Consumers Await on Social Networks

Befriended and poked by companies

eMarketer, October 10, 2008 — Nearly six out of 10 Americans who use social media interact with companies on social media Websites, according to a September 2008 study by conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for Cone.

The researchers found 85% of social media users thought companies should interact with their consumers through social media, at least when needed.

“Americans are eager to deepen their brand relationships through social media,” said Mike Hollywood, director of new media at Cone, in a statement. “It isn’t an intrusion into their lives, but rather a welcome channel for discussion.”

Social Media and Shopping Behavior

Retailers join consumers in the online conversation.

eMarketer, October 2, 2008 — Consumers' use of social media is altering the way they make purchase decisions. To stay relevant, retailers must determine how to incorporate social media, such as social networks and blogs, into their marketing strategies.

Americans Expect Companies to Have Social-Media Presence

Marketing Charts, October 1, 2008 — An overwhelming majority (93%) of online Americans say companies should have a social-media presence, and 85% believe these companies also should be interacting with consumers through social media, according to research from Cone.

McDonald's Steps Aside In Reaching Out To Teens

MediaPost Publications, September 9, 2008 — Marketing to millennials in the wild and woolly world of social media means getting out of the way. That was a major theme of Kim Lloyd's address at the PMA Digital Marketing Summit in New York on Monday.

The New Standard In Advertising In A Social Media World

MediaPost Publications, August 28, 2008 — What started out in 2003 as simple community-based Web sites and tools for sharing information with friends, social media has grown into a phenomenon of epic proportions with the monumental success of sites such as YouTube, Bebo, Flickr, Digg and a myriad of others.

Earlier this month, ComScore reported that over half a billion people worldwide hang out on social networks. That translates into two-thirds of all Internet users. And half of those, about 250 million people, call Facebook and MySpace home.

The Social Network as a Career Safety Net

New York Times, August 14, 2008 — If you have avoided social-networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook with the excuse that they are the domain of desperate job hunters or attention-seeking teenagers, it’s time to reconsider.

In a world of economic instability and corporate upheaval, savvy professionals like the technology consultant Josh So epitomize the benefits of brushing up your online image and keeping it polished.

What's the Future of Brand Journalism? Collision Content†

How to Balance Consumer-Generated Content With Brand Content

Advertising Age, August 12, 2008 — There is no denying the radical shift from companies and brands controlling their messages to consumers controlling them. From blogs to YouTube to social networking, consumers have a bigger, louder voice than ever. And they're being heard.

Myspace, the Sequel

With Facebook surging, cofounders Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson have gone back to their roots -- music, pop culture, and a proven cash-flow ad model -- to spur a next phase of growth. Will that be en

Fast Company, August 7, 2008 — Chris Dewolfe, the lanky, shaggily hip CEO of Myspace, is holding his last meeting of the day from a prone position, a collection of long limbs stacked on a tiny red love seat. The early evening powwow, taking place in the cramped office of his senior communications director, is interrupted when I come crashing in to say good-bye.

DeWolfe can be forgiven for putting his feet up. Along with cofounder and MySpace president Tom Anderson, he has lived through a lot of long days lately — about four-and-a-half years' worth since the site first launched

Social Marketing Limited By Advertiser Confusion

MediaPost Publications, July 29, 2008 — A recent JupiterResearch study underscores that actual spending on social media marketing has not caught up with the hype surrounding the emerging category.

The report found that half of all advertisers are spending less than 5% of their online budgets on social marketing in 2008. Keeping budgets small is the highly customized nature of social media campaigns, compared to search or display advertising.

What Marketers Can Learn From Twitter's Stumbles†

The Service Is a Victim of Its Popularity -- and Its Unresponsiveness Is Costing It Fans

Advertising Age, July 29, 2008 — What are the limits of consumer loyalty when a particular product or service consistently stumbles, or just doesn't work? What if those stumbles are actually due to the immense popularity of the product?

Any fast-growing brand that has seen its infrastructure quiver under the weight of widespread customer demand should look for a lesson on how not to do things in Web 2.0 darling Twitter.