Loic Le Meur states “Make Love Not War”

Well, he didn’t quite say that. Common’ did you really think he would? You all know how shy he is.

But he did say something quite interesting, not long ago, in Miami where I had the pleasure of listening to him make a presentation on social media. You see, Loic Le Meur is the founder of seesmic – a social networking tool and site. During his talk he said that “social media is not a campaign”. And, it got me thinking (and should get you thinking too). It’s also the perfect bookend to my last post on the death of advertise.

He’s right, social media is not a [marketing] campaign. It’s the soul of a marketing campaign, the very heart and essence of what marketers are aiming for when they do campaigns. It’s a connection with their customers that a campaign can only dream about.

A campaign is an act of war. It goes after the customer. Open a magazine – BANG! Turn the channel – BANG! Drive down the street – BANG!

BANG, BANG, BANG! A campaign wants to reach into your eyeballs and your wallet to make you purchase something.

Social media is like an act of love. It’s there, inviting, pulling you in. If you’re interested you will come in. You’ll have a taste. A sample. Even try experiencing what owning the product (or service) might actually be like. You’ll take a virtual ride, read comments by those who’ve tried it, perhaps even talk to them. It’s softer, it’s kinder, it’s less in your face. And, it’s hugely more effective in reaching beyond our rational ability to judge a product and to experience it on a visceral level. Just like love.

So, what do you think? What do you prefer? Love or war?

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