It is a good idea to trace this to the history and growth of organizations in the industrial age. This was the age where efficiency was the focus. Organizations were built around driving productivity. People were trained to do things over and over again - faster and quicker. For over a century, people worked in an era of mass production. Hence, they forgot the ability to develop conversations. They worked in large organizations that told them what to do rather than get them to explore what to do.
We therefore moved from
an era of 'inventory of goods' to an era of 'inventory of ideas'.
an era of 'scarcity' to an era of ' insatiable choices'
an era of ' information poverty' to an era of 'information overload'
Imagine the kind of shift they would have to make for this new eco-system. They had to express, share and collaborate to get prepared for such an environment. This is a new work culture altogether for them. Also, one-size-fits-all product strategy became irrelevant.
Conversation at the end of the day is two-way. Conversations require
A capability to accept reality as it were because that's how consumers talk amongst themselves
Ability to listen and respond in an unbiased manner
Skills to experiment,learn and develop
Ability to change the course of one's action swiftly, even if the decision was wrong
Hence, they were not ready for a conversation era. An environment where one has to express, empathize, engage, enable and empower. The mindset a marketer must have is not to 'inform at any cost' but 'spread at no cost'. This is a new marketing paradigm that demands new thinking, new rules and new ideas.
Very often, I find people extremely protective about their ideas. They do not want to share it.They get obssesed with it. They are unwilling to listen, change or improve upon it further. The idea then dies a natural death because in their opinion nobody is willing to buy it.
Here's some great advice from Doc Searls for such people so that they can evaluate their ideas first. Though this advice is for entrepreneurs with new business ideas, I think it holds good for anybody who is in the business of creating ideas esp. in the emerging open source marketing world:
Ideas aren't physical. Regardless of the legalities, treating ideas as possessions insults their vast combustive power. Jefferson put it best:
The moment [an idea] is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of everyone, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.
Ideas aren't worth jack unless other people can put them to use.
Ideas won't change the world unless others can improve on them.
Ideas grow by participation, not isolation.
Ideas change as they grow. Their core remains the same, but their scope enlarges with successful use.
Ideas have unexpected results. No one person can begin to imagine all the results of a good idea. That's another reason to welcome participation.
Nobody's going to "steal" your ideas, any more than they can steal your cerebrum. You're the source. Authority over the idea begins with you.
Authority derives from originality and respect. You can't get respect for your original ideas unless those ideas prove useful to others.
Much has been written about the power of blogs and its power to shape customer opinion. Measuring the business impact of blogs is an area of great interest to me. Some key questions I often ask myself are:
Is blogging an island without too many inhabitants - Is it a niche waiting to get mainstream?
Does the opinion of bloggers matter at all when it comes to brand purchase decisions?
Do consumers consider blogs as a trustworthy source vis-a-vis other forms of media?
Is user-generated content considered valuable by customers?
Is it possible to summarize the business impact of blogs by way of addressable customer numbers? Is it a large enough market waiting to be tapped by marketers?
Well, there seems to be some answers for these questions. Here's a research done by IPSOS in Europe - a leading marketing research firm. I think this research clearly gives directions for other markets too, on how customers perceive this new medium and its impact on brands. Here's the presentation: