The Promise of Advertising in Social Media.
by Dr. Tracy L. Tuten
In a Web 2.0 world, advertising exists in an interactive
environment characterized by user control, freedom, and
dialogue. In this context, advertising means inviting the
consumption of branded experience, ideas, and knowledge,
engaging consumers, and inspiring interaction. It is no longer
appropriate to serve up advertising as an interruption in the
lives of consumers but, rather, to position brands as
contributing members of vibrant, social communities.
Social brands contribute to communities by developing
opportunities for interactivity, emphasizing the brand's
relevance to individual members and the community at large,
monitoring branded community assets (like profiles in social
networks and facilities in virtual worlds) for needed
maintenance, responding to feedback, providing new content over
time, and always finding ways to show the community that the
brand values the relationship. No matter the range of
social-media outlets used in a social campaign, whether social
news and bookmarking sites, virtual worlds, social networks, or
blogs and wikis, brands must remember the community exists for
the sake of community-not for the sake of branding.
People do not join a community to interact with a brand. They
join to be a part of something. They join to make friends, share
stories, have fun, publish creative work, have a voice, and to
take part in the relational activities that make life
interesting and enjoyable. They join for social support and to
feel the comfort of contact. They join to get to know others and
to let others know them. For a brand to succeed in a social
community, the brand must be part of the community.
How can brands benefit from the social context of online
communities? For brands to benefit from this phenomenon, they
must invite consumer participation and encourage consumers to
engage. Brand democratization is the invitation to consumers to
participate in creating and then experiencing a brand's meaning,
particularly within a social context. What happens when brands
develop a reputation for embracing a social culture
characterized by an appreciation for authenticity, transparency,
participation, infectiousness, and advocacy? What happens when
brands enter online social communities -- social networks,
virtual worlds, social news sites, community review sites, and
communities of gamers -- as contributing members, as sponsors,
and as friends? Consumers embrace roles. They become content
creators, storytellers, advocates, and communication vehicles.
They seek out opportunities to immerse themselves in imaginary
worlds, social fiction, and games, which are fortified,
sponsored, and enhanced by brands. This is the promise of
advertising in social media.
The above is an excerpt from the book Advertising 2.0 by Tracy
L. Tuten Published by Praeger; September 2008;$24.95US;
978-0-313-35296-6 Copyright © 2008 Tracy L. Tuten
About the Author
Tracy L. Tuten Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Marketing at
Longwood University. She has authored more than one hundred
journal articles, book chapters, and conference presentations;
her research interests include Web-based survey methods,
branding and identify, and online advertising. She serves on the
editorial review board for the journals Psychology & Marketing
and Gender in Management and serves on the academic advisory
board for the Commercial Closet
