Mike Proulx at Ad Age says “social media marketing is now advertising. It’s largely a media planning and buying exercise — emphasizing viewed impressions. Brands must pay if they really want their message to be seen. It’s the opposite of connecting or listening — it’s once again broadcasting.” He couldn’t be more right and we have brands and agencies to thank for the this demise.
Shareen Pathak at Digiday wrote “brands like to talk about how well they know what their consumers want. But the truth is, they’re barely scratching the surface. That’s the big takeaway from a wide-ranging new study by IBM and Econsultancy, which found that brands are just not delivering the level of customer experience that they think they are.” This is especially true when it comes to social media.
Ogilvy discovered that brands can now reach just 6 percent of fans organically, down from 12.05 percent in October. According to Ogilvy’s report, Facebook sources have hinted that this number will approach zero in the near future. In other words, brands spent years building a fan base, they either can’t reach or actually don’t want to reach.
What Happened?
1ne: Brands treating Facebook like just another advertising platform.
2wo: Consumers fed up with irrelevant content.
3hree: Too many executives buying the Kool-Aid of self proclaimed social media experts who are great at getting people to buy their books.
4our: Over estimation by brands that consumers actually want to have a relationship with them beyond purchasing their products.
5ive: Social media users who want to use social media for their interests and news not to see ads.
So now social media is becoming just another option for advertisers. Twitter is having a hard time growing because too many people just don’t see the value of Twitter and are tired of “promoted Tweets”. With ad blocking software on the rise, consumers are sending a clear message to advertisers..”leave us the hell alone”.
