The perpetuating starting point of online social behavior came to my attention in the 1999 when chatting with an anonymous person across another continent seemed like quite a risky and venturing moment- to actually be able to connect, share ideas & even contribute to the changing ideologies across different countries, by typing, smiling and distributing visual content online.
It began with the startup of social platforms which welcome mass networking such as Hi5, MySpace. Then in 2004 Facebook paved the way for an online revolution & the birth of a new human need –when virtual connections seemed better & enough for some while others didn’t quite understand it yet. Then social platforms began taking on human interaction- to date, be fond of and even flirt! So community built networks from match making to dating sites began filling inexistent and undetermined personal voids in many people’s lives and great match making start ups such as Match.com, Quepasa.com, & Plenty of Fish where all quite a success.
Before beginning to address consumer as ‘consumers’ we need to take a lucid analogy of both a consumer and an active online user when resorting to social media and all its various forms of relationship building. By 2000, speed dating had really taken off, and by 2004 that humanly interactive activity was replaced by a ‘poke’. Special warm occasions which had brought people frequently together are now replaced by e-cards and wall post of colorful virtual gifts. Inspired by this ever growing yearn for cognitive virtual captivity, we see online users (varying between age & status) resort to social media for filling or replacing a social foundation they find themselves uneager to perform or sustain. But has this changed our lives into having being poked back acting as a wink back, a DM on Twitter as a response to dinner plans with your colleague, or have birthdays become the number of “greetings’ you get from your friends on your Facebook wall? So what’s in it for products, brands and services?
Brands like Dove inspired women to age beautifully. ‘Dove Evolution’ video received tons of views and media coverage. Also this video has sent a traffic spike to its CampaignForRealBeauty.com website that is three times bigger than the traffic Dove received from last year’s Super Bowl commercial. Why did this work and what did the female consumer psychology have to go with it?
The success stories of brands like Dove, Colgate and “Where the Hell is Matt” (the set of viral success video) have made it because of women’s call for ‘evolution of beauty’ and that any women can be beautiful, with the right make up, the best lighting and hair do, can turn any women into another Sharon Stone. Women need to see and hear that to gain self esteem. Dove provided women with that quick illustration on how it is possible. A simple unsatisfied void was filled by a soap & shampoo brand who proved that anyone can be beautiful and women chose to ‘see, share and like’ that.
Colgate Smile gave everyone a chance to publish and share their ‘Smile’. However if the users teeth weren’t that spotless and shiny white, a specific application whitens their teeth and linked to several social platforms which can later be shared, tagged and posted on profiles of Friends and on their own. Colgate believes that everyone has a great smile, and if they think they don’t, they gave them a chance to enhance that. Once again a brand succeeds in turning a consumer’s objective of unpleasant personal reality into a virtual aspiration.
Matt a fascinating man chose to travel around the world and do the same dance in every country possible. Millions of views for every video he published on you tube. The video shows him performing a silly yet happy dance amongst kids in Madagascar and under the rain in Zanzibar and then in the Philippines surrounded by a crowd. He was able to bring together so many people because of this dance. Matt does not promote or endorse any brand, but if he did, which brand would you associate him with? Red Bull, Viagra, or maybe even Mountain Dew. Doesn’t matter, whatever the brand was, Matt as an individual made his dance journey a viral success because people who enjoyed watching him wish and aspire being in his shoes, dancing his days away with people he didn’t know in places we dream of being in. Online users’ reality once again craved a virtual escape, and this time was, ‘why don’t we check out where the hell is Matt today? “
Mark Zuckerberg’s primary ingredient for having his social start up work aim was focusing on student’s offline activity like relationship statuses, political views, religious views, to help folks find people like them to hang out with offline. People cared to share what they did offline on such a fast and spreadable platform.
We are seeing that the natural catalysts of ego and the relevance has launched businesses worldwide into the space of social media in an unorganized fashion. Celebrities become more famous with social media, their profiles, videos, and news has found a faster way in updating itself through user generated consumption and involvement. Meanwhile teenagers, kids, and even adults who do not socialize well with people and in worst case scenarios have become social rejects, are those who have significantly established a great circle of virtual connections all acquired through social networks and via enabling their profiles into every action done online. For people who have maintained an untouchable ego, social media has made their popularity even easier- a new car, a new hot girlfriend to show off, or even a new cute nose to brag about. However for those who refrain from being called ‘geeks’, the online world has offered so much in terms of social success and status completion. They are now known to be the social geeks, and they have contributed in making the success and accelerant web 2.0 even more exciting and profound.
Digital media and social networks will continue succeeding in ensuring a mutual engagement between consumers, audiences and prospect customers who are forming one community when brands daringly yet carefully tap into people’s sense of belonging- a need to feel special, or an escape from reality. This is when we realize that the connected digital world is so astounding when used to create a fulfilling bond with one another.
—-
Today’s guest post was written by Rasha Rteil. Rasha is a writer over at Buffering Brain. Bootstrapping into skill set digital branding and strategic planning, the Brain Bufferer is currently enjoying functioning as a senior digital strategist. From the lovers of the Big Apple, she has been supported and trained by one of the most profound digital agency, VML New York. Leading a showcase of telecom, retail , banking & FMCG, her initiations involve mixing offline communication with digitally creative approaches.
Stacy
If you watch the Dove Video – they are actually showing how our perception is distorted. The model was not only made over but also completely photoshopped to look "beautiful." They weren't trying to show how with the right makeup and lighting that anyone can be beautiful – they were showing everyone a behind the scenes look into how the ad for a makeup foundation company was made. They lengthened her neck in photoshop and enlarged her eyebrows, etc. You cannot do that to yourself in real life. Makeup and lighting yes – but photoshoping… obvioulsy not. Media has this fake photoshopped image of what is beautiful – but it isn't real at all. They had to make it because even the model didn't fit their specifications of 100% pretty. "Real women" see this fake image of beauty and think that is how they should look – but Dove is trying to reveal the deception.
rasharteil
Hello Stacy,
Thank you for your comment 🙂
You do make a very important point. Women want to see proofs that the so labelled jaw dropping women we see everyday on TV, outdoor and magazine are not only Photoshoped to fit a certain image sectionaing, but are also recreated, renovated and facially enhanced to fit a distorted perception we have established for us women. Dove defines it clearly with their campaigns, which was also followed by Age Naturally and the big and beautiful approach they also tackled.
A low self esteem needs a push, and the perfect in doing so is showing NO ONE is perfect.
Cheers
Consumer Realism to Brand Virtualism « Social-Media.BlogNotions – Thoughts from Industry Experts
[…] Read Original Post […]
localtimezone
Notice how businesses the world over wait for “the right moment” the moment when an “extra medium” turns into a necessity and companies become obliged to tap into that in order to get the revenue they are losing (or consider themselves to lose).
For me its better to look forward and study the market before any shift becomes essential, becoming a pioneer in a certain communication platform. I believe this has a sort of snowball effect too.
Loved this post!
offshore corporation
Over 500 million people are profiled in.social networks of one form or another and growing at over 30 a year..There are over 700 different social networks available for anyone to.join besides the closed networks that one has to be invited into to.join serving numerous interest and affinities. Besides social networks.we have people search engines online phone directories reverse look.up and the list of technology that enables us to find people is endless..Michael Arrington wrote an article titled and states I moderated a fascinating visibility visible vertical-align top width 14px line-height normal background-repeat no-repeat font-style normal font-family trebuchet ms arial helvetica sans-serif position static top auto height 12px background-color transparent text-decoration none tonight at Google headquarters that included execs from three people search engines – the CEO of visibility visible vertical-align top width 14px line-height normal background-repeat no-repeat font-style normal font-family trebuchet ms arial helvetica sans-serif position static top auto height 12px background-color transparent text-decoration none Michael Tanne the CEO of visibility visible vertical-align top width 14px line-height normal background-repeat no-repeat font-style normal font-family trebuchet ms arial helvetica sans-serif position static top auto height 12px background-color transparent text-decoration none Jaideep Singh and the COO of visibility visible vertical-align top width 14px line-height normal background-repeat no-repeat font-style normal font-family trebuchet ms arial helvetica sans-serif position static top auto height 12px background-color transparent text-decoration none Bryan Burdick ..The panel was very timely. We live in a global.community and as the Wall Street article suggest Youre Nobody Unless Your Name Googles Well..The social web and related technologies is creating a seamlessly.connected world of people and things aimed at different purposes and.possibilities yet to be discovered..The convergence of technology coupled with the acceleration of new.technological advances within the social web is creating a historical.shift in human behavior with little if any reference to common bodies.of knowledge to explain probable outcomes or definable dynamics..Everyone is self learning as they engage with the mediums and share.perspectives with others.