Location-based marketing or networking isn’t exactly new but it’s been one controversial topic this year. People have been talking and tweeting about it but is it all it’s cracked up to be?
Foursquare, the site that allows users to ‘check-in’ to locations via mobile phones and broadcast their whereabouts, was created in 2009.
People who tweet don’t ‘thumbs-up’ like it when users connect their Foursquare account to Twitter and broadcasted their every move as in: “I’ve just checked in to PLACE X.”
The general sentiment on Twitter is “We don’t frigging care!”
Personally I’m not enthusiastic about location-based marketing, even though I set up a Foursquare account (hey, it’s part of my job). It’s a bit of an overshare that could delight psychopaths with stalkerish tendencies. And it seems I’m not the only sceptic.
‘Please Rob Me’ is a giggle worthy concept that highlights the dangers of broadcasting your location. It use to contain a stream of updates from location-based networks showing when users check-in somewhere other than their home. The idea is that when you tell people you’re not at home; it’s an ideal time for crooks to plunder your loot! It sure is something to think about!
So will location-based networks continue to be all the rage in 2011?
You’re at a party, the music is pumping, the dance floor is rocking, the guys / gals are looking fine, you’re confident and ready to cross the great divide and engage in intellectual, meaningful dialogue with the hottest, happening crowd in the place; hoping to make lifelong friends and maybe more.
But as you stand plastered to the wall, you see connections being made around you; people requesting, accepting, sharing, engaging and commenting. You also notice that although you can see them, they don’t seem to see you. Why? You’re put together; designed to attract, you’ve got a mindful of useful information to share, you can be funny and you want nothing in return, just an opportunity to introduce yourself.
You tap shoulders, ask people to dance, offer to buy drinks, the come-on lines roll off your tongue; compliments, jokes, invitations…. why don’t they see you, why don’t they hear you?
Social media can make you feel like the desperate loser trying to infiltrate the in-crowd at a party; you feel like a rubber ball hitting a brick wall; each time getting bounced back further than you were before.
What’s your news fix of choice? Radio news bulletins listen to while driving between home and work, the 7 pm TV news or is it a time-out with the newspaper and ink-smudged fingers to show for it?
Modern news fixes are making newspapers work harder than ever before to attract advertisers and readers. Social media is creating a hunger for news in real time; not when the clock strikes for scheduled news broadcasts or when the ink dries on the paper, but when and where the reader asks for it.
If that sounds like something out of Star Trek, here’s a social media crash course to beam you up to speed.
South Africa’s Internet user market has grown by 91.3% from 2000 to 2009. Facebook has near 500 million active users worldwide and is South Africa’s second most popular site to visit after Google. There are 55, 000 active South African Twitter users who have an average of 115 followers each.
That’s all well and good but what is social media? Let’s looks at three social networking platforms.
Quest Staffing Solutions, one of South Africa’s leading staffing companies, identified the opportunity to be the first company of its kind to effectively use social media to connect with Generations X and Y candidates.
Quest’s social media campaign is ongoing and includes social networking sites Facebook, Twitter, a customised job site and blog. Missy Quest is the mascot designed to represent the brand within this online environment.
Facts
The phenomenal rise of social media has made it a medium that cannot be ignored.
South Africa’s internet user growth has grown 91.3% from 2000 to 2009.
Facebook has more than 400 million active users.
Facebook is South Africa’s second most popular after Google.
There are 55000 active South Africa Twitter users who have an average of 115 followers each.
The Objectives
The ongoing campaign goals are twofold: attract and filter prospective candidates while building the brand image of Quest Staffing Solutions in the minds of Generations X and Y candidates.
Cutting through the advertising clutter and getting people’s attention is a challenge for any brand. Flash mobs, in which a group of people assemble suddenly in a public place to perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time and then quickly disperse (Wikipedia), is gaining momentum. It’s a publicity stunt but thanks to social media, a quick but immaculately choreographed performance can spread like wild fire online. Now that’s thinking globally and acting locally.
Oprah has done it:
And now Jamie Olivier has organised a flash mob to promote his new TV series, Jamie’s Food Revolution. As Jamie says in the introduction of this video, “A flash mob is about creating a really unusually experience in a really normal place and shocking everyone with something brilliant.”
Have you heard of a flash mob in South Africa? What do you think a flash of brilliance or just another stunt you’d walk past? Don’t let me sway your opinion but I think it’s brilliant.
You pay for print advertising per millimetre, centimetre or page and measure the power of PR by millimetre. So just how do we measure social media? Get me my ruler; I want to measure your social media!
It’s absurd but then again so is the debate between the value of traditional media and social media. I read the news online but I like my ‘chick’ magazines to page through when I’m lounging on the couch. The point I’m trying to make is that I believe both are valuable, but different, mediums of communication.
In order to understand the value of social media, we need to start with the psychology of traditional advertising.
Tweeting is not just for birds. Twitter, the micro-blogging site, allows anyone to ‘tweet’ and share their opinions online in posts with a limit of 140 characters, much like a text message.
Who cares you ask? Brands care. A recent study found that 39% of people on Twitter have discussed a brand or product and 44% are receptive to promotions and special offers (if you’re interested, read more here).
South African brands have taken notice and it’s no wonder since Twitter is the 8th most visited site in South Africa and South Africa is the the 10th largest user of Twitter. Now you can see the big attraction!
If you’ve been convinced and want to start tweeting, here are a few things you should know…
Wondering what’s all the fuss about social media? This blog post will get you up to speed on the size of social networks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in South Africa.
According to Internet World Stats, South Africa’s internet user growth has grown 91.3% from 2000 to 2009. Universal McCann’s Wave 4 annual social media tracker reports that 1.4 million South Africans have a social network profile and 25% of South Africa’s active internet usersare uploading videos to a video sharing site. Social media has surpassed the popularity of online porn and many say that it’s about to squash TV as an entertainment provider.
In other words, social media isn’t big… it’s HUGE.
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