58 . Glasgow Business October 2014
BIG TALKS Bryan Garvie Director, The BIG Partnership
Timex Chancellor is a Twitter lesson
» Prepare for the long game with social media engagement, says Bryan Garvie L
ike a Timex watch, George Osborne on Twiter takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Or more accurately, he takes a beating and keeps on tweeting. Here’s
why he’s right to maintain his stiff upper lip. Timex watches once ran an ad which
coined the famous phrase: “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” It involved a watch being strapped to the blade of an outboard motor, dunked in a vat of water and spun at a rate of 4500 revolutions per minute. I imagine that’s probably how George
Osborne felt when he started tweeting as Chancellor of the Exchequer (with help from some lackeys, presumably). His every post is met with an avalanche of vitriolic abuse in reply. And I mean seriously vitriolic. David Cameron doesn’t fare much beter. Still, he’s game, that Gideon. Despite being
the most unpopular kid in the playground, he manages to maintain what appears to be an unshakeable optimism and a determination that his message will be heard. Brands which use social media to engage
customers or clients, take note. Few brands venturing forth on social media for the first time are likely to receive the pasting Osborne takes several times a day, but nor should they expect to enjoy a Twiter party with a bustling community of loyal fans on day one. Tere’s a parallel with real life here.
Osborne, by dint of the coalition’s austerity measures, is not a popular man among the general population. He probably didn’t expect swooning fans when he signed up for Twiter. Similarly, if a brand has been unfortunate
enough to find itself with a group of critics offline, those same criticisms are likely to echo in cyberspace. On the other hand, a popular brand can cement itself in its customers’ affections with a well-managed social media presence. So the question becomes: what do you want from social media? Note the question is
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not: should you be on social media? You very probably should – if you don’t have an official presence, those online conversations are very likely to be taking place without you anyway. Back to our question then. Whether you
want to increase engagement with your customers or clients, drive traffic to your site, increase sales or address a customer service issue, your social media presence needs to reflect that. And your offline presence has to match it – if you can’t ‘walk the talk’, you’ll come unstuck. Consistency, persistence and a
deliberate link between your business objectives and your social media presence are, therefore, the key components of social media success. Engaging your audience, rather than broadcasting at them, is also crucial. Of course, if George Osborne was
to respond to most of the abuse, it’d only make it 10 times worse. But Timex also had its critics around
the time it launched its famous ad campaign to promote what was, for its day, a huge innovation in timepieces – accurate wristwatches made with new, lower-cost technology which sold for much less than the existing models that relied on expensive jewels. What people remember now is the
campaign, a quality product and an enduring legacy from a well-recognised brand. Social media means you probably won’t have to wait 50 years
for your brand to reach the limelight, but be prepared for a long game, rather than a quick fix. As for the Chancellor… well, I’m sure he’ll keep on ticking for a while yet.
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