On the corner of Canal Street and West Broadway there's a billboard for Jack Daniels. At the bottom of the ad, where you would usually see the company's website information, it read www.facebook.com/jackdaniels.
This is the ultimate manifestation of the perceived value of word of mouth advertising versus straight marketing from the company. Jack Daniels has a robust website with lots of terrific content for someone who likes whiskey. It's the kind of digital home that promotes brand loyalty. But no one knows that a friend loves Jack Daniels if they visit the website; by contrast, all of a person's friends and acquaintances are alerted if the customer 'likes' the company's facebook page.
Of course, for liquor companies, facebook has an added advantage. The company need not ensure that a customer is 21 or over just to have that person 'like' them. On their own website, Jack Daniels must have users type in their birthdate, presumably to ensure that they are legal to drink. Not only is this a deterrent because it's an extra step, revealing personal information on an alcohol site feels a little creepy.
I wonder, though, how the role of facebook and other similar social networks will change the importance of a company's website, particularly if the product (liquor, for example) is sold through a distribution network versus directly to the customer. From a customer acquisition perspective, it may be a better investment to soup up a strong social media presence, with apps, badges, and plugins, than to build a blockbuster web platform.
After all, you can always do as Jack Daniels is doing: send people to your facebook page rather than your corporate website.
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