Facebook Fatigue? Not in the Philippines.
MANILA, AUGUST 30, 2013 – Reports that people are tiring of Facebook may not be applicable to Filipinos. Not yet, at least, based on the panel discussion on Dissecting Facebook in 2013 at the 7th Internet and Mobile Marketing Summit 2013.
"Is Facebook fatigue real?" panel moderator Eduardo Mapa Jr. of Havas Media Ortega asked Nicole Bulatao, Digital Marketing Executive of Nestle Philippines, Shayne Garcia, Digital Director iProspect Philippines, and Max Sim, Regional Head of Marketing (Digital) of JobsDB.
For Garcia, Facebook has been very dynamic. "I think Facebook is growing with us. I don’t feel any fatigue there," she said, speaking from a consumer standpoint.
She noted that people are in fact spending more time on the social network, which poses a challenge to provide creativity and relevance for these users. "We need to create fantastically brilliant stories to captivate these people," she said.
Bulatao agreed, saying that they have not seen a decrease in Facebook’s popularity. "Facebook has been a very useful tool for us in terms of engaging young people," Bulatao said.
Like most websites, Facebook is also moving towards mobile, which Sim described as a "gold mine.” In the second quarter of 2013, mobile advertising represented 41 percent of its total ad revenue. Other recent breakthroughs for the site were its graph search, the hashtag, and its phone software Facebook Home.
"Sooner rather than later, mobile will be the way people access the web," Bulatao said. She emphasized that a brand has to be ready to adapt and move quickly as technology shifts.
According to Bulatao, it’s not about platform, but about content. "Always create great content. I don’t know if great content will go out of style," she said.
On the other hand, Garcia noted that brands must be able to differentiate between platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. "What’s the role of which, and why?" Garcia said.
Sharing their bold predictions for Facebook, Sim said that it would continue to be the leader. Bulatao agreed, saying Facebook will be extremely aggressive in keeping their position. "I’m sure Facebook will continue to be relevant," she said.
Meanwhile, Garcia predicted that it is going to become a shopping place. "Buying in a social context gives it a spicy flavor," she said. Sim was optimistic, as well. "There are so many flavors of Facebook I don’t think we’ve seen yet," he said.
