Derrick Metzler: Social Media Innovation

Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

I realized something for the first time today, Apple has very little- if any, presence on facebook other than pages created by users (which are not in short supply). There is one page titled, Apple Inc., which simply quotes the description of the company from wikipedia. It’s unclear whether it was actually created by Apple or not, and while there are no wall posts, links, or anything to capture your attention, 544,919 people like this page.

Holden, on the other hand, a small company from Portland, OR that produces high-end snowboard clothing boasts a very impressive website and facebook presence. For starters, their website features videos of snowboarders wearing every article of clothing they sell. In addition, their facebook page features tons of photos and videos posted both by the company and their fans (which total just under 5,000).

In this situation, Holden has clearly done a better job utilizing social media. They attract a strong niche market and build loyalty through quality service and products (I once received a jacket from them, valued at $300, for free because they felt bad it was on back order for over a month). Apple, however, is obviously the recognizable brand. Perhaps some of Apple’s lack of social media presence has to do with the fact that they have been around longer than social media. They became successful before facebook, and now their presence is simply unimportant. They have enough fans who produce very detailed blogs about every new product, even rumor of new product, and updates within the company that the effort on Apples part is unnecessary.