IBM Ad Clueless on Social Media
This new IBM commercial on YouTube sends a polarizing message that dismisses social networking as a waste of time. The reason I show this - the commercial somehow capsulizes a common reaction a Web 2.0-centric or blogging real estate professional gets from their colleagues... "why are you doing this?"
I'm assuming since the ad passed the focus groups (IBM always uses focus groups), most people either liked or could relate to the commercial. I myself find it arrogant and puts IBM, a maker of social software, in a distinctly "not getting it" light. Even the casting of the scary cold, business-suited female boss and the "I don't want to work here" slacker dude perpetuates unseemly stereotypes. Unbelievable this actually passed IBM marketing, which btw, seems to have posted the commercial on YouTube along with other IBM commercials under the name IBMEIC.
But that's me... what do you think? As a real estate professional, can you relate to this? Please comment, even a Twitter-like "I thought it was arrogant too", or "I can relate to it" will demonstrate how polarized the industry is to social media (although you readers may be the choir Transparent is preaching to).
Not sure it’s all that insulting. I see it as a "nudge" to get more focused on quality in social media instead of using it as some sort of bizarre collection exercise.
I have twitter followers who are following thousands of people. I don't know them and they aren't RE people. Why follow me? I’m not THAT interesting.
I'm pretty sure that they aren't able to keep up or even care what their network has to say. They are just engaged in a numbers exercise. Wasting a good tool – I think that’s IBM’s point.
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I think it made it through to the target group, but missed the mark globally. I actually do have access via social media to those folks.
However, IBM isn't really a end user kind of company - they want the buyer reps from Fortune 500. Dell / HP is for us slacker dudes who enjoy social media.
I think the commercial is bad and verging on insulting, but I also agree that there are too many employees sitting around on company time FaceBooking and twittering about stuff that has nothing to do with what they are getting paid to do.
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Like Dave, I don't see the ad as off base from a corporate perspective. We can use SOCIAL media like chit-chat around the watercooler, or to target like-minded people who may offer the opportunity for business connections.
Like so many things, one can focus on quality or quantity. The guy in the ad is obviously using his "work" time to connect on a social level rather than on a business level. I think it's fair for his boss to want/expect to use those connections to gain business - since he's doing it on company time.
As Realtors®, the "company" time being spent is our own company. If it's all social and not enough business (learning & connecting with potential clients), then we're wasting OUR company's time by standing around the Web 2.0 water cooler.
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I had a similar reaction when I saw the commercial for the first time. I was waiting for the guy to take down the kind of person his boss was looking for, throw it on Twitter, and find 3 exact matches. It made me wonder, how is she going to find her team? Everything takes effort, but the worker at least has 826 "friends" who would likely help if they knew the exact person he was looking for.
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I agree with Dave and Elaine's comments above. I think the commercial is more intended at questioning the value of having a mass number of social media contacts that has little value to actual business goals of a company.
It really is no different then sitting around the water cooler.
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I think it does send a mixed message. Their Lotus Connections product is like a corporate version of Facebook (profile pages, ability to set up communities for employees with shared interests, etc.). So they're making fun of the term 'social networking' when that is exactly what their product does. Confusing.
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That slacker should have tabbed over to LinkedIn, entered the her criteria and started rattling off names.
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It's interesting to see that IBM profiles itself as a company for 'old folks'. But isn't that what they have been like all along?
Mirjam
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I think that the ad's message is that IBM is the "social network" that helps pull together a team of highly qualified professionals to work together to accomplish complex business goals.
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Face it, the culture at IBM is the antithesis of Social Media. The mentality is all bureaucratic all the time.
Thinking outside of the box is a threat in their culture.
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I watched the video a few times and I'm torn because like many have said, IBM has similar tools they promote and the message is lost on those of us who are actually connected to the SM world. I anticipated the punch line would be his immediate plugging in to twitter or linkedin and having an answer immediately and punking the stiff boss but no.
On the other hand, Benn and I met an IBM big whig at a Social Media Club meeting (go figure) who talked about his struggle to bring social media to the forefront of the IBM culture. It's happening here in Austin and many are trying to embrace it and I believe he and his coworkers would be embarrassed by this ad.
*However* I think that this commercial actually applies to the great majority of people using SM tools who just fart around on FB friend collecting. It takes an actual skill to be a connector and I spend time connecting others that doesn't add to my pocketbook but makes me a resource in AND outside of the real estate world.
I predict that IBM will actually succeed with this commercial despite the condescending tone.
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I echo what John Harper says above about the "slacker dude" tabbing over to LinkedIn. I work with people ALL the time that understand and utilize the importance of multiple networking utilities not just one or two *cough* (MySpace)
The perceived idea in the message sent across is a bit narrow minded in it's prejudice towards what is a huge generation gap. Whatever... they have a solution to sell, right?
As a side note: a short while back, my broker stood over my desk and said to me "I'm going to have to get you to spend a little more time away from that the computer" This was happening while I was in the middle of IM with a client negotiating the asking price of an offer I had just received. Dumbfounded and misunderstood by his approach, I could not even respond.
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Pat: I'm surprised the focus groups would agree to featuring such an uninspired IBM employee--and an unsolved problem (especially when the solution might have been wrapped inside the dilemma).
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Given that this message comes from the makers of such software disasters as Websphere and DisplayWrite, I guess I should take more offense than I do.
Actually, I'm just jealous because I don't have 826 friends.
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I am also torn. There certainly is value in SN sites, but at the same time, slacker dude should have been able to toss out something... unless he really isn't using the SN media for business purposes.
So, in that sense the ad is right on, there are a lot of people in the corporate world that are completely mis-using Social Networking. And their mis-use means that they would be better off doing something less efficient that would at least be accomplishing something.
However, it would have been better to show the wide reach of a good network... but that isn't a message that is beneficial to IBM's product line.
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