Fighting Brand Impersonation and Noncompliance in Social Media Kyle Sale VP Product Management MarkMonitor Zac Wolf Product Marketing Manager MarkMonitor
Agenda The Social Media Landscape Today What Unauthorized Content Looks Like Existing Enforcement Policies What Gaps Exist
The Social Media Landscape Today
Protecting Your Brand in an Omni-Channel World Many channels, one brand. Online or offline, customers expect the brand experience to be seamless regardless of the channel. One bad apple. A negative experience in just one channel can tarnish your brand image and impact your brand s online effort. The weakest link. If there is a weak link you can be assured that fraudsters intent on scamming your customers will find it.
What Happens on Social Media doesn t just stay there! When consumers talk about your brand or promote messages about it (coupons, sales, user experience, etc.) it is broadcast to a huge audience. Ensure your brand s page is easy to find in all channels and has a consistent message. 74% of consumers rely on social media for their purchase decisions Image Source: DOMO
Social Media in Numbers Instagram 40 Million Pinterest 110 Million Facebook 1.6 Billion Google + 440 Million Tumblr 20 Million YouTube 1 Billion Twitter 25 Million LinkedIn 429 Million Source: DigitalSapiens
2016 Social Media Trends Facebook reached new milestones this year generating as much as 4 Billion video views daily from more than 1.49 Billion monthly active users and more than 1.1 Billion users on their mobile devices. YouTube is still at it and running strong from billions of views from its more than 1 Billion active users Live video streaming is picking up pace, now that related apps like Meerkat and Periscope have been launched. Source: DigitalSapiens
The Challenges of Social Media Freedom of speech Impersonation / Fan pages Promotion and proliferation of websites selling counterfeit Fraudulent links e.g. phishing pages Fake special offers New Social Media sites, with vast adoption
Freedom of Speech: Don t Fight It What s wrong with freedom of speech? - Manage disparaging remarks through appropriate channels Product and company opinions enhance your own knowledge of your customers Only defend your brand selectively - Don t be seen as the big brand, picking on the little person Monitor, and only take careful and discrete action
Example of Impersonation
Is Impersonation Hurtful? Moves transactions away from authorized and legitimate pages Don t have fewer likes on your official page, than an impersonator Dangers Likes, Re-tweets proliferates their message Counterfeits and diverted goods sold to unsuspecting consumers Your brand reputation could suffer, and is proliferated by free speech on Social Media sites, including those outside the one where the infraction occurred
Example of Counterfeit Goods
Counterfeiting and Social Media Counterfeiters see Social Media as a haven Likes & re-tweets spread the word Establishment of fan pages / impersonating pages which includes links to counterfeit products Counterfeiters transact on Social Media sites, or outside the site via PayPal/Western Union and others Credibility and removed incredulity by using your IP
Example of Fraud
Fraud on Social Media Phishing scams: where a fraudster is looking to steal credentials Inserting themselves in a social conversation and promote phishing URLs Impersonation Hashtag phishing scams When it comes to fraud, it s not always clear how a fraudster will monetize on stolen credentials; but it s a serious issue that impacts consumers directly
Too Good to be True: Fake Special Offers
Too Good to be True: Fake Special Offers Spreads really fast (goes viral ) Not easily identifiable as a scam You, as brand owner, cannot track where the offer has been placed and it can disappear quickly; another springing up Consumer invariably blames the actual brand when it fails to deliver
New Social Media Sites The challenge of Social Media is often where to look next Proactively defending yourself on new sites, establishing themselves quickly Unmetric SpaceTag WeChat Frilip Kenshoo Social Quicket Bubbly Line Heard Wanelo Shots Hyper YikYak
Recommendations
What You Can Do for Your Brand You need a Social Media policy: both internal, for your staff, and external for your partners, distributors, etc. How much official exposure do you currently have on Social Media? Where do you want to be seen? (For example, LinkedIn vs Pinterest.) Proactively register your brand on new Social Media sites, even ones where you don t plan on maintaining an active presence. Monitor what is happening on Social Media in your name, regardless of who is doing this - know your presence
Your Partners on Social Media Establish a policy you can both work with for Social Media Establish a template for affiliates representing your brand on Social Media sites. Ensure traffic is sent to your own homepage for ecommerce or approved affiliate destinations Monitor their sites to ensure links to sites selling counterfeits, or sites which are unaffiliated and seeking traffic, do not post links Your partners reputation is your reputation
Social Site Enforcement Policies Site Email Form TM Copyright Impersonation Counterfeit Other Facebook - Twitter YouTube Google+ - - LinkedIn - - Pinterest - - - Instagram -
Q&A
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