Who Really Is Watching the Watchmen?
[Posted by David Card]
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Nielsen buzz monitor Pete Blackshaw’s column in AdAge suggests the future of marketing is marketing to marketers. He uses Twitter as the prime example. I’m skeptical. A lot of Blackshaw’s argument rests on the online social talking-to-each-other and linking dynamic that results in boosted organic search rankings. He calls colleague Jeremiah Owyang a de facto media channel with "buzz reach that would make most media planners salivate." But he also notes that "we end up interpreting the very buzz we created or fueled ourselves." Amen.
I worry that too much of this buzz is from critics, rather than audiences. Even if it’s from fans, it’s often from the fanatical, not the mainstream. I was talking to Fox Broadcasting’s head of research the other day, and she warned against this kind of thing. Take multiple inputs, she advises, and watch the real ratings. There’s conflicting evidence about whether critical response has anything to do with popularity. See Slate have it both ways.
Colleague Josh Bernoff calls Twitter a five-tool player for social marketing objectives. Forrester report on how to use Twitter properly.