Publicis Group, one of the ad agency major holding companies, recently founded a small consulting service called Denuo, which means "afresh" or "anew" in Latin. The goal of the agency is to help companies navigate the sometimes murky and choppy waters of the internet and all the things that have popped up there like blogs, search marketing and other such things. Rubel hates the idea. Jarvis loves it. Why the difference of opinion between the two?
Steve thinks that the whole idea smacks of old-world thinking of "marketing to consumers, instead of with them." Jeff, on the other hand, thinks that anything that strives to make advertisers and the media companies that are dependent on them question established practices is a good thing. I have to say I agree with Jarvis on this one.
Marketing IS about marketing people talking to customers instead of with them. Companies talk to people. People talk with people. That two-way communication needs to happen on a personal level. Reality is there's no way a major company can engage in an interactive communication process with its entire consumer base. You find a few key influencers and engage them in a dialogue. The key to me is more in the knowing what is being said about you as a company. That will give you power and allow you to focus your efforts more efficiently.
A company should be aware that a piece of CGM has been created. It should be aware of when someone puts up a gripe on their blog, whether it's based on fact or a misconception. It's then up to them to respond in an appropriate manner to either one of those things.
I don't think Publicis is actually out to "exploit" citizen media or any of these new-fangled communications tools the public has access to. I do think they're trying to find a way to make advertising folks and media members aware of what's going on out there and advise them on the best practices for existing in such a world.
--CT
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