What does your brand want from Facebook?
It's amazing how often we fall victim to micro and macro trends. A great example of this is the waves of brand activities online. Brands invading the Polish social platform Nasza Klasa, a swell of comical YouTube videos resulting in agencies getting tons of dreaded briefs for “viral movies”, requests for desktop wallpapers and screen savers (anyone remember those?) or cream cheese trivia quizzes - just to name a few fads that have swept through the internet in recent years.
Now we have social media. Or, to be more precise, now we have Facebook. Everybody likes it and everybody wants it. It’s admired almost unconditionally and gets a pass to every marketing plan - it doesn't matter if it's a perfect match for the brand, or far from it. As long as it’s advertising, this trend can do little harm, as campaigns are not bound to last long. A few bucks less in the marketing budget, a few bucks more for the agency and 50, 100 or 1000 likes for the profile.
However, when it comes to branding, getting a Facebook profile gets more serious. The profile has to support brand image and personality, so it has to be right. Is Facebook a good match for a lawnmower producer? Will he fit there? And for a real estate developer? Will he be able to contribute to online discussion with valuable input? It's a good idea to stand back and look from a distance at your brand, its attributes, capabilities and consumers before you give in to the Facebook craze.
Facebook, like social media in general, is potentially a very strong platform for branding (or anti-branding) activities. It's the place where the brand gets personalized and enters into a dialogue with its users, that is, consumers of its products. It’s the place where the brand can get a very clear, real image. And either it’s going be perceived as a brand that feels the vibe or as one that tries too hard, but just cant get it.
Sometimes it's better to let it go. Or is it? Check the Ferrero Rocher profile - 12 million fans and 4 posts this year. Shame or fame?
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