Resource Interactive & Herbal Essences hit Facebook

Yet again, yonder AdFreak spurs me to online action. After years of claiming that I was much too old for social networks, Griner talked me into signing up for Facebook.

I know, I know - how I can invest so much time pontificating about social network leaders and new mediums when I don't even use the basic tools.

Yeah, well. That's what old people do.

I digress.

What I meant to say is that I'm intrigued by the integration of brand marketing in organic social media.

In many ways, it reflects the original evolution of the Web whose earliest adopters staked out ground as heroes of a socialist communication medium - it would be free to all, a bastion of conversation unmarred by advertising and corporate interests.

ProAms and shareware developers still share that ethic today, but, largely, people pay for access, view advertisements and are generally comfortable with the TV-esque model of shared space for art, conversation and enterprise.

Nonetheless, the foray of brands into more social online media has been hit-and-miss - brands rushing ahead with big investments in flash-in-the-pan media, corporate icons lumbering around Myspace...

But, there are bright spots. Like this solid example from Resource Interactive & Herbal Essences. Favorite points:

• Set up as a group, not a personal account. You're not a person, why pretend to be one?
• Creative focuses on the 'passion' elements of the brand
• Targeted approach to deliver visit > engage > share behavior (stuff to do when you're there + a reason to come back)
• And, the team invested in solid seeding behavior - leveraging personal contacts to start adding members (which, incidentally, is exactly the way the wildly popular CareerBuilder Monk-e-Mail site got started)

Comments

[nicholas gill]

I really enjoy reading your work. This is a great example of a brand doing a sensible tie in on Facebook and having a point to connect to the audience. I hope you don't mind but I referenced this on my ramblings (link below) alongside what I thought was another good Facebook brand experience from the mobile operator, O2.
http://bluurb.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/stuff-and-things-231007/

[Scott P. DeMenter]

Herbal Essences: A totally organic social media experience?