Liveworld helping companies and their customers to better engage with eachother

I want to start this post with a reference to the previous one concerning Citizen Journalism

My question: why is citizen journalism so powerful?

Because according to the Reuters editor in chief Geert Linnebank

The new participatory journalism is leading to a much richer telling of stories

Then think about the fact that we live in a world of collapsing geographic borders, technology has contributed to that and we are a we species by design - we have a fundamenetal need to connect and communicate.

Then we have the reality that the days of blockbuster economics are over, and that what is happening is the creation of niche mass markets.

Then we are curating our own consumption like never before and that we are beginning to enter a world more social and a world which is being being built on a new socio-economic paradigm.

How value is created is changing - the very nature of commerce is changing too.

Just like at myspace.com or second life or world or warcraft.

So it is no surprise to me that Peter Friedman CEO of liveworld.com has recently completed a JV with WPP

Apparently Peters phone is ringing off the hook - from where I sit as co-author of this blog and book I would be advising companies that an approach based upon a persistent and dynamic relationship with your customer base is the way forward.

But it is a different mindset - from the aggressive stance and language of conventional marketing communications.

In a Wall Street Journal article (registration required) of 26th July - Peter Friedman said the following

The majority of the world has time in the day to meet other people, and they want to do it. But as great as technology is, over the past 50 years it has functioned to isolate people. The internet and particuarly online communities venues turns that round and enables people to connect with eachother and go back to the fundamental need that the last 50 years of society and technology and marketing have hindered. So this is really getting people back to what they are all about, and they want to do it, and that is for any age group

And Friedman has some advise for his clients

One thing we tell our customers is if they are going to say something about your brand on your community you can be sure they are saying it somewhere else. You might as well get your arms around it, address it, listen to it and know what it is

A sentiment we share here.

However, others are less generous to Friedman

Why? Because they see the words EXPLOITATION coming down the road as full beam headlights Their simplistic ideology communities good. Businesses very very BAD

and then they repeat it like a mantra. sigh.

What we argue is that companies must adapt and evolve to survive. Nothing stands still. And it is why I believe that these new social platforms are forcing companies to behave in different and more responsible ways. They have to become more transparent, they have to listen, and this new form of engagement will hopefully produce better services and products.

There is enough evidence (read our book) that traditional economic models are no longer viable, yet we need strong economies to have better schools, better education, better healthcare etc.,

We know that traditional marketing is at a last gasp stage, yes it will not go down to Davy Jone's locker yet, and some will cling to the flotsam and jetsom.

But smart companies will be thinking about a social/community strategy and brand architecture, that allows them to successfully survive in this very competitve world - where every companies fear is that they will become a commodity.

Just look at the battleground of BT - Sky and Orange as but one example and Virgin will be weighing into the fray very soon I am sure of that. And what are they all doing? They are starting to blog iin a quest for greater transparency with the ultimate desire that their brands and offerings will be more trusted

In our post Companies learn the value of blogging - Or do they? we discuss how Dell got it so badly wrong. Someone was giving them bad advice.

If I were Dell - I'd say pick up the phone to Peter Friedman and ask him how Liveworld could help get them out of the deep doooh daaah

Comments

[Jerry Bowles]

I'm afraid you have missed my point in your "others are less generous" link above. I am extremely pro-business. I've worked for major corporations most of my life. That's why I suggest they ask VERY, VERY tough questions before signing on to the latest next great thing. Online company communities might very well turn out to be valuable forums for some companies but right now the jury is still out and the hype is far ahead of the evidence.

[alan moore]

Dear Jerry,

I don't think I have - I think peter tried very hard to answer your points. The following comments I thought to be very unsatisfactory.

yes there are questions to be asked -- but go back to my point that these digital platforms are forcing companies to engage in ways that were never before conceivable.

you did not engage peter in dabate, after his post -- you did the run away and laugh routine which really pisses me off.

we have a real chance here to make a difference -- what exactly are you contributing? Insight, social analysis, case histories, stats?

this is not the next greatest thing -- its real and in your face. Just go and check out the other links I made in the post starting with shel israel commenting on jeff jarvis and dell

BR -- Alan

[Jerry Bowles]

Alan:

I admire your passion and recognize that you have a vested interest in the topic but I'm old enough to remember when CRM software was going to bring companies and customers together in some wonderful, world-altering way. It still hasn't fulfilled that promise. I didn't engage Peter in a debate because I thought he did an excellent job of explaining where he was coming from and I had already made my point: show me the ROI.

[alan moore]

it is a completely different context. CRM is an industrial mindset model. Poorly executed.

Note the order of the words CUSTOMER - RELATIONSHIP - MANAGEMENT

And of course it did not fulfill the promise. I always though that the emphasis should be on the word relationship - and those do not come out of a box

Not that data is not important, but how you get it and what you do with it is always important.

The notion that you "plug and play" is nonsense. Social data analytics is completely different. Communities disussing in realtime is different.

The internet and the mobile internet change totally the ways in which we communicate.

You will have to ask Peter for the ROI.

But short of rewriting everything we have written in our book and on this blog. Do please have a dig around on this blog or buy the book.

And I like passion and passionately believe that all social digital platforms change incrementally the relationship between companies their employees and their customers.

CRM was never ever about that.

And I apologise for being sharp tongued, my take on your comment to Peters post was that you were sneering and I hate that. Because there are too many of them out there.

Kind regards Peter

Alan Moore

[beats by dre store]

apologise for being sharp tongued, my take on your comment to Peters post was that you were sneering and I hate that. Because there are too many of them out there.

[supra for boy]

If you wish to be the best man, you must suffer the bitterest of the bitter.