Social Media: a new approach to marketing

We use social media on a daily basis, to keep in touch with our friends and family.  Yet what social media really does is allow us as individuals to market ourselves.  The excitement of doing something adventurous is matched only by the excitement of posting pictures and videos of what we did on facebook.  In fact I would go so far as to say that some people only do adventurous things to be able to inform all of their social media friends.  We have become a narcissistic society.  I myself realized how much we have been affected by social media when I realized that I was smiling for pictures and acting as though I was having the time of my life at parties only because I knew those pictures were going to be posted online.  In fact we are only as popular as we are online.  If we can make others perceive us as being adventurous, fun, interesting by marketing ourselves on facebook it will be easier to convince them in real life.  Society is almost trapped in this world.  People are absent.  They are less aware of what is directly in front of them, what is real, and more concerned with what is happening somewhere else, what is fake and virtual.  It is almost no longer possible to relate to those around you as one used to.  Take the blackberry for example.  The blackberry is equipped with Blackberry Messenger (BBM), a program that allows all blackberry users anywhere in the world to chat.  BBM was invented for professional reasons yet it is most often used for personal reasons.  Instead of interacting with people face-to-face, programs such BBM, and unlimited text, allow users to interact virtually.  It is possible to see this happening anywhere, where instead of being present and aware of ones surroundings people will spend a good amount of their time chatting or texting. 

Therefore in a world where facebook statuses are of utmost importance and where people prefer to chat with others virtually instead of actually encountering and socializing with them, can social media be used for business?  The answer is a definite yes.  Any company that wishes to be a contender in the business world needs to consider social media.  This is not an option, as it is not an option for a business today to not have a website, or to not have a phone, etc.

Several companies have been quick in responding to social media and have reaped the benefits.  The most notable company is Zappos.  Zappos' entire idea for business is based on building a relationship with its customers, taking customer service to an entirely new level.  This relationship results in an unparalleled amount of brand loyalty.  Previously such an attempt to build great rapport could only be seen in the hospitality industry.  Zappos main method of using social media in conducting business is through Twitter.  Zappos an online company that sells shoes, and is looking to soon expand into other fields, ensures that all of its employees are passionate about creating customer satisfaction.  And all of its employees are required to stay connected through twitter.  

Zappos has been so successful in using social media that it has cut back its advertizing budget.  It is confident that by building lasting relationships and by ensuring customer satisfaction there is no need for the formal use of marketing.  The company therefore depends on its customers to spread the word about how satisfied they are with Zappos.  This approach has cut back costs and increased profit.  In fact its customers do not consider Zappos because it has the best material product, but rather because it sells the best customer service, which can just as well be seen as a product. 

            The use of social media for marketing is also visible among celebrities, and small businesses.  This is a movement that cannot be ignored and should be taken advantage of.  Though it may be time consuming its benefits will be worth the input.  


References:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/zappos_twitter.php


http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Miami-Food-Trucks-Cook-Up-New-Trend-109809184.html

Hypnosis and Marketing

Advertisers are constantly trying to get a buyers attention.  Today we can find ads everywhere.  Our society is constantly marketing itself, and it therefore becomes more competitive to sell ones products or services.  To remedy for this Marketing experts have theorized and tested the ability to subliminally condition a potential customer or buyer.  The theory has been around for decades, and simply put it is believed that one can cause someone to subconsciously want to do something through subliminal messages.  We are used to seeing what are known as supraliminal messages, which are those that our minds can absorb and reason.  Yet subliminal messages do not allow our minds to reason the message, they simply seek to implant it into our brains.  Several studies have been done on this.  The tests have consisted of both visual, and auditory stimuli.  With visual stimuli it is believed that by inserting words, or images into a commercial at a speed that is too fast for the rational mind to absorb, the subconscious mind of a subject can be made to react to the stimuli.  In auditory stimuli, it is believed that by inserting message that has been recorded backwards into an ad, a message can be conveyed to the listener.  It has been found that visual stimuli do in fact prove to cause the individual to react in a given manner, yet auditory stimuli have not done so.  Nonetheless the trouble with these subliminal messages is that their effects only last very little, they are never truly implanted into the brain.  Yet what if one where to take the experiment a step forward, and what if one were to go as far as to use hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a state of mind that enables you to be more susceptible to suggestion.  Though there are many charlatans out there who claim to know hypnosis, there are also those who have genuinely studied the science.  You may be skeptical, in fact I myself was.  Until I found out that some of my family members had actually sought out hypnotherapy (the process of using hypnosis for psychological therapy).  Two family members had used it to quit smoking; both had been smoking for over 20 years and had tried everything to quit; yet nothing had worked.  Then after visiting the hypnotherapist they suddenly stopped. 

So what would happen if hypnosis could be used in ads, and what sort of legal implications would this create?  The fact is that hypnosis cannot force you to do something, you have to be willing to be hypnotized, or in other words, my family members wanted to stop smoking, you cannot go to somebody who wants to smoke and through hypnosis force them to quit.  Therefore you will not be able to force a buyer to buy something that they do not need or want.  Yet you may be able to attract the buyer who just needs a little push to make their final decision.  Though I have to admit that the thought scares me a little, I am also curious as to seeing how it would play out.  As well, the world of marketing already does push us to do things without our complete awareness: the use of color schemes in fast food restaurants that are meant to increase a customer’s desire to eat; the use of music that can either have a calming or exciting effect; the use of chemicals such as MSG to enhance the flavor of a product to produce a mildly addictive effect.  I think this topic, if actually implemented, will create some serious controversy, and I myself am undecided as to whether it is really that different from what the marketing world is already doing today. 


Thank you for following,
Gian Marco