Myles Kessler

COMM 260
12.01.14
Hyperlocalizationof Messaging in Social Media
I. Background
Social Media and its utilization within the field of Public Relations and Marketing has led to an
overall ability to create business-to-consumer messaging directed to more specifically targeted audiences
than any other communication tool in the past. This relatively new targeting capability in terms of
consumer audiences will be referred to as yperlocalized messaging.
The analytical capabilities of social media profiles have led businesses and organizations to be
able to filter potential consumers by the information and content they provide within these social
networks and thus distinguish individuals and groups by more advanced parameters which would have
previously been expensive and time-intensive to mine. This data includes:
Behavior
Personal Interests and Hobbies
Level of Education and Location of Studies
Location of Residence
Social Connections and Affiliations
Occupation and Location Thereof
Furthermore, the hyperlocalization of messaging has been enhanced by the rise of itizen
journalists,a term which applies to the blogging and sharing capabilities of social networks and the use of
these tools by average people with a like-minded audience that they connect with via social media. Blogs
are a major indication of the influence and relevance of these citizen journalists. In 2003, there were a
reported 3 million blogs published through Wordpress. Seven years later, in 2013, there were a reported
152 million blogs. This amounts to a 4,966% growth in the number of blogs. [1]
II. Relevance to Public Relations
A 4,966% increase in the amount of blogs alone is a number so radical, it can not be ignored by
any industry that utilizes media. There is no sector of media that can boast anywhere near the same
amount of growth in publication and overall reach or consumer impressions. The relevance to public
relations in looking at the blogging landscape or the logospherelies in the fact that blogs usually
represent a particular readership that can be defined by a specific interest, lifestyle, or behavior.
Blogging has introduced a way to market and promote content and news to niche audiences.
Furthermore, blogs tend to be cheaper to utilize than many traditional media outlets, (Television,
Newspaper, etc.) it offers more targeted messaging and ultimately leads to both higher sales conversions
and successful uzz marketing.[2]
Social Networking websites, where each user profile contains personal information and each
profile has an archive of the content a person has enjoyed, shared and posted; have essentially created a

massive database of information on the population. Twitter, which tends to be commonplace for opinion
and general banter, have allowed organizations to not only target their messages to specific
demographics, but also follow and receive messages from these same specified market segments. In line
with this function of Twitter, a major finding from a longitudinal study of social media shows Twitter
narrowly replacing Facebook in 2014 for the first time as the ost frequently accessed new medium for
public relations activities.[3]
There is no longer any excuse for ignorance to what a consumer wants, what there customer
experience was like, or how to reach them. For this reason, the constant activity on these websites
(more importantly Facebook and Twitter) by potential consumers has led to the need for constant
vigilance over what is being noted or shared by the market segments of interest to an organization.
III. Significance to Public Relations
The Campfire marketing company of New York City created a pre-release buzz campaign for
HBO's hit special rue Bloodby targeting influential bloggers in the horror/thriller interest groups with
guerilla marketing tactics rather than utilize the company's own premium television network and the
results led to a staggering viewership on the date of release. The use of blogs allowed Campfire and
HBO to target an audience with a highly specific interest that would have been nearly impossible to do
through television promotions. Aside from the creativity of the campaign, it was an ability to
hyperlocalize their delivery that was responsible for the effectiveness of the campaign. Details of the
campaign and resulting metrics can be seen at the following link:
http://campfirenyc.com/work/hbo-true-blood [4]
Social media may have started as a hub for peer-to-peer connection, but it has become more
open and accessible than ever due to mobile device integration, and with such a large portion of the
population available on these networks, it has essentially begun replacement of newspapers and news
broadcasting. You can now deliver news and bulletins precisely to those who would be interested and
they will receive your message instantly. The use of newspaper, which only segments people by location,
and minimally by interest with the way stories are organized has too broad a reach in comparison and for
younger audiences, the medium is almost completely ineffective for messaging. Television too, has a far
lesser capability to segment its viewership and only does so by interest and location as well. Not to
mention, social media messaging is free in comparison to the thousands of dollars that would be spent
on traditional channels of communication. For all these reasons and more, it is the hyperlocalization of
messaging in social media that has not only made the use of these networks essential in the field, but has
brought about greater success to practitioner's campaigns and strategies.

IV. Sources
[1]

"How Many Blogs Are on the Internet." Wordpress Virtuoso. BWH Geek. Web.
<http://www.wpvirtuoso.com/how-many-blogs-are-on-the-internet/>.

[2]

Seiple, Pamela. "How to Leverage Social Media for Public Relations Success Using Social
Media to Generate Media Coverage and Improve Brand Sentiment." 28. Print.

[3]

Wright, Donald, and Michelle Hinson. "An Updated Examination of Social and Emerging
Media Use in Public Relations Practice: A Longitudinal Analysis Between 2006 and 2014."
Public Relations Journal 8.2 (2014): 35. Print.

[4]

"HBO's True Blood Series." Campfire Work Portfolio. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<http://campfirenyc.com/work/hbo-true-blood>.

[5]

"The History of Social Networking." Digital Trends. Digital Trends. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/>.