Use of Networking in Customer Management

The use of social networks, such as friendship groups, especially via the Internet, is offering another dimension to marketing, especially in the viral marketing online through Facebook, Twitter, etc.

The power of networks is demonstrated by this example: if you have 20 friends and these friends have 20 friends and they have 20 friends, you can indirectly impact the lives of 80,000 people!!!

There is evidence that you tend to belong to a group of friends whose behaviour, idiosyncrasies, etc are similar to your own. Peer group pressure and social norms have an impact, ie who we are, who we know and how the two are connected.

"... we're all learning about the power of networks in an accelerated way because of the rise of online social networks and the ability of the commercial world to use data and regression analysis..."

Michael Allen as quoted by Deirde Macken, 2010

Some major needs being tracked include happiness, loneliness and depression, eg

- happiness, ie having a happy friend makes you 15% more likely to be happy

- loneliness, ie having a lonely friend makes you 52% more likely to be lonely

There is not a straight line link between these emotions, eg

"... loneliness, happiness and obesity all spread in different ways through networks and the influence of one network can be countered by differences, influences infiltrating from other networks..."

Deirde Macken, 2010

Work on how social trends impact on friendships is showing

"...the boundaries between friendships and other sorts of relationships are blurring and, often, friendship is proving the most powerful relationship..."

Harry Blatterer as quoted by Deirdre Macken, 2010

Friendship usually involves some obligation and involves people shaping each other physically, emotionally and intellectually.

(source: Deirde Macken, 2010)


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