"Boring 08/15 advertising doesn't work on Facebook".

MK mastermind Thomas Hutter is the owner and managing director of Hutter Consult GmbH. MK You are perceived as a "Facebook pioneer". When did you first come into contact with Facebook?THOMAS HUTTER That was in 2008, when Facebook was not yet so widespread. I was amazed at how openly people communicated on Facebook and how much interaction there was. I quickly realized that this platform could also be highly interesting for marketing and advertising.MK Why has Facebook prevailed over other platforms such as MySpace and StudiVZ in the long term?HUTTER While MySpace focused on music and StudiVZ was primarily designed for German-speaking students, Facebook appealed to a broad audience with its functionalities right from the start. Facebook provided suitable tools for various interest groups to use the platform for their own purposes. In addition, the structure was very stringent and users quickly found their way around.MK Facebook is mainly used for the distribution of private content. How does a company manage to attract attention with its advertising messages in this environment?HUTTER As a Facebook advertiser, you are operating in a preferred, very personal environment of the user. You are competing with private content - which is why it is important that the messages are prepared in a medium-appropriate way. This is the only way to achieve the desired advertising effect.MK What exactly should Facebook advertising look like?HUTTER Creativity and cheekiness are required, boring 08/15 advertising does not work on Facebook. Companies need to get away from the advertising standard with big letters.MK Which advertising formats are suitable for Facebook?HUTTER Video formats are extremely exciting. And I'm not talking about the "glossy" commercials you see on TV. Facebook videos have to be short and authentic. Because they are played automatically by 90 percent of users when they are on the move with their smartphone, for example, the videos must also work without sound and must not be too detailed.MK Aren't the costs of producing such videos too high?HUTTER No. In contrast to TV advertising, Facebook does not require high quality. Such videos can be produced much more cheaply in the digital sector. Unfortunately, advertisers have not yet realized this.MK Members disclose a lot of personal information on Facebook. How can this data be used for advertising purposes?HUTTER The possibilities are gigantic. There is nothing on the Internet that is as precise as Facebook when it comes to targeting. However, targeting requires companies to work out personas extremely well. Only if you can answer the question of which topics interest your target groups can you deliver the right messages to them.MK What are the limits of this targeting?HUTTER Many things are technically possible. Facebook itself sets the limits, for example by not allowing direct contact with members.MK Mobile advertising revenue accounted for 80% of Facebook's revenue in the last quarter of 2015. Compared to media portals such as 20 Minuten, this is a very high proportion. What is Facebook doing right with mobile advertising?HUTTER In contrast to conventional mobile advertising, which is often perceived as annoying, Facebook integrates the advertising as a native format within the news feed directly in the content. Successful targeting helps to ensure that people are shown advertising that suits them. Facebook offers innovative advertising formats such as the Carousel or the Canvas Ad. The Canvas Ad offers a new type of immersive mobile-optimized advertising experience with direct integration of images and multimedia. A conventional landing page is no longer required.MK When is it even worthwhile for a company to engage in Facebook marketing?HUTTER I don't know of any industry that is not suitable for Facebook marketing - as long as a target group can be defined. It is important that a company defines exactly what it wants to achieve with Facebook. Facebook is relatively complex for a company: You have to build and maintain a community, generate content and engage in dialog. This is why engagement is also tied to human and monetary resources.MK How important is it for companies to have their own Facebook page?HUTTER Most forms of Facebook advertising require a company page. A company should ask itself the following questions: How much do I want to use the Facebook page as a community? Do I simply want to advertise or, for example, also offer customer support via Facebook? Running Facebook without advertising is no longer a strategy for me today. You can only get the most out of the platform with advertising. Facebook is no longer just about collecting friends, sharing content and interacting. Precise targeting with various advertising media is also possible without community objectives.MK Where does Switzerland stand in terms of Facebook marketing compared to other countries?HUTTER In Switzerland, many companies are asleep when it comes to this marketing opportunity. The advertising agency landscape lacks digital affinity. The masses are still thinking in terms of "hanging up posters". In Germany, for example, the competition is much greater and you have to rely on innovative measures to survive. In Switzerland, there are too many companies that are doing too well, there is a sense of complacency.MK What are innovative Facebook campaigns?HUTTER The cookie supplier Pick Up ran a very successful campaign alongside the popular RTL show "Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus! The advertising referred to the previous evening's show (Just in Time) and thus triggered many interactions. Larger campaigns, on the other hand, often seem inauthentic on Facebook. For example, I find the Zalando hashtag campaign far-fetched. Interestingly, there are also many innovative campaigns in Brazil. The interaction rate is particularly high there. In general, there are many cool social media campaigns in South America.MK What are the indications that Facebook will remain a relevant platform for our society in the future?HUTTER Facebook's ability to innovate is outstanding. The company is constantly expanding and developing new applications. Large financial leeway allows it to buy and integrate emerging platforms. Today, Facebook is much more than just the "blue app", as the examples of WhatsApp, Instagram and Internet.org show (the app enables free Internet access via mobile in selected countries, editor's note).MK Which platforms apart from Facebook have the greatest potential in the future?HUTTER There's a lot of hype at the moment about the instant messaging service Snapchat. I can't understand it - maybe I'm too old for it (laughs). I don't see the sustainability for marketing, as the content is ephemeral. Instagram is growing fast and its members are very active. With Twitter, on the other hand, I think it has passed its peak.MK You have your own blog at www.thomashutter.com. How important is blogging for you and your online presence?HUTTER I started the blog back then because I realized that there was still no useful information about Facebook in German. I don't actually like writing. In the beginning, my blog wasn't a conscious positioning and branding channel. In the meantime, it has become one of my most important channels. The blog has between 150,000 and 300,000 visitors a month, 80 percent of whom come from Germany. It is extremely helpful in terms of acquisition and generates a lot of contacts. A blog alone does not prove that you really have in-depth expertise. But continuous, up-to-date and sometimes polarizing reporting strengthens perception enormously.Interview: Simon Wolanin_____________

Thomas Hutter as MK mastermind

Thomas Hutter is one of the three winners of the MK mastermind election from Marketing & Communication. You can read more about the winners in the current issue of MK 04/2016. Subscribe now!_____________