Social media demands commitment

Marketers must avoid the hype of social media and commit to the long-term relationship they create in the medium, according to a panel at Ad:tech. The social media panel yesterday evening (16 March) featuring Telstra's executive director of relationship marketing Karen Ganschow, Nielsen director of analytics Mark Higginson, Fox Interactive Media executive director of business development Nick Love, and Mindshare global head of social media Ciaran Norris, said marketers need to understand the objectives for social media and manage expectations about metrics in the burgeoning area. Ganschow said: "Social media is a courtship not a one night stand. It's an ongoing relationship but in order to create relevant engagement and you must have a plan for how you engage. These relationships should be learn social media marketing nurtured and ongoing, they shouldn't just be left at the end of the campaign." Nielsen's Higginson said: "It's important to be clear about what you as a brand want to get out of social media. You have to remember the campaign is not the party but the invitation and you have to keep the party going. From a consumer point of view you may exit the space but the conversation hasn't stopped, you can't dip in and out – you have to keep going." Fox Interactive Media's Love called for greater analytics and data about social media that show how it converts to other metrics. Higginson said Nielsen will focus on ROI in social media over the next year and would work to incorporate data, such as findings from the measurement company's deal with Facebook to measure changes in consumer perceptions importance of social media marketing of brand attributes of people who see ads on Facebook. "We're ultimately trying to stick all the metrics and data together, we're still a number of years away from that," he said. "When it comes to feeding back value of social media, clients must be educated that the metrics are still soft and to manage expectations that buzz converts to sales. We need to keep a lid on the hype."

Turkish activists present list of demands; police arrest 25 over social media use

In a move to defuse the tension, the deputy prime minister met with a group whose attempt to prevent authorities from ripping up trees in Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square has snowballed into nationwide protests against what demonstrators see as Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule. Police have deployed water cannons and tear gas has clouded the country's city centres. The Ankara-based Human Rights Association says close to 1,000 people have been injured and more than 3,300 people have been detained over five days of protests. The activist group denounced Erdogan's “vexing” style and urged social media marketing agencies the government to halt Taksim Square redevelopment plans, ban the use of tear gas by police, immediately release detained protesters and lift restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly. It also demanded that officials responsible for the violent crackdown be removed from office. The protests appear to have developed spontaneously and remain leaderless. It was not at all certain that the tens of thousands of protesters would heed any call by the group to cease. The group of academics, architects and environmentalists, known as the “Taksim Solidarity Platform,” was formed to try to keep Taksim Square from redevelopment, including the rebuilding of an Ottoman army barracks and a shopping mall. The protests were sparked by fury over a heavy-handed pre-dawn police raid Friday to roust activists camping out in an attempt to stop the plans. Protests appeared to calm a bit on Wednesday, even as thousands of trade union members on a two-day strike marched to Taksim and into central Ankara. Some demonstrations were jovial. In Ankara, protesters sarcastically called themselves “looters,” a reference to Erdogan's earlier characterization of the demonstrators. A sign on a stall in Taksim search and social media marketing providing free food and water read “Revolution Market.” There were scattered violent clashes overnight on roads leading to Erdogan's offices in Ankara and Istanbul, as well as in the city of Antakya, near the Syrian border, where a protester was killed Wednesday from an apparent blow to the head. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who is standing in for Erdogan while he is on a trip to Northern Africa, has offered an olive branch to protesters, apologizing for what he said was a “wrong and unjust” crackdown on the sit-in. Erdogan had inflamed protesters, calling them an extremist fringe, and refusing to back away from plans to revamp Taksim.

Know Nido Tania, victim of racial attack, social media demands justice

Nido Tania was a shy guy, but he was suddenly provoked when the shopkeeper of a paneer bhandar in Lajpat Nagar market, made fun of his coloured hairdo. "I think when the shopkeeper made fun of his hairstyle, he could not take it. Otherwise he was never violent", said Tayu Hage, 23, a close friend of the Arunachal Pradesh MLA's son. Nido first stujdied in Ramakrishna Mission School in Deomali, and then moved to DPS Panipar after completing social media marketing applications his Class X. He got himself admitted to Lovely Professional University to pursue BA in sociology. "Nido was one of my simplest friends. He like to go the gym, loved wearing fashionable clothes and accessories. I cannot speak anymore", said Rickam, a childhood friend. Meanwhile three pages called Justice For Nido Tania have come up on social media in the past 24 hours. These pages share messages condemning the racial attacks on people from Northeast, and also give out details of protests and candlelight vigils in Delhi. One of the shared messages is addressed to "fellow citizens of India". The message says "If we dress like a Rock star because we are born with Music and are talented. Is there any wrong?" One post says "Come to our region.. we will take you around our neighbours and will marketing using social media try to be your best companions instead of giving you names". Meanwhile a delegation of Northeast students met Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday evening and demanded action against the culprits. Kejriwal promised to take up the matter with Delhi Police.