There is life in the marketing departments of big corporate. There is energy and understanding at the executive level of many blue chip companies. If you’re a part of these companies, welcome to the new paradigm. If you’re a competitor to a member of the Social Media Council, big brand beware. These old dogs are getting a new social life.

I’m excited because more large businesses are starting to accept and embrace the future — transparency, the social web, some even the inevitability of The Cluetrain Manifesto.

I know this, because last week, Bob Pearson (@bobpearson1845), Dell’s Vice President of Communities and Conversations, and representing the newly named Social Media Business Council (formerly “Blog Council”) presented “15 Key Trends & Observations For Leaders Of Great Brands” to Toronto’s Third Tuesday attendees.

Some of the highlights:

3. Realize that your customer does not care where you want them to go.

4. Less than 1% of a customer’s time is spent actually purchasing a product. (99% is spent browsing and socializing) Pearson then asked, “Why would we spend 100% of our budget on that 1%, when the decision-making process is so well underway?”

Pearson also spoke of his agency partners as “Iterative Innovators” in this space, working with the marketing team, but not leading the social media practice — that, he explained, has to come from within the company.

This is a dramatic shift — from digital experts talking to brand managers and delivering the good news (or bad, if you liked the old ways of interruptive marketing) about the new paradigms of the Internet.

This simple presentation speaks for itself. I don’t agree with every small detail here, but the core ideas are light years ahead of most brand managers’ understanding of what the future and the immediate present requires.

Pearson and fellow Social Media Business Council member (from Molson Canada) Ferg Devins are big advocates of the council, proclaiming it an open, honest exchange of experience and knowledge that is “establishing a practice.”

After listening to Pearson, I think the benefits are undeniable.

You can learn more about the Social Media Business Council at SocialMedia.org.