This post from Chris Kenton talks about the evolution of branding from Agency work to customer interaction.  It does it in a nice fluid way that aligns with how it should work.  Worth the read. What if instead of all these carefully controlled studies and crafted messages, businesses just talked to customers and let them tell their own stories? What’s the worst that can happen? Source: The Marketing Consortium : Brand Positioning in the Age of Social Media   Technorati tags: pinkomarketing, marketing Continue reading What’s the worst that can happen?

 Give with us, is a unique web application developed by Trabian, in conjunction with Filene. Trey, Brent and the team at Trabian continue evolution of web 2.0 thinking, that aligns perfectly with the Credit Union business model, and pulls the CU’s even further ahead of Banks. To celebrate this year’s 21st anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Oakridge will be putting on a park clean-up day at Horton All-Sports Park. The focus for this year’s MLK Day project is to provide a safe place for kids to play.  This event will provide community members and organizations a day to … Continue reading My Community Connection | http://www.givewith.us/

 All I can say is wow!~ to this Globe and Mail story (hat tip Susan) where the Chairman of the Toronto subway (TTC) has agreed to meet and work with bloggers to make a better website and maps, that will focus on the people who actually need to use them. The new TTC chairman, Adam Giambrone, seems to have accepted the challenge. Today’s Globe and Mail reports that he will be meeting with the bloggers to discuss their ideas, and a new site should be up and running by the summertime. !!! Source: Customer Experience Crossroads: Co-creating with your customers: … Continue reading Toronto Transit Commission accepts influence of bloggers

Charles comments on the “you talkin’ to me … “ post.  Its a great comment that zeroes right in on the issue at hand.  Is Marketing an extrapolation of what once worked or, is an entirely new model required. Its not an insignificant question.  The fact is that the newer things are the more they stay the same (or something like that).  So why might marketing be different. What’s interesting is this approach is a perversion of something that started out very right. That original idea was the notion of customer focus-the idea that every customer is unique, and that … Continue reading You talkin’ to me … update

 Jim makes the point here that Google Ad words are web 1.0 instruments, and akin to placing radio ads on TV.  They could be somewhat effective, but not optimal in a web 2.0 world.  I buy that logic. Web 2.0 is about empowerment, collaboration, conversation, sharing.  Interruptive advertising doesn’t fit that model. Conversational Marketing. The insight driving the idea is deceptively simple: if consumers go to blogs to be part of a conversation, the ads should invite them to enter a conversation with the marketer. Source: Cymfony’s Influence 2.0: Great Ideas I learned in October — Part 3 The link … Continue reading Cymfony’s Influence 2.0 | "Conversational Marketing"