Ads on Social Network Sites: Friends or Foes?

Social network web sties give us places to connect with people with whom we share common interests. The fun, interactive environments in which we talk to friends and make new ones started out as commercial-free zones. However, as the popularity of social network sites grew, marketers could not resist the urge to reach us, and social network hosts could not pass up the revenues ads can create.

While social network ads have the potential to turn off the very people they are intended to reach, it appears that most visitors to social network sites are OK with the presence of ads. A study conducted by Razorfish found that 76% of social network site visitors do not mind the presence of ads. Further, 40% of those people surveyed said they had made a purchase following ad exposure on a social networking site.

Before advertisers begin lining up to create clutter on our social networks, a word of caution. Social networks provide an ideal platform for audience engagement through brand fan pages, games, or other interactive experiences. The real promise of social networks as a communication vehicle is this relationship building capability they possess. Ads are OK, but marketers should be more creative in using social networks for deepening consumers’ relationships with their brands.

Link: ClickZ – “Social Networkers Don’t Mind the Ads, Says Razorfish Report”

Author: Don Roy

Don Roy is a marketing educator, blogger, and author. His thirty-year career began with roles in retail management, B2B sales, and franchise management. For the past 27 years, Don has shared his passion for marketing as a marketing professor. Don's teaching and research interests include brands, sports marketing, and social media marketing. Don has authored over 20 articles in scholarly journals, co-authored two textbooks, and self-published three books on personal branding. Don is an avid hockey fan and enjoys running. He and his wife, Sara, have three sons. View all posts by Don Roy