As I was reading through The Big Money Facebook 50: Companies making social media work.article yesterday, I saw that Coca-Cola was the number one brand on the list. I wanted to see why so I decided to check it out. When I got to their page I was greeted with this.
Which prompted me to ask or question on Twitter the following:
The answers came fast and furious. Surprisingly or not, they were mixed and I can see why. As social media marketers and brand execs struggle with the best way to have conversations wrapped around their brand, they always run the risk of reverting back to a push style method of marketing. And that’s the rub.
What if consumers prefer that method? Or just don’t care? They just want whatever the brand is willing to give them for free, and they don’t care. So with that being said, giving up all of my contact information, profile information and my friends information for what might be behind the welcome screen doesn’t matter. Apparently not. Or the promise of what might be behind the curtain is compelling enough for me. Given Coke’s status as the number one brand on Facebook according to this list, I think we know the answer.
So what’s my point? Yes the conversations are important but sometimes customers don’t want to talk with brands, they just want what the brands are willing to give them provided the customer is willing to give up its privacy. Do you really think that Coca-Cola is that sexy of a brand to be worshiped all the way into the #1 spot on Facebook? No. It’s the allure of what might be.
Direct Marketing Observations 
I for one am very protective about my friends and contacts on FaceBook and continually become annoyed when asked if I will allow my friends or photos to be sold for the price of my curiosity.
For one thing, I have better things to do than follow a site that requires me to give up my privacy and that of my friends. Lastly, wouldn’t most people become a fan of a business if only to keep updated on the newest products or promotions? Not just to be…or follow…or get their name on a huge list that is immediately swallowed up by more names.
But what do I know, I’m just a little fish in the Social Media ocean. And like you say, they must be doing something right if they are #1.
Hi Marc,
It can be very difficult for those of us who think and write about this stuff a lot to think in terms of “normal” consumer behavior so I find your post as refreshing as a nice, cold Coke 😉 I would almost certainly leave the Coke app without allowing it access to my stuff and rarely friend brands on Facebook that are not my clients’ brands. The ones I do friend/fan for personal reasons, I don’t pay attention to their content that much anyway and I suspect I am very much not alone. While Facebook traffic continues to grow I’d love to see data on how Facebook attention-span is trending.
RE:” They just want what the brands are willing to give them provided the customer is willing to give up its privacy. Do you really think that Coca-Cola is that sexy of a brand to be worshiped all the way into the #1 spot on Facebook? No. It’s the allure of what might be.”
Is it the allure of what might be? Or is it just a mechanical acceptance of the conditions, just another click of a trillion clicks? Maybe that, too, is my overly-analytical and somewhat jaded point of view getting in the way of my ability to see the allure anymore.
Sue
@cindi, you are far from a little fish. You just swim in a big pond.
@sue, I think your point is dead on Sue.