David Meerman Scott
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David Meerman Scott is my favorite author on the topics of social media, new marketing, and new public relations. His writing is crystal clear, his ideas are provocative and common sensical (a tough combination), and he likes to use real life examples of how companies are transformed by doing crazy things like listening to customers, talking about benefits, and making use of social media to build a loyal base of enthused customers.

His latest book, World Wide Rave, has the tagline “Creating triggers that get millions of people to spread your ideas and share your stories.”

Now, whether it be an entrepreneur, a Fortune 500 executive, or the leader of a charitable organization, the majority of business people who spot this book at Barnes & Noble would think, “Yeah, right. Our company could never do that.” David’s mission in the book is to demonstrate that that reaction is dead wrong.

World Wide Rave is basically a 200-page string of case studies and interviews which demonstrate again and again that any organization can succeed on the interactive web regardless of size, product, or market segment. Organizations he profiles include a theme park, a cancer support group, a cosmetic dentist, IBM, an NHL hockey team, and a rock band. The book describes how the organizations develop their interactive strategy, what they do, and why it works.

What’s the secret? David identifies these rules -

  1. Nobody cares about your products (except you)
  2. No coercion required
  3. Lose control
  4. Put down roots
  5. Create triggers that encourage people to share
  6. Point the world to your (virtual) doorstep

These rules may not fly in the face of conventional business theory, but I believe they do fly in the face of conventional business practice.

  1. Companies do drone on and on about their products … Look at me!
  2. Companies do rely on sale closing gimmickry that encourages short term buying and long term commoditization.
  3. Companies do break into a cold sweat when messaging goes off script.
  4. Companies do dabble, wandering from one marketing “initiative” to the next.
  5. Companies do churn out content that is eminently unshareworthy.
  6. Companies do try to knock down your door rather than welcome you inside theirs.

Besides the almost irrefutable logic of his ideas and the obvious practicality of his tactical pointers, what makes David such a compelling advocate is his conviction. At one point, he offers this advice to marketers frustrated by employers who refuse to embrace the New Rules -

If you work for a company that blocks access, I suggest you become an agent of change … Encourage them not to focus on the (mostly exaggerated) negative sides of social media.

If they still refuse to open up, I suggest you quit your job and work for a company that embraces the new world. You’ll need to find a new job anyway, because your company won’t be around in a few years; smarter competitors will take away your business by reaching buyers on the Web.

Strong words, especially in a languishing economy. However, my experience tells me David is right. In my many years of marketing in the packaging industry, I’ve seen it again and again. Companies that embraced new marketing ideas grew and prospered. Ones that didn’t … they sounded reasonable and practical all the way into oblivion.

If you or anyone in your organization has lingering doubts about the explosive potential of social media, it’s time to read World Wide Rave.

Over to You

Have you read it yet? What did you think? Do you see social media as a luxury, a diversion, or a necessity?

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