Why Ricky Gervais is good for social media

Ok, ok. I know I've written a post before approving of Ricky Gervais’ use of Twitter but bear with me.

One of the great things about social media is that it expands the reach of important messages that couldn't be spread around as much before. A single tweet can reach millions of people – this is something new and it can be very powerful.

Couple this with the celebrity culture we live in. The masses who follow celebs online. Who drink in every word they say. Who shape their lives around those public figure they adore.

This, ladies and gents, is power in all its 21^st century glory. Unfortunately, most who would exert the most influence decide instead to flaunt themselves and use social as another platform to flog their product. Sigh.

But there is hope – in the unlikely form of the man who is infamous for his borderline offensive (to some more sensitive types, anyway) stand-up comedy – Ricky Gervais. As I mentioned in the previous post, he talks a lot about animal welfare issues, including this colourfully worded (a warning for the aforementioned sensitive types) post on Facebook: 

“So what?” I hear you ask. Well, here’s what. That post has been liked over 200 thousand times. That has appeared in the news feed of more than 200,000 people, plus his 2.9 million Facebook fans.

And it’s not just the reach of what he does. It’s the conviction with which he does it and the passion he shows. Sure, some may not like the language he uses but if that’s what it takes to get the point across, what’s the big deal?

How many celebrities show publicly their loathing for the barbarism our species shows? Gervais is exerting his influence to make a positive difference in the world (which is more than can be said for most politicians…) and that should never be seen as anything but a good thing, regardless of how he does it.

And in fact, he still uses comedy to try and get his point across:

I want celebrities on Twitter and Facebook to follow suit. Gervais is good for social media and in fact, (I can’t believe I’m saying this), he is good for humanity. Not just for highlighting issues, but for doing it in a way that makes us share his passion and do something about it. He may be brash, a little offensive at times but I still say that this world needs more Ricky Gervais’.

5 reasons Ricky Gervais is a social media genius.

Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais on Twitter), is known for being irritating, funny, and extremely intelligent, when he isn't playing pranks on bald Mancunians with spherical shaped heads.

On Twitter, he is at his opinionated and egotistical best. But it is genius, and he knows exactly what he is doing. Brands can learn a lot from the way he uses social media because he just gets it.

Allow me to explain.

1)     He is human. Some influential brands and figures on social media use it primarily as a marketing tool and to plug and promote their latest product. Sure, Gervais does this too. But fundamentally, he uses Twitter in the same way as the everyday person would. People can relate to  him because he shows he is human, not just another celebrity trying to flog their autobiography or whatever it is they delude themselves into thinking we want to buy.

2)     He has personality. This kind of links in to the above point, but is slightly different. An important part of a social media strategy is to get the tone of voice right. Obviously, on this occasion the tone of voice is his natural use of the platform, but he shows a unique side to his personality. An example for you: one minute, he is boasting that he’s just going to “pop to L.A,” and posts a selfie of himself clutching a glass of expensive champagne on his private jet. The next Tweet, he’ll be promoting animal welfare charities. Between all that, he'll post one of his infamous “bath pics.” More on those later. My point is, individually, he probably wouldn't get away with doing any single one of these and would chase away all but the most committed of his fans because they’d get sick of it. But he can get away with it because he’s honest, he’s refreshingly blunt, and he simply doesn't care about offending people in a way that causes no harm. People love that.

3)     He knows his audience. This is probably the biggest point. He knows what kind of people follow him. He knows what they want to see, what he can get away with. He also knows what will provoke the most reaction. Have you seen his incessant comments about religion? He knows exactly what he’s doing. He probably does feel that strongly about religion, but his primary reason for it is for a) his own entertainment when he gets abuse and b) because he knows it will induce engagement, which is exactly what he wants.

4)     He engages with his audience. This is something so many influential Twitter users get wrong. If you click on his profile, you will see so many replies to his fans, even if they are simple smiley faces or him saying “cheers” for a compliment about one of his tv shows. People appreciate that. He understands that people will follow if they think they can engage with him. It shows he “listens,” so to speak, and people will flock to someone who pays attention to them.

5)     His content is unique. He posts a lot of stuff on Twitter that a lot of celebrities wouldn't dare or dream of doing. The most obvious instance of this is the bath pic that he posts on a scarily regular basis. For those who haven’t seen these, I’m not going to try and explain. I just suggest you check out his photos on Twitter…or use the hashtag #bathpic…but I’m not responsible for any eye burning, or mental scars that may be incurred by doing so.

As well as this, his awareness of what people want from him is outstanding. He might plug his latest movie or tv show, but he also entertains on Twitter in a unique fashion. For example, he brought David Brent back for a series of Youtube videos where the famous figure from “The Office” teaches the audience the guitar (although there’s not really any teaching involved). People were all over this, and it has led to David Brent performing around the country. He used those videos, I believe, as market research to see if it could work. It’s a genius stroke, and he must be feeling very good about himself.

It is fair to say that Ricky Gervais gets Twitter. He understands it, and uses it to the best effect he can. This is why he won a “lifetime achievement” at the Shorty Awards. Even he found it amusing that he was awarded this within a few months of being on Twitter. I’m a fan of Gervais, I loathe him, but most of all, I admire his genius use of his online space.