Lonely enough to face Facebook?

           The Atlantic is worried. In their May, 2012 issue, the magazine asked, "Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?"

           The article by Stephen Marche says that we never have been lonelier or more narcissistic. "This loneliness is making us mentally and physically ill." He calls it an epidemic.

           Marche's condemnation is flat out. "We live in an accelerating contradiction: the more connected we become, the lonelier we are. We were promised a global village; instead we inhabit the drab cul-de-sacs and endless freeways of a vast suburb of information."

          He admits that while solitude can be lovely, crowded parties can be agony. "Loneliness is not a matter of external conditions; it is a psychological state," he says. 

          The article quotes the UCLA Loneliness Scale, which shows loneliness rising drastically over a very short period recently. Is social media to blame, even partly?

          Research shows that today we meet fewer people in person, as we increase our "friendships" in social media dramatically. To discuss our real problems, we hire 77,000 clinical psychologists, 30,000 social workers, 400,000 non-clinical social workers, 50,000 marriage and family therapists, 105,000 mental-health counsellors, 220,000 substance abuse counsellors, 17,000 nurse-therapists, and 30,000 life coaches.

          And being lonely is bad for our health. Marche says technology is enabling our tendancy for isolation. Here are some things to think about:

          1. Does Facebook encourage more contacts outside of family, at the expense of family contacts?

          2. Do lonely people spend more and more time on Facebook? Is it a substitute for personal relationships?

          3. Does "Liking" substitute for expressing yourself fully?

          4. Is wandering through Facebook a lonely task or a social task for you?

          The article concludes that loneliness is not something that social media is doing to us. It's something we're doing to ourselves.

          Whatever is going to become of solitude?

The business side of social media.

Most U.S. companies now use social networks. Do they use them well, or just use them? Here's the research.

            A study by InSites Consulting indicates that 66% have a Facebook page, 51% have a Twitter account, and 44% have a Linkedin page. Here's the rub: only 16% say their social marketing efforts are "fully integrated across the organization".

            Most companies are using social media tactically, rather than as a part of a well-orchestrated marketing program.

           Those who are fully integrating it say they are getting results in three important ways. More effective marketing communications; higher consumer satisfaction; and stronger financial returns.

            So, you ask, what does it take? According to the study, three types of changes are needed to integrate social media into the organization. Personal change, structural change, and cultural change.

            Employees have to be open to technology --- and new technologies. The company has to be ready to educate employees in social media, have social media training programs, and the top execs have to be active in social media themselves.

           Companies  have to have a clear view of how to use social media. They have to include them in the media plans and understand how to use them. And what not to do, as well. Companies should encourage their people to freely use social media personally, to get involved in it.

           At the same time, a company's values have to be clearly defined, and they have to be as important as the business strategy. Everyone has to understand these values, to speak with a unified voice.

           Now you understand why so few companies have fully integrated social marketing. They don't really know how to use it. Social marketing isn't advertising, and it isn't public relations, and only sometimes it's sales promotion. And financial return can be kind of murky if you don't know how to measure it.

           There. Now I've got to check my Linkedin profile.

Read this before you recommend again.

         I ran into what I think is a fascinating fact. If you are asked to recommend something, you'll probably give it the best possible review. But if the recommendation is going to your friends, you're likely to be much more conservative. This is probably because you don't want to be responsible for a friend's entertainment.

         Recommendations, of course, are at the heart and soul of social media. You might have one group you trust for movie reviews, another for restaurants.

         Amazon is perfectly happy to recommend books on your previous choices, and to go one step further. Based on the thousands of people who bought the book you're buying, they'll recommend another book you might like. This is called "affinity marketing", surely a gift to marketers who knew the value of increasing purchases but didn't always know how to make it happen.

         The big question is what gets people to buy the original product in the first place. It might be a recommendation on social media, but that can't always be counted on.

         For example, did you ever get a social media site to recommend breath mints or a soft drink? Probably not. Movies can't wait a few weeks to get people to attend and a new age-defying makeup may never make it to baby boomers if the only media are online.

        That's why even though advertisers are using social media more and more heavily, and in more innovative ways, they still aren't giving up on traditional media budgets.

        Here's how I look at it. Social media offer amazing additions to the marketer's toolbox. They're additions, not substitutes. The astute marketer knows how to use each medium well, for its unique strengths. Good advertising is more than "messaging". It build brands that make products more valuable, just as social media can hasten the purchase and make it more immediate.

        Just do me a favor. Don't look this blog up on Yelp.

Texting your personality away.

         "The little devices most of us carry around are so powerful that they change not only what we do, but also who we are."

         That's a quote from M.I.T. psychologist Sherry Turkle, in The New York Times. She says we have now become used to the idea of being a tribe of one, loyal to our own party.

         We go to a meeting but only pay attention to what interests us. In our social lives we are moving from conversations to connections. According to Professor Turkle, we are "comforted by being in touch with a lot of people --- carefully kept at bay".

          She points out that texting and emailing and posting let us present ourselves the way we want to be, carefully edited and retouched. Contrast this with face-to-face conversation, which unfolds and reveals slowly, and teaches patience, among other things.

          We want faster answers so we simplify the questions. In conversations, we move closer together. In  social media, we move further apart. We don't learn how to converse even with ourselves. We rarely say anything self-reflective.

          Who would you rather talk to about dating --- your father or a computer program? Your computer promises so-called listeners, no eye contact. And because 300 of your friends are listening, you don't reveal your true feelings.

          As marketers and advertising people interested in media, we have to be aware of the consequences of what we use and do. Professor Turkle again: "We think constant connection will make us feel less lonely. The opposite is true. If we are unable to be alone, we are far more likely to be lonely."

          Can we in marketing, in a small way, help revive conversation? Isn't advertising at its best really a conversation between someone with something to sell, and a person who has a reasonable interest in buying it?

          If we're selling things to increasingly lonely people, what will that mean? What can we do? Maybe we should figure out what it takes to really be a friend.

Who do social media belong to?

          Along comes social media and everybody's claiming it's on their turf.

          Some advertising people are saying it's just another medium to carry commercial messages. They are the experts.

          Those in an integrated marketing practice shout that it's theirs. "We've been saying all along it takes more than advertising. This is just another shiny box on our organization chart."

          "Wait a minute," say the public relations people. "Social media is all about relationships. Relations is in our name!"

          "Are you kidding? It's different from everything," say some of the digital people. "Social media is digital, which means it's in our ballpark. That's what we do."

          So it goes. Perhaps the most transformative change in communications since cave drawings is here, and nobody seems to agree on who's in charge.

          Well, the people are in charge, not the professional communicators and persuaders. Social media does have an advertising component. Facebook is making millions on it. It's also true that public relations firms were the first to see the potential in it and how to employ it for their clients. And of course it's digital ---but it's far more than a technique; it has a psychology of its own. And integrated marketers, yes, there's more for you to integrate with.

          But in my opinion, one thing remains glaringly true. While communications have changed both quantitatively and qualitatively, the creative energy of the idea will be the key to success, no matter what.

          Our opportunities have multiplied with social media. Social media help us listen to our customers, get close to them, help them on a personal basis. And when they're ready to buy, we can be right there with them, to help them make their decisions easier and with confidence. And, yes, persuade them.

         That's all advertising, no matter how media may morph.

Look who's helping those corporations.

         One of the most amazing things about the Internet and social media is people's interest in connecting with corporations today.

          It's no longer the "what can you do for me" attitude that advertising has promoted by shouting product claims at them. No longer the "prove to me that you're better" stance that consumers have long challenged manufacturers with. Those are what led to those dreadful commercials showing how antacids work in your stomach and how that hideous mucus man causes distress.

          Today we're perfectly willing to help companies help us. Cooperation seems to be the rule on the Web and on social media sites. We're very open about our comments, our recommendations to potential customers, our critiques and suggestions. We send in recipes, tips for working mothers, ideas for raising newborns, sending in videos of themselves singing Lady Gaga's songs, everything.

          This new era of crowd sourcing has even resulted in customers doing commercials for companies. You saw the results with those Doritos commercials on the Super Bowl.

          Personally, I'm better at sending companies nasty letters that I am at making positive suggestions. Maybe because I give positive suggestions to clients and others all day long. Now when a company disappoints me, I let 'em have it.

         I wasn't always this critical. I remember when my friend Norm, a copywriter who worked for me, came back from lunch with a pack of Doublemint Chewing Gum missing the foil inside the wrappers. He sent a vehement letter to the president of the William Wrigley Jr. Company, and they sent him a huge case of Doublemint with their apologies. A lifetime supply. I was surprised and knew I could never do such a thing. But I was wrong.

        I think when you're in advertising, and people around you are convinced you exploit people all day and unfairly use the mysteries of psychology to manipulate them, you go maybe overboard the other way, bordering on self-righteous. You want your clients to always do the right thing by their customers, just as you are careful to do the ethical thing in your creative work. And when they don't, you set them straight.

       Today's spirit of helpfulness is progress. It makes companies better and consumers happier. I applaud that. And yes, every time I open a pack of gum I do hope the foil is missing.

I'll be tweeting you, in all the old familiar places.

            For a long time, people were making fun of Twitter. What can you say in 140 characters? How can it be substantial? What's a person who tweets called?

            These early critics have long been proven short-sighted.  Evolved observers of the social media scene call it "social influence marketing", and Twitter has great influence.

             In a recent test of the advertising power of Twitter, Sephora bought more than 15 ads to promote a contest that awarded products to fans of the TV show "Glee". The response rate beat projections by 700%.

             I have a friend who runs a branding company. He tweets every day when he arrives at the office, sharing thoughts and observations to get his followers thinking about new ways to market. The last time I visited his office he was tweeting about a flaw in the way hospitals present themselves. He has about 2,000 followers.

             One reason my friend's tweets are well received is that he does it right. He makes every tweet an idea his followers can adapt to their own businesses. He makes them think, question, observe. He makes them better marketers, day by day, 140 characters at a time, and they look forward to his messages.

             Equally important is what my friend doesn't do. He doesn't use his tweets to sell his authority. He demonstrates it. He doesn't make trial offers. He offers a marketing point of view his followers value. They've told him so and stick with him.

             Students tell me nobody reads long-copy ads these days. I agree. We only read what rewards us --- with information, news, advice, entertainment, help, a chance to save money, a smile --- and most advertising today doesn't qualify, although it obviously should. Who wants to read a long-winded boast?

             Many short, sweet tweets have become viral hits, as users have retweeted them. Twitter offers "promoted trends". They're ads that appear alongside users' accounts, and cost $120,000 a day.

             The new year is a good time for people in marketing and advertising to go back to basics and figure out what's really interesting, believable, and convincing to our target markets.

             Social marketing, including Twitter, should be used intelligently and strategically along with other media.

             Or we'll continue to be talking to people who don't want to listen.

When social media aren't very sociable.

          We were discussing social media in class, calmly and with respect, when one student couldn't hold  back: "Facebook is evil! Pure evil!"

         I asked him why he would say that. "They suck up your time! You come home and the first thing you have to do is check your Facebook. They fill your head with meaningless mush. Nothing important is ever on Facebook. And the rejection is horrendous. Can you imagine being defriended? Besides, a friend on Facebook is not a friend!"

        Was he right? Why was he so outraged? Why has he given Facebook such power over himself and his life?

         And if a friend on Facebook isn't really a friend, what is he? Or, even worse, is Facebook changing the definition of friendship? What do you know about your Facebook friends, and what do they know about you?

         Is friendship sharing your most trivial thoughts and most showy experiences with people who want to be your friend? Is it sending pictures of yourself holding a tall red drink, or with a tall boyfriend with a tall red drink? Is it telling people that (a) your trip, (b) the sights, (c) the food, (d) the shops, or (e) the tour guide who's just doing this while he writes his novel is awesome?

        Where's all the good stuff, the real stuff? And why are we so obsessive about Facebook and Twitter, checking them every ten minutes and responding immediately? They obviously are filling an important need in our lives.

         Maybe things will be changing this year. The Wall Street Journal has warned of "Facebook Fatigue". Users now spend six and a half hours per month, on the average. Daniel Knable, c.e.o. of Digitaria integrated marketing agency, predicts a slide. "IPO + privacy issues + your grandma joining + one redesign too many + general social network fatigue = Fonzi on waterskis," he says, referring to a desperate Happy Days episode.

        According to the WSJ, Blake Cahill, president of Banyan Branch, a social media agency in Seattle, believes consumers will be "driven away by an infiltration of ads as Facebook comes under growing pressure to make more money".

        I think college students may be the last, though, to give up their Facebook time. Until they do, I guess my student will have to summon the willpower to keep Facebook from sucking up his time.

I'm connected, you're connected.

         There's a name for those of us who spend a lot of time on the Internet and social media. The Connected Generation.

          It's a very useful name. All of us in marketing and advertising can use it as a constant reminder.

          First, it can remind us that there's far more to get involved in than shiny magazine ads and dramatic television spots. Our audiences are connected to social media and the Internet with a passion we never had toward TV and print. This passion is what creates the Digital Divide, between those who embrace the new media and those who don't.

          Second, it reminds us how the people in our markets are connected to each other. They consult, compare, request, personalize, and demand. Their strength is in numbers and know-how. No longer are people at the mercy of sellers to meet their needs. The Connected Generation helps each other in ways that could never be done before.

          If you offer them something valuable, word gets around fast. If you don't, word gets around even faster. Restaurants with mediocre food or service have been killed in days. Manufacturers who trim corners on quality or don't keep up with the latest innovations are dumped.

          Add to this the pace at which things are changing these days and you can see why it's essential to push the refresh key on your marketing so often.

          Change isn't easy on anybody, the marketers or the customers. That's why, for example, supermarkets know that if they reorganize the store too much they'll lose customers. And manufacturers know if they change the package without warning, people will think they changed their favorite product inside.

          When new things such as new media come into the picture, those who understand them first become the experts and specialists. That's what happened with television in the '50s, and is happening today with social media. Soon more and more people will climb aboard and we'll again have an army of generalists.

          So much to learn, so much to do all at once.

          It's a good thing we're the Connected Generation, with plenty of relationships and support.

       

Do you think small talk is romantic?

         When I opened my laptop yesterday morning, the lead story on Yahoo had me smiling. The headline was, "Skip the small talk on your next date".

          It seems that "deep and meaningful" conversations are still important. That's according to a new study from the University of Arizona. It also revealed that happy people "have more substantive conversations than those who engage in small talk alone".

          The article on Yahoo says that while small talk will help you break the ice, your date doesn't find the weather report scintillating. Shallow equals unromantic, and separates Mr. Right from Mr. Right Now. The article suggests that you at least talk about the news, pop culture, what you're reading or movies you've seen.

          Then you can get into topics that are deeper, such as emotion. That involves risks, of course, as do real relationships. We social animals really want to connect, intimately.

           This is also a good way to think about marketing and advertising. If our communications are shallow (and most ads are), we can't hope to have a real relationships with our customers. We can lose their interest the moment a competitor demonstrates it can understand them better. Even worse is when we create shallowness in social media. Our customers are complex, with hopes and worries that go  deeper than attitudes about products. Listening and helping carry you a lot farther than boasting.

            Maybe we should look at marketing communications as dating. Potential customers are a first date, and of course you want to impress them. One of the best ways to do that is by showing your interest. Your present customers are farther along. You shouldn't be repeating surface-y stuff. You should be their partner, and act like it. But remember: someone more attractive may come along at any time, so don't ever take your customers for granted.

            We've been learning about all this dating stuff since we were in sixth grade, and it's time we apply it to what we do for a living.

              Oh, I meant to ask you: do you prefer Hindemith or Bartok?