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c h a p t e r10: SOCIAL OBJECTS■Worth noting in both of these examples is that they aren’t so much examples of
marketing alignments with popular issues as they are legitimate efforts to address wor-
thy causes that are aligned with the values and missions of the companies involved and
the people in the markets they serve. Tyson feeds families, and so feeding families that
are sometimes unable to feed themselves is directly related to its own operations. Aircel
describes itself as a “pioneer” and is clearly part of the next-generation of Indians. That
this next generation should also be able to witness first-hand—and not in a zoo, or worse,
an encyclopedia—the amazing presence of India’s national symbol fits right into that.
Here’s a great test that you can apply when thinking about building around a
cause: Poll ten random employees in your business as to how some specific cause is con-
nected to your business. If you get nine decent responses, you’re onto something. If not,
keep looking (for causes, not employees to quiz).Create New Social Objects
There are times when a ready-made social object that fits your business objectives and
strategy simply doesn’t exist. Perhaps you can’t find a relevant connection, or maybe your
specific business objective really warrants its own purpose-built social space. While many
brands, products and services aren’t “big enough” to stand as the central object around
which a large participant base will form (at least not for the right reasons!), defining a
specific set of social activities for a particular subset may be a viable approach. In these
cases, you may be well-served by building your social space—for example, by setting
your brand, product, or service as the “social object” or as a direct enabler of it.
There is a distinct upside to building around your own business: The connection
between the community you ultimately develop and your business is already in place and
is obvious to the participants, since otherwise they wouldn’t be there. At the same time,
building your own social object will also present some unique challenges. Compared
with social objects that are founded in a lifestyle, passion, or cause, a social object built
around a brand, product, or service can be tougher to pull off, and equally challenging
to sustain. This follows from the working definition of “social object” that the chapter
opened with: something inherently talkworthy, around which people will naturally con-
gregate and converse. You’ve got to get your brand, product, or service (up) to this level.
Why is this so tough? Working with TV or print to create a message with your
brand at the center seems so easy that it can be hard to understand why taking the
same tack on the Social Web doesn’t work nearly as well. Part of the answer is that
with traditional media the hard part—the creative work—is outsourced to an agency.
Beyond reviewing it (and being held responsible for the consequences of bad creative
work in addition to the glory of great work), the complexity of traditional media devel-
opment is largely hidden. With social media, it’s the implementation that is tough, and
in particular it’s the development and continued contributions to a blog or the ongoing
duties of your in-house community managers that challenge most organizations.