360i’s David Berkowitz always has something interesting to say, and his recent MediaPost column is no exception. In it, he discusses the concept of social graph targeting – the ability to target consumers based on associations with each other, presumably within social networks – as a next gen targeting mechanism.

Certainly the ability to understand the expressed desires of a consumer, then gain visibility into his or her relationship network, is powerful stuff. But a couple questions spring to mind:

• On social nets, how are the two (relationships + common interests) consistently connected? I friend people for a variety of reasons – friends, co-workers, college buddies, and now, weirdly enough, parents – yet us sharing hobbies or a taste in movies is not a necessary criteria, or even factor in our relationship.
• How is the context of a user’s relationship in a social network environment determined? Is it reliant on user input (for example I explicitly state I am someone’s friend/co-worker/cousin?)
• Do we have any more insight into a user’s frame of mind when in a social net environment? Data from last year indicated soc nets users were less receptive to ads and made fewer purchases as a result. Does new data tell a different story? How does this info help shape expectations around what soc nets can and can’t do from a marketing perspective?

The deliberate connections web users create with one another are significant, but understanding the commonalities that bind them makes it so much more meaningful. Am I connected to you because you give great advice on introducing baby to solid foods? Or because you’re a relative of mine? Different scenarios have vastly different marketing implications. The idea of peer-to-peer connections isn’t unique to social networks of course. Increasingly, web content is becoming socially-charged, allowing marketers to see how relationships are formed around topical content — i.e. which sites link together around the movie Bruno — which can help make targeting even more powerful.