Mele’s Musings

Social & Marketing – authenticity and attention grabbing

What are the highest ideals in marketing - being real, or doing things that grab eyeballs and get people to talk?

adweek

Article links:
Advertisers Face Hurdles on Social Networking Sites
Viral Video Hits Blur the Authenticity Line
The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World
Retailers find Facebook friends in hopes of finding sales
Social Networks: Millions of Users, Not So Many Marketers

Musing:
I find the discussion in these articles fascinating. Authenticity is certainly an important and vital part of advertising, but does authenticity trump things like viral videos that garner millions of eyeballs?

Some fantastic videos have been created and shared that stretch users to decide if they are real or not. They generate tons of views and lots of conversation. But they are not “real” per se. Is that a bad thing?

What I love about the discussion is it forces us to think about what “success” is for a brand, and that can be different depending on who the brand is and what it stands for.

It also asks us to consider what types of marketing and communication “work” in social settings.  Do people really want brands to be their friends, or do they want brands to help them connect better with their friends?  A great debate there as well.

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