Social Networking Can Boost Your Brand

I read a great article this week on Buzz Networker by Kevin Palmer called The Cult of Personality: A Case Study on Popularity on the Social Web.  This post gives an in-depth analysis of how four celebrity brands, Dane Cook, OK Go, Brad Listi and Tila Tequila, used social networking to create and promote their brands.

Here’s a quick overview of Kevin’s observations:

Dane Cook used a personal website, MySpace and Friendster.com to bump his struggling career as a stand-up comic into a successful brand eventually landing three movie roles in 2007, a development deal with HBO and two platinum comedy albums.

OK Go used a dance gimmick, YouTube and MySpace to drive awareness of their brand ultimately boosting record sales by 182%.  Even if the name “OK Go” doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably seen the OK Go treadmill dance on YouTube.  If not, take a look below.

Brad Listi used MySpace to generate interest in his novel, Attention. Deficit. Disorder. in 2006.  His efforts paid off when he found his book on the Los Angeles Times Bestseller List despite the publisher’s meager promotional budget.

Tila Tequila was an early adopter of MySpace and used it to create an entire career for herself.  She branded herself as a scantily-clad “friend” and has extended her brand and web presence to include selling posters, a clothing line, promoting products and more.  Most recently, she landed her own reality show on MTV, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.

It just goes to show that social networking can effectively boost awareness and recognition of your brand and is an essential part of any marketing plan in today’s world of Web 2.0.  How could your brand benefit from some social networking?  If you haven’t implemented a social networking plan yet, there’s no better time than the present.

You can read Kevin’s full social networking and branding post on Buzz Networker.  He provides great insight into these interesting success stories.