Advertising on face book will be extremely challenging for marketers. It has raised many concerns with users as their profiles contain a lot of personal information. Although, marketers are able to personalize ads with the amount of information that is available to them, people do not want to be disrupted with advertisements while using this site. “The biggest thing marketers should learn about social networks is how to be part of the experience instead of disruptive,” said Melanie Deitch, director of marketing at Facebook. Deitch tells companies to go back to the drawing board if they want flashing ads or other forms of intrusive advertising.
How are companies going to achieve this on facebook? Facebook doesn’t allow companies to brand their own web pages. Instead, companies are setting up and sponsoring groups. The benefits of joining these groups range from discounts on products to chances to meet celebrities. Others run contests or provide free content, like music or desktop wallpaper. Apple Computer, for example, sponsors the Apple Students group, which offers deals on Apple products and has more than 471,000 members. Victoria’s Secret’s Pink sleep and loungewear group has more than 210,000 members companies are coming up with new approaches. If users are opting in to the sponsored sites then it is not annoying or distruptive to them. Marketers have to become increaslingly creative for it to be worth while for the user to visit the sponsored site.
The key to marketing success on social websites is to get users involved. “When people engage your page on Facebook, that’s going to spread information about your brand virally through the social graph,” Zuckerberg said. “It becomes a trusted referral.” A marketing phenomenon that encourages people to pass along a marketing message in such a way that it spreads like a virus. It includes compulsive reading, listening or viewing. It can be text, image, video or sound. It is so amazing that people have the urge to share with others. The internet is the ideal place for viral marketing because of the network effect (Class Lecture).
Young people know when their online social worlds are being invaded by advertisers, but social networks are starting to become viable branding avenues for companies that understand user participation is what makes them tick. If marketers can create an ad or a campaign that is truly remarkable they will be highly successful on face book.
References
Cnet Newa: Facebook Ads make a flashy debut in NewYork http://www.news.com/the-social/8301-13577_3-9811932-36.html
The Wall Street Journal: Face book rolls out behavioral ad system http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119437737843484207.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Wired: Big Biz Buddies up with Gen Y. http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2006/12/72311
