Positive bias

My regular Friday column this week in Spain’s leading financial daily, Expansión, is called “Positive bias” (pdf in Spanish), and, within the limits of a 290-word piece in print media, briefly explores the way traditional interruption advertising tries to capture our attention compared with how social media marketing works.

Interruption is still something we would rather avoid however much we understand that it finances content. The alternative is a conversational model, something that is there when we need it, and although some reminders are still necessary to create brand awareness. In short, we tend to prefer non-intrusive models, or those that allow us to voluntarily share information about the company voluntarily.

In the end, positive bias, in terms of taking a product or service into consideration, purchasing it, or recommending, it comes about through the referential value that the brand achieves via interaction we appreciate, accruing value not as a result of our being hassled, and what’s more, on many occasions has come to our attention as a result of somebody we know or trust endorsing it.

Different formats for a medium still very much in the development stage. Below, the text in full:

Positive bias

Every time we advertise or promote a product we are trying to create positive bias among the target client’s preference: our goal is for the client to take us into account, to buy our product, or to recommend it to others.

There is no magic formula for generating positive bias. It depends on the client and their characteristics, the type of product, and other factors. But what does seem certain is that many of the models we used to work with no longer function. Models based on interruption, for example, pretty much worn out: the first time a potential customer sees an advertisement, he or she might show some interest. But very few advertisements stand repeated viewing: indifference can soon turn to hostility.

Social media marketing is a response to the need to create positive feedback based on different mechanisms: you are going to prefer me because when you want to talk to me, I am there, and I inspire confidence and trust. We have grown so used to businesses not treating us like people that when they do we are pleasantly surprised… to the extent that it can make us positively biased toward them or their services.

A number of studies show that a Facebook Like correlates with a greater inclination to take a product into consideration, to purchase it, or to recommend it. Businesses that we have relationships with, those that when you ask them a question, answer directly; instead of after making you listen to interminable recorded messages asking you to press this or that number for this or that service. In other words, we tend to have a positive bias toward businesses we perceive as human.

In the end, the whole thing boils down to treating people as people, and this can be done through technologies that allow for conversations. Social media marketing? It’s simply a model based on our tendency to create relationships, and one that can prompt positive bias.

(En español, aquí)