14.30-15.15 BST: Social media marketing and advertising - New thinking for the new web


Now that the whole world has come around to Patti Smith's way of thinking (the people have the power), it's more than possible that a web search for your brand name will turn up user-generated content references over and above regular avenues (ie. links to your website).

What's more, younger consumers are increasingly turning away from television, print and radio; their attention is moving into their social networks, where a search for "Wales", says conference organiser Matthew Yeomans, is more likely to turn up a video of Ali G learning Welsh and getting spat on than a Welsh Tourist Board banner ad.

Mayfield says: "Marketing needs to completely reinvent itself because the media world has completely changed."

Mayfield: "Success means earning attention by being useful." What does that mean in practise, though? Maybe offering a game to play, some content that people can post on their own social networking profiles, I would posit.

By means of an example, Delaney points to Unpimp My Ride, in which Volkswagen tapped the original MTV show meme to encourage people to return their modified vehicles to their pristine, original VW goodness.

Mayfield says online marketing, which traditionally revolve around SEO (search engine optimisation) - that is, the black art of using keywords and in-bound links to "trick" a search engine into giving your site greater prominence - is soooo over - instead, online marketing now must be all about "being the message". Implication, I would suggest: your company (no - you) must be a real, authentic brand ambassador that plays an active and transparent role in this new ecosystem. "Living in the network".

All four panel members are skeptical about the ways in which brands have approached Second Life. Over the last year, companies have garnered lots of "oohs" and "aahs" from journalists agog at the possibilities to "do marketing" inside the 3D world. Those companies have certainly won lots of residual PR, but there is, for sure, a mixture of opinions on such a strategy. The experience "has to be designed to fit around your customers", says Mayfield. I'm as skeptical as the next man at this point about Second Life marketing, but Mayfield makes a good point - at least it's a good space for innovation and experimentation.

A member of the audience from the music industry asked the panel about the potential for staging concerts in Second Life. They answer that it depends where your consumers are (SL still has quite a small user base). I'd like to point the questioner to a story I wrote on the subject last year.

Alack! The panel is split. Is the end nigh? Whilst Mayfield says the marketing industry needs to rip up the playbook and start again in this new sphere, Delaney believes advertising agencies will continue to have a role (they'll continue to be powerful). Looks like, along with everyone else, they're still brainstorming the way forward, however.

I wanted to ask the panel on this topic, so I'm glad that Matthew managed to ask before the end of the panel. WIDGETS! What's a widget? It's a little piece of freely available content that has utility and which audience members can add to their own pages. That might be a little box that carries the latest BBC News headlines, it might be a little box that contains a branded game. For more, see the Wikipedia article. Think about it - 100m MySpace profiles alone; those people love editing their profile pages to include content that defines themselves. It's a tremendous opportunity to get your message spread by other folk on your behalf. Be a parasite! All panel members think this presents good avenues for exploration - so I think advertisers might want to look into creating content that people want to share (ie. what widgets can you make that align with users' desire to express their own identity?) Agencies who produce viral games may be well placed in this regard. Otherwise, as Mayfield says, they will need to produce widget content that has utility for the audience your carrier is addressing. Edelman PR guru just told me 2007 will be "the year of the widget" for his ilk. Next challenge - what makes good widgetable content?