Timeline Takes Product Placement to a New Level

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For 22 years they existed only in the year 2015 on Marty McFly’s feet.” That is, until 2011, when  Michael J. Fox, who played Marty McFly in the film, partnered with Nike and eBay to raise funds for his foundation. Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991. The Nike Air Mag shoes, featured in the 1989 film Back to the Future II, were reproduced in limited quantity and auctioned on eBay in one of the most brilliant cause marketing campaigns to date. The Michael J. Fox Foundation raised $5.7 million with the campaign that took product placement “back to the future”.

What does product placement have to do with Facebook? Plenty! Don’t think of it as product placement, but rather product integration. The new timeline, scheduled to be rolled out by the end of the year, will dramatically change the look of brand pages on Facebook.  An example of what a brand page could look like can be seen on this mock-up sample page for the New York Yankees.

As you can see, pages will likely be much more visual. The role of storytelling and images as marketing tools will continue to increase as brand pages shift to the timeline. A few keys to adapting to the timeline include:

●      Tell a visual tale: Adding images that pop to your storytelling will help draw your audience in to your brand story.

●      Sparkling content: To graduate from the new ticker status, content needs to be something special. News Feed will still remain at the heart of Facebook success for brands.

●      Tabs: We suspect that custom tabs will remain for brand pages so continue to use fan-gated and custom welcome tabs to introduce your brand to new users.

In addition to this, fans of your brand will also be able to better share your brand’s story too. Facebook is amping up page’s social proof with a new feature. Now any content fans provide about your brand could show up when their friends visit your brand page making your brand more relevant to a smaller circle of friends. This is seen in the Friends activity tab. Have you noticed the box that pops up asking if you would like to recommend a page recently? These recommendations will be tied to the consumer’s connections and help endorse your brand too.

The bottom line is that this interaction between brand and consumer will help both parties know each other better. This means unlimited possibilities for the future of marketing and advertising. As consumer insights are delivered by the consumer, brands will be able to better meet their wants and needs. The nostalgia provided through the timeline will propel brands into the future.

More information related to this article can be found here:

http://mashable.com/2011/09/27/facebooktimelinepages/#27451TheNewYorkYankees

http://mashable.com/2011/09/22/facebookschangesmarketers/

Post written by Tia Marie Kemp aka @TiaMarieKemp. To learn more from fbadz.com, become a fan!

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