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Social Networking Goes Big Business
PreacherTom writes, "It is no secret that sites like Facebook and MySpace are big hits among students. Big business is catching on to their possibilities too. Even in the wake of online stalking scandals, companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Apple, and Burger King are building whole marketing campaigns around social networking sites, to the tune of an estimated $280 million in 2006. It appears to be working: take the King, for example, who has amassed more than 120,000 'friends' that opt (for rewards) to associate themselves with his profile." These marketing drives are aimed at younger consumers, but (from the article): "About 36% of MySpace users are people aged 35-54, as are 30% of Facebook users."
Big business is catching on to their possibilities too.
What do you mean "is catching on"? News Corp (FOX) bought Myspace for 500 million a year ago.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
I see this fad burning out in the next few years as teens move on to something else, or grow out of it. Now when the investing companies can get a larger adult user base, they'll have a chance at a long term business.
I have to wonder whether or not social networking sites will continue to be hot two or three years down the line. I guess i'm being a bit old-fogeyish since after all we're talking about the 18-24 demographic. It's kind of old hat for me; for someone who is 18 years old I guess it's sort of new though. Either way, after about 2 or 3 years of that I found that the more I used them the less I liked using them, simply because as a particular networking tool becomes more prevalent among your friends (and those unfortunate acquaintances) you find yourself willing to disclose less information about yourself or commit to as many activities via the site.
Your customers tell you all about themselves, voluntarily and for free.
Contrary to most geek's ideas, marketing is bloody difficult. It's actually very expensive, very hard work. You're essentially trying to model human society. That's why they'll pay you to answer questions.
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Then someone needs to write a Wikipedia entry on just that topic -- what are you waiting for?
Wow there is no way that statistic is actually what it sounds like. If the numbers are correct, which I highly doubt they are, then a user aged "35-54" means some old person that heard a kid talking about myspace and was like "wtf is this that" and then went to the homepage and clicked around and thought "this is stupid" and left never to return. If an advertiser used that stat to target their ads I am sure they wouldn't get a very good return. They need to base that stat on pageviews for it to make sense in this context. Based on pageviews I bet the percentage drops to less than 1%.
no appreciable "cool factor"
They're not making friends with "Burger King", they're making friends with The Burger "King", a character designed such as to appeal to tweens and teens who have grown too old for Ronald McDonald, yet still are likely to frequent fast food restaurants. Brilliant campaign by Crispin Porter. Check out pictures of their revived king-- the guy would be right at home in any Snoop Dogg video.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Is it me, or has the amount of advertising reached an all time high? Everywhere I look I see "Buy! BUY! Buy!" No wonder the national saving rate is currently negative. We are digging ourselves way into debt. I think this is not good in the long term. I wonder how long can this last and if there will be a backlash.
Advertising on social networking sites looks like a good idea, but I wonder when people will say no more and avoid these advertisement websites. I think people will eventually look for web communities where advertising is a minimum. And many people will pay for advertising-free websites.
Burger King, an international chain of restaurants which has been in business for over 50 years, designs a new mascot and gets 127,220 MySpace friends.
Christine Dolce, an unemployed twenty-something cosmetologist who may well have been conceived in the parking lot of a Burger King, bleached her hair and took off her shirt to get 1,022,716 friends.
I think the jury is in on just what the Internet is used for.
30% of Facebook users are 35 or older? I thought that it was invented for college students.
.edu address. That tended to set a lower bound on age (relatively few people below 16-17 are affiliated with colleges or universities in ways that get them addresses) but didn't set an upper bound at all, when you factor in things like:
;)
Pretty much so... but the criteria used to determine college affiliation was possession of a
a) People "going back to school" - my wife "mommy-tracked" for 8 years, then picked up a second degree at 33.
b) Grad students, who are typically about 23-28 instead of 17-23
c) Postdocs, who are typically about 28-33
d) Alumni, who can be any age
d) Staff, who can also be any age - I'm staff, 35, and on Facebook because a lot of the grads and postdocs I work with are on there. (And for the free music from Apple.)
e) Faculty, who are likely to be even older than staff.
Suddenly that skewed age figure is a lot more attainable.
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.