Even an occasional reader of this blog knows that I fashion myself something of a critic of social media. And it should no longer strike you as odd that at the same time I critique social media, its practices, its people, its protocols and conventional wisdom as well as its institutions, I make my living in and with social media.
One of my biggest fears about social media is that it will become what so many other transformational technologies and cultural forces has become: an exemplar of the lowest common denominator in our society. And I fear this because I believe, to this day, and as I have for several years now, that social media is one of the most powerful “things” to happen to, and in, our society. I believe it is a democratizing force. And therein lies the rub, because as you democratize anything, a society, a company, the quality and character of whatever it is that is being democratized diminishes. At least initially. For instance, flatten a company and let the janitor have a voice in the strategic direction of the company is probably not the best idea.
Which brings me to the latest “MOMENT OF DUMB,” emerging from the muck and mire of social media. And no, its not that round of funding that Foursquare just secured. It’s this morsel, from The New York Times no less:
Food Brands Get Sociable on Facebook and Twitter
Now, two familiar brands of baked goods sold by Kraft Foods are stepping up their marketing efforts in social media.
One brand, Oreo cookies, is going to be giving its Facebook page a global look, effective on Monday. The other brand, Wheat Thins crackers, is starting a campaign to reward fans of the brand who discuss it on Twitter.
So far so bad. But it gets worse.
The interactive agency 360i is working on the revamping of the Oreo Facebook page. New features will include a “world’s fan of the week,” saluting a devoted Oreo consumer.
The contents will be a mix of global and local material, Mr. Clouse said, because, for example, “an American consumer is intrigued to see what’s going on in Venezuela with Oreo.”
I am sorry, but there is absolutely no evidence that a consumer in Michigan gives one fig about what an Oreo cookie lover is doing with their treats in Venezuela. So why would a company do this? In a word, the conventional wisdom of social media says so. So leave it to stupid fat lazy marketers to find the worst aspects of social media, dress it up a bit, slap some fancy graphics on it and then couch it in crap like this:
In creating the content, Mr. Clouse said, the goal will be to “make sure our language is coming across as human and not as lawyer- or corporate-speak,” so as not to turn off brand fans.
“We want to be smart and terse in what we are saying and doing,” he added.
See here is the kicker. They want the language to come across as authentic and not as corporatease. What never occurred to these brilliant minds is to ACTUALLY MAKE THE LANGUAGE AUTHENTIC!
They started from a place of what they didn’t want the language to sound like, rather than saying, hey, lets be honest. Of course, at the end of the day, they are still selling horrible junk food that makes you sick and fat and probably gives you cancer. You want authentic? Here is the ingredients of Oreo’s
Sugar, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}Folic Acid)High Oleic Canola Oil and/or Palm Oil and/or Canola Oil, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali)High Fructose Corn Syrup, Baking Soda, Cornstarch, Salt, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier)Vanillin - an Artificial Flavor, Chocolate.
And seriously, can someone please explain to me how seeing Facebook comments from a nice fellow down in Venezuela is going to get me to buy more Oreo cookies? But we don’t need proof, we’ve got social media.
And I’ve got a cold glass of milk that I’ve just spit up all over my screen.
Image courtesy of mihoda on Flickr
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, that’s beyond sad. Better idea: Show what the people in Venezuela, and everywhere around the world do with Oreos, rather than just highlighting one chocolate cream cookie obsessed fan.
And I give up on “sounding” authentic. What’s authentic to me is fake to you and the next five people. At least I know I’m more real than Oreo cookies.
Officially tired of hearing the phrase ‘social media’
you and me both!
Zac,
Great read, I am in agreement with you that social media is a democratizing force. In my experiences SM is best used as a way to build new, and strengthen old relationships. It will always amaze me at how companies try to tackle social media without being transparent, this just sets them up for a fail before they start as it undermines the very reason to engage in the first place.
Thanks,
Mike
Mike
great to have you back as a commenter. You are absolutely right that until corporations are willing to get honest and transparent about what they do and how they do it, then they will continue to fail at effective communication. We are a sophisticated readership now, and we “won’t be fooled again.” To quote a band from YOUR generation!! Thanks again for stopping by.
Z
ZAC – Interesting post as usual.
I agree that it’s lame when massive companies think they can eliminate their corporate-speak and become human just by throwing a bunch of emoticons, exclamation points and infographs on a few FB pages and Twitter feeds. The true culture of a company is rarely masked and social media provides us with a level of exposure (for both people and businesses) that makes it easier than ever for us to see what’s at the core. So, we can usually tell when somebody’s faking it.
It’s funny because I work in social media for a big, unsexy company and often find myself struggling to avoid that “fake, trying-to-hard-to-be-cool-and-not-corporate, voice.”
On the other hand, in this case, I don’t think Oreo truly cares. They’ve got a fun product (core) and I think it would take a lot more than a few lame social media campaigns to tarnish their image or deter any of the millions of Oreo fans from posting or liking stuff on Oreo’s wall. I liken this to the idea of taking care of your Mavens (The Tipping Point). These people are already nuts about Oreos (and probably a lot of other junk food for that matter) and just having a fun new way to interact with the cookie, brand, or other fanatics, is probably enough to strengthen that bond. Yeah they found a way to make a cookie feel a bit corporate, but it’s still an iconic cookie, and that goes a long way.
Thanks,
Adam