#likeminds - Beware Social Media Tokenism

Adam Tinworth
Adam Tinworth

![John Bell](http://www.onemanandhisblog.com/assets_c/2010/02/IMG_2931 - Version 2-thumb-240x360-1593.jpg)After a public information film for the charity sector, we’re on to John Bell of Ogilvy.

And… he opens well. “How do we go from social media being a token effort for a brand.”
The CMO’s dilemma: after a year of experimenting with social media, they really thought they’d cracked the social media code: Facebook apps, blogger outreach. But with no real way to measure, it seemed like a whole load of work for very little tangible return. He longed for mass media… They’d just ported traditional marketing over to social media.
- 90% of Facebook interaction happens on the Wall – so is an application the right way to go? <–good question, too infrequently asked. - Are your people sharing their best practices internally? Do you have a forum for sharing this?  - Leadership tends to go to the highest budget – this can be a problem.  - Paid media is not the antithesis of social media – it is not the antichrist. It can be a quick way to boost awareness.
In essence, he’s arguing that a successful strategy is not just a series of disconnected initiatives that chase after the latest social media “hot thing”, it’s about a co-oridnated and managed series of activities that lead to a brand community forming (and that doesn’t mean building a “community” on your site – but building a real community across active social media sites). 
Some key questions:
- If you met your brand at a party, how would you describe it? - How would it speak? - If it could invite its customers over, what would they do together?
Great talk. Hope that the slides go up afterwards.
like minds

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Adam is a lecturer, trainer and writer. He's been a blogger for over 20 years, and a journalist for more than 30. He lectures on audience strategy and engagement at City, University of London.

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