Whilst not my everyday networking favourite, Bebo strikes me as the most exciting social network at the moment in the UK. Whilst Facebook and MySpace play around with ad-formats and new versions, Bebo seems to keep doing eye-catching activity.
As a prime example – the whole Shiny Red team has spotted the Colgate bebo.com/getthesmile posters all over the tube at Tottenham Court Road station near Shiny HQ, and I finally got round to checking out the site. It’s a simple holding page for Colgate Max White, with slick smile tips, applications and music-tie-ins. It also pushes Colgate’s product placement in Bebo’s Gap Year original content soap opera.
The integrated campaigns with hero products woven into storylines is an exciting concept for UK marketers, and only possible because Bebo is creating something worth watching, as we’ve talked about before. Urban clothing range Goldigga were one of the first, and Boots 17 make-up range have got involved this week with a UGL (user-generated lipstick!) competition. Their appointment of a new Global Head of Mobile this week promises more exciting activity in that space too.
As the big three social networks mature in the UK market, Bebo is carving out a clear niche in original content and reaching that difficult younger demographic. No wonder they’re smiling!
