Social media influencing media planning

Social media influencing media planning
Companies are increasingly shifting their marketing strategies towards newer forms of social media.

Traditional marketing techniques, such as email, are being usurped by more fluid social media techniques, according to New Media Age.

Ice cream firm Ben & Jerry´s have become one of the first leading brands to ditch their monthly email newsletter to customers after feedback told them they would much prefer connecting with the brand via social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Ben & Jerry´s will now send out just one email update each year and switch to a new media presence on networking sites.

"Developing friendship and a relationship is key for us and social media is the best place for that," Vicky Willis, Ben & Jerry´s senior brand manager, told the news provider.

But Felix Velarde, managing director of eCRM and digital agency Underwired, warned that significantly reducing email marketing would be to ignore a large section of customers.

"There are fairly compelling arguments for focusing on social platforms but perhaps only for younger people who do not use email in the same way as older people do. To switch off a channel that is used by large swathes of people seems premature," he told the news resource.

The ice cream maker has also created an iPhone app, called Scoop of Happiness.

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