Modern Marketing - Blog by Collaborate PR & Marketing

What Next?

Three years ago I started up Collaborate PR & Marketing to focus on the world of networked media.  I had experienced the power of online communities whilst working on a big strategy project for James Bond Enterprises and it seemed likely that blogs were the next step in the world's slow pivot from broadcasting to networking.  Initially, Collaborate involved me talking to lots of people about blogs, RSS, podcasts and tags which I presented as open source marketing - and many blank stares!  But then the media caught on and asked me to help explain what was going on.  Next the blogopshere exploded and - incredibly quickly - established itself as part of today's world.  Subsequently, I have worked with many fantastic individuals in organisations, large and small, providing a range of consulting and development services - in Europe and the US.  I've met hundreds of interesting people - a few of whom now work with me - been to some amazing events...

Hallam Foe Screening

Hugh has kindly invited me along to his latest marketing-venture cum social-experiment spreading the word about the film Hallam Foe.  You can see all about it on the HF blog which covers different aspects of the film from the shoot, to the actors, to the soundtrack, to the marketing.  It's a great example of attracting people's interest by opening up a process and offering a sneaky-peek at something they wouldn't normally get to see.  In this case a bunch of dudes putting a film together.  I've been involved with a few film projects and what has always struck me is that there's great drama involved in the endeavour - even if it just seems like grinding pain to the people involved - and that drama is intriguing to others.  In some ways the end product (ie the film) is just the finale.  To kick things off Hugh has arranged a screening of the film's rough cut and drinks for a few blog-oriented individuals who can then begin the discussion....

Brands on Wikipedia

We've all got so used to wikipedia now that it's easy to forget quite how amazingly brilliant it is.  Every time I look something up I find myself whizzing through links, being drawn along a tale of interchopped subjects which often leads in totally unexpected directions.  Unlike a lot of 2.0 projects, everyone seems to have heard of it and uses it - right?  And Alexa ranks it as one of the top ten sites in the world.  Increasingly it comes up in my work with brands and companies trying to understand what networked environments mean for them because it's such a clear example of the issues - a collaborative space, run by individuals  that is guaranteed to appear on the hallowed turf of Google page one.  And despite the tooing-and-froing about its reliability, the fact is that wikipedia now has credibility and people trust it - check Weinberger for brilliant analysis as ever.  Steve Rubel has done a great piece of analysis simply showing...

They're All Nutters Really You Know

Today's Guardian has a nice summary of how companies are tuning into the blogosphere (ie listening to their own customers talk to each other).  This quote from a Neilsen Buzzmetrics caught my eye and nicely frames the reason why some companies can get their wires crossed when they try to bring online opinion within their strategies: "Most Fortune 1000 companies are not of the cultural mindset where they talk directly to their customers.  They've built so many walls and silos that they've lost that direct communication."  The article still has the, "they're all nutters really you know," tone that makes me smile and that I *ahem* occasionally come across myself.  After all, if someone is voicing their opinion about a company's shortcomings they must be mad, right Jeff?  As the world pivots from broadcast to network, breaking down the paranoia, mistrust and mutual suspicion between marketeer and customer is the real tough nut.

Open Privacy

One aspect of the modern web that is easily overlooked is the huge change in the way that people regard privacy.  Why is it that millions and millions of people are now happy to publish information - some very personal - about their lives into a public space with a weird name - the blogosphere?  In my trip to MIT's Medialab this summer I saw a presentation by a very smart guy called Ben Adida.  He tackled the extremely complex area of...

The Value of Experiments

Whatever you think of Bubblegen it's nothing if not provocative.  Umair's at the top of his game at the moment with posts like this.  "When it comes to 2.0, business models happen - they're the products of deep, consistent experimentation."  It's an idea that feels increasingly right.  In a world that seems more complex the only way to progress and learn is to try, try and try again.  Planning is still vital but it's most powerful when looped with feedback from the real world.  That's been the strength of agile programming techniques driving businesses like Skype: get it out there; learn; change.

Butcher 2.0

Despite the launch of mega-blog brand Techcrunch in the UK, I'll still be turning to Mike Butcher for the inside story.  Mike was editor of New Media Age during the first epic wave of web technologies and he's remained close to the action in the UK and the US ever since.  And now he's got a head of steam up and running over at his blog-home tbites.  Required reading for UK web watchers.