Publications abstract
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New Publication
Marie Myles, Director of Marketing Consulting, provides 12 tips for marketing success in an economic downturn.
Jan 2008: Discussion paper - Social Networking in 2008
2008 will herald the arrival of the Web 2.0 ‘super advocate’ and the rise of the Web 2.0 ‘Gated Community’
Highly influential figures, outspoken and with loyal following, super advocates will have the power in the 2.0 world to make or break a brand’s reputation at will. The super advocate will represent one of the biggest challenges facing companies trying to tap into social media as an advertising and marketing channel. They need to be quickly identified and then kept on side, avoiding commercialism at all costs.
‘Gated communities’ aren’t sites that appeal to the masses like Facebook, Myspace or Bebo and they will even go a step further than targeted communities like Saga Zone. Instead, these will be communities that appeal to powerful individuals – from City lawyers to executives – with stringent membership requirements to protect their exclusive, eclectic and highly influential members. Fundamentally, these people are not interested in creating their own page on a mass-appeal social network site. They want quality of contacts, not quantity.
The rise of the super advocate, gated communities and a number of other major Web 2.0 trends should keep companies and their marketing departments fully occupied in 2008.
You can download the full report and attend a webinar on 24th January, hosted by report authors Robin Goad and Tony Mooney. This is not to be missed opportunity and it is simple to participate – all you need is a PC and telephone.