Show 140 February 14, 2011

Hello Everyone

It's quite difficult to comment on this week's show, as over here we don't really know what American Football is, let alone the culture around ads and marketing of it. 

I would like to say that brands and agencies jumping on the social side of things and almost forcing the concept the wider viewing public is mis-guided.  If you think back to the 1990s, a few ads, logos and banners started to appear with strange messages on them, the started with www.  or http: Of course we all know where that has taken us, but thinking back to that time, I remember lots of people asking what that was all about and after a period of time internet marketing took off.  Will the same happen with social and hashtags, I don't think so.  Is this approach really the way to get business?  Does social really add value to the marketing?  It's very early in terms of the use of social for the wider public and it is difficult to assess the value when we are insiders and used understanding the tools of this trade.  But there needs to be a certain level of natural growth to determine how this will play out going forward.  Perhaps there will be an explosion of social brands, in the same way e-commerce has developed.  Will these be separate or simply adopted by the e-commerce sector?

I would love to receive your comments on this, as it I think's THE topic to watch.

Rgds

Marcus

www.twitter.com/topicking