David Deutsch said when talking about the Enlightenment
"it was a rebellion....against authority in regard to knowledge...Rejecting authority in regard to knowledge...was a necessary condition for progress"
In a sense we are in the middle of a social enlightenment....a social business revolution. The opening up of channels for ways for business to talk with rather than at a customer, the freedom of expression and the low barriers of entry are all part of this social enlightenment.
Social marketing for me works best when it sees itself as part of the rebellion - when it shows that the brand stands against the safe, middle of the road marketing techniques...
when it becomes a brand rebel with a cause
Too may brands are trying to be a rebel without a cause.......be everything to everyone....
In some ways that's why I believe social media is fab for small business because these businesses were started with a vision of what they wanted to achieve...often producing something that they as consumers could not get elsewhere..
Progress historically has been about the lessor echelons demanding more......for those people who are still not sure about social marketing...
You can stand as the authority and eventually become irrelevant...or you can stand for people and become the authoritative leader in your industry.....
