(The following is a public service announcement - not really!;)

You…..Didn’t really think that there was going to be some vast dialogue going on? Chalk this one up to some free time on my hands, but here we go…..

Everyone duck because here come all the marketing geniuses clogging up the media channels with “I told you so” - or worse yet - slowly reversing their positions.



O wait - what am I doing right now? Gut check - O Yeah…I was just watching and laughing the whole time…Ok I’m good..I passed my version of ‘The Mirror Test” which BTW is a great new book by my good friend Jeff Hayzlett - Former CMO of Kodak - Available everywhere…with my ADD I’m waiting for the audio version…moving on….

IN MY OPINION - these experts didn’t and still don’t know what the heck they’re talking about - they were sooooooo into it on their blogs way back when! It’s very easy to jump out now - VERY! I feel like some of them should be politicians with their graceful positioning and re-positioning.:) I mean we’ve got reputations on the line here, and we are talking about big names in the ad world - according to their bios.

Yes, I realize that these are strong words

This is my version of coming off of the sidelines because I’m done laughing about the whole thing and it’s time to get back to business and understanding who is running the show in the world we live in.

REAL-TIME BREAKING NEWS FLASH : There has been no real shift in the power structure of who controls things in the economy, only marketing “geniuses” getting you to think there has been. Don’t get me wrong, the leverage got ratched up a bit as the consumer got smarter, BUT they have always been in control.

THAT’S WHY WE HAVE TO MARKET GOODS AND SERVICES TO THEM - WOW - THAT’S CRAZY TALK I’M SURE TO SOME, BUT CONSUMERS HAVE THE DOLLARS AND OUR CLIENTS HAVE THE GOODS - CONSUMERS HAVE THE CHOICE! THAT’S WHY WE CAN ONLY TRY TO INFLUENCE AND ENCOURAGE CERTAIN BEHAVIOR

It was just getting too funny. I think back to when I spoke in 2007. I proposed something simple - two things really - now I’d like to expand. I said technology has turned a world of “Don’t talk to strangers” into a world of “Talk to Strangers” - i was referring to the consumers. There are clips here click the Stanford button on the right side http://www.experientialforum.com . I also simply said that we are moving from a monologue to a dialogue with consumers because of the proliferation of these technological platforms. I often say that there is a lot of social currency to be earned by participating in these types of events on these conversational platforms.

In a sense, joining in on the conversation in a meaningful and relevant way.

What I NEVER said was that there are going to be real-time conversations happening so fire up all your engines and start bank rolling any and all marketing ideas that say social media near them.

The grim reality always was that these new platforms shifted a monologue (complete control) of the marketing speak into the potential for a co-creative environment - that’s it period.

So what was the first bright shiny penny - consumer generated content. AWESOME CONCEPT

UNTIL

They handed the keys to the entire house over for a short while. So much for our valued consumers seeing marketing as a true talent - everyone can do it!

Allowing people to participate and co-create FINALLY found it’s balance point and we kept plugging along. In a sense, there was an emergence of a new connotation for what a conversation truly was.

NEXT UP

FOR THOSE THAT THOUGHT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A REAL, SHINY, HAPPY conversation happening on your “fan” pages and such - whoops. Let me ask a simple question. Remember your 1-800 #’s. How many happy calls did you get? OK.

*****Let me give a big caveat here to the marketing programs that leveraged tools inside of the social media platforms to deliver amazing experiences. My below point isn’t applicable to you smart folk.;0

Consumers don’t go to social networks to socialize with brands.

Their intent is to socialize with their friends. They are not friends with your brand. Your advertising agency’s employees are - not real consumers. Don’t you wish you had that money back ?

Anyways, I digress, but again it’s always really just been about being conscious of the media world around you and be prepared to leverage all things necessary. As far as the expectation that there was going to be anything happening in real-time, conversation paced stuff - whoops. And for all the marketing gurus firing all cannons - I’ve sat and heard most you almost pontificate re: social media so shame on you.

THE CONVERSATION IS THE PLATFORM - NOT YOUR FATHER’S CONVERSATION:) That’s so 1992! And breathe……….