Imagining a new social marketing

The entire Face-to-Face Book has in my opinion stressed the importance of face-to-face and word-of-mouth communication and devalued the power of social media. Personally, I’ve disagreed with authors Keller and Fay a number of times, as I believe social media has evolved to a point that it can truly complement offline word-of-mouth marketing. I agree that face-to-face communication will always be the most powerful and genuine to consumers, but social media allows companies to reach audiences they may not be able to otherwise and engage in real-time with fans and consumers who are invested in the brand. 

In the final chapter of The Face-to-Face Book, I think Keller and Fay contradict themselves. It’s sometimes hard to tell whether the authors believe in or doubt the value of social media. According to Keller and Fay, “The rise of social media is an outgrowth, not a cause, of our social nature, and though their effects are important, they are more limited than many marketers believe” (p. 234). I agree and disagree with this statement. I understand that humans have always been social creatures – we take social cues from those around us, and we have since before the creation of social networks. Our emotions, ambitions and consumer behaviors are often social decisions. However, I think social media has more power to influence our emotions, ambitions and consumer behaviors than Keller and Fay give credit for. 

I agree completely with The-Face-to-Face Book in the idea that social marketing encompasses so much more than social media. Social influence should be at the core of companies’ marketing strategies, and these strategies need to incorporate a variety of tactics and messaging channels to survive: not only social media, but PR, direct marketing, customer service, digital marketing and promotions all must work together to achieve word of mouth and social influence. “Facebook and other social media have blazed a trail toward a future in which social influence will be a critical factor in marketing, in business, and in our culture. But theirs is not the only pathway, nor even the primary one, toward the success that can be achieved through the inherently social nature of human beings” (p. 243).