You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who could deny the entrance of social media into the mainstream conscious. Internet users have undoubtedly begun to notice more “like” buttons appearing on their favorite websites, and talk of “tweets” and “facebook friends” populate all aspects of media from television to radio, (even a feature film focused on the formation of Facebook will be hitting theaters this fall).  “Unfriend” was even awarded the Oxford word of the year! At Single Throw we have been tracking the movement and progress of the social media revolution from its humble beginnings and we can see, that social media marketing is no longer an arena simply for the tech-savy and its power and influence cannot be ignored. The article posted below reinforces this just how mainstream social media has become in recent times and what that means for us.
“Social networking has rocketed to the number one online activity in the UK, with 9 out of 10 Britons visiting at least one social networking site in the month of May, 2010. New data from comScore shows that social networks and social media has overtaken every other online activity in the UK. Is this indicative that social media might now be considered “mainstream”, at least in its reach? Read on for more stats from comScore.

Representing an online userbase of 38.2 million Britons who went online in the month of May, the comScore data reveals that 33 million of these users visited at least one social network during that month. That means that 9 in 10 Britons are social networkers, an increase of 13% over last year’s numbers. And the number of hours that Britons are spending on social networks is increasing as well: from 4.6 hours per person per month in May 2009 to 7.1 hours in May 2010.

Jamie Gavin, media analyst from Jay-G Media, interprets these numbers:

“The fact that 9 in 10 Internet users are now using social media is perhaps unsurprising – these tools have changed the very fabric of the way we use the Web and are now as integral to online communications as search or email. What is perhaps even more significant is the reverence now being placed on these tools by existing celebrities and brands, as Lady Gaga’s much celebrated recent rise to 10 million Facebook fans has demonstrated. Social media is no longer simply changing the way we think of the Internet, but is infiltrating mainstream celebrity and consumer culture, and changing the very nature of the traditional media we have become accustomed to.”

This news about Britons’ thirst for social networks comes at the heels of comScore’s announcement that online video viewing in the UK was up 37 percent from the previous year.

Computer-mediated social media has been around for decades, if you start counting from the first BBSs in the ’70s. It is human nature to want to connect to one another through whichever media is available, and so, as Gavin notes, it might not be a huge surprise that social networks are quickly becoming the most popular online activity around the world.

With politicians on Twitter, journalists embracing all sorts of social media and traditional media companies like NPR creating their own social media strategies, it might be time to declare social media mainstream. Facebook users are no longer limited to college students, as more 35 to 50 year olds create their profiles every day. It looks like social media is moving towards the mainstream – in its reach, if not its shape – and we can expect to see this growth affect new and established media in the future.

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Here at Single Throw, we’ve long been advocates of the use of social media as a marketing tool for businesses of all sizes.  Lately, we’ve seen a great rise in popularity of these tools among car companies.  Check out the article we found below, evidencing Hyundai’s use of social media.

“Hyundai has been getting a lot of attention these days as a company that cares about its customers, and part of this success can be credited to social media marketing. By integrating a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy with social media along with their traditional marketing, Hyundai has branded itself as an altruistic company that really does care about its’ customers. In fact – Hyundai has jumped ahead of every other car manufacturer in the critical customer satisfaction index (CSI) category. Here are a few examples how Hyundai is applying their social media marketing strategy in key parts of their business and how it is paying off.

Hyundai’s Assurance Program began in early 2009 when the economy was at its worst and unemployment was rising rapidly. The Hyundai Assurance Program promised that if you got laid off from your job, you could return your car and not even have to worry about honoring the rest of the note payable. The promotion was innovative but coming from a major car corporation was it believable? The attention the campaign received from the press and from many blogs and websites was skeptical. Hyundai began promoting the idea on Facebook and Twitter. They asked everyone to buzz and tweet about it and people responded with enthusiasm. The idea of social networking for business exposure is not new, but the strategy was extraordinary because it laid the groundwork for the campaign and gave it credibility. It was a brilliant way to market a promotion that really did work. Sharing this information on Facebook and Twitter turned out to be a big plus for the car company’s marketing campaign. Hyundai sales are up 6.2 percent through November 2009. This marks the eleventh consecutive month of year-over-year gains in retail market share by Hyundai. The Hyundai Assurance Program is without doubt one of the reasons their sales have increased this year while other car manufacturers have floundered.

Zafar Brooks, Director of Government Relations and Diversity Outreach at Hyundai, has a refreshing perspective on the value of social media when combined with corporate outreach programs. The Hyundai “Hope on Wheels” program fights pediatric cancer by funding cancer research programs across the country. Brooks understands the importance of authenticity and relevance in social media outreach, particularly on behalf of corporate charitable programs. He said: “Consumers are more sophisticated now — corporate social responsibility programs are no longer something that is ‘nice’ to do, but it’s expected of the company,” noted Brooks. “Simultaneously, consumers will smell-out what is not authentic — Hope on Wheels isn’t advertised, but is part of the news we share with our brand loyalists,” he said. “It is a part of our story because it is a part of who we are and what we are about. Social media should be authentic and organic.” Mr. Brooks added, “Brand leaders must align themselves with a cause that is consistent with corporate values so they can illustrate their relevancy. Leadership has to establish the priorities around which we stand and make it part of our messaging point.” Brooks concluded: “All social media should link together with a common objective to develop a program based on who we want to talk to about what we want to accomplish. Social media outreach must be part of a cohesive approach. Consumers will smell-out what is not authentic!”

Hyundai Aftermarket recently announced the launch of a new social media campaign. The goal was to give Hyundai owners a new way of finding content on the Internet about modifying their vehicles. The interactive social media campaign involves additional features being built into the Hyundai forum that owners can use effectively to get the word out about what they are doing to make their cars stand out from the rest. Twitter accounts and Facebook “Fan Pages” have been built so that owners can follow live updated news feeds about Hyundai Aftermarket as well. “Finding important and relevant information is not easy when you are unfamiliar with how to perform certain modifications,” said a Hyundai spokesperson. “Having a forum and website where answers to important questions are laid out for you, would help with modifying your Hyundai to its highest potential.” While the site has been branded as the “web’s most premier Hyundai forum” and currently is the oldest Hyundai forum on the internet, it has been designed for both the amateur and professional car enthusiast in mind. The site is built on the principle of being very easy going and helpful to anyone who may or may not know a lot about Hyundai’s. Users register for free and can partake in discussions about Hyundai Accents, Tiburons, Elantra’s, Sonata’s, Santa Fe’s and the all new Hyundai Genesis. In addition to providing great technical content, hyundaiaftermarket provides great off topic discussions ranging in everything from technology to music & movies to even food and health/nutrition.

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