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What's more lame than a fake blog? A fake MySpace page....
But ad agencies, those clueless wonders, are creating them in droves. Here's one created by Honda agency RPA for Gil the Crab, an animated crustacean who has appeared in past Honda Element ads.
Here's Adweek saying how cool this trend is. Yeah, it's about as cool as the Captain Morgan's fake blog or the MacDonald's Abraham Lincoln-look-a-like French Fry blog that were laughed off the Internet by bloggers.
Like fake blogs, corporation's fake MySpace pages are the antithesis of citizen created media.
So how can corporations participate in social media?
- Sponsor existing content that relates to your product or service. Sports-related companies would be smart to sponsor this MySpace page content.
- Run contests employing social media. Marketing should be fun!
- Use a MySpace page to create a forum for community interaction on a real issue.
Just don't hide behind a fake page that underestimates real people's intelligence or patience, or willingness to ignore or boycott your products. It's dumb, it's not creative, and it'll bite you on the ass.
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Comments
I want to know where CMOs and other marketers who create fake anything were educated so I can help others avoid getting stupid.
Posted by: Lewis Green | 08.30.06
While I agree that creating a "Gil the Crab" MySpace page is rather uninspired, I'm not sure one can go so far as to call it "fake."
In the end, you are blogging about it. Isn't that the point? Doesn't that constitute some level of marketing success?
Posted by: Tony Valle | 08.30.06
I'm respondig to Tony's post. Seems to me that saying isn't it better to have been blogged (about) than not...even if it's negative...is like saying bad PR is better than no PR. I'd rather not have anyone write about me than have to do damage control.
Posted by: rickey gold | 08.30.06
The internet is a powerful tool, powerful enough to provide second-rate "journalists" such as yourself a forum to speak about things you know nothing about. I got a laugh here. I'll be back. This is better than watching duets with alfonso ribero.
Posted by: Rob Schwartz | 08.30.06
I know you have a blog (obviously), but to you have a myspace page? I think it is especially important to understand the arena before you can adequately comment on it.
If you are, give me your profile name and we can be friends
Thomas F.
Posted by: Thomas F. | 08.31.06
It is funny when you see someone commenting on MySpace, if you ask 'Do you have a MySpace page?', the answer is almost always 'no'.
Just so I would have a better idea what I was talking about, I created my own MySpace page a few months ago, and started spending time there. Since then, I've spent less time as the weeks have gone by, but one thing I have noticed is that unless you go out LOOKING for these 'fake' pages, you'll likely never find them. The fake porno webcam chicks are MUCH more annoying than these 'fake' company pages, because the webcam chicks will try to get you to add them as a friend, whereas the 'fake' company websites are basically there, and you choose whether or not to interact with them. IOW, if you don't go looking for them, you'll never know they are there, so they can't bother you.
Not to pick on BL, but why not take some time to create your own MySpace page and see what the environment is like for yourself? Would we listen to non-bloggers that were criticizing the blogosphere? Just take a couple of hours and poke around on the site for yourself so you'll have some idea of what is going on there. Think of it as 'market research' ;)
Posted by: Mack Collier | 08.31.06