GutCheck today released findings which indicate that the decision to “like” a brand on Facebook is influenced less by friends than by the potential to get something in exchange for a “like.” The data was collected during online community discussions with boomer and millennial participants. The study provides a snapshot of the “why” behind liking a brand on Facebook, and behavior around brands that people are passionate about.
Key findings, which were gathered using GutCheck’s Instant Research Communities platform, include:
1. Incentives to “like” a brand have become commodities and don’t drive true brand interest. Just over half of the boomers surveyed – 52% – indicated they are driven to “like” a brand in exchange for an offer, compared with 42% of millennials.
2. Users are overdosing on likes. With so many people driven to “like” a brand by an offer, it’s no surprise that 63% of millennials and 60% of boomers can’t remember all of the brands they gave the thumbs up to.
3. Likes don’t necessarily reflect brands people are truly passionate about. Only 16% of millennials and 36% of boomers said that they “liked” all of their favorite brands on Facebook.
4. While friends aren’t a primary reason to “like” a brand on Facebook, they are the most important source for information about a brand that someone is truly passionate about. 68% of millennials and 52% of boomers said that information from their friends about brands is where they go for opinions that matter.
“While there’s no disputing the fact that Facebook provides a valuable channel for brands to engage with their fans, the value of a ‘like’ is diluted if the people liking them won’t remember who they are tomorrow,” said Matt Warta, CEO of GutCheck. “That’s why it’s vital for marketers to understand the driving factors behind online behaviors so that they can convert fans into loyal, interested, and paying customers.”
A full report on the findings, as well as an infographic, can be downloaded for free athttp://gutcheckit.com/socialmedia.
About GutCheck
Winning the top prize at DEMO in March 2011, GutCheck believes that all marketers, researchers, and agencies seeking information needed to make critical business decisions should be able to able to get rich, consumer insights from their target audience without spending weeks waiting for answers. The company’s goal with every piece of technology is to help its customers access the right people at the right time for the right result. Customers currently work with GutCheck to reduce product development cycle times, optimize marketing messaging and decipher social media sentiment to help them make brand business decisions faster and smarter. For press inquiries, please visit: http://gutcheckit.com/press.
About Instant Research Communities
Instant Research Communities are an instant, private platform that allows groups of qualified respondents to react to, validate, and discuss a company’s or brand’s proposed business decisions out of the public eye. They provide direct, nuanced consumer insights quickly and affordably. Marketers can tap into existing communities on their websites, Facebook fan pages, Twitter, and Google+. GutCheck instantly recruits and qualifies respondents from these pools of brand advocates – but can also recruit from their own consumer panel of more than 6 million respondents, so that brands can compare sentiment between fans and the general public.
