An interesting departure

British Airways has launched its very own social media platform – Metrotwin. The online community links those from 'the two greatest cities in the world' - London and New York, and represents one of the most significant drives into social media by a big brand.

The network allows users to provide recommendations of the best places to go and things to do in both cities whilst also helping users navigate the vast amount of online information on the two cities. Echoing Facebook, Metrotwin lets users create profiles, follow others and review and rate different aspects of London and New York.

This use of social networking signals a trend whereby content is becoming more niche and personalised. Where once an individual, group or brand might set up a page or group on a networking site, perhaps our demands and experiences are such that we now want to be able to create an entire platform to establish a unique, personal and relevant social network.

Friends in high places

There is often a perception that not all brands need to pay attention to social media as a brand building tool. Some brands just do not fit with the social media audience. But is this really still true? This week Cartier, one of the world’s most exclusive jewellery brands, published its very own MySpace page. An interesting move from a brand which few would ever associate with the MySpace generation. So is this a sign of a brand jumping on the band wagon or should we instead view this as a brave and clever move which will reach out to an untapped and lucrative market?