There are naysayers who believe that losing that elitist cache of the ever sacred “brand” will take away its inherent value. A luxury brand has no place being social.  I would argue the opposite. Like it or not, being social will increasingly become the marker of the value of your brand. It’s not about throwing up a twitter or facebook page, but finding that special social idea, like Art of the Trench, that will make your brand come to life for those who love it. Or look at Hermes (yes, you heard me right Hermes), who has started to dip their toe in the digital world, with quite a lovely site, which gives you the opportunity to design your own Kelly bag and interact in a quaint “Hermes world”. http://www.hermes.com/

It’s about people taking ownership in something, feeling as though they belong to this world of fashion-the new world is about inclusion, not exclusion. Approachability is not a dirty word anymore. Speak to people as people. Respect their intelligence.

Many wise people have written about the changing face of authority or influence in the communication model. The “death of the influencer” may be at times a bit overstated, yet there is a lot of truth to what the OLD notion of “authority” is. Today’s consumer doesn’t want a stogy fashion editor to tell her what she should be wearing. She wants to learn from her peer group-whether it be a “real life” peer group, or those she admires on Polyvore.  He will trust his peer group over all else (far above advertising per-say), and a close second, complete strangers she entrusts in the digital world. Companies like ModCloth are leading the way for fashion (“Be the Buyer”, constant social games/communication) and will continue to grow in relevancy as they mature. Will luxury fashion brands be able to answer the call? Innovate or die.

Up for it?

Information truly is everywhere, whether it’s customer reviews on yelp or epinions, twitter, your brand’s site, or the site of your competitors-if there are some skeletons lurking, someone WILL find them. Remember the days of the Better Business Bureau? (which is still alive and running by the way. albeit on life support) Consider the WHOLE  CONNECTED WORLD as the BBB. Anyone can say anything about your product/service. Sure, it’s at an individuals discretion on who to trust, just remember that even the opinions of strangers are trusted more than advertising (39% versus 14% -weber shanwick).

We all learned early on that honesty is the best policy, well that is truer than ever for brands. While this should be obvious, skirting the truth, or downright lying will get you no where but a black list fast, countless brands STILL fall victim. Tools like Twitter makes word spread easily and quickly. And if you haven’t heard, bad news always travels faster than good news…

This takes us back to one of those basic principles of “modern brands” (from the kind, smart folks at Zeus Jones) modern brands don’t make promises (that can be broken). They act upon their beliefs. Creating empty promises that sell “the dream” may be what Mad Men was  about, but is a dated and myopic way to approach brands in a modern, transparent world. Brands must do their part to establish beliefs and consequent actions that LIVE up to the story of what motivates consumers, not wax poetic about what they “could” do. Those who stop short will be left in the dust of a twitter feed. Simply stated: being just a pretty face will get you nowhere fast.

So how does a brand navigate this wickedly transparent world? To be gravely simplistic, start by listening. Tools abound (twittratr, twendz, how sociable? etc) stop and listen into the conversations around your brand.  Next, as a brand, you have to have the “come to jesus” moment. What have I done in my life (as brand) that could possibly come back to haunt me? Run a worst case scenario on it and if necessary, expose yourself as needed. Better come from yourself than a stranger. Great example is Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles, where you find famously “good” brand, not being entirely “good” at all. They expose themselves and by doing so, gain credibility by showing how they are trying to make amends as well as take away the facade of perfection. Consequently, trust is established.

And haters listen up. Opinionated consumers aren’t going anywhere. They won’t be silenced. Social media isn’t a trend that will fade away-empowerment changed the game (yuck, marketing speak. Apologies). Twitter isn’t going anywhere, so no where to hide from the up to the nano-second updates of the modern world– it’s quickly becoming part of the “plumbing” of our digital ecosystem. Get used to it or go home.

What is it about September that marks fall starting. Not the bite in the air (sorry, Southern Cali doesn’t quite afford me the “bite” nor do I get my favorite fall foliage), but fall fashions.  There is something I can’t quite describe about fall fashion. Layers, gorgeous warm colors, fun boots…there’s just something so fresh about it all. But fashion hasn’t been all over jumping on new technologies-albeit a random Chanel iPhone app or Gucci’s Lady Dior Twitter contest-things must shift to keep up with the speed of technology.

Fall books are historically the most gargantuan issues of the year. This year is no exception, but they are slimmer than usual. Harper’s Bazzar was down 76, Elle down 140, W Magazine down 216 pages Vogue a whopping 256 pages from last year. And this doesn’t necessarily look like a trend that will die (unlike the horrid cutout dresses from fall–please fashion gods, take those away).

So what ARE they doing? Yes there are forays into social media (facebook pages abound, twitter contests have started up–even Louis Vuitton has a twitter feed), but more interesting are away from the brands themselves. Polyvore is an amazing fashion site that meshes up the social world, with cutting edge styles and that trend that won’t die-personalization. You’re able to “create” your own fashion spreads, mashing up fabulous items from your favorite designers. C’est magnifique! And yes the top image is my OWN creation for fall ‘09 on Polyvore–some fun pieces I hope to incorporate into the fall digs. www.polyvore.com

From a retail perspective the popularity of pop-up shops in trendy urban areas have proven to be an incredible way to get the word out about a new line or new store. Whether it’s big names like Target or smaller boutiques like Revolve Clothing, retailers are taking advantage of open spaces and making temporary brand experiences in fun, relevant areas.  Target and their GO collection have done a few, with the latest with Anna Sui in NYC. Transforming a trendy SoHo space into a Gossip Girls inspired space. Girliness abounds. Throw in some photo opps with Penn Badgely and Blake Lively, and you have fashion promotion heaven. If the fact that almost every piece is sold out on target.com and NYC is already almost cleaned out, I think it’s safe to say a slam dunk.

(image via: http://www.nitrolicious.com)

Social media for so long has been “defined” by the MySpaces and Facebooks (or bebos, linkedins or I daresay friendsters) of the world. Defined largely as places to share life commentary (AKA stalking exes), post photos of fun life moments, and tell people when you are eating a hamburger, many people (and brands) believe it to be fleeting–really just a place to indulge narcissists and complainers. But the gazillion “successes” of social media for brands have made people start to think twice. See: the wiki that changed all wiki’s-Peter Kim’s master list of over 500 social media examples. http://wiki.beingpeterkim.com/

I’m not here to sell social media. I’m sold. You should be too by now. What I would love to do is start to think about HOW it changes the conversation (urgh. bad marketing speak. my apologies).  WHY do we use facebook/myspace.  WHY twitter? Some hypotheses to indulge my developmental psychology side for a moment.

1. We are narcissts. We are curious creatures. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We are finally allowed to be ourselves, without feeling guilty for simply fulfilling a human need to understand and share with fellow humans.

2. The world is fast. Durrh. Of course it is. But I don’t think anyone, even 5 years ago thought it would ever get THIS fast. Updates are flashing in seconds–news travels at exponential speeds. The hand-written letter (albeit a lost art in my eyes), the newsletter or even the email has taken a back seat to status updates. Communication had to adapt to the speed of technology. And from it social media was born.

3. We are getting smarter. The thirst for knowledge is back with a vengence. Call it the glorification of the nerd, but technology is finally sexy. The sexier it is, the less apologetic we have to be about being smart. This is not a space for the faint of heart–social media is for the gutsy, brainy individuals. It’s not about plastering your life story to read (face it, it’s probably not that exciting), but it’s about being willing to JOIN a conversation. And not feeling shy or apologetic. Consumers, haters, lovers and PEOPLE unite–we’re ALL listening now.

Twitter is changing the way we get the news. Good or bad, the real-time updating is quickly replacing the “breaking news” on CNN. There are so many factors that contribute to this ease of information sharing–the very nature of twitter, the lack of restrictions, the 140 character bite size of information doesn’t require hours of pontification and long winded explanations, and on and on. And anyone can do it. Heck, if I felt so compelled I too could start a trending story. Which is how the crazy stories start as well-like on the day Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passed the story of Jeff Goldblum also passing came up…it’s simply a derivative of the madness. We as viewers/listners just need to become more astoot and discerning when it comes to taking in information.

But does this mean that you or I will be the next MSNBC? Not so fast.

Slowly news organizations are getting smart to this and starting to take notice. In a recent example, Minneapolis/St. Paul TV station WCCO tweeted about Brett Favre coming out of retirement (the non-sports girl scratches her head) before their article went up to reduce the risk of being scooped.

In an interesting piece on Mashable ( http://mashable.com/2009/08/18/mainstream-news-twitter/ ) outlined three core reasons to “give in” to the ways of Twitter.

To avoid being scooped.

Because there is value in awareness.

To reach new audiences.

In reality, news organizations have to take part in the conversation. And sooner the better. Or else this gal may scoop your story.

@thaz7

(Image via: toothpastefordinner.com)

Reading through the latest article from Fast Company on winning social media strategies (Best Promotion of Social Media Strategy) and while no real surprise seeing Nike in the top three (I’ve talked about the awesome NikeWomen campaign before…), but the other two: non-profit the Humane Society and taking top honors, Whole Foods, were more than a little surprising.

Why? Because of their unwavering simplicity. There isn’t need for glitzy images and gimmick laden promotions. It’s taking basic consumer needs, give them a fair voice, let them speak how they please, have a great product/service and you’re on your way to a “social media strategy”.

OK. Agreed-that’s overly simplistic. If it was that easy, I wouldn’t have a job either. But fundamentally, there needs to be a few basics to “live effectively” in the social space as a brand.

1) Have a voice. It doesn’t necessarily have to be funny or quirky to be noticed. But you must have a well-defined point of view. It can (and should) develop and evolve over time.

2) Have interesting things to say. This should go without saying, but some of the biggest companies (who shall remain nameless for this exercise) are shockingly uninteresting.

3) Be prepared to listen. If someone says something bad about you, fight the knee-jerk reflex to run and erase the comment. It’s a fabulous opportunity for you as a brand to step up. You can’t put yourself out there only hoping to hear the good. Sorry, but this is the hard part about the “two-way conversation”. The bright side? Consider this real-time focus groups running 24/7 at little to no cost to you. Rejoice.

4) Use social media as a real tool.  It’s not just a box to check off when presenting a marketing plan; it has legs that no other “medium” to date has possessed. If you do it right, there is such outstanding potential to grow more than just consumers, but a whole sphere of truly engaged loyalists. Yes, I said those two favorite words advertising friends. Take heed.

So what is social shopping?  It is a location based application that integrates twitter and lets users share photos and reviews of amazing deals and finds where ‘ere you are.

Will this change how we shop completely? Highly unlikely. However, it is a great indication of where things are going. We say it every day, the consumer is in control. Yet, as marketers we still treat them as secondary citizens, only allowing them to interact with our brands on “our terms”.  The difference is now consumers have a REAL voice. It’s not just about the squeaky wheels. It’s about everyone having a voice. Equal opportunity marketing friends. Embrace it. It’s here.

Interesting information from Razorfish’s latest study, Fluent on the in the importance of social media and the significance of simple peer recommendation. Recommendation offline is still the #1 influence on purchase behavior and intent. #2 is television and #3 is online expert recommendation. Social mediums and online followed close behind. With traditional media not making it to the top ten. This is an interesting point to mull over at your next meeting…

Image courtesy of Razorfish: http://fluent.razorfish.com/publication/?m=6540&l=1

Jelli radio, is a completely user-controlled online radio station. In a time where Clear Channel owns much of the airwaves, this is a fresh and thouroughly interesting concept. There’s only one playlist, and it’s ruled by the votes of the masses, not just personal choices. “Jelli shows you the songs on its playlist, then lets you vote whether each song rocks or sucks. Songs move up and down on the playlist based on their overall vote count” (CNET) Enjoy your new job as DJ.

The next part of this “user generated” world, is that you start to lose control. Which is what makes this a scary place for most marketers and brand strategists. The unpredictability of it is frightening. Unless you chose to approach it completely head first. Leave it to Alex Bogusky of CP+B to do just that. Their new agency site is an information portal of ALL things CP+B. Good, bad, and otherwise. Scathing comments from people who hate their work. Awards they win. New work. It’s all there for EVERYONE to see. A ballsy move to say the least from a company that truly has something to say. And aren’t afraid to hear what other people are saying either. (the site is still in development, but check Alex on twitter for latest and greatest on it: http://twitter.com/bogusky)

First is a personal favorite. Back to the world of music for me. This fantastic series of videos by a young music teacher that teaches an after-school choir program is garnering millions of views. These kids are amazingly talented. This teacher’s passion and love for his job, inspiring. It makes you feel good, and reminds you of the plight of our education system. It’s simple, but what a great metaphor for what we as advertisers try to do every day. Inspire people with a simple message and distinct call to action.

Bingo.

Next up, little known ad agency who do quirky and smart work. What better “brand fit” but slightly irreverent, fun YouTube. So they created their whole website on Youtube. Brilliant. Users can interact, new clients can contact immediately. And you know you’re not working with a big, ubiquitous corporate entity-you’re working with real people, with real opinions and voices, not robots.

Web 2.0. Yes. We know. Social media. It started around 2000-2001, it’s about giving users access to other users. Connectivity people. The internet was no longer about being a supplement to your life; it became a way to live your life.

So what’s next? Web 3.0? Urgh.

Conceptually, I think the consensus is we’re almost here. Now it’s going to be about smart computers (duh, computers are already smart). No, now they are really smart. They know what you want before you know what you want. It’s a natural extension of Web 2.0. It’s a matter of strengthening links, and weighting these links on different dimensions. Tim Berners-Lee (the guy who invented this crazy web thing), was quoted as saying, “(an era is coming) where every piece of digital information is given a longitude and latitude on a map.” Let’s look at a quick example of how this is starting to take shape.

The iTunes Genius. Some people hate it, some people love it. I fall into the latter. It’s an interesting exploration of predictive qualities- using correlation clusters, it finds “like” songs and creates a playlist based on one song. It’s a fairly straightforward process mathematically speaking (well…) but it’s truly taking advantage of linked information to HELP consumers. Hellloooo Web 3.0.