MySpace or Yours?
April 21st, 2009 | by Jen |Social networking sites have revolutionized the way people connect, reconnect and interact. Not only do they make it easier for stalkers to do what they do best, but they also give those who are socially inept a way to be…well, social (while still, of course, being inept if they so choose). Then there are a few normal folks on there, like those of us here at Intergalactic Post Advertising HQ, who use it to stay in touch with old friends. That’s all we use it for. Really.
This week on Battle of the Brands, the two biggest ones square off.
MySpace vs. Facebook
Now what I’m about to say some of you may disagree with. If you do, please refrain from throwing your salmonella-infected tomatoes at me. Chuck cupcakes instead. They taste better.
Facebook was the first on the block. It has a history. It has a pretty significant amount of people on it. But it also has some problems. The first is that people know it as a “thing for college kids.” This would be because it started as just that. Even though FB changed this a few years ago, that perception still persists. Too bad for them and too bad this isn’t their only problem.
The second issue is that the site is just fugly. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for simplicity. But if I hadn’t updated my wardrobe in several years I’d look pretty awkward too. Perhaps Tim Gunn could step in and tell the execs how to “make it work.” What is also fugly on FB is the advertising, which is the biggest and most important problem. It is disruptive. Along the lines of having a telemarketer call you while eating dinner. It is boring. Like watching the grass grow.
So MySpace is fantabulous because it got all the things Facebook did wrong right. Nothing about the site or the advertising is graphically displeasing nor will it lull anyone to sleep. Plus, MySpace got smart and realized that it could personalize advertising to reflect the interests, hobbies, etc of each individual user. Relevant content at its best. Not to mention that MySpace is user friendly, has always had its doors open to everyone and knows when it is time for a new look. In fact, it just had a makeover. No Tim Gunn necessary. Check it out for yourself.
And, in case you don’t believe me, 73% of the nearly 216,000 people who took AOL’s Battle of the Brands poll prefer MySpace as a brand.