More than a decade now, Google came and it changed the way we access any sort of information. It made life a lot easier. Then came the platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Blogs and many others) we know them as Social Media. Why Social Media? Simply because they aim to connect people with each other – far or near, family or friends or colleagues. It came up as a relief for people to stay in touch. Apart from that it had lot of other features which awed the public as well as brands. But how this all is actually affecting ‘social-connect’ – Let us look at the advantages and the disadvantages of the same:-

Advantages:

Everything has its own pros and cons. However to summarize it is the kids and teens who have been swayed away by these platforms since they are not able to handle it maturely unlike the more experienced or adults. Demographic (Read here) shows that age 18-29 is the most present across all social mediums.  Facebook has maximum active users between 14-25 years. Is this stat not a disturbing? Shouldn't this age be more in playground, college and even hanging out with friends than here? Even more disturbing fact is that across all ages people who consume more than seven hours of Social media are more likely to get under depression because of the ‘likes’, ‘fan’, ‘follow’, ‘views’ world. (Read here)

To end it with the pro side of it people who are handling it more maturely, prioritize their real v/s virtual world are playing smart and enjoying their both the sides attention, sharing knowledge and are engaging confidently.

Happy Socializing!

Movie promotions in 1990’s were limited to TV promo, very few newspaper ads and posters outside the movie halls. Gone are those days and then came promotions of songs on Radio, associating with various chat shows, TV shows, pre-launch PR, post launch PR and associating with brands which endorses the movie during the TVC.

Since two years even these strategies have seen a shift with a high percentage of marketing budgets being accommodated with Social Media. It all started with a Wiki page followed by Facebook page, YouTube brand channels, Twitter handles and even hash-tag promotions. Apps (Applications) are built considering the possible engagements with the consumer.

Let us take a look at the Social Media Strategies that are used for Movie Promotions:

Since the whole concept of Marketing is evolving and thus is Social Media, there are many innovations possible in making a brand out of anything. However, these activities are restricted to create hype before the launch and do not ensure good reviews of the movie.

Have you noticed many changes in the hash-tags off lately on Twitter? Over the time these hash-tags by the brands are misused for promotions or contests. As far as I can connect, they are used so that people or target audience can be associated with particular topic of discussion.

Brands started promoting the tweets with relevant hash tags which were mainly keywords with which people with common interest as that of that company can be identified. But yesterday I came across a weird trending hash-tag on twitter which was as long as a tweet. And this one is not the only one, brands are allowing the agencies or the in-house Social Media resource to play with the image by coming up with funny & irritating hash-tags.

It is extremely difficult to understand that renowned brands which have strict discipline on their offline communication can be so casual on their online part. Or is it that they feel that online audience is non-serious audience and they can be flexible in their approach?

Let us understand 5 Hash-tag etiquette from Marketing point of view: