Marketing to Generation B(ebo)

Last month I talked about Facebook, and how it can be used to as an marketing channel. This month we look at Bebo.  Bebo is the Facebook for the younger generation. Statistics show that the average user age is 12 – 17 year olds.  This generation have a number of important and interesting characteristics – they are young, independent, “grown up”, want to be in the now of things and also more importantly want to belong.

They are people who want to communicate their thoughts, ideas, share their stories as they happen.  They gossip, they spread news, they like to follow trends.  They are ideal to expose your brand to. As such, like Facebook, using Bebo is not about selling, it’s about creating a sense of belonging.  A warning – if you project the wrong image or try to sell to this market they are likely to crush your brand.  Remember they like to express themselves and express they will.

So what is bebo and how do you use it?

Bebo, is a social networking site where people create profiles and add pictures, friends and applications to their pages (often called widgets – take note of this it’s important).  They can customise their profile with “skins” – this is another key point to remember.  Friends can leave comments on your wall, take part in quizzes and send you private messages.  The “fun” aspect of Bebo is discovering friends through your existing friends.  You might not realise that John knows Mary who knows Maria. By browsing friends’  friends you open up your network. By its very nature it’s viral … at this point I hope your mind is thinking of the potential of this…

An example

A teen fashion store decides to create a bebo page. They know that their target market are members of bebo.  They create a page advertising all of their special offers, marketing like crazy and hope that people will join them.  Ask yourself, you’re 15 into fashion, what’s in it for you to add this person as a friend – quite frankly nothing.

Retailer number two comes along – a mobile phone company.  They know again that their market is on bebo, they know that their market access bebo both on pcs and on their mobiles.  They also know that this market like to accessorise and upgrade, but they are very conscious of over spending on their phones.  They create a special offer, add them as a friend and they will receive a code for free credit.  A handful of people join, they tell their friends, who tell their friends.  The phone company now have over 1,000 followers within days.  They run two competitions – fone foto frolics – upload photos taken with your phone doing what you do best – living live to the full.  Best photo gets a prize.  Now people begin to belong, they begin to share, they begin to compete.  Next up they decide to create a weekly video series called - a mini soap opera about teens. This builds interest and gets people to come back to the profile week after week.  Finally they get a number of “skins” developed that people can use on their own profiles.

What’s happened above? The phone company “got” their target market. They realised their culture, their needs and wants. They understood that Bebo is a different medium, one where one has to be creative and grab the attention of an audience who have a limited concentration span if something does not interest them.

To take things a step further. Widgets or mini applications can be created for Bebo pages that allow interaction and further engagement for visitors. These applications can be shared and added to users pages – again this get’s your brand across to many users without them consciously realising it.  You’re not selling them anything, simply becoming part of their generation and culture.