PR-Bridge

Earlier this week, AdvertisingAge reported on a talk by Procter & Gamble interactive marketing exec Ted McConnell, with the provocative title: “Digital Guru Not Sure Marketers Belong on Facebook.” Reacting to the attempts to “monetize” social media sites, McConnell explained, “What in heaven’s name made you think you could monetize the real estate in which somebody is breaking up with their girlfriend?”

I discussed this issue in detail in early August, advocating that organizations move away from thinking of social media sites like they do television, radio, or billboards, and instead uncovering new ways of using social media to build relationships. McConnell also brought up this point, dispelling the “media” aspect of “consumer-generated media.”

“Who said this is media,” McConnell asked. “Consumers weren’t trying to generate media. They were trying to talk to somebody. So it just seems a bit arrogant…We hijack their own conversations, their own thoughts and feelings, and try to monetize it.”

Recently, USF public relations students in my Writing for Public Relations classes have been doing research on college students and attitudes toward branding, brand loyalty, and how they are dealing with the economic downturn. While I won’t divulge much of the information they’ve uncovered, since we’ll be releasing it over the next several weeks, I will reveal that the brands students are most loyal to interact with them in ways they desire, such as sending discount coupons through the mail, not by blitzing them with ads on Facebook and MySpace.

I also wonder if the rock band Pearl Jam might provide some lessons about how organizations should reach out to customers. At the height of its worldwide fame, the band stopped making videos and cut back on marketing, essentially removing themselves from the mainstream pop universe. While it shed casual fans, it built online communities of dedicated followers, even handing over control of its music. For instance, allowing people on fan sites to trade bootlegs legally.

As a result, Pearl Jam now has a large, dedicated group of fans that sell out every show and support its CDs. While it will probably never reach the heights it did with its first several albums, in terms of overall CD sales and radio play, one could argue that Pearl Jam is more popular than ever.

I think the answer lies somewhere in the idea of building a group of intense users and then figuring what that group wants from the brand and how to deliver it in the most efficient manner.