Cross-Platform Rabbit Holes Caused by Brands

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Hello, I think my name is Alice! At least, social media based brand communities cause me to feel as if I should wear a black headband while sporting a blue dress with white apron and black Mary Janes. Too often I find myself curious about a book I find on one social media app and hopping over to another app to read more about it. Eventually, I'm seeking out more photos and even fanart for that book or more books on yet a third app. I could continue my journey by chatting about these books on a variety of social media apps. All thanks to brands working hard on their social media marketing and engagement. What does a cross-platform brand rabbit hole look like? Jump down with me...

Scrolling on TikTok leads to me randomly watching a post from Owlcrate about backlist spooky season reads. A featured book in the post piques my curiosity. Next, I venture over to Pinterest to see what else Owlcrate posted about spooky books and find a pin for spooky season book recommendations. Then, I naturally land on Goodreads to read more about Small Favors by Erin A. Craig including its description and reviews. This book is already on my reading list, and now I am more eager to read it. However, I fall down another rabbit hole thanks to Owlcrate, because the fantasy horror description reminds me of a beloved book from last fall, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. I fall back towards Pinterest to seek out Belladonna fanart.

Our constant use of social media and falling down its many rabbit holes is not lost on brands. They take advantage of our Alice-like tendencies by reaching us across multiple platforms. Owlcrate is a great example of utilizing cross-platform social media based brand communities. The book subscription company has a presence on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. The Owlcrate Collective awards points to members for posting and tagging about their books and boxes on Instagram or TikTok. The company's own social media accounts encourage users to comment and employs two-way communication by responding to users' comments. Late last year Owlcrate even launched its own bookish social media platform, asking subscribers, "Are you ready to join The Nest?" Owlcrate built their social media footprint over years of building the brand itself. I am repeatedly pulled down these social media rabbit holes by book publishers, book subscription companies, and bookstores. As a huge book nerd, I understand that book brands most commonly pull me down virtual rabbit holes and the two-way true engagement in the brand communities, such as Owlcrate's, digs my rabbit holes deeper. Owlcrate epitomizes what Anthony Miyazaki defines in his YouTube video as "The Engaged Brand". (Thanks, Owlcrate, for always growing my reading list and hitting my wallet. If only I had the time to read more novels in a year...)

What other brands can you think of that have strong engagement in their social media based brand communities? Do you fall down rabbit holes caused by these communities, cross-platform or not? If so, what tends to drag you down those holes? What effects do the rabbit holes have on your life?

Comments

  1. Natalie StansburyOctober 1, 2023 at 5:54 AM

    I have fallen down way too many rabbit holes. Lately, I have fallen into an annoying habit of clicking on clothing links. It all started with Cider, then Temu, then Bloom Chic, and then it went on and on. As always the eye in the sky knows what I like so it comes my way and I fall for it more than I should. Most recently though I was impressed with Bloom Chic. I purchased a dress which I love but it is see-through. As I was scrolling my Facebook I noticed the ad for this dress pop up again (which it does over and over - ugh!) Many people were commenting on how much they loved this dress. Who knows if they are all real people or planted, right? I decided to see what would happen I shared my experience in a comment. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a reply from the company. I had recommended they add a slip to the inside of the dress and they said they would send the thought to their designers. Who knows if it will actually go anywhere, but hey, they did more than put on a fancy hat and stand there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samantha MatherneOctober 2, 2023 at 12:39 PM

      I love when brands actually respond to their customers. Getting a response from companies big or small makes customers feel seen. That little action shows to at least someone at the company we are not only numbers on their sales sheets.

      Delete

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