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The Facebook Effect

Posted by Anthony LaFauce on February 5th, 2008 3:42 PM

Last Friday a group of my friends and I set out for a fun little evening of free vodka, art, and snacks at the Swedish embassy. We had RSVP’d via Facebook and left our apartments early to attend was was sure to be a crowded event.

We knew the event would be crowded by the over 2,000 people that RSVP’d online to attend. The event, organized to meet the needs of about 300, would surely be overwhelmed by the massive interest of over 2,000 Facebook users.

Arriving half an hour early my friends and I were no where near the front of the line and began working if we would be able to even get in. According to the Washington Post the lines for this event stretched around the block and through most of Georgetown.

To be honest after my friends and I gave up waiting online after an hour and half. We were in sight of the entrance but were becoming turned off by the wait. We all wanted to be part of the event but found it difficult to wait in a line for an event we were uncertain of.

This event really demonstrates the massive marketing potential of Facebook when trying to attract the crowd. Massive groups of friends were waiting online together to attend this event and you could almost see the how it must have spread through the local colleges in DC; 1 friend inviting 5 friends who invited 5 more.

From what I read the event was a success. Well dressed mid-20’s experiencing culture. If you look at the event from another angle you have to wonder if the House of Sweden did the right thing by posting the event on Facebook.

Social media is a great way to get exposure, but sometimes that exposure can go viral, and you have to be prepared. The House of Sweden held a great event and used Facebook to drive traffic to the event. The one thing they failed to do was plan for the massive draw they had created.

If you know about any other event happening around the DC area let me know. I love attending all sorts of events and enjoy seeing how they are marketed. Do you think that the House of Sweden did the right thing posting the event on Facebook?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 2 Comments

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    If this event were spreading amongst college students, the event would not have been filled with mid-20 somethings. College students are mostly 18-22. College students actually don't use Facebook for events much at all. As a former club promoter and college marketer, I know the gamut of utilitarian promotional devices available to the public. Basic flyering is much more effective than Facebook Events, which is why we created CollegeTonight. Students may use Facebook Events as a collateral service simply because of the sheer number of users on the site, but it's not effective. Facebook events are about as effective as "Facebook Pages."
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    I talked to one of the persons behind the event during a meeting in Stockholm yesterday and as you might have expected - they had been overwhelmed. I don't think their intention was for the event to be so wildly spread among the public.
    I think it doesn't prove the efficiency of FB, but instead shows that 1. There's too little fun in W DC and 2. It's always great fun to party at an embassy :)
    Also, I believe that the possibilities of swedish women attending the party helped.

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