If you are a marketer, and you are thinking, talking and working in “social media”, it is easy to forget that your work is anything but mainstream. Over the last couple of years, a strong, global community has evolved — bringing a great deal of experience, discipline and creativity into what WAS an emerging medium. In the US, in particular, social media has moved from a peripheral activity to a much more influential position — thanks in part to the pure-play social media agencies and their focus on cross-disciplinary approaches to business.
And while there have been some successes, there is still some way to go before we can seriously consider “social media” to be an accepted and acceptable (or even leading) element within the overall marketing mix. For while it is clear that the general population has shifted its media consumption away from “traditional” channels in favour of the Internet and the plethora of socially-oriented networks — there is still work to be done in codifying the metrics in a way that is easily digestable for business.
Here in Australia last week, the Photon Group opened the doors on The Population — billed as the first pure play social media agency in Australia. Steven Noble stepped in to clarify the claim — but clearly with the backing of the Photon Group, the first steps of The Population will be watched by many.
It should be an interesting time.
For those of us that work in and around social media I would agree that the need to take a regular reality-check (on just how mainstream it is..)is critical. It is, as you suggest, just another element of the marketing mix.
However, my experience has been that “the population” does have an appetite to talk online with and about brands on a scale that justifies considerably more focus than currently provided by the agency world. Whether the particular agency you are referring to fills that gap – will probably just depend on how they go about it!
Jeff … agree. There is no doubt that there is an interest in social networks — now the challenge is to determine how brands fit into that social occasion.
Gavin – it’s nice to be watched (i think??).
We are under no misconceptions on the task ahead. As a senior marketer I have been part of the significant change in the communications model over the last 10 years and understand the impact and uncertainty new models create for marketers (& businesses). But, like you, I also understand the opportunity.
The Population are a bunch of passionate individuals who are excited to be part of the social media future and also excited to join an existing community of very talented people in the industry.
I hope, with more hands on deck, we can help facilitate the change.
I am really looking forward to the future of social media marketing in Australia. I think there have been a number of great agencies in the US that have proved that social media marketing agencies are needed. I think that this could not have come about in Australia, if it weren’t for a number of people (You, Laurel, Trevor, etc.) who have been educating the market about social media for the last few years. You guys have also proved great inspiration for me!
Julian Cole from The Population