Christopher Hunter's Blog

Social media has without a doubt changed the way companies market their products. In his blog, Graham Kingma explains how social media, and the internet in general, has made transparency a vital factor for companies to consider when marketing their products. Essentially, advertisers recognize that the very structure of social media — free, cheap, available to all — has created a world that is more interconnected than ever. Consequently, people around the world are sharing their opinions about everything, including marketing. Companies must be more respectful and transparent to their consumers, or else they run the risk of experiencing backlash spreading online.

Kingma noted a situation in which Samsung paid people to write bad reviews for their competitor’s devices as an example of how a lack of transparency can prove to have a negative impact on a company. He states that while the fine that was levied to Samsung was insignificant for an organization of their size, “the damage to Samsung’s trust and transparency will likely be the greater impact.”

Although social media can be seen as a threat to some organizations, it can also be used as an effective tool. Companies can use social media as a cheap way to spread information. For example, Coca-Cola recently announced that it will refrain from spending any money on advertising, and that rather it will use its budget to help fund relief efforts for Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Social media has helped Coke draw a lot of attention to itself as word spreads its philanthropic efforts.