It’s not what you can do for your brand, it’s what your brand can’t do for you.

The Internet has brought us many magnificent and horrifying things. If you’ve ever wondered what certain actresses would look like with no teeth, the Internet can help you. Or if you have a burning desire to watch a video of asneezing baby panda, look no further (it’s adorable). But there has been one huge leap in the 21^st century courtesy of the internet that seems somewhat less celebrated: we are now closer to the brands that we love than we ever have been thanks to social media.

I generally do not ‘like’ products on Facebook, I reserve those thumbs for musicians and TV shows, so all my friends can see how edgy and alternative I am. But having worked in social media for a whole month (not that I’m trying to show off or anything), I am beginning to notice the effort companies try to make with regards to their digital presence. There is now a platform for customers to engage with brands on an easy and accessible level: this ranges from small things – ‘like’ this photo to enter a competition to win a free iPod, iPad, chocolate kettle and £1 million! – to competitions that require substantially more effort – make a video of your nan eating a creme egg while balancing on an exercise ball at the top of the Eiffel Tower and you’ll be in with the chance of winning a pamphlet on how to avoid swine flu! But does this contact actually have any effect on us or how we feel about the brand?

Much like an aging spinster we, as consumers, crave engagement. We want to feel like we’re part of a bigger thing, like we’re needed by a company, apart from just to buy their products. With the advent of sites like Facebook and Twitter, every fanboy and fangirl have been given the opportunity to accost their favourite brands, from sanitary towels to pencil manufacturers, all from the comfort of their spinny chairs at work. But does this platform actually work, or is it just another example of the never used ‘Leave Feedback’ tabs down the sides of a company’s website? Granted, every once in a while there is a spectacular bound made by brands who respond to a fan’s grievance via social media: like the infamous Bodyform response video, or the Sainsbury’s Tiger/Giraffe Bread incident. Yes, they were both hilarious and fantastic, but equally it happens far more rarely than it should. Brands have this amazing opportunity to interact in funny and clever ways with all their fans, but are more often than not choosing to do something else (probably count their money).

It may be the cynic in me, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the big boys don’t actually want to hear from us. Ok, most companies will reply to comments on Facebook and Twitter, but is an answer to our question the only thing we want? These brands are online to get an insight in to what it is the public really desires, but don’t seem to actually be listening, they treat it more as a customer service desk where we go if the Easyjet website is down, or our Tesco’s pizza has some blue plastic in it. So what is the point? All that social media seems to have done is enable a generation of complainers by giving them a handy place to do it from. Alcoholics have the pub, drug addicts have their dealers, and the malcontent have Facebook. Social media has brought us the opportunity to be connected to companies 24/7, but them changing their entire ethos because of one comment is a stretch. Unless the company we engage with see a spectacular PR opportunity in our gripes, we’re just another needy customer, left in the dark with just the dim light of our computer screen to warm us.