I had an aha-moment yesterday. I was sitting in class listening to Steve Lee, the chairman at Quicksilver interactive, when he said a few words that made me think: “We naturally function in tribes.”
I don’t have a degree in psychology, but I often think about why people do the things they do. Why do people follow fashion trends, why do people buy certain brands, and why do people participate in silly things such as no-pants-day?
Lee’s words hit the nail on the head. People function in tribes. From the moment we enter a family, a class room, or a job we’re part of a group. It’s a form of social identity that is very important to our existence. An article on Psyblog says: “When we’re in a group, other people have an incredibly powerful effect on us. Groups can kill our creativity, inspire us to work harder, allow us to slack off, skew our decision-making and make us clam up.” Being part of a group makes us stronger. We can achieve more together and be silly together:
Lee said we seek other people ‘like ourselves’ for support and confirmation. We trust each other more than brands or governments. These are very important concepts in understanding the roots of social media and its potential role for public relations. A company or brand that wants to become part of a group, needs to gain the trust of the group. It’s not about broadcasting a message anymore, it’s about connecting and engaging with the group. I was surprised to learn that some companies hire a large staff to connect and engage with consumers on social media. Lee told us that Gatorade, for example, has a room of 60 people that constantly listen to social media. They check Twitter feeds, Facebook updates, blog posts and Google trends to respond to and connect with the consumers.
Gatorade is setting a great example, but many companies are not there yet. Even though 83% of adults in North America use the internet, Lee said it can be challenging to get an organization to understand the importance of social media. A few years ago, many companies made the mistake of hiring fresh-out-of college youngsters to help them understand Twitter and Facebook. However, knowing how to use something does not mean you can apply it professionally. To be successful with social media, Lee said, a company needs a goal and a strategy. That’s why PR students are not only expected to understand social media, but also how to apply social media tools to business strategies.
