Social Networks A new model for social branding. by Brunó Bitter, Next Wave Europe Presented at the “Circuits of Profit” Business Network Research Conference on 6 June 2011 (Budapest)
A new model for social branding.
Jan 16, 2015
Why failure rate is high for brands wishing to make it big on social networks.
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SocialNetworks
A new model for social branding.by Brunó Bitter, Next Wave EuropePresented at the “Circuits of Profit” Business Network Research Conference on 6 June 2011 (Budapest)
Brand and business presence on social networks
is all HYPE these days.
is what businesses want
is what brands want
is what everybody wants...
Facebook Friendships VisualizationMap
Creating a successful presence on social networks
Over 1 million business owned Facebook Pages...
Yet,
Yet, is high.failure
Failure =
a spectacular lack of conversation capital.
Failure =
Failure =
a spectacular lack of conversation capital.
Failure =
Blogs without trackbacks and comments.
Facebook Pages without engagament.
Less “likes” than the number of employees working at the firm...
technology and gimmicks will not make any brand or organization “social”.
Failure reason:
focus on “social networks” alone will not be enough.
Failure reason:
Two different networks are more defining in ‘social’ success.
these networks are:
culturalnetworks
organizationalnetworks
Rule #1: without cultural relevancy and clout your brand will not be “social”.
Rule #2: without an inherently social organizational culture your company will not be “social”.
culturalnetworks
organizationalnetworks
memetics, the study of memes
com·pel·ling/kəmˈpeliNG/Adjective1. Evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.
Brands need to have a narrative, a compelling story.
How do these narratives or ideas spread from brand to person to person in a culture?
Rule #1
Coca-Cola and their cultural notion of “happiness”.
Some of the most successful brand narratives in recent history, the most virulent “memes”:
The cultural notion of being invincible.
(“If you have a body, you’re an athlete.”)
Apple and the powerful cultural notions of creativity and individual empowerment.
It is no coincidence that these happen to be amongthe most powerful “social” brands of our times.
Powerful cultural signaling and social media successstrongly correlate.
To achieve desired status as “social brand”, companies must offer more than strong past performance and product quality - they must also send out and manage cultural signals.
(Recommended reading - Joel M. Podolny: Status Signals)
Brands like P&G, Red Bull, Johnson’s, Jägermeister are producing original content to transmit their cultural ideas, symbols and practices.
To successfully transmit ideas and values brands turn into media.
Rule #2: without an inherently social organizational culture you will not be “social”.
- Employees are often the most important consumer touchpoints.
- There needs to be a strong connection between the company, the employees and the brand.
- A brand cannot be more “social” than the organization that created it.
organizationalnetworks
Largest online shoe and apparel retailer brand.
Built their brand from scratch through an organizational culture centered around service excellence
In 2009 sold to Amazon for 1.2 billion USD.
Source of rapid growth was repeat customers and word of mouth recommendations. 75% of custumers are repeat buyers.
Case study
1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10.Be Humble
Zappos Core Values
Case study
It was not “APIs”, “FBML” or “Twitter”.
It was “open”, “creative”, “honest” and “humble”.
Zappos definition of “social”
All brand values relate directly to organizational values - the two does not separate!
Case study
Organizations need to be social in a grass-roots sense:
open.transparent.
agile.cooperative.
friendly.
Insight:
the single most important brand touchpoint for consumers are the barristas, the people making espresso at Starbucks stores.
They need to be a source of identity and pride, social embassadors of Starbucks and coffee-culture.
The culture of the company comes from deep inside. HR excellence is the key brand driver.
Case study
culturalnetworks
org.networks
socialnetworks
Summary
To be successfull on social networks, brand owners’ focus first needs to
shift to two other kinds of networks: cultural and organizational networks.
It is not enough to know media and technology.
It is mandatory to understand the wider cultural context.
It is also essential to understand the organizational context.
Yesterday’s skills/roles:
- strategic communications planning- creative development- copywriting/editing- art direction- media planning- online community management- application development
Emerging new skills/roles:
- change management- organizational development- cultural anthropology- applied memetics- strategic HR
What this means for “social X agencies”
Before: silo-model
silo silo silo silo silo
HR
marketing
PR
retail
customer service
Implications for organizational structures
HR
marketing
retail
customer service
Organizational eco-system modell (vs. organizational silos)
Planned for Q3-Q4 2011: the Social Network Analysis of firms that have adopted this new framework of “social business” (benchmarked with companies still running the old “silo” modell).
Failure =social business consultancy
Failure =strategic brand agency
&
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