Last week Facebook released a new feature which allows people to tag Pages or Brands in their photos the same way they tag their friends. The only difference is you do not have to be a fan of the Brand in order to tag it. Once these photos are tagged they will appear on the photos tab on the brands Page.
Facebook says the idea behind this feature is that it “enables people to share richer stories with friends about the things they interact with in the real-world, such as businesses, brands, celebrities, and musicians.”
There was much discussion as to whether this would take off or not as have you ever had the urge to tag the 7up bottle you’re drinking or the King Crisps your eating? Apparently so! Numerous pictures of tagged Coca Cola cans can now be seen on Coca Colas Facebook Page similarly with Starbucks.
Facebook have also suggested that in the near future brands will be able to tag the photos themselves not just people taking the idea of product placement a step further. The marketing implications appear to be beneficial to all companies regardless of size. Large companies such as Coca Cola and Starbucks can sit back and let their loyal customers do the advertising for them on social media sites which will cost the big brands nothing.
For smaller business this could play a role in increasing brand awareness, through networking it will allow the company or product to be seen by a wider audience. This could potentially decrease the need for Facebook Advertising.
Benefits of this new feature for brands include:
However, a few potential flaws regarding this new feature have already been highlighted, isn’t it only a matter of time before this feature is misused? That Sprite will be tagged as 7up, that Budweiser will be tagged at a Heineken Cup match or even Bulmers being tagged in a photo with minors. What will be the implication then and will Facebook beable to contol them.
