Social Networks in Advertising and Marketing
Debora Lui2008
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Abstract
Social networking sites rely on the joint collaboration of members, creators, and sponsors. An implicit contract exists between these three parties; members provide content, while creators and sponsors provide the virtual environment enabling connections and interaction.. This joint effort, multiple creative sources, and dynamic content make social networking sites somewhat more difficult to define and categorize than more traditional media. At the same time, social networks offer the promise of better-defined and targetable audiences for advertising, along with the power to spread their endorsement to dozens of friends almost instantaneously. This aspect of social networking sites is extremely promising as a marketing and advertising tool, but there are few examples of it being harnessed in genuinely effective ways. It is not that people necessarily dislike advertising, but their demand for both relevance and entertainment value in exchange for their endorsement seems to be quite high. These communities often operate by their own rules, however, of which marketers must be aware. As de facto co-creators, members feel a strong connection with the site itself. Users of these sites resemble fan communities in many ways, often of the social networking site itself. Participants in social networks are similarly invested in the nature of the community. Behavior in a social network often parallels users' interactions with others in real life, and when the usual rhythms are threatened, they will speak up, even defecting to another venue if they feel they are being pushed to conform in ways they do not agree with. This paper explores how social networking sites can be used to increase engagement with media properties and brands by discussing how brands and producers foster stronger, more active, more engaged relationships with their consumers, who are now increasingly powerful word of mouth marketers and, to varying degrees, producers of content in their own right.
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