Social Media – Attracting Brand Campaigns. Is it Working?
Couple of years back not many corporate companies would have even given a thought to how Social Media can benefit them. Times do change, and we must learn from the changes in the web arena; and so Social Networking Sites have started attracting Brand Campaigns all over the globe. Social Media helps the Brands position themselves and gain customer engagement on these interactive sites.
Why are the Brand Managers running Brand Campaigns over the web? Simply because, with the number of visitors increasing each day, the sites have started noticing the web as an alternative, cost-effective platform for ad campaigns. Statistics do speak about the effectiveness of these campaigns and they in verity are effective. A recent report by WebChutney, a digital agency which works with HUL, P&G, Airtel and Microsoft, among others, says that the overall ad spends from the 445 advertisers it surveyed were likely to fall by 10 per cent to reach Rs 4,663 crore, but their ad spends on digital media will grow by 44 per cent (from Rs 278 crore to Rs 399 crore) this fiscal. Another study by comScore on the top social networking sites in India in December 2008 had shown that in that month the total unique visitors to such sites were 19.3 million, up by 51 per cent from the same month in the previous year (12.7 million).
A little bit of being receptive about what is going on around the social media arena will let us know that companies such as Vodafone, Airtel, Samsung, Kwality, Adidas and a host of other companies across sectors such as FMCG, mobile handset makers and consumer durables are increasingly positioning their brands on some of these sites. Mr Asim Warsi, Marketing Head,Samsung Mobile, which has positioned its campaign for its touch-screen mobile sets with ibibo, “We are finding social networking sites a very useful and interactive medium for communicating with the youth, which is a key target segment especially for our touch-screen and multimedia phones. I think our engagement with youth through digital media is going to grow“.
Agreed, there are a few risks which a company has to take while putting up a Brand Campaign on the social media front, the benefits are likely to far outweigh them if you can successfully get people engaged. The larger question here which is facing the scanner is Has Social Media made Corporate Websites Irrelevant? Will this always be a difficult-to-measure branded advertisement or do the corporates make it up?
A few examples of Brand Campaigns using Social Media Marketing in 2009 are -
1. Burger King – Whopper Sacrifice Facebook App. For Burger King, it was the Whopper Sacrifice Facebook app generating 83,000 installs and 23,000 free whoppers to customers who likely purchased fries and a drink with that.
2. 7-11 – Slurpee Giveaway on 7/11. 7-11 stores have been giving away Slurpees for years as an annual promotion on one of the hottest days of summer.
.. and more.
There are results which can be expected from a Social Media Campaign. Not necessarily positives. But, if Social Media is successful for Brand Campaigns, there are times when it fails too.
So, what do we do then ?
For the moment, Social Media is the ‘IN’ thing where Brand Campaigns are working. But, I guess, 2 years from now, change is Inevitable. What’s your take on this?
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