Andy's Angle

Some thoughts at 5:45 in the morning...

Mad Men Unsure About Facebook -- Having spent a great deal of time on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and having spent nearly as much time talking with fellow Farm Broadcasters and advertising professionals about social media's relevance to a balanced marketing strategy, I'm fascinated by the various opinions and reactions to these sites/tools. There are typically two camps: on one hand, the zealots who believe sites like Facebook are the highest evolution of marketing/advertising; on the other hand you have the group that believes social media sites have no place whatsoever in the discussion of media and marketing.

Neither school of thought, by the way, is correct.

Social media sites are one tool we use to connect with our audience. We use blogs like this, in addition to sites like Facebook and Twitter, to augment our on-air efforts in telling the story of our farm families. With nearly 3,000 Twitter followers between us (Lindsay and me) and another nearly 2,000 "friends" on Facebook, we think there is significant value in communicating and/or marketing through these venues. On the other hand, we know we reach 60% of Ohio's farms via our statewide radio network, so there is no real comparison between the "impact" of one versus the other.

And yet, enough marketers have gone "all in" with various social media strategies that stories like this one via AdWeek cause a little more than mild heartburn.

According to [media research firm] comScore, as [Facebook] has gained a broader audience, the older teens and twentysomethings that drove Facebook's initial popularity are using it less. And research by WPP Group's Mindshare suggests that group is reevaluating the site's worth as a tool for developing friendships. Others believe Facebook's cool factor among younger users is waning. "When you start getting friended by your grandmother, I think that's when it starts to lose its cool," said Huw Griffiths, evp and global director of marketing accountability and research at Interpublic Group's Universal McCann.

Because of this real or perceived shift in young peoples' attitudes and usage of Facebook, marketers are seriously evaluating how to adjust their social media strategies if the trend proves long term.

Windows Will Never Be Mac -- Our friend Scott McKain shares a surprising store he found in Scottsdale, Arizona: a Windows Store! Far from being a shop for Anderson double panes and curtains, this store appears to be a knockoff of the wildly successful Apple Computer retail stores. I wasn't aware that Windows/Microsoft had ventured into the retail space in such a manner, but as Scott articulates, it's a bad idea. At least, it's a bad idea to so blatantly cabbage your competition's brilliance...

Texting Your Veterinarian -- A new study released this week by agricultural PR/Advertising agency Nicholson Kovac suggests that Veterinarians are widely adopting email and text messaging as a means of doing business. While 20% of vets participating in the study are using Twitter, nearly 83% were involved in Facebook. An interesting study; NK has done quite a bit of social media research this year, and this latest piece provides another glimpse into how agricultural professionals are adopting new methods of communication.