Moving on…

If we're talking about new platforms AR (augmented reality) is going to be a HUGE platform. I'm not sure how it fits inside the business renaissance that the social web has brought to us. My guess is that it will further enhance the focus on creating a richer, meaningful and personal customer experiences. Check out this amazing post about AR by Gary P Hayes…

http://www.personalizemedia.com/16-top-augmente...

This is one from the HBR

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/sviokla/2009/1...

Clearly there are loads of other applications also.

I think renaissance is a good way of putting it. It's true that there are shifts in the balance of power between corporations and customers, but if anything that's been a back and forth over the last 100-150 years. I believe reputation and peer opinion has always been important, it's just exciting now to see that word of mouth is reaching such a staggering level.

I quite like the video on this post, titled 'Platforms Change, Marketing is the Same' http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/141874

Chris Brogan has a good take on it too. http://www.chrisbrogan.com/marketing-and-how-so...

Cheers to both of you, debates like this really get the thought process going. Great way of moving forward. At least, it is for me.

http://www.personalizemedia.com/16-top-augmente...

Clearly there are loads of other applications also.

I think renaissance is a good way of putting it. It's true that there are shifts in the balance of power between corporations and customers, but if anything that's been a back and forth over the last 100-150 years. I believe reputation and peer opinion has always been important, it's just exciting now to see that word of mouth is reaching such a staggering level.

I quite like the video on this post, titled 'Platforms Change, Marketing is the Same' http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/141874

Cheers to both of you, debates like this really get the thought process going. Great way of moving forward. At least, it is for me.

Let me explain…

Make no mistake we are in the middle of a “marketing renascence” where as Dan has said corporations are no longer able to trick you, dupe you or deceive you and where personal interaction and human connections are king.

As for whether this constituents a revolution well that depends on whether or not your were an open, honest, transparent, inviting, personable and customer focused company before social media came along. If you were, then all social media has done is take your great personal service online and given you new tools to help you amplify that service and get your customers more involved in what you do. (this is what I believe @steffen_ was getting at)

However, if you were a robotic, deceitful and dishonest company that only told the truth only when it was profitable for you to do so then the game for you has been flipped on it's head. As Dan mentioned boycotts & backlash are inevitable if you continue in your old patterns of behaviour.

I believe one of the biggest changes is that consumers are showing companies that they really care and are willing to help the good companies become even better, the wise companies will be the ones who embrace this co-creation.

Never before have companies been able to get their customers to actually help them create add-ons to their products (e.g. widgets & apps) or gain feedback from their consumers around the globe in real time – it is the speed and dynamic nature of the customer-company interaction which I believe adds the most value to social media. (postal surveys are dead).