Clubhouse App— Marketer’s new haven!?

What do you get from a platform where you are heard, for real?

Just when we got too used to the trolling over a silly or an over the top comment, Clubhouse enters with this very unique idea of social conversations that are only live, no afterthoughts. Being valued at over $100 mn (May 2020) says a lot about its perceived potential. What with the pandemic, the desire to be heard must be at an all time high. Timing couldn’t be better than this. Perception management can take a new and highly competitive form with this convenient discovery platform of another kind.

This seems an opportunity akin to “not just talk to your child, but talk with them”!

A quick tour of the app has groups/rooms discussing topics ranging from startups to videography to how to use the app itself (Clubhouse). In between there is buzz about utilizing social media marketing and Christmas celebrations. Making the portal accessible only by invite lends exclusivity to the members, and craving to those on the other side of the table. Also, the fact that its available only for Apple users lends more to the exclusivity.

Clubhouse seems a fabulous place to get in touch with the tech folks, and the media folks — people who are only ‘seen’ on other media channels will now be live in the same community room as you! With the critics saying most tech discussion on the platform is around Clubhouse, well, that is a smart marketing. What is better than marketing yourself on your own app, create a buzz around it and bingo! Very few times that I saw Facebook advertisements, I was surprised why they need it in the first place. Network effects take care of the advertising for these social platforms more than any other platform can.

I am wondering about the disappearing act of the discussions on Clubhouse! How well can a marketer use this style of creating a buzz. Thinking out loud, following ways this platform will be a haven for brands of all shapes and sizes:

• Podcasts by celebrities, tech icons, industry magnets — only that they wont be saved for future, but do we need everything to be saved for future? Who wants to go back to a controversial ad and revisit the memories of the controversy! Better to live in the moment then.
• Excellent platform for pushing a brand around people’s interests, a very focused approach that also gets validated right there, in verbal form. Good or bad, the advertiser/marketer will have to take it
• Interests based groups make it easier to choose the target audience. Though its like any other social media setting, its interesting to see that groups are driven by real people and has attendance by those who might be actually interested and not just there for the sake of some public validation. This lends a lot of authenticity to the crowd one can target in the groups on the platform.
• Quick surveys to assess the innovator groups of buyers since for a considerable time there will be an exclusive audience
• Community and loyalty building around a product with opinions out loud, shared, analyzed, criticized, and addressed
• Pre-launch discussions — Creating a buzz around a new product and understanding the pulse of the audience/users before a launch,
• or even better, plan a product launch based on the ongoing pulse of the times. e.g. based on my interests, I saw groups such as new goals, all things women, online revenue mastery, and then some on political buzz around us
• Being on top of the game with a direct interaction with townhalls sort of interaction, unlike any webinar, unlike an AGM, unlike anything consumers are used to, so far!

Which industries/segments are most widely going to benefit from this platform? Well, for one it has to be tech — encompassing all of fin, mar, ed, gadgets, gaming enthusiasts, movie launches, and what not! Sky is the limit when you get a floor to floor your audiences with the right kind of engagement, carefully crafted just for this platform.

Lets see what’s in store, hope they release some stats!