I’ve just started reading “Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business”, by Larry Weber.
The book talks about how he future of marketing is “a two-way street” (Amazon.com) and that you have to “communicate with, not at, customers”. I agree. Companies, especially large corporate entities, don’t own their brand or message anymore. Users will adapt, modify as they like (and sometimes give back) what they see on the web – it’s the ultimate communication mashup.
I do think that Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr (especially after video), YouTube and MySpace(for a time…) are increasingly important for any company’s marketing program. I think Second Life and other metaverses will have a strong part to play (look at IBM’s use of SL as an example of forward-thinking corporate managemnt).
Everyone’s a marketer, designer, blogger, etc. now. Soon the call to action won’t be “Embrace change…” – it’ll be far too late.
