Transworld Business: Myspace Marketing

It seems others besides Forbidden are using Myspace for their marketing! The article which I have linked below is from Transworld, a skating magazine. The article is about Bones, a skate company who does a great deal of marketing through Myspace.

Rob Washburn is the Team Manager for Bones Skateboard Wheels, who claims that at least half of the hits received by the main site, http://www.bones.com/, come from the Myspace page. They have over 1,000 friends, who Washburn claims to personally post comments for all of the friends. His goal for the Myspace account is the goal of any marketer: brand interaction.

According to “Myspace Marketing,” written by Cullen Poythress of Transworld, Washburn tries to promote the brand through weekly contests, and giveaways, but he tries to do so without making it obvious that he is trying to push the company.

Washburn’s favorite aspect of the Bones Myspace account; its cost. It is free, it gets the name out there, and of course, whenever people add the account to their friends list, Bones can be seen by another group of Myspace friends.

Poythress also tells the story of other Myspace skate companies and even skaters who use the service to sell their products. “Listen Skateboarders” claims “that [it] has looked to myspace.com as an avenue for mass promotion and it’s currently playing a key role in the company’s growth.

Skaters Salman Agah and Dave Metty have created a Myspace of their own, geared specifically towards the skating world. Their site, called Icelounge.com, targets skateboarders specifically. This would be a great place for skating companies to interact with skaters, and even get some brand interaction that marketers are so desperately seeking.

A question to all readers:

Do you feel that interacting with a brand on a site like myspace would make you more likely to try a product?

Personally, I feel that a myspace profile gives the brand or product a face it can be associated with. Bands advertise on myspace, not only through their songs playing on users profiles, but by having profiles of their own. (music may be the topic of my next post!!!)

I like to check out pictures of people and read their blogs, or posts, and see what is going on in their lives. Why not do the same for a product or service?

It is cool to see what is happening next, what the newest product is, who is using it, or when it is going to be on sale to the public!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS MYSPACE A GOOD PLACE TO SELL PRODUCTS, or DOES ITS USE FOR PRODUCT PROMOTION SIMPLY ANGER PEOPLE?

WOULD YOU ADD A PRODUCT, OR BRAND (IE:BONES) TO YOUR FIRENDS LIST?

PS: I dont care if it is against the rules, DAN! lol.