The Rising Influence Of Social Media Networks

Just how important are social media networks like MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to today’s savvy Internet user?  The simple answer: very, very important.  So important, in fact, that one of the major social media networks recently overtook Yahoo as the number two search engine in the world.  In October, YouTube was responsible for over 2.6 billion searches, pulling ahead of Yahoo with 2.5 billion searches.  That is an amazing performance from a social network that built its business model on serving up home videos.  Yes, Google is still the undisputed leader with nearly 60 percent of the market (that translates to 7.6 billion searches in October).  However, YouTube’s rise to the number two spot in search queries speaks volumes about the power of the social network as a marketing tool. 
Marketers in every industry today need to be cognizant of the growing power of social networks and take special care with how they communicate their messages.  This is especially true when it comes to mainstream blogs. Negative feedback from blogging sites, which we’ll call “blogback,” can spell immediate disaster for any marketing plan. Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Motrin, recently experienced “blogback” firsthand.  According to WOMMA, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, Johnson & Johnson ran a video ad for Motrin that showed new Moms wearing their babies in slings and wraps on their back.  The ad said the devices cause neck and back pain, implying that Mortin helps Moms deal with this “good kind of pain.”  Bloggers took immediate offense to what they considered an attack on the character of young mothers.  They blasted the ad on Twitter with some suggesting a Motrin boycott.  Johnson & Johnson quickly took the ad out of rotation.  If anyone out there still questions the ability of today’s consumer to get their viewpoint noticed, unfiltered by the traditional media, the Motrin “blogback” should put the issue to rest.