Content-sharing not an end in itself
January 24, 2012Tags: Brands, Keller Fay Group, Keller Fay Limited UK, research, Social media, Steve Thomson, TalkTrack®, TalkTrack® Britain, WOM, word of mouth
By Steve Thomson, Managing Director, Keller Fay- UK
UK department store John Lewis hit an apparent bulls-eye over the Christmas season, achieving the kind of viral success with its seasonal TV ad that all marketing directors crave, with four million hits on YouTube. Most brands today are desperately figuring out how to create content which is also shared widely and quickly.
Is this a realistic strategy, or is it the marketing equivalent of hoping for a lottery win or X-Factor success, rather than setting your sights on a more attainable career plan? Looking at the latest stats on what is being shared suggests the ‘lottery win’ analogy is the reality for many brands and categories – something obviously desirable, but you’d best not plan your life or brand strategy assuming it will work. Moreover, it’s clear that the branded content which is shared is not a good indicator of which brands are talked about.
Thus, the John Lewis ad duly appears in Unruly Media’s viral video chart of ads shared in the UK during 2011, but the reality is that much of the content in this list is best described as ‘sponsored entertainment’ rather than messaging about the brand itself (e.g. T-Mobile’s Royal Wedding film, or Ken Block Gymkhana). In a typical week only a handful of true ‘ads’ get shared by large numbers – this week’s UK chart shows ads for VW, Mr. Block & his shoes, and the Vinnie Jones/British Heart Foundation spot, but these top 3 only just manage a little over 10,000 sharings, and outside the top 20 you struggle to reach 1,000. Even if one share generates 10-20 views, it’s hardly mass media for most brands.
For print media, Facebook data shows a similar pattern – the role of brands in the big shareable stories is limited, and apart from promotions/coupons, little print advertising gets shared.
The reality is that sharing is heavily orientated towards entertainment (especially music videos), and brands often play second fiddle. Keller Fay data shows that most brand-related conversations cover a much wider range of brands/categories and topics, not reflected in these viral charts. These more everyday conversations will have more impact than content-sharing for many brands. This does not mean that these brands’ communications have no impact, or have no word of mouth effect – simply that online sharing is only one measure of viral impact, albeit a highly visible (for video) and desirable one.
Brands face a dilemma – whether to go all-out for viral success with some clever entertainment that may not support the brand very much, or focus on more straightforward (‘traditional’ if you prefer) brand messages that might not go viral as easily or overtly. And that last part is the key – WOM impact goes beyond direct sharing of content online. Our view is: make your brand the star, with a brand message that is shareable—online, of course, but offline too. Give your brand fans something to talk about and share, and they will spread your message for you.
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