Advertising Fireworks, Social Bonfires

If advertising is a firework, then social media is a bonfire.
John V Willshire
Head of Innovation
PHD

Just a way to help think about the difference between social media and advertisingOr explain it to someone

Advertising is like fireworks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stage88/3228637838/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71502646@N00/1309409634/sizes/l/
Fireworks are attention grabbing beacons on steroids

Good ones make you go ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’
ooooh
aaaaah
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjones/60562951/sizes/l/

They draw people in from miles around
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/752319396/sizes/l/

They’re prepackaged; just light a firework and stand back
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epicfireworks/2829363989/

Or get in the professionals
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alkiol/732074235/sizes/o/

It’s so easy… EVERYONE is doing it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arnar/340888701/sizes/o/

Just like advertising

It’s the standard solution
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epicfireworks/3135589362/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/srivera/2799747313/

Fireworks burn very brightly, but die very quickly.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbarasworld/1308507724/

You need to keep lighting fireworks to keep folk interested
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epicfireworks/2848241812/sizes/o/

Which is expensive

It’s an arms race
Bigger,
brighter,
louder,
MORE

Bonfire night is not just about the fireworks
(the clue is in the name)

If advertising is a firework, then social media is a bonfire.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/2755425049/sizes/l/

Two very different things

Very different disciplines

Building bonfires takes time…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarcasmette/3805363440/sizes/l/

…and it takes time to get good at building them
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbhalper/3013369399/

It might go out…
Keep trying
http://www.flickr.com/photos/numuseum/533515920/sizes/l/

Use whatever you have to hand
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88933162@N00/3021553543/sizes/o/

It might be a bit lonely at first
http://www.flickr.com/photos/inajeep/265544195/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kumo_no_ue/3197957095/sizes/o/
Then a few friends gather round

Then a few more
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluearc21/2359336236/sizes/l/

It’s where people like to hang out and share

Then, wonderfully……your friends start helping out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/israluv/147458000/sizes/o/

Because people like helping with bonfires

more friends, more wood, bigger fire, more friends...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mstreb/617462120/sizes/l/

From a small start, you can end up with something pretty amazing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/powi/2455460100/sizes/o/

Just like social media

So have advertising fireworks had their day?

In the long term… …we don’t know

Right this moment… it’s not either / or
It’s both

If you have an amazing bonfire already, use a few fireworks to bring folk to it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/3724362640/sizes/l/

If your fireworks are great, stop people disappearing by getting a good ol' bonfire going
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginayiqing/2724868889/sizes/l/

Just remember,remember…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daverexwood/1874498701/

Putting fireworks in bonfires isn’t a great idea

John V Willshire, PHD
@willsh
http://feedingthepuppy.typepad.com
Simon Kemp
David Wilding
Beth Williams
Chris Stephenson
Daniel Goodall
Mat Riches
Vijay Sankaran
Thank you to…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gin_soak/1878526591/sizes/l/

http://wearesocial.net	567
http://feedingthepuppy.typepad.com	366
http://www.1ere-position.fr	332
http://sosyalbilgiler.posterous.com	213
http://thecuriousbrain.com	210
http://blog.clickcom.com	186
http://moodle.bcu.ac.uk	143
http://finalburp.wordpress.com	132
http://remasteredaccountman.wordpress.com	131
http://www.clickcom.com	124
http://blabber-etcetera.blogspot.com	105
http://anotherdayatthemill.blogspot.com	75
http://jennysan.tumblr.com	67
http://www.jeffpaiva.com	57
http://lalai.net	40
http://smithery.co	30
http://www.slideshare.net	23
http://t4w.blogs.com	22
http://alvarograsso.tumblr.com	20
http://obsessivecompulsive.tumblr.com	17
http://paper.li	16
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net	14
http://suongir.blogspot.com	14
https://si0.twimg.com	13
http://kathryncorrick.co.uk	11
http://www.mba.co.uk	11
http://hiddentreasure2.blogspot.com	10
http://pixelserver	8
http://wiki.projectgroup.it:8080	8
http://www.feedingthepuppy.com	7
http://blabber-etcetera.blogspot.co.uk	6
http://graewood.blogspot.com	6
http://fortheloveofdigital.wordpress.com	5
http://safe.tumblr.com	5
http://pedrovintem.com	4
url_unknown	4
http://www.feedingthepuppy.typepad.com	4
http://digitaltreasuretrove.blogspot.com	4
http://us-w1.rockmelt.com	3
http://socialmediaad.wordpress.com	3
http://tweetedtimes.com	3
http://www.brandonhixon.com	3
http://quarters.rith.co.uk	3
http://sedley.tumblr.com	3
http://a0.twimg.com	2
http://suongir.blogspot.co.uk	2
http://blabber-etcetera.blogspot.de	1
http://blabber-etcetera.blogspot.in	1
http://feeds.feedburner.com	1
http://s278661993.websitehome.co.uk	1
http://<object>application	1

Advertising Fireworks, Social Bonfires

by John V Willshire on Aug 17, 2009

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