My initial post on this got a lot of traction, so I'm adding some more thoughts and thought starters.
As the web and mobile (its already hugely social) become more about people connecting and sharing experiences and information, where does this leave brands?
Can a brand be social? Will people add my brand as a friend or subscribe to my friendfeed?
It's not an easy answer, but my opinion is that it's unlikely that people will allow you into their personal space.
But, looking at some succes in this...
Over a year ago we created a campaign for the launch of the Yaris. A Yaris page on MySpace got over 80,000 friends. Why was this so successful?
1. We created tools and skins that made people's MySpace experience better
2. Adding Yaris to their profiles contained some kind of social currency that they didn't mind sharing with their friends.
That was then. It was different and unexpected. Nowadays having a brand page on a social network has kinda gotten to be the same as "Dude, you need a website"
People have become fatigued by all the 'brand friend' requests. It's almost become as bad as advertising on social networks.
So, can a brand be social? I don't think so.
However:
1. a brand can provide platforms and tools for people to help them connect and share better
2. a brand can create an experience that's worth sharing
3. someone from the brand can contribute and post on behalf of the brand
Even if you have a brand fan base and people have added you as a 'friend' consider why they have done so. What is the expectation? Are you providing them with value? Are you helping them connect and share better?
Chances are if they've added you, they have probably done so to promote the affiliation with your brand as social status to their friends.
They are unlikely to have added you as a 'friend' to have a meaningful dialogue with you (like they would have with their real friends), because let's be honest, you might just be trying to sell them something.
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