Walking the Walk about the Talk

So much for a quite Friday in the marketing blogosphere.

Kudos to Steve Hall and Tom Hespos for this really stimulating thread and shame on all of us for not doing anything about it.

Thread Recap:

1) Hespos writes a Spin about marketers unwillingness to engage in meaningful dialogue with consumers (instead pouring money in duping them through product placement etc)

2) Hall picks up the conversation and proposes the creation of a consumer conversation department - written in June of 2004...so here we are almost 1 1/2 years later, hence the "shame on us" rebuke

3) 'spos picks up the momentum again by proposing a rough infrastructure/process to what a CCD (cons conv dept) might look like (see below)

Well, what are waiting for? Get those listings on Monster and begin recruiting! I love the idea of putting together a CCD, which is not a glorified call-center, but a deeply-integrated - and empowered - fluid and non-linear (initiating, nurting, addressing, resolving, stimulating conversations on 1-to-1 and 1-to-many bases) collection of stewards, spokespeople and intelligence that are connected, independent and most importantly, able to effect change, action and results.

Monitoring the blogosphere is not nearly enough...especially if no action is being taken in the process. This involves integrating every single conversation - online and offline - into the bigger picture, and for the greater good of the company and the brand.

If we are ever to make good on the promise and potential of data, interactivity, engagement et al and if we ever believed in relationships...now is the time to move.

Hespos proposed layout of a CCD:

A director-level person to head up the department. Such a person would report either to the VP of Marketing or to the CEO, depending on how a corporation handles its marketing discipline. A director would be charged with:

• Supervising day-to-day operation of the department
• Proving the department’s value to C-level management, P&L responsibility, etc.
• Ensuring meaningful information exchange between the Conversation Department and product development, marketing, customer service, etc.
• Judgment calls on matters that cannot be resolved at lower levels

From there, you probably need a supervisor-level person or two (or three, depending on how many conversations are going on). A supervisor needs to:

• Coordinate the information arising from conversations, process it and turn it into actionable intelligence for other department heads.
• Coordinate the follow-up re: the above
• Ensure the technological and informational needs of lower-level employees are being met.
• Quality Assurance – Ensure meaningful participation in key conversations.
• Instruct and mentor Ambassadors

You need a bunch of folks to work under the supervisor, who we’ll call “Ambassadors” until someone comes up with a better name:

• Identify relevant conversations online
• Familiarize oneself with the subject matter
• Represent the company in these conversations
• Identify action items from the conversations
• Distill information from conversations
• Kick up action items and information to the Supervisor, along with preliminary recommendations for how to proceed.