Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Nikon wants social networkers' eyeballs

Flickr, which was acquired by Yahoo in March 2005, recently announced a deal to make Nikon the first advertiser on the photoblogging site. Nikon is trying to monetise social networking, but are they going about it the right way?

Reactions from Flickr users are so far mixed. As a Flickr pro account holder myself (’pro’ means a guaranteed ad-free Flickr experience for you and those viewing your photoblog, as well as unlimited bandwidth, storage, and other features), the following statement sure got my attention:

The first big push of the deal is the “Nikon Stunning Gallery,” which can be found through a Nikon logo and link that sit at the bottom of the Flickr homepage. Flickr users can upload their photos and tag them with the phrase “nikonstunninggallery,” which will then automatically put the images in a queue for the gallery. If chosen, the exposure could drive massive amounts of traffic to a user’s Flickr account.

Note the implicit arrogance of this set-up - We are Nikon. Of course our gallery will have massive amounts of traffic. The little guys need us. In the bottom-up world of the new web, where the network nobody owns is more powerful than any other, I would not be so sure of that.

More to the point, the display ad hook to this deal betrays the truth of the matter, which is that Nikon is still worshipping eyeballs in the midst of trying to engage the individuals who comprise the highly valued Flickr network. While the gallery idea is more engaging, flashing ads in peoples’ faces is the same old interruptive dish - albeit served up on a more trendy plate.

We should talk on June 21st about whether or not this is going to work for Nikon or Flickr. In the meantime, for more inspired ideas for how companies could make money with Flickr without kneeling at the altar of the eyeball, check out Marketallica’s post on this very subject.