Last week Facebook rolled out the option to tag products in addition to your friends in personal photos. In many ways this is a marketer's dream: natural product placement. Once someone tags the product it goes to the product's photos tab on their Facebook page. Facebook is taking viral marketing to the next level, and putting more branding control in the hands of consumers. In what ways can this create opportunities for brands? Does it pose any threats to how marketers want to control their image?
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- Team F (Rhea, Desiree, and Emily)
I am indifferent to Facebook creating this feature but can see how they might want to implement it from a revenue producing standpoint. I imagine that they can have access to the quantitative information of products, hits, locations, ect...and sell that information to the companies involved. Companies have got to love this idea and probably willing to pay a lot of money for the information that Facebook might be able to derive from the tags. I also think that companies will get a good idea of the "ethnology" of their consumers by seeing what types of situations and environments their products are being consumed.
ReplyDeleteI understand from a strategy point of view what Facebook is doing and why they are doing it. From a Facebook consumer standpoint I am disappointed because I think it undermines what was the appeal of Facebook for me in the first place. Connecting with friends and acquaintances to share experiences, stories, see the kids and vacation pictures, etc. I think this cheapens the experience of Facebook. If these features are too obnoxious I see room for another competitor to step in to fill what might be now and abandoned niche.
ReplyDeleteCould this pose a privacy issue? - could companies then use these photos for their own websites/promotions/commercials/etc... without your knowledge/permission?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Aaron that this will be valuable insight for the brand's owner. Reading the last paragraph of the article was the most interesting to me. Facebook plans on automatically tagging products that are recognized in your photos. I don't think this will be popular with the majority of facebookers. If planned and executed carefully, with enough user feedback, this could be cool for both brands and users.
ReplyDeleteI instantly thought of the unintended consequences of brand marketers being COMPLETELY surprised by the ingenious ways that people come up with for product usage... or more interestingly: misusage. I cannot wait to see how this will unfold for the field of reputation management.
ReplyDeleteChi brings up a good point about the potential negative consequences that could arise for the brands. Since brands are now at the mercy of what we the consumers decide to post, and consequently how we portray their brands, marketers will now have to deal with damage control. Being in the medical industry, we have to continually provide updated information to our customers regarding the importance of avoiding off-label use because of potential lawsuits. With Facebook’s new feature, any potential off-label use could be broadcast without the consent of the brand.
ReplyDeleteI cannot decide if tagging products on Facebook is a good marketing tactic or if it could turn negative. On the Pro side, Facebook tagging would generate much publicity for products multiplied by the fact that trusted friends are using them. However, on the con side, if a product is used inappropriately or is shown in a negative light the Facebook tagging could backfire for the marketers. This concept transfers control from the marketers to the public which could end up doing more harm then good.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned by a few of us, I can see how this could be a wonderful marketing opportunity and a great way to create sponsorship avenues for products that appear in the photos. I do agree with Jolie about the fact that it could detract from the purpose of facebook for most people. Especially if they start to tag products automatically. I think that people's photo albums could start looking like spam just from all of the tags. If you look around you at your desk or on the bus...where ever you might be reading this...it is amazing how many different products could end up being tagged in every photo. It has the potential to be very distracting to users and as mentioned it could clog up the news feeds with pictures of coke and beer cans being tagged. A bit much if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteI think it is genius. Will it be used in an unintended way by some, absolutely. Auto crash pictures with the name of tires that were recalled, etc.. This will happen but what is being bet on is twofold in my mind: 1) Most people will use it for it for its intended purpose. 2) The old adage: there is no such thing as bad advertising, or at least the exposure even if questionable in some instances, might have some positive spin. Yes your buddies are getting drunk and stupid in less than ideal poses and there are PBR cans and Marlboro packs all over the beer-pong table, but I’m not so sure Pabst or Philip Morris will take offense to that.
ReplyDeleteIf the manufactures can get demographic information on its customers down to the micro Facebook level, it could be very helpful for them in targeting. The thing to manage in my mind is not so much the miss-use of the tagging but privacy.
Brands already flock to Facebook to connect with current and potential customers. Not only to gain insight from your consumer's demographics, but also to spread brand awareness in this digital age of "word of mouth". Even though you may not have been able to go to that concert in the park with your best friends Pam & Dave, if their Coke can is tagged in a picture from that concert (along with their sun-kissed happy faces) you react with positive feelings from seeing that picture and will subconsciously associate those feelings with that product. It may cause you to "like" Coke's Facebook page, or even go out and buy some Coke products for your next BBQ, or it may not cause you to do anything. However, the probability of you actually going out and buying a Coke product is higher if your friends and family also buy Coke products. Tagging just brings that brand awareness to the online world.
ReplyDeleteFrom a marketing standpoint, the possibilities are endless! Of course, with some possibility of negative consequences as you've all mentioned.
Consumers are commodity for corporations to make money off by buying and selling their every activity. Every clicks a consumer makes in the virtual world, and every steps a consumer take in the real world, it is being tracked and monetized by someone through cookies and cellphones. So why not pictures. Facebook is first to come up with the technology for tagging pictures, others will soon follow. Maybe, consumers can now find a way to turn the table around for a change -- pose for picture with a product whose sponsors will pay them the highest amount. Next time you are taking picture to post on Facebook, check first who is going to pay you more, Coke, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Jolie, I started using Facebook to keep in touch with my family, especially because I’m in a different state than where they are located. I’m not sure if I would appreciate, or even continue using Facebook if it were used as a wide-spread marketing tool. Maybe I would find it useful, or even fun and interesting. Facebook should take great care on how it manages itself, as it may be in a position to do great harm to its reputation, or provide an outstanding breakthrough in the advertizing and marketing world. I can see from a corporate perspective that there is massive revenue potential from advertizing this way, however with this ever changing technological environment, small steps should be taken. Aren’t there already a million other ways to advertize on the web?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I definitely would not want to be tagged with I product that I do not endorse. I think privacy is the modus operandi in regards to anything internet related. This seems to be moving into dangerous territory.
I agree with Javed that corporations have significant motives here to make money off of you and me!!!! I think this is fine; however, I don’t want any corporation making money off of me unless I buy and use their product.
I wonder how long it will take Facebook subscribers/members to find a "work around" to this intrusive "advertising"? Already, advertisers are facing the challenge of missing consumers due to the use by consumers of the DVR. When talking with friends about why they love their DVR, they exclaim, "...so I can fast-forward through the commercials!". Consumers want to limit their exposure to marketing.
ReplyDeleteFacebook has been relatively free of advertising per se. True, there are some ads in the right hand margin of your Facebook page. However, these are easily ignorable.
I also wonder how this corporate tagging will evolve. As many of us Facebook users know, sometimes subtle new changes to Facebook evolve into something different and maybe unwanted. Will marketers be able to tag our personal photos? What about photos posted on walls? If a product is tagged in my album, will I begin to get emails with offers?
As has been mentioned above, there is significant incentive for corporations to get access to Facebook.
It will be interesting to see where this goes and especially how it is received by the Facebook Nation.
I do not think that this type of advertising is "intrusive" per se. It is just another example of how ubiquitous advertising has become in our society (although to some, this is intrusive). As consumers find "work-arounds", marketers will find new ways to advertise their product. The game will never end.
ReplyDeleteThis could work either way for companies. In one way, products that are great would get all sorts of positive press from people taking pictures of the item in useful, cool or interesting situations. On the other hand, of course, is the flip side - customers who hate the product documenting themselves throwing the item off the cliff, in the toilet or blowing it up with firecrackers. It would be more akin to a review site (cnet) than a simple advertisement.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I agree with Wade's comment that there is no such thing as bad press, and any picture of the product is more attention for the company. However, if any certain product goes "viral" on Facebook it would probably have the same impact as Opera endorsing it.
I'm wondering what FaceBookers will actually take the time to tag a product. There is really no benefit to them if they do tag a product in their photo. I think this product tagging options may have a slow start in the FB community. There will probably be many post complaining about the new feature.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Allison that FB will start to look like the many spam post that I receive of designer shoe knock-offs. I will definitely not participating, and I anticipate a backlash!
As far as marketing opportunities, with the huge amount of FB users we have in the world there will be relevant data or information that will come out of this partnership with FB.
My input with regards to the marketing and Facebook would be that this creates more conection (tentacles) that any given company can get into us as consumers. Seems like this is happening everywhere with every click of the mouse or special purchasing Membership club that we join into. Our privacy is going by the wayside. Having said this however we do have a choice as to whether we join Facebook or not, or join into these buying clubs or not. I agree with Wade when he says that this is genius on Facebooks behalf. I also think that this type of thing diminishes our private lives a little more with each intrusiuon.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I thought about here was if people would actually go out of their way to tag products. I'm inclined to agree with Briana that people will most likely not tag products, but then I think about some of the Apple fanatics, or those who can't go without their daily fix of Starbucks and see potential here for some companies. Some people will really get into the tagging of their favorite products, but I know there are a lot of people who could care less (myself included) and wouldn't take the time. I'm sure some companies will start some sort of competition to get people to tag their products. It will be interesting to see what companies do with this. I can see some sort of contest involving taking crazy pictures their products or maybe tag a photo and get a free coffee day.
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty cool. Coming from a brand where word of mouth is the credibility to your product, this features allows company's to see the consumer using the product.
ReplyDeleteIt also allows your friends to see what brands you rep or support. I know when I see pictures of people on Facebook, I'm often interested in what they're wearing and this could alleviate the need to ask a question or go searching the internet for a pair of shoes I saw on someone's FB page.
Another thing is that alot of users expand their FB friend outside of their close knit circles. I have almost 900 friends and almost 250 FB friends request in waiting. I know about 10% of these people. I'm sure those other people that I don't know just want to be friends to be involved in someone else's life. This just helps them they stay connected!
I would definitely tag my photos with products. Especially anything I thought others would be interested in.