The year started really good. There are a few directions I have noticed going on:

  • Companies moving away from the “like and share” model, as they find out likes do not translate into sales. The smart ones (Coca Cola, Milka) started experimenting with content created for social media.
  • Companies still chasing the like and share model, mostly because they refuse to hire a social media expert or hired an inexperienced one. And it’s pretty simple to offer a prize for liking a page than create and follow a social media strategy, because it require money and time.
  • Some self-proclaimed social media experts and influencers have found themselves  without a job, as they are shun away from social media plans and campaigns. Some of them rode the “write about any company that pays me” road for two or three years. Some got fired. Some found honest jobs.
  • There are still money to be spent, but companies are paying close attention to how they spend it, which is a very good thing.
  • Twitter is pretty much dead in Romania, with only 14.000 users. Facebook has close to 6 million.
  • There are not so many ads on Facebook, as people prefer the more traditional ones from Google. Facebook and Google have about a third of the online budget in Romania (estimated).
  • Negative campaigns are on the rise. Did you find out about a competitor launching a product tomorrow? Run a negative story about them in the newspapers or on Facebook. And there’s a lot of money in such filth.

 

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