Brands that help their audiences look cool to their friends and followers have higher chances of being followed, a recent study by McCann Worldgroup’s global thought leadership unit McCann Truth Central showed.

The “Social truths” study, which involved an online survey of about 12,000 respondents and a qualitative study of over 30 focus groups in several markets, found that the role of brands is to “create unique experiences for their protagonists, giving them a reason to post it”.

People use their social networks to create a sort of personal image or brand for themselves, said McCann Worldgroup Malaysia brand planning and innovation group director Milan Agnihotri.

“People want to give a subtle message to their friends and followers that he is better tuned in with surroundings or is a fun-loving person. Brands can now help them create this identity or image in the social media world. However, brands have to be mindful of where they fit into the social journey for their target consumers. How can they be a part of a consumer’s life from the anticipation of a branded experience, to the afterglow one week later, to the reminiscence two years later?”he said.

OmnicomMediaGroup Malaysia managing director Andreas Vogiatzakis told The Edge Financial Daily in an email interview last week that successful brands understand their followers’ passions and needs, and allow them to interact, play and engage.

“These brands create the platforms that give their consumers the ability to express themselves freely, to look good and cool and make more friends and followers.

“By doing so, they create advocates and evangelists for the brands they believe in. Cool brands allow them to be cool and accepted by their peers or by the communities they value most and the communities they belong to. That is the highest form of engagement, trust and bonding, and by doing so, these brands become successful,” he said.

Another finding is that consumers are starting to look for something in return.

“Looking at consumers globally, we were able to identify five groups of consumers based on their attitudes towards privacy and sharing data with brands and businesses. The largest group, the Savvy Shoppers, understand the sharing equation. Comprising 37% of the global population, this group is willing to engage with and socialise with brands and businesses, but want to receive something tangible in return.

“The advantage of dealing with this segment is that brands can be sure of getting information and access to a consumer base. The disadvantage is that this kind of consumer tends to be loyal to rewards rather than brands. They may be trading their information with several brands and there won’t be any exclusivity. To engage this population, brands will have to incentivise them using e-coupons, special privileges, rewards and so on,” said Agnihotri.

Vogiatzakis is wary about offering returns. “If it is a simple monetary return that anyone can get for simply being an advocate, or pretending to be one, the results can be disastrous. There is already some criticism mounting on bloggers who propagate positive comments or reviews for brands that have paid them to do so. If the return is tangible, genuine and honest due to the review or comments the consumer (real consumer) has made, then it can be successful,” he says.

Social media, as the study found, is now a space that brands need to think about in their current strategies. Brands need to understand their consumers’ social media behaviour and motivations, said Agnihotri.

Vogiatzakis said social media should not be an afterthought in terms of brand strategy.

“Many brands decide to ‘do’ social media out of the urgency they feel so as not to lose that bandwagon. They end up simply doing a Facebook page, putting someone in charge who does not know the brand inside out, not allocating the right resources to the effort, and forgeting all the principles that guide successful social media endeavours.

“To be successful, a brand must study the competition — what and how do they do, and then design the best social media campaign that is appropriate for itself and its consumers.

“The brand needs to design relevant platforms that will allow its consumers to engage in the most meaningful way (for them, and therefore for the brands).

Finally, it is critical to remember that social media is not a one-off effort, but a continuous ‘act of love and engagement’ that will never cease to exist as long as consumers and advocates of the brand exist. It is a critical realisation, but a key to success for brands who want to utilise social media for building a better future,” he said.

This article appeared on the Media & Advertising page, The Edge Financial Daily, Feb 16, 2012.