Ad:Tech ’08 Session4 part 1

Using online communities to intelligently engage with consumers

This session was moderated by the fantastically dressed Mattias Miksche who is the CEO of StarDoll. StarDoll is a fantastic combination of social media, virtual world and pink. Essentially it drags the concept of kids paper dolls kicking and screaming into the digital age. Not being a 10 year old girl (although my friends might disagree) I’m possibly not best placed to judge how good it is.

What I can say is that it looks fantastic and seems to offer the engaging platform that advertisers crave.

Kate Burns (MD Bebo), Martin Verdon-Roe (Head of UK Sales at Tripadvisor) and David Courtier-Dutton (CEO Slice the Pie) joined Mattias on stage.

Each member of the panel presented a short introduction to demonstrate how they built and grew their own online communities.

Kate Burns from Bebo used an interesting anaolgy to start her presentation. She claimed that:

Facebook was a like a Blackberry, while Bebo was more akin to the iPhone.

Some would see this as quite arrogant and I’m sure her Facebook counterpart would hold a different view. However I have to agree with her. Having used both sites in the past, the level of engagement and utility with Bebo is different from Facebook and in my view is more ‘fun’.

However as a social network aimed at grown ups (I’m on the fringe of adulthood?!?) Facebook is more for me, because it is aimed at me.

She talked about initiatives such as the ‘Nike Dance Clash’ and ‘Kate Modern’ that in her view:

..bridge the gap between TV and Online

It was genuinely refreshing to see the creativity that Bebo has used with major brands.

Key Concept – Consumers can welcome ‘advertising messages’ only when they are relevant, engaging and above all entertaining.