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Do brands as well-known as Starbucks and Coca-Cola really need to advertise on social media at all? I've ever met a person who isn't familiar with these brands.

Do brands as well-known as Starbucks and Coca-Cola really need to advertise on social media at all? I've ever met a person who isn't familiar with these brands. Let them save money, they don't need to be on these platforms. Worst case, a few "social media managers" are out of work. The world will get by.

JMTQp8lwXL 6y ago
It's a reminder that "Oh yeah, I enjoy Brand X, I should get some of their product". You may enjoy Coca Cola, but if nobody around you drinks a can, and you don't ever see an ad, you're less likely to remain a consumer of the brand. It's also why you might continue getting ads for subscriptions you pay for. They want to remind you of the value continually provided-- it's for retention purposes.
rvz 6y ago
This may apply to lesser-known 'influencers' that depend on ads and can't afford to suspend them to 'fight hate speech' or participate in this 'effort'. Unless they have outside revenue like sponsorship deals, Patreon, etc.
adamsea 6y ago
I"m not an advertising expert but I'd imagine those brands became well-known largely because of their advertising, and that continuing to advertising helps maintain their mindshare/encouraging people to "default" to those brand choices.
amiga_500 6y ago
Yes, because they need to make you feel like your life is incomplete and can be completed if you pay them for X. Coca Cola makes people fat and gives them tooth decay. Their product has a socially negative value. It's essential that they counter these facts with positive images.
- Spivak 6y ago
  I uhh… what? We’re talking about a soda manufacturer here. Look I mean I get the crusade against sugar and being mindful about how many calories are in a bottle. But that’s a harsh opinion about fizzy water that lots of people enjoy drinking enough to pay a premium for. Nobody buys a candy bar because of some existential crisis. Like do you hold the same opinion of coffee shops that sell sugary drinks, pastry shops, candy makers, snack food makers, ice cream shops, breweries, distilleries? Does “treats taste good” not qualify as a positive? Like it’s wild to me to think that if I served you a piece of chocolate cake you would be like “how dare you! It has excessive calories and will rot my teeth!”
  - andrepd 6y ago
    It's not so much serving a piece of chocolate cake as spending $10,000,000,000 every year on highly sophisticated psychologically fine-tuned mental bombardment to get to serve you a piece of chocolate cake. The constant fight for your attention. Billboards, storefronts, internet, tv, radio, everywhere you go you have highly researched pictures and sounds that try to manipulate your feeble mammal brain to purchase their products. Your first paragraph suggests you regard advertising as something far more benign that it is.
    - amiga_500 6y ago
      Exactly. Comparing to a local cafe is ludicrous.
      - Spivak 6y ago
        I mean when I said coffee shop I was imagining Starbucks. But that seems a little weird. Does coming from a local soda shop suddenly make the drinks have fewer calories or less sugar?
        amiga_500 6y ago
        You didn't say that. And I didn't say it either. And it's got nothing to do with anything.
drewmol 6y ago
>Do brands as well-known as Starbucks and Coca-Cola really need to advertise on social media at all? No but they do see increased short and long term sales as a direct result of their advertising campaigns, usually. Especially company's that sell sweet caffeine drinks. Sure you know Coke exists... but are you craving one now? The answer is more likely to be yes for most of their clients soon after being reminded it exists. Edit: Phrasing
josephduffy 6y ago
As someone that's a real sucker for advertising the adverts for new drinks always work on me, which make me go to Starbucks when I wouldn't class myself as a regular.
oh_sigh 6y ago
I'm sure they don't need to advertise in order to inform people about their brand, but advertisements may lead people consume more than they otherwise would. At least some of their ads end with a crack of a can opening, glug glug glug, and then a refreshed 'ahhh'. It seems pretty clear they're trying to get you to think about drinking coke, so you will go drink a coke.
sjg007 6y ago
Yes. They want to stay in your mind’s eye.

JMTQp8lwXL 6y ago

It's a reminder that "Oh yeah, I enjoy Brand X, I should get some of their product". You may enjoy Coca Cola, but if nobody around you drinks a can, and you don't ever see an ad, you're less likely to remain a consumer of the brand. It's also why you might continue getting ads for subscriptions you pay for. They want to remind you of the value continually provided-- it's for retention purposes.

rvz 6y ago

This may apply to lesser-known 'influencers' that depend on ads and can't afford to suspend them to 'fight hate speech' or participate in this 'effort'. Unless they have outside revenue like sponsorship deals, Patreon, etc.

adamsea 6y ago

I"m not an advertising expert but I'd imagine those brands became well-known largely because of their advertising, and that continuing to advertising helps maintain their mindshare/encouraging people to "default" to those brand choices.

amiga_500 6y ago

Yes, because they need to make you feel like your life is incomplete and can be completed if you pay them for X. Coca Cola makes people fat and gives them tooth decay. Their product has a socially negative value. It's essential that they counter these facts with positive images.

Spivak 6y ago
I uhh… what? We’re talking about a soda manufacturer here. Look I mean I get the crusade against sugar and being mindful about how many calories are in a bottle. But that’s a harsh opinion about fizzy water that lots of people enjoy drinking enough to pay a premium for. Nobody buys a candy bar because of some existential crisis. Like do you hold the same opinion of coffee shops that sell sugary drinks, pastry shops, candy makers, snack food makers, ice cream shops, breweries, distilleries? Does “treats taste good” not qualify as a positive? Like it’s wild to me to think that if I served you a piece of chocolate cake you would be like “how dare you! It has excessive calories and will rot my teeth!”
- andrepd 6y ago
  It's not so much serving a piece of chocolate cake as spending $10,000,000,000 every year on highly sophisticated psychologically fine-tuned mental bombardment to get to serve you a piece of chocolate cake. The constant fight for your attention. Billboards, storefronts, internet, tv, radio, everywhere you go you have highly researched pictures and sounds that try to manipulate your feeble mammal brain to purchase their products. Your first paragraph suggests you regard advertising as something far more benign that it is.
  - amiga_500 6y ago
    Exactly. Comparing to a local cafe is ludicrous.
    - Spivak 6y ago
      I mean when I said coffee shop I was imagining Starbucks. But that seems a little weird. Does coming from a local soda shop suddenly make the drinks have fewer calories or less sugar?
      - amiga_500 6y ago
        You didn't say that. And I didn't say it either. And it's got nothing to do with anything.

drewmol 6y ago

>Do brands as well-known as Starbucks and Coca-Cola really need to advertise on social media at all? No but they do see increased short and long term sales as a direct result of their advertising campaigns, usually. Especially company's that sell sweet caffeine drinks. Sure you know Coke exists... but are you craving one now? The answer is more likely to be yes for most of their clients soon after being reminded it exists. Edit: Phrasing

josephduffy 6y ago

As someone that's a real sucker for advertising the adverts for new drinks always work on me, which make me go to Starbucks when I wouldn't class myself as a regular.

oh_sigh 6y ago

I'm sure they don't need to advertise in order to inform people about their brand, but advertisements may lead people consume more than they otherwise would. At least some of their ads end with a crack of a can opening, glug glug glug, and then a refreshed 'ahhh'. It seems pretty clear they're trying to get you to think about drinking coke, so you will go drink a coke.

sjg007 6y ago

Yes. They want to stay in your mind’s eye.