Point of View: Brandship with a purpose

Molly Flatt

Brands in social media that are focusing on being 'friends' or trying to 'own' consumers on branded presences should look to stimulate conversations and build more authentic relationships that are financially and emotionally rewarding for both sides.

Point of View: Brandship with a purpose

Molly Flatt1000heads

The waters of social media may be muddy, fast-moving and full of contradictory crosscurrents, but I'm sure we can agree on one thing: that being friends with brands is bullshit.

This isn't just semantic nitpickery. A focus on 'friends' implies a flaw in a brand's social media approach, such as trying to 'own' consumers on branded presences, rather than encouraging conversation and advocacy further afield, or treating clicks on Like and Follow buttons as meaningful metrics and goals. As for consumers, our early, indiscriminate enthusiasm for social networking is taking...

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