How Has Social Media Marketing Changed Between 2006 and 2010?
Yesterday, I shared my compilation of the 50 most remarkable social media marketing platforms and programs from the last 5 years, from 2006 to 2010:
The compilation included case studies from North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, many accompanied by the commercials that launched the campaign, or in-depth video case studies to show what really happened.
I also mentioned that this list is focused on “social” platforms and programs and “social” is not the same as “interactive” or “viral”.
SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
The 50 social media marketing platforms and programs here can be categorized into twelve themes:
- Inviting consumers to interpret the brand.
- Inviting experts to curate content for the community.
- Creating a community around a social heartbeat.
- Creating an immersive social experience with strong storytelling.
- Crowd-sourcing product and process design innovation.
- Mobilizing citizens to support a cause.
- Aggregating conversations from social networks.
- Creating a web-based talent hunt or reality show.
- Inviting consumers to submit and support causes for funding.
- Integrating social into the sales or support process
- Inviting customers to share their brand experiences
- Creating an immersive online-offline social experience.
The following three themes came into prominence in 2006:
- Inviting consumers to interpret the brand.
- Inviting experts to curate content for the community.
- Creating a community around a social heartbeat.
The following three themes came into prominence in 2007:
- Creating an immersive social experience with strong storytelling.
- Crowd-sourcing product and process design innovation.
- Mobilizing citizens to support a cause.
The following three themes came into prominence in 2008:
- Aggregating conversations from social networks.
- Creating a web-based talent hunt or reality show.
- Inviting consumers to submit and support causes for funding.
The following three themes came into prominence in 2009:
- Integrating social into the sales or support process
- Inviting customers to share their brand experiences
- Creating an immersive online-offline social experience.
Do note that marketers continue to use a combination of these twelve themes in their social media marketing programs. However, “make your own ad for brand X” type of contests are losing favor to more meaningful platforms and programs that integrate social into the sales or support process or leverage social to integrate online and offline (see slide 65).
Finally, do note that many of the social media marketing case studies I have included aren’t one-off campaigns. They are either long term platforms, or programs that are repeated every year. Still, I found many examples of abandoned campaign microsite URLs in the hands of domain squatters, leading me to ask: where do microsites go when they die?
If you liked these posts, consider interviewing me for a story, inviting me to speak at a conference or workshop, or asking MSLGROUP to create a social media strategy for your brand. Please e-mail me at gauravonomics@gmail.com, call me at +91-9999856940, or connect with me on Twitter.
