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.

Filed under: Brands, Business, Social Media by Craig Ritchie
244No Comments »http://www.craigritchie.com/2009/07/the-social-media-business-council-is-surging-ahead/The+Social+Media+Business+Council+is+surging+forward2009-07-14+21%3A11%3A00Craig+Ritchie

Tags: #TTT, bob pearson, dell, ferg devins, molson, social media business council, socialmedia.org, third tuesday toronto

Yes, this is another blog post about Twitter.

It looks like Twitter’s ready for your brand. Is your airline, coffee franchise, financial services organization, non-profit, car dealership, landscaping company, ad agency, funeral home or laundromat ready to Twitter?

From a social media marketing analysis standpoint, the conversation has changed from questioning Twitter’s viability as a channel to acceptance of the tool, its audience stability and growth. The question now is, how does a brand use it without (as the internet-savvy say) EPIC FAIL?

Here are some of the recent thoughts, proofs and discussions:

1. Dell expands Twitter strategy
2. Dell explains their strategy on YouTube
3. Zappos (@zappos) has 400+ employees on Twitter (and amazing online reputation/WOM momentum), and here are the employees: twitter.zappos.com/employees
4. Bryan Person (@BryanPerson) is collecting “BrandsOnTwitter” Delicious Links
5. Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) analyzes at the Brands that have been unsuccessful on Twitter
6. Fortune Magazine highlights Twitter’s potential

Let me know if you find more analysis to help brand planners and marketers understand Twitter.

Follow me here: @craigritchie

Update: Jeremiah Owyang has posted his recommendations for Brands on Twitter.

Filed under: Brands, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, Web 2.0, Web Strategy by Craig Ritchie
491 Comment »http://www.craigritchie.com/2008/08/twitters-all-growed-up-as-a-social-media-marketing-channel/Twitter%27s+all+growed+up%3F+%28as+a+social+media+marketing+channel%292008-08-14+14%3A29%3A23Craig+Ritchie

Tags: brandsontwitter, dell, fortune magazine, Twitter, zappos

While Seth Godin is questioning the longevity of everyone’s patience for “Green” marketing, Dell has achieved great success in its current campaign, “What does ‘green’ mean to you?” In partnership with and in support of Regeneration.org, Facebookers can use the Graffiti tool to enter their artwork to be voted on by their fellow social networkers.

More than 7,000 entries have been submitted.

The top 150 (yes, One Hundred and Fifty, not top 10 or 20…) are now available for voting, and the quality of art is astonishing. Spend some time in the virtual art show here.

Also notable is the quality of the conversation and virulence of the campaign. The discussion board boasts more than 100 topics, with conversation ranging from Global Warming - Real, or Hoax?” to sub-campaigns started by the participants suggesting that competitors “Rate the Person Above You’s Grafitti!!”

The engagement reaches beyond the page as 1,471 Facebook fans are spreading word of the campaign.

Quite simply put, there is a monumental difference between social media strategies that sputter and die because of lack of knowledge and direction, and successful campaigns like this one that is lead by expertise and focus.

Hat tip to Jeremiah Owyang (twitter @jowyang) once again for the link.

Filed under: Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, User-generated Content, Web Strategy by Craig Ritchie
30No Comments »http://www.craigritchie.com/2008/05/along-with-everything-else-i-think-facebook-might-be-the-new-louvre-this-is-facebook-marketing-done-right/Along+with+everything+else%2C+I+think+Facebook+might+be+the+new+Louvre+%28This+is+Facebook+marketing+done+right%292008-05-16+19%3A58%3A42Craig+Ritchie

Tags: contest, dell, Facebook, graffiti, green, jeremiah owyang, Marketing, regeneration.org, seth godin, Web Strategy