The Economist shows off a million fans

FACEBOOK   THE ECONOMIST   ONLINE

Global – The Economist has got a million fans on Facebook and given its fan page a face-lift, but how much does Facebook likes say about a brand's reach and engagement?

The magazine's fan page now features a cover made up of photos from fans around the world. They have been posting photos of themselves reading the magazine, including a young reader aged 13 months reading his magazine in diapers.

The new Timeline also features articles from different decades in magazine back issues, along with important historical events such as the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the 911 attacks.

Francis Fong, chairman of Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing, said Facebook likes is “somewhat useful” for marketers as a performance benchmark.

“It shows how many people are interested at the first place, but not necessarily how engaged they are with your brand,” Fong said.

The Economist has been interacting with their readers on its Facebook page over the past four years. Their “followers” reside in 180 different countries, including the United States, India, the U.K, Pakistan and Canada. The Economist’s 2009 “The Man Who Screwed An Entire Country” cover received over 130,000 likes put the post on the map in a few days.

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