Societal Transformation: The Power Of The Digital Social Sphere.

If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd largest (two times the size of the U.S.); the second largest search engine is YouTube; 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations and virtual strangers vs 14% for adverstising; and 25% of search results for the world’s top 20 brands are from user-generated content. Why bring all of this up? To help demonstrate the monumental power of the digital social sphere which has radically transformed the ways in which we interact.

For marketers it offers a wealth of information and a massive communication platform to which the old marketing rule books no longer apply—particularly when connecting with the under 35 generation who understand their influence and value to brands—requiring new tactics that treat savvy consumers as equals. Almost 60% of consumers have stated that they like it when brands ask them to get involved through crowdsourcing or content creation and there are now many examples of brands putting that to great effect.

“Virgin Mobile did that well last year with its mashup of user-submitted Vines, which were turned into a commercial that ran on MTV and Comedy Central. Sharpie also has done a good job connecting with its customers through a gallery of images posted by its fans on the brand’s Instagram page. Adidas used 3-D printing to let customers personalize their Stan Smiths in a pop-up store in London and has created interactive digital windows that let people shop at storefronts after hours. Oscar Mayer gets it, too, having come up with an alarm clock device and app that wakes users to the sizzle and scent of bacon—a promotion that earned it more than 450 million media impressions. Giving young people conversational currency is another good strategy for brands, especially now that we all share our adventures with thousands of others.” —Havas Prosumer Report