Why brands need to rethink social media brand safety—and technology itself

To understand the future, it’s wise to look at the past, so in an effort to fully appreciate why marketers struggle to make sense of today’s tech platforms, let’s go way, way back to 1966. There we will find all the insights any marketer needs to understand human nature.

Let’s go to Gilligan’s Island.

For those of you too young, disinterested or insufficiently retro to have ever watched “Gilligan’s Island,” it’s one of the original ensemble-cast sitcoms, a sort of precursor to “Friends” in which a random assortment of tourists on a three-hour cruise get stranded on an undiscovered island. Hijinks ensue as they come together to start new lives as castaways.

In the 19th episode of the second season, which first aired in January 1966, something remarkable occurs that explains today’s digital landscape and all its foibles. The plot is simple: Magical sunflower seeds give all the island’s inhabitants a sudden ability to read minds. At first it’s a boon, as everyone anticipates everyone else’s desires, but then things get ugly. Really ugly. Everyone discovers the innermost thoughts, insecurities and hateful jealousies that exist in the human psyche. Without the normal societal filters of face-to-face interaction, this tight group is rent asunder, until the enterprising Gilligan (the first mate of the ship) burns the sunflower plants—and harmony on the island is restored.

Social media platforms are islands. So is the metaverse—though so far it’s a much smaller island that remains largely undiscovered (and which one day may sink into an ocean of apathy and irrelevance). Any promising new technology, from VR to AR, does something to enhance or change human behavior. Just like magical sunflower seeds.

So as we consider the benefits and risks for brands in a tech-forward future, here are some lessons from Gilligan and friends that may help us all stay safe and sane:

Brand safety comes from brand behavior

As a brand, you can’t control the platforms you’re on, but you can decide where, when and how you show up in the world. For example, some agencies and clients are taking a wait-and-see approach to Twitter right now, which is ironic considering the toxicity of the platform pre-Elon Musk, which was hardly brand-safe. Musk has promised to ensure a “variety of voices,” which might simply turn an echo chamber into a gladiatorial arena, but it’s still a platform on the wrong end of a Freudian telescope.

Any technology fueled by spontaneous self-expression (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) is like drunk texting—inherently dangerous because, in Freudian terms, there is no time for the ego or superego to control the id. In other words, our most animalistic instincts are unleashed without any of the social guardrails inherent to physical, face-to-face interaction.

Just like Gilligan and his island friends, our petty and puerile thoughts are on full display, and it’s not pretty. That’s something brands cannot control, which means an investment in always-on community management isn’t a luxury, it’s the only insurance policy you have to keep your brand safe from the monsters in our hearts.

Don’t believe the hype

As traditional media continues to lose reach and impact, our industry loves to fetishize any tech trend. This is evident in the nonstop hype around the metaverse, even though many experts agree that Meta’s version of the virtual world is underpopulated, underdeveloped and may never be a place where a critical mass of us will actually want to work and play. It’s certainly nowhere near what Neal Stephenson envisioned in “Snow Crash” or what fans of “Ready Player One” expected.

Any student of human behavior will tell you that an AR-assisted interaction with reality is a smarter investment right now. (Enhancing the real world always proves more popular than escaping it entirely, unless you’re specifically targeting gamers.) However, self-conscious brands are still buzzing about their presence in the metaverse, even though your average TikTok influencer has more followers than the entire population of Zuckerberg’s digital money pit. Brands need to be clear about whether they’re doing something for PR, which might be a legit reason, or investing in the digital landscape as a serious way to engage with customers.

Digital is only part of the puzzle

Clients who swing the pendulum too far into the digital space invariably regret their decision and suffer brand erosion, because even smartphone-addicted consumers still live in a three-dimensional world. Our attention spans may be shorter than ever, but our digital lives and analog selves coexist, so that brand post in someone’s feed is here and gone with the swipe of a thumb. That’s the marketing equivalent of roulette, and if it hits, a brand can build affinity and attract new fans, and if it’s done really well, sharing could lead to even more engagement.

But that same post might be disposable to the point of being invisible, as with any social play, so coordinating your digital presence with outdoor, TV, radio and/or print lets digital do what it does best, which is to amplify a brand that’s part of the bigger cultural canvas.

Control your own destiny

To survive in the digital jungle it helps to have a guide, but too many clients relinquish total control over their brands to celebrities, influencers and brand ambassadors. Yes, influencers bring social currency to your brand, but note the use of the plural: influencers—not a single influencer or celebrity who becomes synonymous with your brand to the point of eclipsing it. Make sure your brand itself is always the catalyst for the conversation, and mix up your partnerships so the brand is bigger than any one person’s personality or behavior.

The recent Kanye crisis for Adidas should be a wake-up call for brands everywhere. Create your own content and have fun with collaborators, UGC and strategic partnerships, but always stay in the driver’s seat. Borrowed interest is not a brand strategy.

Tech, digital and innovation. These are broad terms encompassing everything from emerging media platforms to disruptive innovations that upend entire categories. How can brands choose what’s best for them?

Just remember, technology is not inherently good or bad, and we all have both angels and demons on our shoulders. Depending on which way we lean, technology can connect us to new experiences and unleash our better natures, or it can pull us along a scroll of discord and despair.

So, chart your own course and make sure you put your brand on an optimistic path.

That’s how you can safely avoid a dystopian future for your brand and anticipate your customers’ desires—even if you don’t have any magic seeds.