Five ¢ents

People interacting on social networking sites are doing things: chatting, sharing, finding, flirting. I almost wrote ‘consumers’, but that fails here too. These people, whether casual commenters or friend-accumulating junkies, frequent these sites to perform specific tasks, with other real people. They are in the midst of an activity, not idly scanning for entertainment. The mindset is wrong for the reception of certain kinds of advertising.

Ads for products and services that engage networkers in real activities, either online or in the real world, that compliment a social experience are the best fit. It’s all well and good to have a big-brand message, but if that message is not immediately actionable or relevant, at best you’re engaging in a vague branding exercise.

What makes sense:

• Movie trailers that lead directly to geo-targeted ticketing sales.
• Offers for online-play games, whether casual or hardcore (WoW, GameTap).
• Restaurant offerings (chains promoted by coupons, or reservations and recommendations by OpenTable).