Thursday, May 22, 2014

Old vs. New

In examining the above "Classic Marketing & Social Media Marketing" chart, I am interested in comparing and contrasting scheduling and language.

Scheduling

When it comes to classic marketing, the chart says that campaigns are "planned both over and for long periods of time." Social media marketing, meanwhile, is not planned in detail, but exists as reactions to comments and requests. 

When it comes to scheduling, I don't think there is truly a "better" way. When I think of scheduled classic marketing, I think of unforgettable ad campaigns such as Nike's Just Do It or Got Milk. I'm sure campaigns like that took so much time and effort to not only plan, but to implement and stretch over time. They are now embedded in history, and those slogans will always bring up certain images and ideas for people. This is one instance where classic is better than social. Social is fleeting, but classic is memorable.

As for social media, I would first of all argue that for a lot of bigger brands, social media campaigns, like classic marketing campaigns, are planned well in advance. Take Wendy's new salad campaign, featuring models and clothing. Wendy's is a company that doesn't take their social media campaigns lightly, and you can tell just by looking at it that it must've been time-consuming. However, there are instances where an unplanned post can make a big impact. One that immediately comes to mind is Oreo's response to the Superbowl blackout in 2013, retweeted more than 15,000 times. Of course, Oreo had a social media team of 15 on hand that evening, but the photo was by no means planned.


I think social media marketing is beneficial when it comes to scheduling because PR disasters can be stopped in their tracks. For classic marketing, you often have to wait for things to blow over. With social media, you can respond to a complaint right away and take care of it. But, social media can also create PR disasters with its real-time responses. Take, for example, the time Applebee's started hiding and deleting negative comments over the termination of an employee.

I do believe that scheduling for both classic and social media marketing can work together. I love campaigns that translate from television, radio or even billboards to social media with hashtags or links. 

Language

Classic marketing language is very formal, complete and well thought-out, while social media marketing language is direct and genuine. They are similar in respect that they both need to stay true to the brand's overall voice. In this instance, however, I would have to argue that the new way is better. I think, for quite some time now, people have been tired of being talked at by marketers. How many times have you verbally responded to a television ad? Well, now you can get online and respond directly any way you choose and receive a response in return. This also relates to direction of communication.

Because we were often talked at, ads became boring, repetitive, and they all said the same things. I would argue that social media marketing language allows brands to be more creative. Just take a look at these examples. Now brands have a human component, and we don't feel as though we are talking to a corporate robot. Additionally, brands have more freedom with how they want to convey themselves, shown in the chart below. (As a side note, I think it's interesting how social media has revolutionized language, especially with emotions and communicating via images.)


I think if your brand is very formal, traditional marketing language may work. However, for most others, the more personable you are, the more your audience will like you. The two, of course, can coexist. Take Old Spice, for example. On television, the brand is absolutely hilarious, and they have translated that to social meida as well. I think as long as voice stays consistent, the classic and social media marketing can coexist.


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