Why “SOCIAL” media is unimportant for 90% of brands

I believe social media is pretty unimportant for 90% of brands, as regular readers will know, at least in terms of brands creating their own stream of content on Twitter, facebook et al.

A thought hit me today as to why this is the case.

The clue is in the name: SOCIAL media.

For a given brand, would you really want it involved in your social life?

Would you actually want it to join in a conversation you are having with friends or family?

For myself, if the brand is singer Jamie Cullum, Harlequins rugby club or TV programme 30 Rock, then "yes".

If the brand is Gillette (my shaver), Iams (our catfood) or Kinsgmill (our bread), then a big fat "no".

This is why FMCG as a category is low down in terms of Facebook "likes", whereas entertainment and lifestyle brands are at the top.

Its why 3 of the UK's top 10 grocery brands have no meaningful Facebook presence at all.

And why Twitter is even less important for brands, with followers for a given brand on average 1% the level of facebook likes.