Social media maturation and further industry implications

The paper looks at how mediums mature and the growth in demand for social advertising. By analysing three different tranches of social media campaign types over H2 2011, the paper illustrates that the demand for social advertising outweighs supply, and what this means for the channel.

Much like TV advertising in the 1960s, when ads moved from radio style testimonials with visuals to the entertaining sketch styled ads, social media advertising now needs to adapt to fit the current medium and engage with consumers using the tools available. As we see the growth of social media users beginning to plateau and take on a more organic gradient, advertisers need to be much more strategic to ensure ROI is achieved.

The whitepaper analyses three different tranches of social media campaigns over the second half of 2011 and looks at the varying levels of success based on the length and intricacies of the campaigns.

• Short cycle: a social campaign whose cycle begins with an impression and ends with a click
• Medium cycle: a social campaign whose cycle begins with an impression followed by a click and ends with an onsite conversion or registration
• Long cycle: a social campaign whose cycle begins with an impression followed by a click and ends with an offsite conversion, registration or purchase