Today social networking is the thing to do and if you’re not on a social network you are a nobody. It is not surprising to have advertisements on social networks because EVERYONE is on there. This is a powerful tool to reach populations because for one it is easy and two it is a “for sure” thing. This old spice guy is grabbing attention by responding to comments because gossip is popular and the whole idea is just interesting, It is almost like conversing with a celebrity.
I feel as though in today’s society social networking is one of the best ways to create brand awareness. Our generation revolves around technological communication and companies are only utilizing this new technology and taking advantage of their ability to mass communicate with their target population. Social Networking is a powerful marketing tool when used in the correct ways, understandably, with the overnight popularity of websites such as Facebook and Twitter, many critiques may view these websites as fads that will quickly fad away. In my opinion its these websites in particular that are defining our generation and our society. How we get our information and communicate with others has always been a defining factor in every generation and it just so happens that social networking will be a staple part of our history as a generation.
Social networking is one of the most powerful tools systematically made readily available to companies–they know this, and they exploit it. Sites like Youtube and Facebook reach a mass audience, that sometimes other forms of media cannot quite reach. With the prospect of millions of users at hand, corporations indulge and use this medium to connect with their constituents, cater to their interests (whether it be through humor or anything else), and undoubtedly, attain higher profits.
When it comes to the Old Spice guy and instantaneous response, fans feel like they have the power to influence institutions way bigger than them, and the effect is a welcome one for both the common person and the huge company: brand recognition and emotional attachment to that brand.
With millions of users, social networking sites represent an important tool for companies looking to market their products in innovate ways. These sites and networks represent an enormous percentage of consumers and allow for advertisements to both be personalized and spread quickly. The Old Spice ad campaign was successful because it provided humor and was actually interacting with its consumers. Old Spice basically created a face for its products using only the power of social networking. Although the potential for social networking to create brand awareness is enormous, it hasn’t always been used successfully. Companies may offend some of its customers, or the target customers of a product are not using facebook or other networking sites (You know your grandfather). Quiznos recently aired a fairly disturbing ad that caused a backlash against Quiznos. Other mistakes are plain, dull ads and a lack of interactivity. The use of social networking to create brand awareness is a new and probable long-term trend in marketing, as long as people are using social networking.
It is insane how a little commercial can turn into such a heated point of discussion amongst society. I often find myself in conversations where the occupants will bring up “oh, have you seen that one commercial with the so & so?” Social networking and television hold an exceedingly heavy impact on society, one with great influence in how we think and act, and in my opinion, it’s a little scary. Everyone seems so obsessed with Jersey Shore, but I can’t seem to pick up on what’s so special about it. Thus, I am out of the loop and out of the in-crowd; I am not apart of the millions of fans and thus cannot communicate with them. The whole concept just amazes me that in order to really communicate with anyone nowadays, it needs to be done based off of media.
I think social networking is a fantastic idea! It is extremely powerful when creating brand awareness. Who wouldn’t want to go buy Old Spice deodorant when Isaiah Mustafa made a personalized message in response to YOUR very own tweet? This type of social networking is extremely successful in brand awareness and customer satisfaction because it makes the customer feel as if the company is focusing this concern on just them–and only them. I also agree with Cristina Paneque and how Old Spice’s from of social networking is a great way to receive feedback from the customers about the product. But the ONE downfall with all this is, how many people really have Twitter in this point in time?….lol.
Social networking is very effective when it comes to selling a product or promoting a brand. The internet is endless. There are so many different ways to send information out to millions of people at the same time. Social networking is even more effective because people are clumped together in one site or 10 sites and information can be shared with one person and then passed along to more people. I constantly see ads for NetFlick. I feel as though they are doing a good job. Overall though Google is doing a great job of advertising different things. Google has its grasps on a lot of social networking sites and a lot of sites in general.
This growing trend of consumer products being marketed on facebook seems to be generating more interest and “fans” than most other forms of advertisment. Social Networking has become the key to growing interest in anything that needs some sort of marketing. This involves people as well. Notoriaty through social networks has become the all-powerful means of gaining exposure. I believe that people are simply taking advantage of the best means of marketing that is available and this just so happens to mean that it includes networks such as Facebook and twitter instead of commercials. Marketing changes just as people do.
Social networking is a huge part of our culture today. So many companies are boosting their revenue not only by advertising their product, but also by cutting costs on materials. There’s no doubt in my mind that social networking will continue to expand rapidly into all subcultures of society. It’s the age of technology, it can’t go back now. While I do understand that there will always be new inventions and new ways to get information out there, the ways in which we advertise have stayed relatively the same, just with new additions. Tobacco companies for example are huge supporters of social networking, they even have social cigar networks where you can talk about your experience… smoking a cigar. There’s something out there for everyone these days. By creating hype about a product and putting a website to a product, you get it not only to more people by means of internet, but you are also granted an unlimited amount of time for the consumer to browse your goods, and the possibility for much more revenue.