Presentation given at WOMUK espresso briefing hosted by Wildfire 25/03/2009

2. The sky is falling, the frog in the pot has come to a boil and, oh yeah, we are, most of us, exquisitely, irretrievably fucked. Bob Garfield, Advertising Age Welcome!

7. Media behaviour is changing… spending on social media and conversational marketing will outpace that of traditional marketing by 2012 TWI Society for New Communications Research

8. … because consumer behaviour is changing Britain has the highest proportion of internet advertising of any developed economy. By 2012 , £1 in every £5 of all new commerce in this country will be online.

9. Meet Panacea81 Lauren Luke 27 year-old single mum sells make-up on Ebay posts pictures of herself wearing the make-up she is trying to sell

10. An Alternative Model superstar! 5 million views on own branded YouTube channel most popular single home-made make-up tutorial video attracted 2.5 million views launched own cosmetics line : By Lauren Luke global book deal Guardian column

11. The future is here. Nearly half of young consumers rely on advice from friends and family to choose products Twice as many as the previous generation 60% of European youths talk to friends about products and brands via forums, blogs and IM

12. It’s about more than reach… 61% of online shoppers check reviews, blogs and customer feedback forums before buying a new product or service 8 out of 10 said online recommendations had affected their decisions Online shoppers value consumer reviews higher than professional reviews Opinion Research Corporation

13. It’s about trust Businesses today exist in an era in which it's nearly impossible to escape the likelihood of being evaluated. There's nowhere to hide. Linda Shea, Opinion Research Corporation

16. … you’ll have to learn new steps

17. Don’t focus on presence, think engagement! Avoid random trial and error Don’t pretend to be something you’re not Don’t talk before you’ve listened Don’t expect too much, too soon Don’t try to control what is said What doesn’t work Don’t start off trying to extract value Don’t register people to your communities without getting to know them Don’t be there just to make sales

18. Be passionate! Engage Appoint a ‘ persona manager’ for each OSN Add value to the conversation Respond Encourage friends to invite friends What works Listen Develop meaningful relationships Keep it personal

21. Expect barriers Expertise & Resource – who is the social media knowledge holder in your organisation – who wants to be? Fear of loss of control – are you prepared to let your consumers tell your story for you? Inadequate metrics – tracking the effect of changes in sentiment, advocacy, face-to-face recommendations etc. requires corporate acceptance of new tools and new measures. Organisational Culture – moving from command and control to connect and collaborate requires a change in behaviour and management throughout the value chain. Difficulty with internal sell-through – you need a long term strategy to reap benefits but quick wins help to drive change.

22. The way ahead. cautious experimentation knowledge gathering re-allocation of resources strategic planning

26. Winkling out the bright ideas

27. 2 3 A nalyse Analyse your target groups, define and identify lead users A C T 1

28. A C T 1 2 3 C reate Lead User Program focused on exploring ideas and solutions to improve your products and services

29. A C T 1 2 3 T est Test the best ideas in the market

42. Who’s doing what social media Wiki

43. Who’s doing what

44. Who’s doing what

45. Who’s doing what

46. z Ivan Palmer CEO Wildfire Grand prix winner of WARC's 2008 Global Word of Mouth award 77 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8JS T: 0044 (0)203 037 3063 M: 0044 (0)7917 509 109 E: ivan@wildfirecompany.com