VideoEgg

Some Media Agencies Get Social Media More Than Others

By blog_editor on Mar. 25 2008

VideoEgg works for brand marketers that want to reach people inside social environments. Because these environments are swirling with people influencing each other, mastering marketing within these environments is the holy grail of digital advertising. It is that same influential nature of social environments that makes it so promising for advertisers but that also fills it with some risk. The brand marketer's risk factor is partly due to lack of education, and the lack of education is due to some marketer's low tolerance for risk. Some agencies get this more than others.

One example is Deep Focus, the media agency that I've given praise to often because time and time again when others dip their toes, they'll bounce on the diving board and do a cannonball into the pool (I even lol'd at that analogy.....). In all seriousness, one of my favorite blogs, Agency Spy, asked Deep Focus CEO, Ian Schafer, what their policy is towards social media. I'll highlight a few key points that Ian made and which make them stand out from the type of agency I referred to in my post last week:

1) "Social media is difficult-to-control participatory media, which makes it an environment that makes advertisers uncomfortable.

And you know what? Good.

Uncomfortable situations have the potential to bring out the best in us. They can keep us on our toes. They can sharpen our communication skills. They can improve our relationships by understanding what got us into those awkward relationships to begin with. Advertisers that can accept that they are in an uncomfortable relationship with their customers (and want to improve those relationships) are the ones that are most ready for a foray into Social Media.”

2) "We’re not just spending a lot of time working within Social Media because it’s hot right now, we’re doing it because it is the eventual future of all media.”

Ian, if you were in SF, I'd buy you a shot of Hot Damn. Agencies that understand today that social media will be the standard tomorrow will be best suited to lead the industry and will continue to take big accounts as they depart from the larger and slower agencies. It is good to see that more and more agencies are doing more than just dipping their toes.

Post by Eric Klotz
Director of Creative Development