Social media marketing is a change in consumer relations - and it struck me whilst I was preparing to speak to Stan Phelps today about What is a Purple Goldfish? Watch out on Sunday for The Engaging Brand podcast
The market economy has changed, to what Stan calls the gift economy.
For me it has changed from
an exchange of value to exchanging values
Traditional websites were built for a transaction of value. They were the destination for the transaction which consumers found by offline advertising. So they provided the 'how' the of the transaction of value.
Social media sites are built to express values and share them. They are the shop window for 'why' there should be an exchange, because of the promised share in values.
It is a subtle change - one is a funnel for why, the other is the container of how.
