I recently presented a webinar with the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), “The Medium Is NOT the Message: Social Media Analytics Deliver Insights Beyond Social Monitoring.” It’s a play on Marshall McLuhan’s famous statement that “the medium is the message.” And, really, I don’t disagree with his assessment that the characteristics of any substantial media channel — TV or digital, eg — transform society as much or more by their very existence as by the content that passes through them. Social media and other digital communication are changing the way we live…

But from a marketing standpoint — and we’re in the business of providing consumer intelligence — his point is academic or even wrong. With media channels fragmenting at a staggering pace, the Holy Grail of marketing is the unifying insight. We seek a truth or message that can transcend media, that we can plug into an integrated campaign, from a Facebook fan page to a billboard on the highway.

I chose this topic for our first ARF webinar because I see too many marketers looking to social media  to inform only their social media efforts. Insights from social can drive every aspect of marketing: campaign strategy to product innovation.

To get the whole story, view the webinar here:

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9oKoBE1veY

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ_8G9w8pkY

Part 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTgav1bmDhc

Part 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y80XV3ZxJHI

ARF members can view it on their site, but we’re pleased to make this freely available to anyone who’s interested. The full description is at bottom of this post. But first, a word on why we recently joined ARF, who co-presented the webinar…

The Advertising Research Foundation is a pillar of the research community. They’ve helped move the industry forward and set standards for the last 74 years. The field of social media analytics is coming of age, and we’re pleased to have a seat at the table to move the industry forward and guide its development alongside the other members of ARF.

The Medium Is NOT the Message: Social Media Analytics Deliver Insights Beyond Social Monitoring
Presented by: Dan Neely, Founder and CEO of Networked Insights

This informative webinar will describe the current state of social media analytics and provide case studies to illustrate real-world applications of analytics for market research. Learn:

• How analytics can deliver insights to provide core marketing research and drive strategy.
• The difference between listening (strategic and proactive) and monitoring (tactical and reactive).
• How analytics contrast with and complement traditional market research.
• How analytics can inform essential marketing use cases, such as campaign strategy, campaign evaluation, advising digital ad spend, and driving innovation.
• How the world has changed since Marshall McLuhan’s proclamation that “the medium is the message.”

If you’re just listening to consumers in social media online to drive social media tactics, you’re missing out on the real value of social media data: the largest focus group that’s ever existed. (And if you’re not yet listening online, learn why you should be.)

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Romance, travel, money, and drama. The world of social media has it all.

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The effects are undeniable. People are social by nature. The ways in which we communicate with one another are changing. Social media makes us more efficient (or less productive, depending on the individual) and big companies are taking advantage.

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It seems like Facebook and Twitter are everywhere: TV, movies, car shows, even retirement homes. Despite all the news, not all is well in the world of social media — once-blue skies go cloudy, as privacy and security concerns continue run rampant.

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Sometimes enhancements, updates, accolades, and coordination aren’t necessarily good things. Social continues to march on, but are we getting smarter or just more emotional?

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The big players are getting bigger, but we’re worried about security, privacy, and the government AND we’re getting nickel-and-dimed to death in the process.

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