Why Big Companies Are So Scared of Social Media

B.L. - Part of my job is to explain, albeit not as eloquently as yourself, how big brands can give themselves a leg up through social media. In my estimation 2009 will be the year of big brand adoption. We have signed more clients in the last month (including big, household names) for social media campaigns than I ever thought possible. Overall I see a trend of dipping a toe in the water with sub $100k statements of work, however I have also seen clients that I never expected to adopt social media come at us with $500k plus budgets for 2009.

Needless to say, I am quite excited!

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B.L. you've shared some wonderful words of wisdom.

If you don't mind I'd love to hone in on a couple of words in your article - just to ensure marketers don't feel that they are off the hook until they decide themselves to enter the frays of social media.

From the point of using social media as a "media" and trying to get viral with their "messages" (using advertising-speak :) I agree with the phrasing of "dipped their toes in the social-media water." However, as you pointed out in the rest of your article many brands are choosing to remain oblivious of the conversations (posts and resulting comments) about them in social media. The important part to point out, of course, is that just because the brand hasn't decided to enter the social media world doesn't mean that their brand is not already part of it. The Motrin case is an example - producing their online video, while online, was not joining a community or the conversations about their brand. Hopefully we will see them join these conversations soon for their brand's sake.

I only highlight this phrasing because I don't want brands to think that they control whether they are part of social media based on a decision they have. Tens/hundreds/thousands of conversations are happening about brands right now, whether they are part of it or not, and its these conversations that are defining/redefining every brand that exists. To choose to ignore, avoid or not be part of these discussions means that the company's voice is missing from the definition and no matter how many ads get run to compensate for it, it would probably never be enough.

Companies need to consider social media as a two way channel to communicate 'with' customers - more like a phone and definitely not like a TV spot. And as with a phone you can choose, as a brand, to reach out to customers as much as customers can call on you to get questions answered, to complain, to praise, to buy services etc... So when brands choose to ignore social media they are in essence not answering calls from customers, plain and simple. That's generally never good for business.

B.L., I hope you don't mind me honing in on that phrase. I loved the article. We need more articles like yours to make sure marketers truly understand the impact that social media is having, right now, on the brands they care for.

Nicholas - thanks for your post - longer than my own.
BL

You're right. A brand's "control" over what happens to it in the social media realm is an illusion at best. Control isn't possible in this fuzzy (but not necessarily warm) new world. The marketing quants are going to have to cede control to their creative (and more importantly, clever) comrades to tame this beast. At WildPitch.TV - we go even further. We've put consumers in charge of creating advertising.