I have always held the notion that social media is not for everyone. There are obvious brands that benefit from social technologies because their customers are online and already talking about them. For example, Dell tapped into the active tech community through IdeaStorm.com for product ideas. Other brands can tap into their customers’ problems or passions. For example, P&G’s BeingGirl.com tapped adolescents to sell feminine products. And then we have brands like Charmin and categories like toilet paper… until now.

Charmin recently launched a search to find five super-fun, enthusiastic people to work at the Charmin Restrooms in Times Square this holiday season. Their new micro-site, EnjoytheGo.com, explains the program in detail. The job description is simple: Greet and entertain bathroom guests and then blog about the experience, and the payout is big: $10,000 for 1 month.

Before we focus in on the logistics around potty blogging, let’s go back to the two key qualifiers that every organization should ask before even dabbling in social technologies:

• Does my target audience use social technologies?
• Does my target audience use social technologies to talk about my
  brand, category, or a related interest?

While Charmin’s target customers might be active in social technologies, I find it hard to believe that they use social technologies to learn about Charmin, toilet paper, or a stranger’s bathroom experience.

This doesn’t pass my sniff test; how about you?

Posted via email from holland-mark posterous

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