The Medium is the Message

Marshal McLuhan is arguably one of the greatest intellects Canada has ever produced. McLuhan is famous for tagging the line “The Medium is the Message”. This line, as simple as it seems is still relevant today, years after McLuhan’s passing. I wonder what Marshal would be saying today, considering all the technological advancements and the fact that social media has become a part of so many people’s lives.  What would Marshal say about Facebook, twitter or blogging for example. How would he feel about citizen journalism, and the movement of ordinary citizens creating the news?   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orm-urRidH8

My smart phone is changing the way I communicate with my friends and loved ones. Receiving text messages and tweets can still put the humanization in modern day communication. A debate I recently heard was how much personality brands should demonstrate through their social media outlets. The side in favor of personality argues that social media is a medium that brands can use to be more relaxed and informal with their customers. This sort of communication they argue helps humanize the brand and allows customers to feel connected in a different way than they are traditionally used to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNhRCRAL6sY

One argument against using too much personality for a brand in social media is what happens when the personality goes away. When this happens who maintains the personality and the image that the social media manager has created for the brand.

Both of these points are valid and need to be considered when your brand is making the switch to include social media in your communication strategy. Because having Facebook and Twitter does show your customers that your company is willing to embrace organizational change and stay connected through a variety of mediums. I personally am in favor of show casing a personality for a brand. I think that this gives a brand an alternative identity and that this can be especially effective when targeting younger demographics. Because there is such a small percentage of the global population on Twitter, I would recommend as a business starting with Facebook. Facebook is relatively easy to use and navigate and it can help create awareness of your campaign, product or service. Practicing good business and having fun Mr. McLuhan, now what do you think about that?