sex, marriage and death on facebook

You know that game sex-marriage-death, where someone names 3 people you know, and you have to choose which of the above you’d do to them?

My friend Simeon’s agency, Hyperhappen, have made a Facebook application where you can play this online with your Facebook friends, and it shows on your profile how much you’ve sexed, wedded or killed.

Link to the Shag-Marry-Kill app.

It’s to promote the new movie, Knocked Up, which is kind of about sex and marriage life choices.

Definitely the best (in fact probably the only good one) branded application I've yet seen.

Rules for marketing and advertising on Facebook

I thought I would put together a guide for advertisers and agencies looking to use Facebook. I messed around for ages then cut it down to three.

1. Be totally honest with full disclosure of what you are doing and why.
Otherwise, you will get found out. If you are going to use "influencers", or create a profile for the Honey Monster, be upfront about exactly what it is.

2. You need a great idea that is interesting, PARTICIPATIVE, and based in truth.
Otherwise, really, honestly, don't bother at all. No please, don't. It's embarrassing and a waste of everyone's time. To give you an example of how worthwhile and interesting, here are ideas which people actually care about:

London's largest Splashmob Waterfight (100k members)
The most brilliant, participative idea I have heard in a while.

Find Madeline (UK girl who was abducted on holiday, 90k members)


I <3 Spooning (35k members)
which answers such questions like is Spooning with others cheating, and other more obvious, funnier questions.

3. If it's not relevant and credible for your brand, you still can't do it.
Even if it's a really good idea.
Trying to get David Hasslehoff to #1 was a good idea. Pepsi wouldn't be be able to pull it off convincingly.
http://www.gethasselhofftonumber1.com/


Once you have got a great, participative idea, then you can go read any of the numerous other hints and tips pages on how to recruit and spread the word on Facebook. I suggest using as much different on-and-off-line media as you can, rather than relying on any one thing.

As ever, don't think about Facebook as your campaign, it's just another tool you can use if you actually have a great idea.

As a quick "what if", here is an idea that I think would make a good hook for a brand - not too complex, with fair enough pay-off:

Sponsor the Facebook city race - first city to 100K people in the group will get a massive free party with bands, etc in their city, sponsored by brand-X.

Anyone have any more suggestions?

splashmob waterfight, Hyde Park,

My friend at work told me about this today. A spontaneous waterfight, lasting for 10 minutes only, 1pm Saturday 14th July. It was reported in the London Lite, and their article is based on the Facebook entry.

Mr Hamill, 20, a music student from Clapham, said he had suggested the water fight as a good way to celebrate the start of the summer but within 24 hours of mentioning it to friends, word had spread and 5,000 people had signed up to take part.

Today, his page on Facebook - which has become one of the most popular social networking websites in the UK - boasts 75,000 registered "friends".

This sounds totally awesome, and I totally there.

The other bit of news is the identity of the Virginia Tech shooter and his ex, which I read about on the Sun:

Emily was a popular first-year animal sciences student who dreamed of becoming a vet.
On her MySpace page she told in October how she had just met a “wonderful guy”.
Yesterday a memorial page on website Facebook was flooded with tributes from devastated pals.

What struck me is that in both stories, one frivolous and local, and the other a serious global tragedy, the national press's role has basically been to read Facebook and tell us about it.