Wanna Get Away?

I know I do! Finally, a niche social network that get's it! Matador is a great online community for people across the globe that are passionate about culture and travel. It incorporates all the basic features: profiles, blogs, photos, and articles, while also providing users with travel classifieds, Google maps, tips, and user recommendations. As one article points out, there are ways the site could be improved, but overall it seems to be a great community--and it definitely has me excited for my upcoming trips abroad.


However, what I think is most important to think about with this is the fact that Matador is a niche social network. This makes targeting users with advertisements and promotions much easier. As I was looking at some of the advertising on the site I noticed that a lot of it did not even feel like business promotions as much as site-friendly suggestions.

Ta-da, it's the permission marketing concept in action once again!

In niche communities it is much easier to implement a permission-marketing scheme. That's why I feel niche web-based communities are the future of social networking, especially those like Matador that encourage impassioned discussion among users. Perhaps these niche communities will all one day be integrated through one service so they are easier to keep track of, but they will still be the communities of the future--and I believe they will help generate more promotional success than other social networks.

Study Reinforces Need for Corporate Sustainability in SL

Komjuniti, a spin-off agency of the Brand Science Institute released the results from a study attempting to measure Second Life users perceptions and satisfaction with companies in the virtual world. Revealed just last week, the results were not entirely surprising.

To give you a few of the numbers: 72% were "disappointed with the activities of companies in Second Life," 42% felt companies' presence in Second Life would be a "short-term trend," and only 7% think companies' presence "has a positive influence on brand image and their future buying behavior." The study also said that hotel and retail companies fared best in user satisfaction.

As I talked about in an earlier post, while there is no real right or wrong way to be in Second Life, one thing that companies do need to focus on is having a plan for sustaining a meaningful presence in world. This study seemed to come to the same conclusion, adding that users want a greater chance to interact with the brands in Second Life.

Take a look at the Marketing and Strategy Innovation Blog where I was first directed to this story.

It's All About Market Research

NBC is taking the viewer experience to another level by becoming the first broadcast website to integrate social networking tools. The network will allow users to create a profile, post clips from their favorite shows and embed NBC video to other social networking sites. There will also be numerous comment and chat features so users can share their other favorite shows and talk to one another as they watch shows online.

I feel like this is one of the first social networks that will really allow for marketing research within social networks to expand its reach. NBC will be able to track trends among its viewers and compile specific reports about the audience for each show (including other shows that the audience watches). This will provide NBC with great material for selling to advertisers.

In addition, by offerring its shows/videos online (and available for embedding on other social-networking sites), they will likely be able to integrate advertising sponsors into those video clips--generating even more revenue for themselves. Finally, mainstream media is beginning to understand how to use social networking to their advantage. I think what NBC is doing is the solution to the copyright-infringement/YouTube crisis.

No Right or Wrong Way to be in Second Life

Since January I've been in Second Life, exploring and learning more about the community. This past week my Audience Research class went in to compare what types of things different companies and members are doing with their space. Specifically we looked at Leo Burnett, Paper Couture, and Kawaii Ku.


Leo Burnett is a nationally recognized advertising firm, Paper Couture is a design boutique created in Second Life, and Kawaii Ku is a fan-based creation in tribute to Japanese anime. All three locations are very unique in their own ways. It's funny though, because you would never guess what kind of company Leo Burnett is from it's Second Life Island. However, Paper Couture's store--which got started in Second Life--is laid out just like an exclusive boutique would be in the real world. And Kawaii Ku, as one might expect, is larger than life.


This got me to thinking about a conversation my class had not too long ago with PR Week's Young PR Professional of the Year, Aaron Uhrmacher of Text 100, also known as Smiddy Smails in Second Life. He said he didn't think there was a right or wrong way for a company to be in Second Life. According to him, everyone is still learning and trying new things. However, what Uhrmacher does see as being important to a company's success in Second Life is their commitment to the medium. Second Life should be a long term investment and companies should aspire to involve and build communities.

Right now I am putting together a media plan for gourmet chocolate bar company, New Tree. If New Tree were to enter Second Life, I feel like the best thing they could do to market themselves is to build an Island and make it fun and interactive. That is what ultimately will bring people into their world. During this exercise, I found that one of the most populated destinations was Kawaii Ku, and I feel like that's because it is so unique. New Tree could have fun and create an entire world out of chocolate, and yet create different ways people can also interact with their brand. Chocolate has a natural appeal to people, so I feel like there are many approaches New Tree could take to attract consumers. As Uhrmacher says, there is no right or wrong way.

From the Web to the Streets...

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of a mass pillow fight? How about a bubble battle? Or a capture the flag game? Well, the folks at Newmindspace have made it all possible.

Their most recent event took place two weeks ago in Union Square, and what was their sole source of promotion? Word-of-mouth social networking. This is the second year in a row that the event has been held. It is reported that over 2,000 people were in attendance. All the buzz was generated mostly through MySpace and Facebook (where the event was listed and garnered 1,715 attendance confirmations), which then led to numerous diggs and generated mass commentary on the event webpage. This, in turn, led to mainstream publicity, most notably NPR.

However, this event not only got me thinking about the possibilities for event promotion through social networking, it also made me consider just how many opportunities this kind of event can generate for more effective advertising off the web. Think about it. This type of event is just begging for sponsorships (albeit, newmindspace has no advertising and runs their website solely off of donations). In addition to that, it is bringing a large, niche audience to one place for a specific event which I think lends itself perfectly to the implementation of some outdoor and guerilla advertising. With all these ideas within the realm of possibility, don't you think it's not long before corporations begin buying into "event advertising" and start organizing their own event promotions online?

If you can't visualize it, just take a look at the video below. That will give you an idea of the environment Newmindspace has created. It's definitely something worth thinking about.

Which Websites Carry Our Advertisements?

When it comes to advertising on the internet, how involved are companies in the media placement process? Do companies pay close attention to the websites they advertise on? Do they look at the possible ramifications of the associations they are making between their company and websites through their ad placement?

Apparently, the answer to that question in a lot of cases is no. In a controversy that surged over the past weekend when Ann Coulter, a widely-criticized conservative commentator, made disparaging remarks about Democratic candidate John Edwards calling him a "faggot"; companies that advertise on her website were criticised for their indirect support of what many label bigotry and slander. Among the companies advertising on AnnCoulter.com, three said they will pull their ads immediately, adding they knew nothing about their ad placement on the website until the consumer complaints started rolling in according to a recent CNN article.

Are companies really this unaware of their online advertising? Those in the article reported using outside online advertising agencies and apparently gave them full-control of where their content ended up. Obviously, organizations need to not only consider where consumers want to see their advertisements, but also where they do not want to see them.

Interesting note: the internet and social networking played a large role in the backlash those companies recieved. The internet can be a powerful tool, but it can also be quite damaging when used without paying attention to detail.

"Anna! We love you!" But Do We Really?

Fans gathering outside the church of Anna Nicole Smith's funeral service expressed their sentiment for the late reality TV star/former Playboy bunny on Friday. I wonder though, do the majority of Americans really love Anna Nicole so much that we want her on our front-page news day after day for over two weeks? For me, the answer to that question is a resounding no. Even one day on the frontpage is too much for me.

So, in honor of what was hopefully not just the burial of her body, but the burial of her news cycle saga as well, I'm going to talk about a social network that lets you and me control the news. Newsvine. Here, the users choose the headlines that they think are most important, and collectively they create the front page.

However, this is not just important for those fed up with mainstream media, this is essential for the blogging community as well. Why? Well, Newsvine not only allows you to choose which stories from the AP and other major media outlets make it to the top, it also allows you to "seed" articles from less mainstream sites and post your own stories. That means top-ranked blog seeds and user stories appear right next to top-ranked mainstream news articles. Talk about giving people a variety of viewpoints, and enabling premium exposure for everyone!


Think you've seen this before? Skeptical? In a blog4brains article I was reading, the author makes a great plug for why Newsvine might be better than other social networking sites (i.e. MySpace and Digg). Check out the article and Newsvine to see more of the many convenient and addicting features offerred to users.

I see this network really going places. The community is very active within the Newsvine, they just need to get word about it out. In my opinion, Newsvine is the future. It will be the source that takes the blogosphere more mainstream and really puts consumers in charge of their news. Do you see dollar signs? I know I do. $$$! The advertising dollars are a-coming. And did I mention all users are automatically registered for their revenue-sharing program? Yeah. This is the real deal.