The dangers of social media

It seems that 2009 will be the year for social media. Well, at least according to many of the lists of predictions I have seen. Companies are turning to social media experts to help them make the most of the opportunities afforded by My Space, Facebook, Bebo, YouTube et al. The issue as I see it however is that by definition they are social and not corporate properties. People (consumers) use them for their own purpose and fulfilment. To enter in to this space a company has to be very careful not to impose on the individuals space and enjoyment. Those companies which crack this domain however will have a huge advantage over their competitors.

Not done properly though social media can damage a brand as consumers become irritated and lose trust in the brand message. Recently Hamilton Island discovered the perils by posting a fake application video for their "Best Job in the World" campaign. Their fake application was passed off as a genuine application and it was this that irritated the public. They have however issued a full and unreserved apology stating "WE MESSED UP AND WE'RE SORRY" on their site.

They do have the advantage of offering $150,000 AUD for 6 months work on a tropical island which would make most 'slip ups' forgivable. In this case the extra free publicity probably worked to their advantage.

A second example is the now infamous 'man in the jacket' campaign. This was the story of a girl looking for love by trying to find the man who left his jacket when they "met" in a Sydney cafe. From the first media reports sceptics believed it was a hoax. When the video clip was accompanied by a website the murmurs grew. It was developed by Naked Communications as a viral for the launch of a new menswear line of a large Australian retail company, which has previously sold only womenswear. In this case the girl in the ad repeatedly denied that it was a hoax when questioned and it was this that led to so many negative comments against Naked and the retailer. At present the retailer as far as I am aware hasn't been named but I think they may well keep their head down and distance themselves from an ill conceived campaign.