Facebook ReactionsBriefing: How Will This New Functionality Impact Brands?

By: Lindsey Brylow; Digital StrategistFebruary 25, 2016

2

Introducing…Facebook Reactions

When you only have a like button, if you share a sad piece of content or something that makes you angry, people may not

have the tool to react to it.- Mark Zuckerberg

“”

3

Why is this Happening?

Life is more complex than a simple “like.” For this reason, Facebook launched five new emoji-style reactions in February, 2016. And no, “dislike” is not one of them.

The new emoji reactions include: angry, sad, wow, haha and love. “Yay” was reported to be a proposed reaction; however, this sentiment is not universally understood.

Introducing… Facebook Reactions

“The like button is…a blunt, clumsy tool."- Bloomberg

What’s Happening?

Mark Zuckerberg finally conceded that Facebook was in need of a more nuanced mechanism for users to interact with posts for obvious reasons – not every post is likable. Facebook’s “like” button doesn’t accommodate the emotions of Facebook’s 1.6 billion users who click “like” more than 6 billion times per day.

Geoff Teehan, design director at Facebook explained that these reactions fulfill two criteria: universality and expressivity. Emojis are non-verbal in nature, in turn there is no ambiguity as to what they mean, even in different cultures.

“We’ve been listening to people and know that there should be more ways to easily and quickly express how something you see in News Feed makes you feel.” - Facebook

Image: Wired.com

4

While Facebook is responding to user demand for the “dislike” button, it is likely that we can infer the massive advertising implications reactions will have.

Facebook advertisers are loving the possibility of leveraging Facebook’s new reactions to better target their audiences. However, Facebook has yet to say exactly how the new reactions will impact their advertising capabilities. For now, “wow,” “sad,” “like,” “love” and “angry” will be weighted as the same metric.

Although Facebook has yet to reveal the affects on ads, this still means good news for brands. Brands now have the opportunity to gain greater insight based on the wide palate of emotional reactions. Individuals have the ability to react to your ads in the same manner as they do with the individuals they are friends with. This provides an immediate opportunity for brands to optimize campaigns and recalibrate ad targeting.

Facebook Reactions & Paid Media

Paid Media Implications

HAHA

5

What Does This Mean For Brands?More Audience EngagementGiving audiences various ways to react to content means more engagement. Previously, individuals may have passed on engaging with a post because “like” didn’t accurately describe their feelings toward the content. Now, they have the chance to “angry” it – and beyond.

Better OptimizationReactions add a new layer of tracking and reporting capabilities, allowing brands to truly gauge their audience’s reactions to content and optimize accordingly.

Enhanced Sentiment TrackingOpportunity now exists to collect even more specific sentiment data. Brands can understand what consumers are feeling and why they are feeling that way.

Improved Ad TargetingAd targeting will likely be improved because Facebook’s advertising capabilities rely heavily on personal interests and behaviors in order to serve ads effectively.

Facebook Reactions & Brands

WOW

6

What Now?Examine Your Emotional IntelligenceIndustry professionals must become experts at decoding these emotionally nuanced reactions.

Establish a New Reporting FrameworkFacebook Insights currently categorizes all reactions as “likes” within its system. How will you measure a “haha” vs “love”? Consult your Ogilvy team on a measurement system that allows for the tracking of sentiment across all reactions.

Update Guidelines for Responding to Negative ReactionsThe new “angry” and “sad” reactions leave brands vulnerable to a new form of negative sentiment. Do “angry” and “sad” reactions warrant responses? Be cognizant of this new capability when crafting content, monitoring, and responding to comments.

Facebook Reactions & The Future

LOVE

7

What Now?Adjust Your Content StrategyEvaluate your current content to determine if it is eliciting desired emotions from your target audience. Consider auditing your content to identify themes in reactions from your fans. Brainstorm ways that your brand can leave a positive mark in this increasingly complex, emotional world.

What Are the Implications for Other Platforms? Now that we have a way to better express our emotions and engage with content on a deeper level, what does this mean for other social networks? Will this force Twitter or Instagram to rethink their platform experience and binary interactions?

Facebook Reactions & The Future Cont.

Image: Wired.com

SAD

8

Check This OutChevrolet was one of the first brands to jump on the Facebook Reactions button just hours after their launch. Their new Malibu commercial ad encourages viewers to show their “love” for the new 2016 Malibu – because you can’t just “like” the Malibu.

Paul Edwards, Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing stated that the midsize vehicle traditionally has a lot of options to “like,” but he hopes that the new Malibu will spark the emotion of “love.”

To date the video has received 358 “likes,”115 “loves” and 405 “wows.”

Facebook Reactions in Action

LOVE"Timing couldn't be more perfect for Chevrolet to bring the all-new 2016 Malibu and Facebook's new Reaction buttons together.” – Paul Edwards

9

Thanks

Questions? Thoughts?

To further discuss, please contact:

Suresh Raj, Managing Director Global Business Development suresh.raj@ogilvy.com +1-212-880-5333

Learn more on the Social@Ogilvy blog: social.ogilvy.com/thinking

10

Further Reading

Sources:

http://www.popsci.com/long-psychological-journey-facebooks-reactions

http://mashable.com/2016/02/24/how-to-get-facebook-reactions/

http://www.wired.com/2016/02/facebook-reactions-totally-redesigned-like-button/

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-facebook-reactions-chris-cox/