Two months overseas taught me a lot but coming back to present to the FARM there was one thing of interest that really stood out.
Everywhere I went on my trip I noticed the huge potential for social networking as a travel tool and marketing device. There are facebook groups for almost everywhere I stayed, everything I did and even the weird local phenomena I found along the way. Agencies like The FARM should recognise the massive potential reach that such a global, transient and digitally savvy demographic can have.
Travel applications are already a goldmine for new media platforms such
as Facebook and the iPhone, here are just a few:
- Cities I’ve Visited
- TravelPod Traveler IQ Challenge
- Local Picks
- LearnIt
- Flight Status
- Sit or Squat (find a bathroom near you!!)
- iPhone Tipper
- CouchSurfing (for those on a low low budget)
So why should we as a digital agency care?
It's all another case in point to solidify that social
networking is NOT a fad, it is a fundemental shift in our means of
communication and it's here to stay. The digital landscape is transforming! It will change the outlets for our line of work and our
knowledge of this will becoming increasingly more valuable to clients.
Consumers are at the centre of this trend and it is predicted that by 2010 Gen-Y will
have taken over the baby boomers and they are a very different group of
consumers. They are rather digital USERS with huge
potential spending power. At present 96% of Gen-Y internet users are part of a
social networking site so there is great power here in word of
mouth and viral marketing as users trust friends and recommendations
rather than pushed sells.
So let's apply this to my trip.
- England: Piccadily Backpackers Hostel in London - incredibly active Facebook group. No wonder Facebook is the #1 social networking site with over 150 million users.
- England: London Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 have facebook only internet stations (just in case you really feel the need to send your friend a poke before leaving the country).
- England: The Red Phone booth challenge (how many people can you fit in one at once?) and the replica Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 both have vast Facebook groups and Flickr galleriesand have been used as part of interactive advertising and marketing campaigns.
- Edinburgh, Scotland: Hogmanay, the 3 day Scottish New Year - one of the most blogged about New Years Eve events in the world, UGC rich website and active facebook group
- New York City: Improv Everywhere's 'No Pants Subway Ride 2009' - a group similar to flash mobbers perform public stunts and are now a youtube phenomena much like Where The Hell is Matt? the dancing traveler who is now sponsored by Visa. A viral marketing success!!
- Texas: Post-Obama Inauguration - an interesting case of social networking fear amidst the racial/political climate of the Obama-McCain election, also an impressive effort by the Obama camp to utilise social networks as campaign tool through Facebook application and keyword targeted Facebook group. A very smart move in realizing the new voting demographic of young people awakened by Obama's run for office.
- Los Angeles: iPhone tour applications for the Hollywood Walk of Fame and social network driven campaigns to get celebrities a star on the Walk
So what are the questions the FARM should be thinking about?
How do we get a strong revenue stream through social network and viral marketing? Many businesses are still struggling to see how this can work for them as a marketing tool.
As users are engaged with their profiles and content simple display mechanisms do not work. Rather, widget and other applications that help people chat, create and share content are the areas to investigate. There is a need to harness the power of word-of-mouth and let users “do the marketing for you” by creating opportunities for people to feel ownership of the brand (much like Obama did with his campaign). According to eMarketer there is a predicted $1.3 billion social network advertising spend in 2009 so this is definitely not an outlet to ignore. 
The client services team here at The FARM have begun delving into this realm to become experts on the possibilities of new media and the inevitable change that is taking place in our industry.
So go and get BLOGGED!!