In this chapter Gillin touches on the interesting notion of how traditional marketing doesn't equate to social media marketing. I found this particularly interesting because of the related discussions we've had in class about the same subject. It seems that social media marketing is quite different, and almost opposite even, from mainstream marketing. Tactics that work in one just don't in the other and I find this fascinating. Where mainstream marketing is all about appealing to the masses and trying to reel in as many people from a giant, muddled pond specific to no demographic, social media marketing is all about finding niche groups of like minded people and appealing to their specific sensibilities. This makes for two very different strategies when approaching a marketing plan. For mainstream media the the key is to know what appeals to the majority of a wide range of people where for social media it is to know what appeals to the very specific demographic you're reaching.
I found it so interesting that Gillin mentions this here because I believe it's an extremely important concept for marketers to grasp. You cannot approach a social media campaign the same way you would approach a mainstream media campaign. You have to know your audience and what they're looking for, and that is the essential message here. An effective campaign, no matter what the product, is knowing your audience and adapting your product to that audience's needs. No strategy can be effective without this at the core of it. It's all about how you're presenting the product, and that all depends on who you're presenting it to. Gillin touches on the subject only briefly here but I believe it is one worth considering far beyond this discussion. It is an essential part of the industry to know how to adapt to the consumer, whomever they may be.
I agree that it is important for marketers to understand the implications of the shift from a traditional economy to a digital economy-- as Gillin notes in these chapters, "In order to succeed in social media, you need to think of yourself as a publisher." I've been trying to identify the difference between the two approaches, and I think the important thing is, as you've noted here, knowing your audience and adapting your approach to their needs. Publishers produce quality content that has a life of its own-- mass marketers produce gimmicky content that serves only to sparkle prettily and attract the odd-eyeball away from its normal routine. It's all related to the emergence of Web 2.0: changing how humans connect and communicate changes how they consume products/media as well.
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