McDonald’s is on to something.
An interactive billboard in Stockholm, Sweden encourages participants to play a game to get a free drink. As long as you have a mobile device with GPS identification and the ability to visit a website, you can play.
You are never asked to like the company on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. The social networking icons are not flashed on the screen.
Is this a game changer in how brands market themselves with technology? Are Facebook and Twitter less important in 2011 as they were in 2009?
When none of the sessions at a recent nonprofit conference dealt with the two social networking sites, how crucial is their involvement in social marketing today? Geoff Livingston opines on the evolutionary change:
For some, there will always be a need for the basics, particularly about Facebook, which seems to change its interface and features every month. But it seems that the need for this type of information was not needed, at least in the DC Nonprofit 2.0 community. Not last week.
This was refreshing. It marked a line in the sands of time. Maybe it was an anomaly. Or maybe it is finally time to start talking about the pragmatic use of these tools rather than the basics. As a blogger who has covered social media use for more than five years this feels really good, providing a sense of the sector’s arrival.
Do Geoff’s views echo your own?
Do you find less people asking questions about setting up and using Facebook pages and more questions around utilitarian technologies; perhaps ways to use Facebook through third-party systems?
Peruse through this list of 25 New York start-up firms. From Neverware which enables your old computer to use cloud software, to Kohort which enables groups to talk about common events, to SpotOn which tells you where to go based on where your friends go, to Quartzy which helps scientists manage their inventories, you will recognize few of them involve accessing your Facebook friends or Twitter followers. Yet they are all popular and have venture capital backing.
There is no denying Facebook and its ilk are important but when are 600 million users too many to stay on one website? When is it the right time for you to branch out and evangelize other social tools?
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
June 9, 2011 at 11:42 AM
I really like the idea of the game/GPS, custom apps, etc., but I think Facebook and Twitter will remain relevant nonetheless. Tough to grab and/or measure the same level of customer retention without having ongoing efforts and constant presence in these feeds. Even though there is a definite place for individual events, or campaigns in general, there will almost inevitably be a time when you wish you had remained present and leveraged the base you already built.
June 9, 2011 at 1:55 PM
Yes and no. There will always be companies that are at an advanced stage, and others that are just starting out (some businesses are still just getting into email marketing and look how long that’s been around).
If the tool fills a need, it’ll be used, regardless of what it is and where it is.
Hi Ari
Sounds like great news for me.
I’m not on Facebook or twitter.
I could just miss out a whole stage of social networking and move on to the latest. LOL
Interesting development.
June 19, 2011 at 7:35 AM
Actually Keith, I wish you were on Twitter as I like to see my favourite blogs’ content that way. In your case I added a feed on my blog to yours so I can remember to look every now and then. (I don’t like email subscriptions as I try and keep my emails to a minimum).
However I think the OP is making a valid point, and there are more ‘intrusive’ ways of getting attention such as the billboard and smart phone example. Personally I think there’s room for both.
Hey Roz
How are you?
I’ve not seen you about much recently, hope you are keeping well.
Tell you what, I’ll pay you a visit now, and you… head over to my blog and listen to “The Coolest Voice on the Internet.”
I’m not kidding.
This is a voice you won’t want to miss.
Sorry I’m not on Twitter Roz.
I taks so much stick for not getting involved with Twitter and Facebook.
Just don’t have the time.
June 19, 2011 at 4:55 PM
Hi Keith, I’m well thanks. I saw that post the other day but I didn’t leave a comment (I will do that now), he has a very seductive voice doesn’t he?
Just so that we stay on-topic with this thread I actually visited your blog the other day looking to follow you on Twitter as a means of keeping up with your content. Just FYI
It is a bit of a hose-pipe and I don’t have it on my mobile (too distracting) but it’s handy for keeping tabs on your commenters and where you contribute. When and if you get an account please look me up. However I am with the sentiments of this article that it is a pretty unimaginative way of promoting yourself.
Hi Roz
Thanks for taking the time to point out some of the benefits of being on Twitter.
Feedback like yours is starting to push me towards Twitter.
Sorry for the private conversation Ari.
Cheers Roz
June 9, 2011 at 2:48 PM
I think Facebook and Twitter still are a very important marketing tool although some way down the lane in the coming years I can see the decrease in the usage of these social media tools, preferably some new things will come up till then but right now they are still very important and I sense they have not reached their saturation point.
June 9, 2011 at 6:33 PM
I don’t think Twitter and Facebook are losing relevance yet, but I think we are all wise to develop direct relationships with our audience that are not platform dependent.
Kids playing Pong again? Who’d have thought?
Looking at this video, I was struck by the comment, “Even though we ended up giving away a lots of free stuff, it felt like a win/win situation.” Did they not try to measure the ROI at all?
I feel like interactive billboards would be a bigger draw to the billboards than the restaurants. That is, a lot of people would want to try playing the game whether or not they were interested in consuming McDonald’s products. The video doesn’t offer any info on whether they reached new customers or what percent of prizes won were redeemed.
Even though folks didn’t have to engage with Twitter and Facebook to play, I bet those platforms could get the word out and drive traffic to the billboards.
Just my two cents. Thanks for sharing this.
June 9, 2011 at 9:03 PM
Twitter and especially Facebook are greedy. So no one would freely choose to play with them. Other big companies certainly want their slice of the pie, but they are willing to share. I have my issues with Google, but in a very elephant-and-mouse kind of way we support each other in making money and in growing – as long as I watch that the elephant doesn’t accidentally step on me.
One example of Twitter and Facebook being greedy is that Twitter recently inserted their own url shortener for the purpose of directing link-juice to themselves rather than allowing the links in Tweets to creating link power for others. Facebook has never supported link building at all.
Another example is how Facebook uses its sign-in credentials feature with other sites. It is a great idea, of course, but the implementation is so completely one-sided in favor of Facebook.
I am hoping that the next big thing after Twitter and Facebook is something truly open, that everyone else can work with, and that supports a better internet community for all of us.
Facebook and Twitter are the best two top and famous social networking sites this days. They are also a big help in driving traffic to the site. Thanks for sharing this info.
June 12, 2011 at 4:56 PM
Well, back in 2006 and 2007, MySpace was totally the place to be. It was “revolutionary” and “brought social interaction to a whole new level!” It was neat-o, man! Then came Facebook and blew it out of the water. Nobody ever imagined in a few short years MySpace would be on life support.
There will always be something bigger and better just around the corner.
Delena
June 13, 2011 at 1:45 AM
Hi, Ari.
While the relevance of Facebook and Twitter is still on a high right now, I believe that the time will come when something better will come and bump them off the radar. However, they are still two viable marketing tools that a lot of business people, especially those that are just starting out, should capitalize on while they are still at the top.
That’s really cool. I believe companies will continue to keep finding new ways on how to interact with customers and keep them engaged. Having said that, I don’t think Facebook and Twitter are old news. I’m sure there are also new unexplored methods for branding and interaction through those 2 platforms.
I’ve been using Twitter and Facebook since two years ago. So far, they work very well for me. I haven’t seen the decline of those two social networking sites. I agree with Shive. Perhaps there will be some other tools which are greater than Twitter and Facebook. But for now, Twitter and Facebook are still the champion.
Facebook is just a phase, there were others before it and there will be others coming after it (i expect this to happen very soon), so yeah, it’s a normal reaction to these two giants, people will slowly shift their preferences.
June 15, 2011 at 4:57 AM
facebook and twitter provide great social networking platform.. i rarely open facebook and twitter directly on my browser. it is easier to open them using iphone apps and google apps.. i think it improve how we communicate to each other.. it become a lifestyle like owning a cellphone and texting
June 19, 2011 at 4:49 PM
I agree with everything you have said. I have found that like any other type of marketing you do, you need to maximize your vehicle before you move on to a new one. You don’t ever want to spread yourself too thin. This is very difficult in this day and age because it’s like the wild west. You will put a ton of time into something that might not catch on. We will see where everything goes. I would love advice on some new places that look optimal for social markeing; my company depends on it.
I think it will be a while yet before Twitter and Facebook lose their relevance. When an organization gets as big as Facebook is, they are not slow in buying up companies when they see that the technology they provide or their user-base is something that would be of benefit to them. In this way I would expect them to stay in the forefront of social media for quite a few years.
I think both twitter and facebook are still very much popular. No doubt spammers are spamming these sites but the popularity of these sites are still the same. In a few years time from now, we never know what major changes will set in but the fact that the way the giant corporate companies function will never change. Twitter and facebook has been the trendsetters, next, maybe some other networking site will take over these two networking sites.