Mark Cuban is my “Friend”
October 23rd, 2007
OK OK, I don’t really “know” Mark Cuban in the traditional sense - we’ve never met in person, I don’t have his cell phone number, he has no idea who I am, etc, but through the magic of Facebook, he is my “friend”. I began playing with Facebook a few months ago and, in browsing the multitude of friends on the list of Jason McCabe Calacanis (who I actually did meet when I was at Dell), I noticed Mark Cuban. I didn’t give it another thought until this season of Dancing with the Stars began.
Mark Cuban is by no means the best dancer on DWTS, but he works hard and values his supporters as much as he has appreciated the value of Mavericks fans. In the package aired last night, he shared that he has written 2,000 thank you emails to fans who have sent him messages of support. Mark Cuban is such a lovable billionaire ballroom underdog that 2 weeks ago, I sent a friend request to him over the Facebook transom. To my great pleasure (and his keen marketing sense), he accepted and I have joined the ranks of his 3,700 Facebook friends. Yesterday Mark updated his Facebook status to let his friends know he was headed to dress rehearsal for the live broadcast. He then invited all of his “friends” to attend an event he titled “Keep the Dream Alive - Mark & Kym Dance into Wk 5″, added photos and tidbits about what he’d be wearing and doing on the show, and mobilized folks like me who normally never break the 4th wall and actually vote on one of these shows to go online and vote for him. As a sign of his success, he wasn’t even in the bottom 2 last week despite receiving the lowest scores from the judges. He continues to compete purely through the grace of his fans - a concept that is all the more shocking when you consider that he shouldn’t really have fans! He’s a businessman competing for fan votes with (semi) famous entertainers!
The surprising thing to me is not that Mark Cuban is savvy about using social networks, its that I actually feel some connection with him through Facebook even though I know it is more of an interaction with his “brand”. The only other time I have voted in a reality competition was for Marty Casey to become the new lead singer of INXS (side note: he was robbed) and that was because I actually HAD met him. My connection with the Mark Cuban brand is weak & virtual, and yet it sparked me to action. What brands, billionaires, and would you want to be “friends” with?
For an in depth discussion entitled “Social Networks - Do Consumers Want to be your Friends?” and other topics, please join us at the WOMMA Summit. Details & Agenda available here.
Other posts by Virginia.
stephanie says:
Ok, I just had to comment on this one because Mark Cuban is such an interesting guy. He is currently one of the front runners in buying my Cubs. He has already picked his spot in the bleachers - not the skybox - where he will sit with the fans at games. His down to earth demeanor and manner is wonderful and he truly does appreciate the people supporting him . On a side note… My Lovehammers front man was robbed - We love Marty Casey around these parts, too! Love the insights!
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:55 amChristy says:
Mark does a great job of that whole “love/hate” thing, where you either embrace Mark or you despise him. I’m so torn on whether or not to embrace his “brand.” Yet, I find myself watching the show every week, fascinated by this guy who came from seemingly nowhere and built an empire. I haven’t crossed that 4th wall yet for him.
Who *would* I want to interact with? Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia comes to mind first. Seth Godin, but more than the occasional email exchange… a real discussion on message sending. The Target dog should have been a NintenDog so I could pat it’s red-eyed head with the impersonal stylus.
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:52 pm