“Friends” are loosing the credibility game in the social share…Influencers Are Now Noise Makers
So I am reading an article on Media Post that states that “Friends Have More Credibility Than Brands”. Hmm…interesting assertion but I am sure we need to dive into the survey they created to lay out this thesis.
“According to Nielsen’s Latest Global Trust in Advertising Survey, 92% of respondents in 56 different countries said they trusted word-of-mouth recommendation from their friends and family above all other forms of communication. That’s up 17% since 2007.”
OK…so all the Word of Mouth ambassadors are patting themselves on the back for this reinforcement of the WOM movement. Yes…I know that Word of Mouth rules in the world of marketing. But hold on a freaking second…where does that information originate? Where does the content come from? Hmm….
“Trust in television is down 24%; magazines, down 20%; and newspapers down 25%, according to the survey.) Overall, 47% of consumers worldwide said they still trusted those media, although the drops are substantial. Meanwhile, trust in online advertising is growing. Thirty-six percent of consumers trusted online video ads, and 33% believed online banner ads — up from 26% in 2007. Paid search engine advertising was deemed trustworthy by 40% of consumers, up from 24% in 2007.”
Ok…hold on a freaking second, did they just assume that since it is online advertising that it is Word of Mouth and not coming from brands?
“Only 58% of consumers trust “owned media” such as company Web sites, while only 50% said they found content in e-mails they received from brands (by consent) to be similarly credible. Only 40% of global respondents found product placements credible, about the same levels as radio ads (42%) and pre-movie cinema ads (41%).”
OK…I am really confused, where the hell did they generate the assertion that based on this statistical information that “Friends” have more credibility that brands. I am so confused. I am trying to connect their dots.
Alright…enough of my rant. So here is the point of analyzing this article; the main reason is this little Tweet from Edelman Digital’s social brand/golden child @Armano that caught my attention. BTW…he is kind of smart…I guess. I have not met him, though.
We have scene a massive shift over the last few years in the digital space legitimizing this claim. Social technologies have built digital communities empowering us to share and share alike. We retrieve our information from our Timelines in Facebook/Twitter and even Google+. We chat and connect with our friends, see what they like, see what political rants they are generating, their spiritual movements, their purchasing power…we watch it everyday.
YouTube and Pinterest have given us the visual cues our products, services, rhetorical messages that influence and shape our purchasing. We see a cool video of what the next iPhone looks like and we go nuts. We see how someone used Martha Stuart products to decorate a room on Pinterest…we haul ass to Lowes.
Or maybe those brands have figured out this social stuff out…maybe they are influencing the digital word-of-mouth, providing us digital swag to share. They still have to make money and sell their stuff…their services…their votes…their organizations mission statements. We are just empowered to share their swag because they have shifted into social mode.
But it is getting ready to shift back….YES! People are getting tired of too many damn status updates, opinions, blog posts, Pinterest pictures, videos to watch…all from “Friends”. All these opinions are TOO MUCH TO SIFT THROUGH. Why did you think Google is updating their algorithms…we have over SEO’d everything. LOTS OF NOISE linking back to MORE NOISE giving opinions about MORE NOISE.
I do not know about you…but when a major news story breaks, a new trendy product is released, a candidate decides to drop out of a race, a brand has a new product…all those friends are sharing the same damn thing. YES…they are…look at your timelines and you will see the same Re-Tweets and Shares that originated from “trusted” brands. Their influencers are just channeling the information and there are a lot of “influencers” out there. Maybe they are now “noise makers.”
The social share is out of control which is why numerous write-ups have been published surrounding the social exhaustion. Friends may have the credibility (in our minds)…but how much noise will they make until we start moving back to the horses mouth. Sometimes we just want to buy something and we do not need to be influenced to do it…maybe?
Brands with consistent messaging, great customer service, and commitment to traditional, online, and social strategies will continue to wave the social storm. Yes, we will continue to depend on Word of Mouth and our “Friends” opinions, but we are trimming the fat and looking past those who are trying to scream wolf just as loud as the next.
Or maybe we should re-define who is really a “Friend”?
***Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/172180/friends-have-more-credibility-than-brands.html
***Picture from @Armano’s Status Update on Twitter
Some of us are just trying to buy less and reuse or make things in part because of overload…
I like the “he’s kind of smart, I guess” part. 🙂 Seriouslty, I think you have to look at people on social networks (not only influencers but all people) as if you were a martian and unfamiliar with human behavior. I agree one hundred percent that there’s too much noise on social networks. It’s why many of us have resorted to filtering. I also think we might be addicted to some of the noise from friends for fear of missing out on something (strange humans). Then I think about it from a business perspective. Developers keep adding “share” buttons everywhere you look? Why? Because humans like to make noise. Point in case—your comment box powered by Livefyre which allows me to click on Facebook and Twitter buttons so I can share this there too. Which I am about to do. Presto! More noise. Good thoughts here. Life in the 21srt century has become like taking a stroll through Times Square. If you don’t figure out how to filter out the noise, it will get to you.
I’ve met Armano, and as you guessed, he’s a pretty smart guy. Humble and funny too. Aside from that, accumulating noise has been a problem with every public communication platform throughout history. As Armano mentioned, humans like to create noise to be heard, to connect, to be validated and to feel like others support their opinions and interests (it makes them feel cool). So unfortunately, the onslaught of noise will continue to exponentially make it harder to find the signals we want to pay attention to. All of your points in this article are good and accurate, but we’re left with our only choices to combat those points being filtering or unplugging …and wondering what everyone’s up to online.
Ironically, I found this post via @armano. It’s strange but I wrote about noise this morning. Though I agree that there is noise, but let’s use an example of noise. You go into a bar or restaurant or wherever, it’s filled and everyone is talking. On the surface, it’s noise, but underneath there are cool, interesting conversations happening. Those convos? they’re being initiated but some cool people too. I’m not so sure we need filters as much as we need amplifiers, aggregators and analyzers. I never liked the word filter anyway. The noise is noise until you dig into it and make choices and understand its context and origins. If anything social has enabled conversations and amplified them, the real problem is the exponential rise in platforms. Yes, 800,000 million use FB but thats just one platform and one network.
Our society is still somewhat at a neophyte stage when it comes to certain aspects of social-we have to get better at understanding noise, not signal. Because in the end, it may seem like noise but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
@nullvariable We are in overload…and I think we are looking for ways to filter more. For a while I thought we were just uber-users but if you look around…at dinner…in the park…our just driving…we are over connected. But why…
@armano First of all…I was hoping that you would like the shout out. Second…I think the space between us über-users and the rest of the world is sharply closing. The chasm is being crossed faster than we can check Facebook and email in the morning. BTW, what happened to the morning paper in the front yard to get your daily dose?
But, beyond the holy crap…there is too much noise, I think you are right…we are addicted to the noise. We are the news anchors of our own social spaces…and many others.
I think the smart marketers and pr practitioners are the ones who have learned to help those filter the noise and still help build community. This is where I think brands have a tremendous opportunity to rise up and lead the space in conversation. Why, because they have a consistent message…I hope.
Thanks for stopping by and cheers from South Carolina!
@brettgreene BTW…thanks for stopping by! Great thoughts…so smart I need to think about it a bit more! But…here is my take away. As a practitioner…how can we help our brands, our clients to not create the noise and infiltrate the space with nothingness. I think it is our burden to help those communicate in a way, via social spaces, that create common discourse and not a bunch of noisy mess.
@Marc_Meyer1 Howdy…great stuff! I think you should share your blog post. So let’s take your idea of the bar noisy bar scene. We want to connect but it is too damn loud to talk to one another. So how do we connect in that scene? Do we walk outside in the hopes to clear our heads then engage in conversation? Maybe yes. That is why I think many of us jump from one social network to the next. We use Facebook for a while then we get annoyed by the noise. So we jump to another room whether it is Twiiter, G+, or whatever. When we tired of jumping from place to place…we try to segment and “filter” out what is creating the noise. We want to connect yet we want some peace in our connection. But…here is the million dollar question…when do we realize that we are creating as much noise for others…the same amplification that we are trying to avoid. We are no longer connection…we are just broadcasting.
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Word of Mouth advertising can really be very effective especially if it’s came from people you trusted but advertisers should always consider the quality of their products.
@Free fax I agree…Word of Mouth is always going to be king. But do you think that Digital Word of Mouth is just as powerful…the technology providing the place to connect?