Facebook has been changing the rules of engagement of entertainment in the Caribbean in a fundamental way, which we might be taking for granted.
The more established promoters might be saying,
Yeah CG 2.0, I know what you mean.
Facebook is allowing for alot more small time/first time promoters to put together a campaign that attracts the kinds of numbers they are not yet prepared to handle.
What ends up happening, is that lots of party goers are going out to these parties and having bad experiences. This is making it harder to get persons to come out to events. In some cases people are associating a particular venue with flop parties … and they are tonnes of similar reasons.
Not Quite the Fundamental Shift
Yes this is happening … but that is not the fundamental shift I am talking about.
That’s already happening with music production, video production and the list goes on and on. Technology is making lots of things easier for the average person to do. Its doing a good job of lowering the overhead costs to get started, and as a result, more people are doing it.
FaceBook has brought a deeper Web 2.0 experience to Caribbean Entertainment.
What is Web 2.0?
For those of you who don’t know about web 2.0 you can read all about it here on how stuff works.com. I would advise that you do read about it. Its very, very interesting.
In my own words –
Web 2.0 is a term used to dub the developments in the internet, primarily when it comes to social networking websites, and the idea of connecting people together. Basically it defines the move of the internet away from websites which you visit to get or give information, to websites which you can interact with, you can interact with with other persons online and build up or be a part of a community.
Elements of Web 2.0 on the internet today would be
- comments. Persons commenting on articles e.g. regular newspaper articles now allow comments online.
- blogging and RSS feeds where users generate the content
- owning your own piece of internet real estate free e.g. Myspace pages – click here
- users rating products
- sites for users of a particular product/skill/hobby. A good example of this is the rapidly growing Digital photography school
Other buzzwords that are associated are collborations, user generated content, viral, community oriented and lots more.
In terms of business, web 2.0 is causing companies well the tech savvy ones to build their websites in such a way that their customers and fans can form their own mini community where the customers
- interact with each another
- share their experiences
- post their problems
- suggest solutions to problems to each other
- notify the company of issues
- help the company in developing new products by providing feedback to new ideas or coming up with the ideas themselves
- and lots more.
- Its an eco system really more on that in a future post.
This exactly what is beginning to happen to each promotion company in entertainment.
FaceBook Events has now become the standard across the Caribbean. Facebook Events are a vehicle for Caribbean party goers to connect with each other and have a conversation relating to the event no matter which part of the world they are in! Even an ordinary club night is on facebook events.
It used to be a little harder for the average person to tune in on the buzz for a particular event. Now, its just a few clicks away on your facebook. You can hit up the event wall and see what people are saying, drop a comment of your own and see how people respond. You can check out how many people are planning to attending, and look at who is not going. And we all know how much that info will help us decide if we are going or not
This is a big, big difference from looking passively at a flyer on
- www.BoomTribe.com
- www.whaddat.com
- watever.com
- www.islandMix.com
- www.toronto-lime.com
- www.triniscene.com
- Kadooment.com
- www.Bajandancehall.com
- www.partyaccess.net
The next step was calling 10 friends or talk to your neighbourhood entertainment guru to try to get feeling for the vibe of the party. The problem is that sometimes your entertainment guru is employed to by the event so it hard to tell if the event they are suggesting is really the happening thing. Whose is when your friend looking for some action and just going to the party to meet up a new “friend”. You going to hear how great the party is going to be, because they want you there for “support”. I don’t know about you, but I not big on that kind of “support”. lol lol.
Anyways, FaceBook Events is the way its going down now. The 3 weeks of marketing blitz radio, websites, tv and newspapers ain’t going to be enough anymore.
Its not that simple anymore, people are talking to people and listening to what they are saying about the event.
Its about getting out early so that you can allow for the viral element to kick in. Yeah, watch your event spread like a virus. Let the people to interact – decide if they going – get excited and sell your event to other people.
You can keep your ear tuned into the conversation on your event wall and find ways to get people more excited and talking more.
Just like you would in a bar when you hear people talking and your eavesdrop to hear what they think of your event. Street talk makes you tweak your promotion/event to fit your market better. It’s the same with the FaceBook Wall Talk.
I consulted with an event last year, it was on facebook early, a full 5-6 weeks in advance.
The artwork was not done, sorry it was not even conceptualused yet. We were early and we let the viral element kick in. Its influence spread like a virus with each connection made. It was supported with some small things that kept people excited. The little things activated more conversations and developed new strains to the virus.
It grew and grew and grew steadily, and evolved each week, by the time week 3 came, its momentum was unstoppable, radio ads were just another a formality. It was going up against another event with a major artiste performing in the same venue the following night. This first time event without a big name artiste and much less radio presence was holding its own.
In fact the second event asked for the artiste to show up and do a small set to promote the party the following night.
I knew the event was safe when a brand manager of a popular alcoholic breverage actually wrote a request to be contacted on the event wall. Yeah that’s right and it was 1 week before the event!
I also watched it happen again and again with other events. All in different islands.
The events were out early and let their value build and build like a virus. In some cases some more established events were struggling because they didn’t work facebook as hard.
I’m just calling it how I am seeing it.
Yeah and like if all that was not enough, today facebook chat finally hit the caribbean 2 days ago.
It was actually launched almost 2 weeks ago, but it was slowly rolled out to the different networks over time.
Anyways it finally landed hit the Caribbean this week. t was the “talk of the town”.
I heard people who are not very technie asking for a mobile version to the all new FaceBook.
That got me thinking hmmm, facebook might be in the number 1 spot as the Most popular mobile site in the caribbean? yeah hmmmm.
Another interesting fact is that Facebook’s mobile application for blackberry is doing well too reaching 1 Million on April 1. the App was launched on Oct 24th
Download from www.facebook.com/blackberry and www.blackberry.com/go/facebook
Its actually alot smoother than I expected and rather easy to use. It was alot easier to use than the google talk broswer based chat. I was impressed.
Everyone seem to be very excited about it. Talking about moving away from msn messenger etc. Only time will tell if facebook chat will adopted over msn or other im programs. Time will tell, time will tell.
The clear advantage facebook has in its corner though are the connections. Many people have more FaceBook friends than they do on msn or any other chat programs. And your facebook friends list is ever growing.
Let’s schedule a follow up post in August sometime to talk about it! I would have said July, but July is the month with 3 carnivals in it! Vincy Mas, St Lucia Carnival and Crop Over.
Talking of summer carnivals, facebook chat might add another dimension…..
So now we have facebook chat, Lets say you have a profile dedicated to customer service for Mas bands and events, add the profile as a friend and people can ask their burning questions all day long!
Think about it – we are talking about Global customer support !
Cost?
Well that would be a grand total of $11 million dollars to set up, this system.
$0 to actually set up and $11 million to CG 2.0 for the idea. lol just kidding my ideas are priceless and never ending.
Enough of me.
For those of you with light bulbs going off in your head, just remember its not only customer support, but you can find out the concerns of your customers and fix them before you hit the road. Or have a good backup plans in case things go wrong.
I found out today that one Caribbean Business I actually incorporating FaceBook Chat in their marketing, Its actually a photo printing business Photo Finish. They are advertising support for their online ordering on facebook, using facebook chat.
Lots of food for thought. Lets see how it will evolve.
Corey Graham 2.0
www.coreykgraham.com/blog
Very interesting read. A bit long, but very well explained. Good stuff
Very interesting read. A bit long, but very well explained. Good stuff
yeah, i know it was a bit long but I was not sure how to break it up, I have been spending alot of time in working out ways to break up my thoughts into different posts, but this one I felt had to stick together for it to make sense.
yeah, i know it was a bit long but I was not sure how to break it up, I have been spending alot of time in working out ways to break up my thoughts into different posts, but this one I felt had to stick together for it to make sense.
Well true but everything in entertainment got easier. DJs dont need to lug around records…now dj with a laptop (IPODS even)…Singers can make an album in their bedroom….People can advertise a fete on facebook with video ads, and radio ads. But thats what is brilliant about technology, sure the old guy becomes overlooked for his talents, but you gotta stay ahead of the game. people do events on Facebook, make your event look better than theirs. on a whole great blog
Well true but everything in entertainment got easier. DJs dont need to lug around records…now dj with a laptop (IPODS even)…Singers can make an album in their bedroom….People can advertise a fete on facebook with video ads, and radio ads. But thats what is brilliant about technology, sure the old guy becomes overlooked for his talents, but you gotta stay ahead of the game. people do events on Facebook, make your event look better than theirs. on a whole great blog
I have seen the growth of facebook as a promotion tool, having been one of the first persons to utilize this tool and seen it’s success, I think I am in a position to comment. Corey, I agree that this method helps the first time promoters but truth be told, I dont thinkmit is that much, in the end, the traditionally established events always have more ppl rsvp’ing yes, as oppsed to the unestablished. I have seen these young promoters make the dire mistake of assuming that because 400 ppl say yes on facebook then they are safe, ha! that is the act of the inexperience… ppl can say whatever on facebook, if you do not go out and push your event via flyers, radio, tv etc then whoa be on to you. For me, facebook does help to get a little buzz but the truth is the buzz is usually reflective of the buzz u already had on the party scene without facebook even being involved… I use facebook as a source of information to tell me where I can go to promote my events via the traditional methods. So yes, yea for facebook but ignore the old ways @ your event’s peril!
I have seen the growth of facebook as a promotion tool, having been one of the first persons to utilize this tool and seen it’s success, I think I am in a position to comment. Corey, I agree that this method helps the first time promoters but truth be told, I dont thinkmit is that much, in the end, the traditionally established events always have more ppl rsvp’ing yes, as oppsed to the unestablished. I have seen these young promoters make the dire mistake of assuming that because 400 ppl say yes on facebook then they are safe, ha! that is the act of the inexperience… ppl can say whatever on facebook, if you do not go out and push your event via flyers, radio, tv etc then whoa be on to you. For me, facebook does help to get a little buzz but the truth is the buzz is usually reflective of the buzz u already had on the party scene without facebook even being involved… I use facebook as a source of information to tell me where I can go to promote my events via the traditional methods. So yes, yea for facebook but ignore the old ways @ your event’s peril!
I agree with ya Marlon, marketing is about reaching people the way they liked to be reach, as facebook develops more and more and more people sign on to it and it could definately a major factor and be a “traditional method” of marketing events in the caribbean
I agree with ya Marlon, marketing is about reaching people the way they liked to be reach, as facebook develops more and more and more people sign on to it and it could definately a major factor and be a “traditional method” of marketing events in the caribbean
Corey Boy you have some real talent. Thanks for the web 2.0 lesson. Clear, crisp and entertaining. Every pr conference/seminar that I have been to in the last couple of years have been pushing social networks as a must have tool. Now on my own I have started using the social networks for clients as standard.
Corey Boy you have some real talent. Thanks for the web 2.0 lesson. Clear, crisp and entertaining. Every pr conference/seminar that I have been to in the last couple of years have been pushing social networks as a must have tool. Now on my own I have started using the social networks for clients as standard.