As one example of available social advertising techniques, Sony Music uses my company's SplashCast tool to connect its artists with users of MySpace and other social network sites. The tool acts as a mini TV-style player that allows the company to distribute a dynamic stream of videos, pictures, text and other digital content. One Sony "Splashcast" stream might be dedicated to its hip-hop artist Chris Brown and another to Britney Spears. Fans might first find the stream on the artist's own website, but since the widget can be easily embedded into any personal page on the web, it quickly spreads from fan to fan. Sony easily updates all of its streams with fresh content whenever it wants.
Different channels allow Sony to distribute and organize various kinds of digital content as it sees fit. One channel may be dedicated to the artist's latest music video while another may be his personal blog. The company also uses two-way communications capabilities to allow users to upload and share additional content. With Chris Brown, for instance, there is a channel dedicated to fan chat and another for pictures that fans want to share with other fans. The result is an online community made up of users from various internet locations that form and regularly meet around the brand's social advertisements!
The above illustration highlights a critical point: key to social advertising is the concept that brands are invited into and distributed by those within the online community (word of mouth). This is very different from conventional advertising, such as banner ads and pop-ups, where the brand is being forced upon consumers. Some social advertising tools not only push content out to receptive audiences but also allow users to upload and share content with each other. The result is a tool that acts as a brand-sponsored, online water cooler: a place where people gather to share mutual interests.
Augmenting
With social advertisements, brands have the ability to accelerate the adoption process. Using conventional media buying methods, they can juice up distribution of their application by increasing its visibility among target consumers. A marketing widget, for example, can be placed on relevant websites or distributed within Google AdSense. Traditional marketing strategies such as PR and print ads can further heighten visibility and interest in the application.
Controlling
Unlike offline word-of-mouth campaigns that can take unexpected and unwanted directions, social advertising keeps the power of control in the hands of the brand. For instance, social advertising tools can usually "blacklist" inappropriate websites from embedding the social ad or widget. Some tools that employ features such as image uploading or chat allow those in charge to pick and choose content they deem appropriate and to moderate conversations that take place within their distributed communities.
Tracking and measuring
Traditional word-of-mouth marketing is as hard to monitor as it is to control. A good social advertisement, however, will provide reports on how far the campaign has spread, in which particular social networks it has taken hold, who's viewing it and who's distributing it. Brands can even review user conversations to assess customer reaction to new products and to better understand customer needs. Ultimately, these tools can measure their effectiveness in swaying purchasing decisions. A review of user chat, for instance, may reveal conversations directly related to purchasing decisions. A close parallel between sales and the social advertisements' viewing/sharing can be an indicator of the advertisement's success.
Conclusion
Word-of-mouth advertising is the most powerful strategy a marketer could hope to employ. Now, thanks to emerging social advertising technologies, it is also a viable reality. Brands can create exciting entertainment experiences or sponsor third-party entertainment content. Either way, harnessing the power of social advertising online is critical for those brands trying to reach teens and young adults.
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Michael Berkley is the CEO of SplashCast Media.
