#Facebook partnerships give brands an edge

#Heineken is teaming up with #Facebook to enhance its digital marketing efforts. With over 4 million global fans of the brand on the social networking website, Heineken will be receiving support, consulting and training for Heineken marketers about how to use the network, reports The Times of India. The partnership will also give the brewer priority to Facebook’s new offerings and special pricing, giving the social media edge over their competitors in this crowded market.

The first campaign to be launched will be to promote the message of responsible drinking, said Heineken’s CCO Alexis Nasard. Being “cool” and not patronising with a message like this is a fine line to tread, which is a big part of the reason for the facebook partnership to make sure the job is done right. With drinkers spending more time online, the digital presence of a company like Heineken is ever more important, and reportedly makes up over 7% of the company’s marketing budget – one of the highest in the consumer goods world.

Social media marketing is nothing new; however in this exciting medium the only constant is change. With new social networks emerging and new technology forcing marketers to think outside the box, partnerships like this are likely to become more common. How will Heineken benefit from a partnership like this? Will this social media expertise give them the edge over the competition?

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Picture courtesy of Heineken.com