Make Friends, Don´t Pitch Them: Millward Brown looks at how social networking sites have empowered people on an unprecedented scale
Social networking
sites such as Facebook
and MySpace have
empowered people on
an unprecedented scale
to build and maintain
connections with others.
These sites allow users
to share personal news,
interests, and videos, as
well as to play games
and get to know each
other better. Can these
virtual neighborhoods
also be a space where
marketers can build and
maintain their brands?
Until a few years ago, the term “social network” was limited to the realm of
academia. Today online social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Friendster,
Bebo, and Orkut offer people the chance to reach out to existing friends and
make new ones. What started as a youth-driven online phenomenon has now
filtered into all age groups, and users can access their communities using
mobile phones as well as computers. Now that social networks have logged
over a billion registered users, it is no wonder that marketers are interested in
the possibility of connecting with consumers through the social media. Advertising
on social networks is projected to grow faster than other online formats
in the coming year, but even so, advertisers are struggling to find good ways to
engage people in this evolving environment.
Download the full report (pdf)