3 Things Fashion Brands Should STOP Doing on Facebook

DOGS, RIHANNA, LOL, ONE DIRECTION, CAT, CAT, CAT, ROFL, OMG, MEME,  SPAM, SPAM, CAT, NICE QUOTE SUCH AS “LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES”, LOL, CAT, DOG, OTHER KIND OF PET, TAG, SPAM, RIHANNA, JAY-Z, BEYONCE’, JUSTIN BIEBER, POLITICS, LUV, CAT, CAT, LOL, RIHANNA, STUFF REPOSTED FROM A PAGE CALLED “GETTING SO DRUNK, THE PARAMEDICS FIND BOOD IN YOUR ALCOHOL STREAM”, CAT, RIHANNA, LOL, SWAG, SOME KIND OF ARMCHAIR REVOLUTIONARY STATEMENT AGAINST GREEDY BANKERS, NEW WORLD ORDER AND WALL STREET, RIHANNA, LOL.

That was Facebook in 83 words.

A noisy, lawless souk in which everybody screams, blah blahs around, listens to Rihanna and lols at cats.

In this quasi-apocalyptic scenario, do we really need fashion brands to pump up the volume knobs up to 11? I don’t think so.

They should tell stories, instead of going for cheap tricks and loud sirens in order to attract the attention – and ultimately the loyalty – of users and (existing or potential) fans.

Quality, not quantiy.

Therefore, dear fashion brands, STOP doing the following things, and give us something intriguing, interesting, and content worth sharing.

1. STOP exaggerating things.

We have been talking about the use (or misuse) of language on Facebook, when it comes to Luxury Brands. That was about the lack of vocabulary, this is about using the right words in the right contest.

Look the image below. The expressions “To dye/die for”, “LOVE” and “obsessed” compare in this post. You might think this is Sophocles’ Antigone; you are wrong, they are talking about shoes. Yes, shoes.

You should die for freedom, not for a pair of shoes, you must love the planet and its inhabitants, not high heels, you need affection, not a 800 quid pair of pumps, you can be obsessed with Francis Bacon’s painting, not with slippers.

Seriously, let’s get real.

2. STOP telling unbelievable and ridiculous lies.

When I see a post like “FACEBOOK EXCLUSIVE. For our fans ONLY, blah blah”, I shiver. To put the words “Exclusive” and “Facebook”, together, in the same sentence, is like saying “bespoke Primark dress”.

Or think about the “Behind the scenes” photos. Just because you can see a spotlight and an intern that fixes something in the background doesn’t make it real.

Everybody’s posing, that’s not a behind the scenes, that’s a “Let’s pretend you are unaware of the camera and pull an intense face, and you, intern, what’s your name again? yeah, whatever, you go there and act like you were fixing stuff, chop chop!” kind of situation (This one is taken from Cesare Paciotti’s Facebook page)

3. Stop asking me to SHARE and LIKE your posts if your posts are rubbish, and, most of all, stop using ALL CAPS, cos they don’t hypnotise people, they just bother them.

Yes, I used them in the word STOP, and when describing Facebook, you’re right, I’m guilty, mea culpa, but that was just because I wanted to reproduce the noise, not because I think people on social networks are a bunch of brainless Cercopithecuses that could buy anything is promoted using all caps.

Posts such as ‘SHARE this if you ______.’, ‘LIKE us if you think ______.’ should disappear. If you want me to share your posts, make them shareable, and come up with decent content. Simple, right?

Or, if you really have to use them, at least come up with something like this. Smart, uh?

(source: Bike EXIF)

What do you think?

London Web Agency Appnova – keep following us on Twitter @appnova and “like” us on Facebook for useful news and tasteful digressions about geeky stuff.