Have you heard of social object theory? I think this is one of the most overlooked and even undiscovered marketing ideas. In fact, social objects are probably fueling a great deal of your marketing success!
Social objects come from a theory proposed by sociologist Karin Knorr Cetina. It creates a remarkably simple and useful ignition point for a word-of-mouth marketing effort.
You’re at a party, feeling awkward and out of place. Suddenly, you spot someone wearing a t-shirt from your favorite band. Bam! Instant connection. That t-shirt? It’s a social object – a conversation starter, a reason for people to interact.
Social objects are the glue that binds us together in the vast and often impersonal digital landscape. They’re the videos that pause our scrolling, the memes we can’t wait to share, the unique products we rave about to friends. A social object is anything that serves as a focal point for social interaction.
Without an object to trigger a topic, we’d have nothing of substance to talk about.
- When a stranger approaches someone and asks about their stylish shoes, the shoes are the social object.
- When people attend a marketing activation, the Olympics, or a music festival, the event is the social object.
- If you share this book with someone or post it on social media (yes, please!), the book becomes a social object.
Here’s where things get interesting. Many marketers view their content strategy as the starting point for a conversation, and it certainly can be. But if we broaden our marketing perspective to think of social objects as the “catalysts for connection,” we unlock endless new possibilities.
This is a topic worthy of more exploration, and Keith Jennings and I did just that on the new episode of The Marketing Companion. But we did more than discuss an idea. We started a master class on this idea as marketing strategy, unraveling critical components such as:
- gravitational pull
- critical mass
- emotional meaning
… which seem to be prerequisites for success. You won’t want to miss this extraordinary discussion!
Click here to enjoy Marketing Companion Episode 297
The story behind the photo: I love the comedy/drama Lilyhammer and especially the hilarious chracter Torgeir with his quirky hat that says “I Heart Girls.” I just knew that some day I would be able to work this into a blog post! Certainly, this hat would be considered a social object!
Keith Jennings first wrote about social objects in this post.
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