Peter Madden at AdAge has a funny and relevant piece on “The Seven Personalities Who Roam the Social Media Plains”.  Peter details seven personalities/segments which he thinks collectively make up a decent cross section of Facebook users.  Do any of these consumer profiles sound familiar to you? Click for the article here.

My favorites below:

1. Super Mom. As Tupac said, we got our name from a woman and our game from a woman. But make no mistake, no one has game like FB moms! Running marathons, running after kids, running a business, going to every sporting event under the sun. They still have time to post photos of the kids doing everything from sitting like a mushroom to throwing a temper tantrum because of a lost pacifier. Man, are they candid, too! Can someone please help me understand why Olivia got up at 4 am AGAIN? Another Soccer Game — aaaaargh! I can’t believe I’m at the Jonas Brothers — Blah! Marketer angle: You better give it to ‘em straight. They don’t have time for fluff. Unless it’s on “Oprah.” 

3. BraggaBROcious. Don’t let “Bro” confuse you. Men and women alike share this title, given to those who save all updates for incredible adventures that are typically reserved for the wealthy, or the Jonas Brothers. Just bungee jumped in Chile — what a rush! Can’t believe I’m hanging with Jay-Z — he’s taller in person! First-class flight to Vegas here I come! Marketer angle: If it’s going to make them feel like a master/mistress of the universe (even in their own mind), go for it and save no bell or whistle.

5. Constant Contact. I assume members of this group bring the laptop into the bathroom. They don’t miss a beat, constantly updating on every possible thing they’re feeling, person they’re with, or activity they’re partaking in. Up at 6 a.m. — hello world! It’s 6:05, can’t believe the phone is ringing! 6:07, it was my mom calling — WTF?! 6:09 — guess it’s time for a shower. Marketer angle: These people want to be played with, entertained and engaged (though online only, please). Just make sure that whatever you’re selling is something enhancing their virtual world, because it’s the only one they’re livin’ in, baby.

Ran into the Bill Bernbach quote below in a review of “Nobody’s Perfect”, Doris Willens’ new book on Bill Bernbach and the golden age of advertising.

 “Merely to let your imagination run riot, to dream unrelated dreams, to indulge in graphic acrobatics and verbal gymnastics is not being creative. The creative person has harnessed his imagination. He has disciplined it so that every thought, every idea, every line he draws, every light and shadow in every photograph he takes, makes more vivid, more believable, more persuasive the original theme or product advantage he has decided he must convey.”

This is a crucial concept which I think is often overlooked.  The status quo is to be as “creative” as possible, outdoing the competition in clevereness that rarely delivers the original idea in a potent and motivational manner, leaving the consumer flumoxed at best and usually untouched.  Like a private joke, precious to a self selected and elite few.

A good reminder that less often is more. The Al Ries review on Nobody’s Perfect is here.