After indulging in the first chapter of “Citizen Marketers”, I reflected on how much of an impact we as people make on society and corporations alike. The chapter focused on how we can influence society more so than advertising agencies and marketing companies. We have the power of speech and how we use that is up to us. We are able to market on behalf of whatever we want and show our dislike or passion for it. There are four types of citizen marketers, which are categorized by the four F’s: Filters, Fanatics, Facilitators, and Firecrackers. We as bloggers and citizens can choose to be anyone of these, now it’s time to see which one fits us best.
The Filters: Filters are people who usually produce journalistic work about specific companies, brands and work this information into a blogs or podcasts. These can be in forms of ranting or raving about the item or company and at the same time trying to create a controversy or confrontation. These blogs can be dedicated to specific companies, as Mike Kaltschnee did with his “HackingNetflix” Blog. Kaltschnee will compose points that comment on the Netflix marketing practices and will often describe challenges of their business model. This is not to bash the company but to elaborate on his feelings and opinions toward Netflix. Along with the criticism, he will highlight new movies that are available through the site.
The Fanatics: These are the people who are believers in the product, brand, company or person. These people love to analyze their passion and produce it for people to comment and read. They are here to criticize but also to bring hope to their cause. When I think of a fanatic, I picture the millions of Twilight websites or blogs devoted to the series. Though these sites reflect the personal fanatic traits they have helped market for the book, movies, and merchandise. There is even a blog outlet just for the twilight bloggers.
The Facilitators: “the community creators”. These kinds of marketers create online communities for product information and support so the public can gain knowledge and ask questions. This can be seen in the iphone world. There are many sites where people have their questions asks through other users or facts on the online community site. Facilitators can also make fan sites to connect with other fans, or have a site dedicated to a specific brand. My cousin belongs to a site like the one discussed in the book, for MINI COOPER owners. This site contains information on the car, new innovations, and news forums. It contains anything you could possibly ask for if you lived in a community of mini cooper owners.
The Firecrackers: These marketers are categorized as the one hit wonders. They can publish something that can catch on quick and create a lot of buzz. This can promote anything and many marketing companies try to do this for attention when coming out with a new product. This may stick in people’s heads and be remembered enough to be used in other ways. I remember seeing a video last year of the dancing wedding procession. This YouTube video went wild after it was released and many people down loaded the song playing the background, “Forever “by Chris Brown. The video was even copied on the popular and hilarious show, “The Office”.
This just goes to show how easy it is to be a citizen marketer as our technology becomes more and more advanced. As we become more comfortable using our abilities and opinions to share with others we will find that our voice is heard by millions. Well I am off to do my own firecracker marketing in a form of a dance video; my goal is to be a guest on Ellen Degeneras Show. Wish me luck!
I feel that to become a citizen marketer on the internet one has to be passionate about the product/service. Without the passion there is no drive to share the news with others. People that share their bad experiences with strangers on the internet do so because it is extreme or it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
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