Comments on: B2B Social Media – The Art of Conversation http://www.birddog.co.uk/2009/02/b2b-social-media-the-art-of-conversation/ We add value to businesses with the creative delivery of Brand Strategy through Digital Channels. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:20:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Scot http://www.birddog.co.uk/2009/02/b2b-social-media-the-art-of-conversation/#comment-97 Scot Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:33:53 +0000 http://www.birddog.co.uk/?p=1460#comment-97 Thanks Carl - you're making a couple of really good points here. Firstly, Social Media is simply another tool - one of many that we can use as part of an integrated B2B marketing strategy. We've seen what happens if the technology is over-hyped and driven purely by the beancounters and the results weren't pretty. We sholud learn from past mistakes. Secondly. thanks for the Wiggles link. Great example of how to ruin existing brand equity. How could a brand this big not think that by applying charges to a previously free site there would be customer fallout? And yet they did it anyway. Which perhaps makes the move even more cynical. It would appear that nothing is sacred. Customers want to feel good about their brand experiences - how would that experience make you feel? Excellent comment - thanks for posting. :-) S Thanks Carl – you’re making a couple of really good points here. Firstly, Social Media is simply another tool – one of many that we can use as part of an integrated B2B marketing strategy. We’ve seen what happens if the technology is over-hyped and driven purely by the beancounters and the results weren’t pretty. We sholud learn from past mistakes. Secondly. thanks for the Wiggles link. Great example of how to ruin existing brand equity. How could a brand this big not think that by applying charges to a previously free site there would be customer fallout? And yet they did it anyway. Which perhaps makes the move even more cynical. It would appear that nothing is sacred. Customers want to feel good about their brand experiences – how would that experience make you feel? Excellent comment – thanks for posting. :-) S

]]> By: Carl Kim http://www.birddog.co.uk/2009/02/b2b-social-media-the-art-of-conversation/#comment-96 Carl Kim Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:13:59 +0000 http://www.birddog.co.uk/?p=1460#comment-96 Well written piece, Scott. The thing that pricks my conscience about the constant demands (and yes, they are demands) of "Has YouTube/Twitter/Facebook worked out how to make money?!" is that the sites were firstly and foremostly created to meet user's needs. If this is successfully done, then they are popular. The raison d'être comes first. Monetising the raison d'être can only come subsequently. The problem right now is that the likes of Google and VCs want a return on their investments and they want it now - they paid a great deal money to acquire these popular sites, and equally to outmanoeuvre their competitors from potential business opportunities. But if they are scratching their heads now on how to extract a revenue stream, then by definition it means that the investors hadn't figured out the revenue stream when they originally made the investment - they acted on blind faith, "if we build it, they will come...and we will reap fields of profit". But as we saw in the first Dotcom boom not always "did they come", and equally now it's not a given that "we will reap fields of profit". Like you say, "new things take a while to figure out". Best to let the flash in the pan diffuse, the dust settle, and let natural equilibria be attained. Unless you want to kill a good idea with overzealous and premature demands for revenue, then investors need to take a long term view of their investments. We've learnt from nine years ago that it is a fallacy and a waste to burn great amounts of money forcing something that might not necessarily be there; not to mention damaging the brand and reputation (for example http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/wiggles-fans-see-red-over-userpays-site/2009/04/26/1240684340181.html) Well written piece, Scott.
The thing that pricks my conscience about the constant demands (and yes, they are demands) of “Has YouTube/Twitter/Facebook worked out how to make money?!” is that the sites were firstly and foremostly created to meet user’s needs. If this is successfully done, then they are popular. The raison d’être comes first. Monetising the raison d’être can only come subsequently.

The problem right now is that the likes of Google and VCs want a return on their investments and they want it now – they paid a great deal money to acquire these popular sites, and equally to outmanoeuvre their competitors from potential business opportunities. But if they are scratching their heads now on how to extract a revenue stream, then by definition it means that the investors hadn’t figured out the revenue stream when they originally made the investment – they acted on blind faith, “if we build it, they will come…and we will reap fields of profit”. But as we saw in the first Dotcom boom not always “did they come”, and equally now it’s not a given that “we will reap fields of profit”. Like you say, “new things take a while to figure out”.

Best to let the flash in the pan diffuse, the dust settle, and let natural equilibria be attained. Unless you want to kill a good idea with overzealous and premature demands for revenue, then investors need to take a long term view of their investments. We’ve learnt from nine years ago that it is a fallacy and a waste to burn great amounts of money forcing something that might not necessarily be there; not to mention damaging the brand and reputation (for example http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/wiggles-fans-see-red-over-userpays-site/2009/04/26/1240684340181.html)

]]> By: Scot http://www.birddog.co.uk/2009/02/b2b-social-media-the-art-of-conversation/#comment-95 Scot Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:04:34 +0000 http://www.birddog.co.uk/?p=1460#comment-95 Keiron - brilliant observations and quite right. Although, while the 'kids' may well have 'poked the rabbit', or 'sucked the starfish' (or whatever...) the Web2.0-Gate-Scandal is widely accredited to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0" rel="nofollow">Tim O'Reilly</a> who is hardly a 'kid'. But who the hell cares anyway - <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/14/the-death-of-web-20/" rel="nofollow">Web2.0 is dead </a>(according to Tech Crunch at least). R.I.P. Keiron – brilliant observations and quite right. Although, while the ‘kids’ may well have ‘poked the rabbit’, or ‘sucked the starfish’ (or whatever…) the Web2.0-Gate-Scandal is widely accredited to Tim O’Reilly who is hardly a ‘kid’. But who the hell cares anyway – Web2.0 is dead (according to Tech Crunch at least). R.I.P.

]]> By: Kieron http://www.birddog.co.uk/2009/02/b2b-social-media-the-art-of-conversation/#comment-94 Kieron Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:39:29 +0000 http://www.birddog.co.uk/?p=1460#comment-94 Scot, The term ' web2.0 ' has already jumped the shark (a phrase which has also jumped itself and now been replaced with 'nuked the fridge'). The hip kids don't use it because it was really invented by marketers and as such lacks street cred. It's also rejected by the techno weenies because technically it doesn't actually utilise any functionality that wasn't already around in ' WEB 1.0 '. It's heading the way of 'The Information Super Highway' (remember that). Interestingly the term WEB2.0 has been trade marked in Ireland and is likely to be trade marked across Europe by CMP Media. So I think that it's best that we let them have it and then all snigger at them for being all dad-on-the-dancefloor by using a term that was past it's use-by date shortly after it was coined. K Scot,

The term ‘ web2.0 ‘ has already jumped the shark (a phrase which has also jumped itself and now been replaced with ‘nuked the fridge’). The hip kids don’t use it because it was really invented by marketers and as such lacks street cred. It’s also rejected by the techno weenies because technically it doesn’t actually utilise any functionality that wasn’t already around in ‘ WEB 1.0 ‘. It’s heading the way of ‘The Information Super Highway’ (remember that).

Interestingly the term WEB2.0 has been trade marked in Ireland and is likely to be trade marked across Europe by CMP Media. So I think that it’s best that we let them have it and then all snigger at them for being all dad-on-the-dancefloor by using a term that was past it’s use-by date shortly after it was coined.

K

]]> By: Scot http://www.birddog.co.uk/2009/02/b2b-social-media-the-art-of-conversation/#comment-93 Scot Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:05:23 +0000 http://www.birddog.co.uk/?p=1460#comment-93 Rebecca, You're right of course. I think 'ideas' are exactly where the value lies in the emerging Social Media market. We now have to redefine what 'creative' means in the Creative Services industries. Creative no longer means design and artwork. These process aspects of our business can be outsourced. The value lies in the idea - and specifically how it can be applied to a multi-channel market. Interesting times... :-) S x Rebecca,
You’re right of course. I think ‘ideas’ are exactly where the value lies in the emerging Social Media market. We now have to redefine what ‘creative’ means in the Creative Services industries. Creative no longer means design and artwork. These process aspects of our business can be outsourced. The value lies in the idea – and specifically how it can be applied to a multi-channel market. Interesting times… :-)
S
x

]]> By: Rebecca Caroe http://www.birddog.co.uk/2009/02/b2b-social-media-the-art-of-conversation/#comment-92 Rebecca Caroe Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:38:28 +0000 http://www.birddog.co.uk/?p=1460#comment-92 Scot Great Britain plc has been good at one thing for a long time, ideas. We lead the world in certain industries including the dreaded "Marketing" and we show a lot of people how to do this stuff really well. I have great confidence that by continuing to be ideas-led we will take full advantage of the recessionary opportunities that come up. But the flip side is that if you work in a business that is low margin and process not ideas-led. Just outsource yourself to somewhere cheaper in the world. The uk is not where you should be trading. Rebecca Scot
Great Britain plc has been good at one thing for a long time, ideas. We lead the world in certain industries including the dreaded “Marketing” and we show a lot of people how to do this stuff really well.

I have great confidence that by continuing to be ideas-led we will take full advantage of the recessionary opportunities that come up.

But the flip side is that if you work in a business that is low margin and process not ideas-led. Just outsource yourself to somewhere cheaper in the world. The uk is not where you should be trading.

Rebecca

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