When virality becomes spam

21-02-2011

BranchOut is making waves in the professional networking services space by utilizing Facebook to help you network faster and easier. LinkedIn should be worried as the “Facebook Utility” approach seems like the way of the future vs. stand-alone services.

One thing bugs me though.

I like the simplicity of the BranchOut sign-up process and the way you have your profile set up in a matter of minutes. All great – exactly the way I want it. But then I start hitting the well hidden social landmines.

Before I even realize it I’ve spammed most of my friends Facebook walls with invites. Ok…hold on a sec – I want to connect with these guys but not like this.

Don’t get me wrong I’m all for integrating your service with Facebook but this is to me a clear example of an execution that crosses the “from viral to spam” line.

I’m sure BranchOut got a lot of buzz and new users by creating the spam attack most of us were subjected to when they launched but at the same time I’m willing to bet they lost of lot of potential users and harmed their brand by doing it. I for one (and I know I’m not alone) blocked the application from posting to my Wall – and thus am effectively not getting ANY networking requests from my friends that use the service. For me BranchOut is no longer an option.

In my opinion the same effect could have been achieved with direct user-to-user messages on Facebook. It may not have caused such a “bang” for launch but would have created a more sustained viral effect (and would not have shut anyone out in the process) and also kept the brand / service from getting the “annoying spammer” classification.

All in all the lesson here is this: Tread carefully when integrating your service to Facebook. The line between clever viral expansion and spam is crucial to spot and not to cross.

How to do it? It is simple really (if you just take your “marketer” hat off for a sec): Don’t exploit your users, respect their privacy and create a killer service that they want to share out of their free will. Just think how you would react when your service starts to spam your wall / inbox…and don’t piss off yourself.

more...

Sports Tracking!

By: Jussi Solja

16-08-2010

Marketing, mobile, Social Media, Work

I’ve been helping the guys at Sports Tracker with their social media strategy and the launch of their fabulous mobile application and online service.

It’s incredible fun and motivating to work with a bunch of talented and passionate individuals who are willing to take risks and throw themselves out there. The way you have to if you want to really engage with your audience and earn their trust and get them to “like” you :)

Check out the unconventional launch press release we (props to Jari Salo) put created and the intro video (props to Jari, Aleksi Koskinen and Kristiina Wheeler) to the service.

Find out more about Sports Tracker at www.sports-tracker.com, Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

more...

Find your Life Hackers

By: Jussi Solja

05-05-2010

Disruption, Social Media

Fact #1:
Social media has radically changed and continues to change the way people behave and consume.

Fact #2:
This fundamentally changes not just how companies approach marketing but how they need to restructure their organization and operate to be relevant in this “Facebook Era”.

The Big Question:
How can you drive and accelerate that change?

My answer:
Find your Life Hackers.

Who, what?

Life Hackers are the passionate open minded individuals hiding in various parts of your organization that are always questioning the norm and trying to do things differently. They are the ones who just won’t do things the way things have always been done. They optimistically embrace new technology and apply those advances to make their work more productive, efficient and god forbid a lot more fun.

To enable true change you have to go out and identify these people. You have to listen to them and take that scary leap of fate by trusting them and giving them the power and means to be the agents of change in your organization even if all your senses are screaming against it.

And if you are really brave bring them together for added effect and enjoy the ride.

P.s. Really looking forward to Charlene Li’s new book Open Leadership that should touch on this thought as well. Recommended!

more...

Conversational Marketing

By: Jussi Solja

11-03-2010

Disruption, Marketing, Media, Search, Social Media, Web 2.0

This almost brings a tear to my eye :)

Check out this really nice recap presentation of the thinking that has been happening in and around the Nokia Digital Marketing team during the past few years. I’ve been fortunate enough to work closely with this brilliant group of thinkers and advocates of change and I gotta say I miss those days. Not to say that this is the end of the collaboration – maybe more an end of an era.

Anyhow…check it out and let me know what you think!

Conversational Marketing

View more presentations from Arto Joensuu.

more...

Crowdsourcing growth?

By: Jussi Solja

20-02-2010

Disruption, Social Media, Web 2.0

The Finnish Government (or to be precise the Prime Minister’s Office) just hopped on the crowdsourcing bandwagon with their ideoikasvua.fi -site that aims to crowdsource ideas for sustainable economic growth. Cool, right? Wrong. Unfortunately.

It’s a nice step to the right direction I’ll give them that but why won’t you go all the way and do it right? Why have a two month submission window with a very strict step-by-step Q&A structure that will put most people off at the start? And if you want to start a dialogue like you claim why force visitors to submit their answers to your questions before letting them view the thoughts other people have submitted?

While you are at it why not create something more open and inviting that would get us non-academics hyped and excited as well about helping our dear country take the next step beyond Nokia-land? An environment that would facilitate an ongoing open and inspiring dialogue between the people running the country and the folks down in the trenches. From now ’til we reach that great new future and beyond.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying this is not a great step to the right direction. I just hate it when the opportunity for something ground-braking is wasted because of the paralyzing fear that dramatic change inflicts in people. The fear of leaving your comfort zone and just boldly going where no man has been before.

Bottom line: They are looking for game changing ideas but are afraid to lead the way. I just feel sad for all the crazy interesting ideas we could have shared that will now never see the light of day.

more...

The Long Tail of Charity?

By: Jussi Solja

04-01-2010

Disruption, Social Media

A friend of mine (props to Misko Iho) created a small Christmas miracle during his surfing trip to Africa. By using just Facebook, email and SMS’s he rallied his friends (and their friends) to donate a small amount each to help get backbags, pens, rulers and other basic school equipment for the kids of the local school. Result: 8384 items packed into 470 backpacks ready for school = 470 lives changed.

What Misko and his friends did got me thinking. Why aren’t the big charities more active in social media?

I’ve worked with some of the biggest charity organizations on the planet. We’ve talked about social media and it’s impact on what they do and tried to figure out ways for them to embrace this clearly potent new way of sharing information more efficiently and also recruiting more people to their “cause”.

The interesting thing is that they do see the obvious potential but are for some reason unable to embrace it.

Let’s take Unicef for example. They are the biggest and the most powerful. They do a lot of good BUT admit that they are having trouble convincing their beneficiaries that their money is indeed used in the most efficient and beneficial way all around the globe.

How to do this then when armed with Social Media? Should be pretty self-evident: Let your audience choose where their money is spent and show the concrete results of the work (like Misko did by posting pictures on Facebook) = Give them a social object that they can share with their friends (“this is the village I’m supporting”) and the tools to share the message easily all throughout the web.

Simple, eh? Not for Unicef.

Their argument is that they need to be able to direct the flow of support / funds themselves as they know best where the help is needed. I see the point but I’d argue it will also be a fundamental issue for them in the future if they indeed want to engage a broader more internet-savvy audience that is used to being actively involved and is not content by buying the Unicef desk calendar for Xmas.

The change needed will not be easy as it means rethinking some of the fundamentals of how the big charities work but it is inevitable as people want more control and will therefore flock to smaller grass-roots charities that operate more transparently, are more agile and thrive on user involvement.

They will flock to look for alternatives in the Long Tail of Charity. That’s where I found Misko’s project. And I have yet to buy a Unicef desk calendar.

more...

Social Media Detox

By: Jussi Solja

12-08-2009

Social Media, Uncategorized

Week 3 of my Social Media Detox. No Facebook status updates, no Twitter, no Flickr, no Dopplr, no Delicious, no social media of any sorts.

And I feel great. The fact that my 500+ friends don’t know what I’m doing 24h day is actually a huge relief. Interesting.

My analysis: I think we might be overdoing this crazy social sharing frenzy and at some point soon we’ll see a backlash of people disconnecting and longing for the days when fixed phone lines ruled. To a time when leaving the office actually meant you really did leave the office.

At the moment I have to say I’m all for hopping in the DeLorean.

more...

Learnings & buzz from Web 2.0 Expo 2009

By: Jussi Solja

03-07-2009

Marketing, Media, Social Media, Web 2.0

This is long overdue but I finally got the collected learnings from Web 2.0 Expo 2009 on to Slideshare. Lot of great thoughts and buzz. I especially loved the way Twitter was used in the conference by the speakers and the attendees and tried to collect some of the best Tweets that I came across to the preso as well.

Thanks to @DaGood @r2r0 @anssimakela @Jussipekka for inspiration, notes, RT’s and obvously great company!

Learnings & buzz from Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2009

View more documents from Jussi Solja.

more...

More on the concept of Social Media Ethos

By: Jussi Solja

02-07-2009

Disruption, Marketing, Social Media

Reading Scott Berkun’s post on Calling bullshit on Social Media made me think more about my concept of Social Media Ethos. In my original post I was only applying it to brands and companies but after reading Scott’s post I think it actually should apply to everyone who is in some way involved in Social Media. From agencies and experts to us individuals.

So we all should follow the principles of Social Media Ethos
(first crack – send me your thoughts!)

Be unselfish: “Give love to get love”.
Be transparent, open and honest.
Don’t pretend you know best. You don’t and people will call your bluff.
Respect others: Listen instead of just talking.
Admit when you are wrong, apologize and make up for your mistakes.
Follow the Golden Rule (Like Scott said: This one might be impossible as history has shown but let’s at least give it a try)

more...

Social Media Marketing…or Social Media Ethos?

By: Jussi Solja

01-07-2009

Disruption, Marketing, Media, Social Media

Following (on Twitter), talking with and reading posts from smart guys in the industry (like @jussipekka, @dagood & @Britopian) has made me think really hard about the new nut we marketers are all trying to crack: marketing in Social Media. And the more I think about it I keep on coming back to the same questions: Is there such a thing? Can you really market in Social Media? Can you really approach something as profoundly revolutionary with just your marketer hat on?

My answer is that you can’t.

Let me explain.

What is Social Media? It’s all about give love to get love. I help you and you’ll help me. We all come together to share experiences and thinking in a way never before possible (thanks to ze Interweb). It’s based on very basic human behaviour and at the same time it is very liberating and empowering. We are no longer reliant on what the powers that be (governments, media, marketers) want to feed us. We are in control of the most powerful media ever created. That changes the game and that’s why brands and marketers are worried. They can’t hide crappy products and services behind great advertising anymore. Like a very special FBI agent once said: The truth is out there.

The result of this change? Clueless and scared marketing managers turn to the equally clueless and scared advertising agencies around the world posing THE question: How do we tackle this new monster messing our well oiled screw the consumer -machine? And the answer that the (at this point scared shitless) agencies have come up with? Social Media Marketing!! Don’t worry guys. It’s just another media we can control. We’ll just create a Facebook app and a brand Twitter-account for you and you are all set. We can then push all the same messages to this new “media” and keep your campaigns nicely integrated. You know, 360.

But it does not work that way. Social Media is not a media in the traditional sense of the word. You can’t control it. It’s an environment where true, transparent and honest interaction and involvement pays off. And if you are not ready for that not just a brand but as a company then don’t bother.

So let’s stop talking about Social Media Marketing and start hammering in the idea of Social Media Ethos. Something that touches everything a company does. A new way of behaving. A set of rules by which a company conducts it’s business in a way that is truly taking into account the needs of their audience. From R&D through Comms to Sales. Everything.

I know it’s scary and I get tired of even thinking about all the headaches and frustration it will cause but THAT is the real challenge we all need to overcome.

more...

— Marketing (&) Mischief

Categories

Lifestream

Recent comments

Subscribe

My workouts