Of course you know the term “Social Software” – maybe you don’t. For me it’s a movement, some of my dearest friends would say that I’m almost religious about the possibilities that these tools has to offer.
The reason why I’m coming back to this over and over again is that I see a HUGE potential for companies that adopt the principles of Open Source and Social Software.
I’ve written about it before, I know 
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http://www.cph127.com/cph127/2005/08/open_sourcethin.html
and here -
http://connecta.typepad.com/cph127/2005/08/_the_four_pract.html
Over the past months we’ve experienced an explosion of new tools and companies coming almost out of nowhere. The tremendous ideas will have – I’m almost sure – great impact on how we will use technology, access information and create new knowledge for personal use. Don’t you think?
Not everybody is so exited that I am – Ross has, despite the great possibilities, a “critical” post about restrictions and “don’t haves”.
If you know of “Bricks & Mortar”-companies that already has adopted some of the principles, please share.
2 comments so far
I am very passionate about this topic as well, so I have to be careful and not write an article-length comment.
Your question, “Can Bricks&Mortar-Companies learn something from Social Software?” is an excellent one. However, I think the question and the answer are part of a much bigger picture.
Let me explain. What I have observed over the last year or so, with great pleasure I must say, is that many businesses and companies in the commercial (or “for-profit”) sector are starting to look to the principles of Social Marketing to guide traditional commercial marketing strategies and even business practices.
What makes this so very ironic is two fold. First of all, this is what the pioneers in the fields of Social Marketing did back in the early 70’s, except flipped the opposite way.
Social marketing was “born” as a discipline when Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman realized that the same marketing principles and techniques used by commercial marketers to sell products to consumers could be used to “sell” ideas, attitudes and behaviors.
“Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviors not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society. Marketing talks to the consumer, not about the product.”
Social marketing strategies are now commonly used to address many different public interest concerns and social change issues.
This brings us to the second point: I have yet to hear any mention of the term “Social Marketing” by the those in the commercial sector who are beginning to realize and even voice that commercial marketing needs to change to better address social and human needs and concerns.
I have even read statements that are exactly the same as the basic tenets of Social Marketing, but have not been borrowed intentionally; in other words, they don’t know they are stating ideas that already exist and are in practice.
To put it as simply as I can: They are stating that Commercial Marketing needs to become more like Social Marketing, or at least borrow from it, but with no idea what-so-ever that this is what they have said.
It seems to be developing in more organic way and that gives their message a sort of innocence that I think is refreshing. It isn’t overly planned or branded or strategized; it feels authentic, not manipulative.
This is a good trend and a hopeful development in a period of time when we could all use some good news. And if it is at all possible, a bit of a return to the innocence and hope we had as children. The world seemed so full of stories with endings just waiting to be discovered-ones that are not dictated to us by others, but instead are arrived at though our own experiences in the world.
Hi Michael
Nice angle - I course I knew of viral advertising already, but the sentence “….not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society….” makes it very clear what it’s about.
Thank you for that perspective
All the best
Hans Henrik