Brands, fans… and online conversations
By Steve Mullins. Digital dialogs. Consumers are more receptive and actively engaged with brands than ever before, according to a study of 1,000 digitally savvy consumers conducted in the US by Razorfish.
Almost 40% of respondents report say they have friended a brand on Facebook and/or MySpace, and 26% have followed a brand on Twitter, the digital agency says in its Feed09 Digital Brand Experience Report. “Beyond just social media, consumers are deeply engaged with brands across the entire digital channel – and it’s by choice. According to our study, 77% have watched a commercial or video advertisement on YouTube with some frequency; 69% have read a corporate blog post with some frequency; 73% have posted a product or brand review on a web site like Amazon, Yelp, Facebook, or Twitter; and 52% have blogged about a brand’s product or service.”
And almost 70% have given feedback to a brand, either through a website or a third party service GetSatisfaction.com. “Clearly these interactions are more than casual encounters with a brand – they’re uniquely digital,” Razorfish says. “It’s not like you can ‘friend’ a billboard or have a conversation with a television spot, after all. No, our findings point to digital enabling the behavior of a deeply engaged consumer whose actions more closely resemble those of a ‘fan’.”
But this isn’t about passion – it’s to do with hard-headed business. “Of those who follow a brand on Twitter, 44% say access to exclusive deals is the main reason,” according to the report. “This is also true for those who friended a brand on Facebook or MySpace, where 37% cite access to exclusive deals or offers as their main reason.
And who’s doing well responding to these consumers?
“The best companies of our generation understand how engagement and positive experiences create customers,” Razorfish says. “Google and Facebook are experiential brands, as are Zappos, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Starbucks, and Nike. These companies understand that we are living in a world where consumer preference isn’t formed in reaction to a message, but through a series of experiences over time. Ultimately, it’s a dialogue of interactions that’s stunningly effective when done right.”
