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Brand Winners... And Losers: Social Networking and Google
Posted by The Marketing Doctor at 3/29/2009 11:30 PM 
Categories: Marketing
Tags: flooding marketing fundamentals Dr. Tantillo O-Branding Marketing Doctor Google cuts Doctor Tantillo John Tantillo market brand Google facebook group Online Branding branding Social Networking Marketing Dr. target market marketing facebook real marketing
Categories: Marketing
Tags: flooding marketing fundamentals Dr. Tantillo O-Branding Marketing Doctor Google cuts Doctor Tantillo John Tantillo market brand Google facebook group Online Branding branding Social Networking Marketing Dr. target market marketing facebook real marketing
Brand Winners… | And Losers |
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The Marketing Doctor says:
Winner: Social Networking
Loser: Google
Folks, without further ado:
The Winner:
The winner this week is social networking.
The flooding in Fargo, North Dakota has one bright spot: the power of people linked through social networking.
Basically, the search for volunteers to combat the flood led to the Internet when someone suggested that a Facebook group be created to help solve the problem. In a day or so, more than 5500 people had joined the effort. Here’s the story.
We are being reminded again and again of the power of social networking… and there is no doubt in my mind that social networking is not hype. It really is an incredibly powerful new tool.
But a tool for what?
Well, we don’t really know yet. Like any successful new technology, it will become a platform from which many uses grow, most of which no one can guess right now.
That said, like any new technology, social networking doesn’t exist in a vacuum. What I mean is that the old rules of social interaction and my specialty, real marketing, don’t simply stop functioning because there’s a new way of doing something —no matter how radical that new way is.
It’s what I call O-branding, or Online Branding, and it involves harnessing the power of social networking by employing both a deep understanding of the nuances of the new technology and the technical DNA while being informed and guided by the tenets of real marketing. And real marketing means that in many cases, social networking will be one part of a larger multimedia strategy.
I’ll be talking more about this in the weeks and months to come, but for now suffice it to say: social networking is going to make your own website only one destination in the marketing equation and not necessarily the final one in the marketing of your personal brand or your business.
Speaking of social networking, one of my blogging/social network favorites, IncBiz.Net, has asked me to remind you that March 31 is the last day to apply for the Inc. 500/5000 Fast-Growing Company Award. Here’s the link. Give it a shot.
And, while you’re in social network mode, go visit me on Facebook. You could even friend me.
The Loser:
Google is the loser this week for one simple reason: they’ve just cut 200 jobs in marketing and advertising. What a mistake! Here’s the story from Reuters.
Basically, Google’s decision to cut marketers is a classic error made by people who don’t understand real marketing.
It also juxtaposes nicely with O-Branding’s basic principle: just because the online environment is radically different, doesn’t mean that the fundamentals of marketing have changed… it simply means that those fundamentals will be employed differently —which means it is even more, rather than less important, to have great marketing people to navigate the waters.
My guess is Google’s decision comes straight out of the number-cruncher handbook (i.e., the mindset of those finance people who decide who and what gets cut in tough times), which has long held that marketing is some kind of extraneous luxury and not a core cost of doing business. They couldn’t be more wrong. The times when sales or profits are down is the time when you most need marketing. I hope Google realizes this soon.
And remember, it’s always easier when you keep marketing and branding in mind.
TODAY'S TANTILLO TAKEAWAY -
Go Brand Yourself also means O-Brand Yourself. Social networking is here to stay.
I agree to you. For that they are loser.
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The social networking is heading it's way towards becoming the most valuable asset in the internet marketing arena. Through my point of view stumble upon is the second most important site across the globe.
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Hi,
The social web is an often overlooked resource full of excellent information. Whether you’re working on a research project, building your brand, or just trying to find some information, look to social media sites to find what you’re looking for. Here, we’ll take a look at 100 tips and tools for effectively researching the social web.
Internet marketing
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Too bad.
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Why Google? Why?
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Hi,
The search company, which is expected to go public this year, is flexing its power with its Internet fans by constantly offering new services, including comparison shopping and news search. Orkut could be the clearest signal that Google's aspirations don't end with search...
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Point very well presented. For that Google is a loser.
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Hmmm cutting marketers is the hugest mistake that google made in this financial crisis...
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Google is great for niche marketing, but fails at community building.
Businesses are starting to understand that 2.0 sites round out their whole online presence. I have to believe that this will draw money away from search engines.
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Interesting take on social vs. search. I think that you have a lot of valid points that you covered. Should be interesting to see how Facebook vs. Google will eventually end.
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