Media Forum: Is Facebook overhyped?

view of poking, given the fact that he paid $580 million last
year to buy last year's Facebook equivalent, the poke-free zone that is
MySpace.

Poking is, of course, the term used by Facebook members for the means
they use to attract each other's attention, though regrettably some of
the community's more juvenile minds have wilfully misinterpreted this.
For instance, the fastest-growing Facebook group currently (more than
200,000 members and counting) is the one entitled: "Enough With The
Poking, Let's Just Have Sex."

While MySpace, its main rival in the social networking space, still
feels at heart like a post-hippy commune of sensitive musicians,
Facebook has more of a frat house feel, as befits its origins as an
electronic version of the Harvard University yearly staff and student
directory.

It is, quite simply, the media sensation of 2007 - and in its rapid dash
to attract more than 20 million users worldwide, it has edged aside
previous flavours of the month such as MySpace and the Google-owned
YouTube. What's more, if you believe some of the hysteria it's currently
dragging in its wake, you'll be in no doubt that advertisers should be
dropping everything in the rush to find some sort of a way to become
involved.

Should we believe the hype? In search of an answer, our first instinct
was to give Robert Horler, the managing director of Diffiniti, a
Facebook-style intimate nudge. He responds: "It's true that people are
currently flocking to Facebook, but if you asked me if, this time next
year, the favourite social networking site is going to be Facebook, then
I'd say, probably not."

He also believes that many users of social networking sites are actually
hostile towards advertising. "So if you are thinking about this as a
marketing environment, you have to exercise a huge amount of caution. It
remains very difficult to target the consumer in this environment," he
says.

That's pretty much how Niku Banaie, the managing partner of Naked, sees
things, too. He says: "It is an interesting place to observe how people
use these platforms, but whether or not it is a good advertising vehicle
is debatable. It's easy to forget that the power is in the hands of
users as never before. It's like if there's you and your mates down the
pub and you're having a great time when this weirdo jumps in and starts
trying to tell you stuff. You're all going to start saying, 'Who the
hell does this guy think he is?' Advertisers should be wary of pitching
into spaces like Facebook just because they're popular."

Normally, Wayne Arnold, the European chief executive of Profero, would
agree with much of that. But, in this case, he argues that you really do
have to dispense with caution. "Facebook is worth every bit of the
hype," he argues. "It's got it right on the button. MySpace was all
about me. Facebook is all about me and my friends and the people I know
- and in that sense it reflects what we do socially in the real world.
It does that in the most beautifully simple way. As for the commercial
angle, if you offer them something for free and let then make the
decision as to whether they want to talk further or not, it can really
work."

Which is pretty much the view of Kevin Heery, the digital development
director for IPC Ignite!. He says that the route chosen by many
advertisers - sponsoring game-playing applications called widgets - will
keep everybody happy. He concludes: "I know there have been Facebook
groups created by people who haven't been enjoying what's been
happening. But I think that opening it up to commercial interests has
been a stroke of genius. At the moment, everyone seems to win - and it
has certainly shaken up the whole business."

YES - Robert Horler, managing director, Diffiniti

"As an advertising opportunity, it certainly is. I have yet to see any
compelling evidence about how Facebook users might become engaged with
ads. Most users are at best ambivalent towards advertising." and many
are actively hostile to its appearance in this environment."

YES - Niku Banaie, managing partner, Naked

"Advertisers will try to grasp what they perceive to be the next big
thing. People are leaving Facebook because of this - they're unhappy
that something they regarded as theirs has become a commercial
venue."

NO - Wayne Arnold, European chief executive, Profero

"People understand there's a trade-off. You get the service for free and
in exchange there are brands wanting to talk to you. It's only when you
do it in a bad way that you annoy people."

NO - Kevin Heery, digital development director, IPC Ignite!

"There's a new widget appearing almost every day. The users get
something new to play with and the site is improved without Facebook
having to pay for it. I know some users aren't entirely happy - but at
the moment, just about everyone seems to win."

- Got a view? E-mail us at campaign@haymarket.com.