Subscribe via RSS FeedWhy Wal-Mart’s Facebook Strategy is Like the I-Rack
Did anybody notice today’s Facebook Gift “Wal-Mart Ghost?”
If you’re not familiar with Facebook Gifts, they are little pictures of stuff you can send to your friends. The first virtual gift you send is free, and each additional gift you send is $1, or you can buy a pack of 10 for $5. These pictures can be sent with a short message to your recipient and will appear on their profiles like-so forever unless they are deleted by the recipient.
Why is this a terrible social media marketing tactic? Because social media marketing should be about building community, listening to your customers, engaging in two-way dialog and adding fun or utility to a user’s every day social networking experience (yes, we’re talking Zombies applications here). A ghost that looks like he won a Mr. Wal-Mart pageant is not viral at all. This is an ad, and a really poor one at that. And teenagers / college students are not dumb, they know intrusive advertising when they see it.
We’ve seen other sponsored gifts recently like Skittles gum, but these gifts were also free. Wal-Mart’s Ghost is asking people to fork over REAL money, not Linden dollars, for being an un-cool Wal-Mart promoter. However, I’m sure a virtual Heineken, checkered Vans or Louis Vuitton purse gift would be a smash, free or paid. There are just some brands that have cachet with the Facebook crowd, and some that don’t.
So far Wal-Mart’s Facebook strategy has been less than stellar, while rival Target seems to be, well, on target. Wal-Mart must tread very carefully when it tries to invade a territory full of socially conscious twenty-somethings as wary of Wal-Mart as the Middle East is of America. Like MADTV’s I-Rack parody, Wal-Mart’s social media strategy may seem to some like it’s put together with no plans or direction.
Some of Wal-Mart’s past social media attempts include MySpace and a fake blog “Wal-Marting Across America.” You can’t access the blog anymore, but I dug up an archive version of the final post here.
If you missed the brouhaha about the Wal-Mart fiasco, here’s some background there’s some great commentary from Dave Taylor.
What do you think about the Wal-Mart Ghost and its social media marketing activities? How can online retailers engage effectively in social networks without being spammy or intrusive? Is there any hope for Wal-mart and Facebook?
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I’ve used Facebook from its inception in 2004 and I graduated college in 2006, so I “get” Facebook and social networking in general. I probably sign into FB twice a day.
That being said, I think the Wal-Mart ghost is a hilarious virtual gift.
Of course FB users aren’t dumb. This is clearly an ad and people know that. But it’s a stupid-yet-funny ad that will get people talking. It’ll be used as a joke, sent to friends and marked with inside jokes in the public messages.
It may or may not be intentional, but I think Wal-Mart created something that will be, as you noted, forever placed on people’s profiles unless explicitly deleted. But if it includes a public message from a friend, the chances of people deleting it are close to zero.
Further, the gift was free for me, as well (and I’ve sent gifts before) — so I give WM more points!
@ Scott,
Thanks for the intelligent comments. The “stupid-yet-funny” angle is a good point. And users might tie it with inside jokes. Apparently I’m out of the loop on Wal-Mart inside jokes. I wonder if Wal-Mart knows this and is savvier than I gave them credit for. But I think Facebook should mention the gift is free, might help its cause a bit more as teenagers who don’t have credit cards may be reluctant to pay per pass.
Ahh, the gift says “Free” now.