Sunday, July 17, 2011

Branding the Perfect Image

Perfection.  The opposite of being human.  How interesting.

We accept nothing but perfection from the leaders of the world.  Some brands attempt to portray themselves as perfect, hiding faults to promote products (unless legally obliged).  And now branding seems to be entering the world of social media, with people participating in campaigns for some reward (or without realizing it).

As people get brought into this mess of branding / advertising, their language must be monitored.  Bad things may not be said (in the past nor the future as everything is recorded for infinity - easily searched).  Even a minor mistake, redacted, can spread like wildfire as it gets cached (remembered) within various minds, machines, and search engines.  Who will control what this legion of unwashed masses does to help promote a brand?

Why do I bring this up?  Some people use social media to socialize, voice honest opinions.  Others use the media to present an image of themselves.  The latter is useful for brands as they play the game of perfection. The former can get the message across but will not let hesitate to post an honest idea.  SLAPPs are probably the best vehicle to keep everyone in line.

What makes the social media useful are the honest opinions.  Those that call out defects, problems, lemons if you will.  Attempting to use this word of mouth to spread a fixed message appears to be restricted to the set of people willing to appear perfect.

People aren't perfect.

No comments:

Post a Comment