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There continues to be great debate in the marketing industry regarding who should “own” what in the era of social media. There are rational arguments and real opportunities on all sides of the fence. Marketers leverage word-of-mouth tactics to engage consumers. Advertisers create branded profiles and channels in social networks and community properties. Communication professionals (i.e., public relations, marketing communications, investor relations, etc.) engage in the conversation and secure editorial placements with influencers and among consumer-produced sites.

Perhaps this is oversimplified but here’s what I see happening. Few organizations trust or understand how to tap the influence of conversation. And they still want control. So they opt for the creation of a channel, whether it’s a Web site, a profile in a social network, a podcast or a video on YouTube. Easy stuff. And it’s easy for advertising and marketing companies to sell because it’s related to what they have done for years. 

The power of outreach and need to spark conversation seems to be lost on the average marketer. Even in New York, which is one of the most progressive pools of talent in the industry, the lack of new thinking (other than a new wrapper for old ideas) is astounding. PR professionals that understand how to navigate social media and new communications are creating some of the most appropriate original thinking. Professionals from all marketing disciplines need to spend time in the social media space to understand what really matters and what works.

In the end, it’s not marketing vs. PR. It’s channel and conversation. An integrated mix of messaging platforms is the best way to proceed. Establish a bit of control and participate in the ups and downs of uncontrolled communication.

Technorati Tags: public relations, social media, marketing, digital channel, conversation, conversational marketing

As some of you may know, Sermo, a private social network of 30,000 US physicians online announced a deal this week with Pfizer that allows the company’s medical staff access to the community and the ability to interact with members. It is being met with mixed reactions. Many doctors that belong to the site valued the security of peer-based interactions. Throwing a “marketer” into the mix poses some real challenges. Here are some links to recent coverage.

Original AP story
Pfizer Joins Online Doctors’ Forum

Prominent reactions and analysis
WSJ Online - Pfizer-Doctors Web Pact May Get Looks
WSJ Health Blog (includes video commentary) - Sermo Access Primo for Pfizer, But Will It Be Welcome?
MSNBC - Pfizer takes a leaf out of Facebook
HealthcareVOX - As Sermo & Pfizer Link Up, Some Worry About Off-Label Marketing
Pharma Marketing - Pfizer Has Gold Mine in Sermo
Pharmalot - Docs On Sermo-Pfizer Deal: ‘You Let The Enemy In’

Technorati Tags: pfizer, sermo, social networking, healthcare, pharma

Today was a big day for Apple fans. There was good news and bad news for die-hards. New iPods and a $200 price cut to the iPhone. I own a soon-to-be-discontinued 4GB phone which either makes me a bit of a loser or owner of something highly collectible. Well, maybe not.

There is some speculation of a rebate but what I’ve read most recently is that it’s only for those who purchased one in the last 14 days. If this is the case, what are they thinking? Wouldn’t they be prepared for consumer outrage? Especially when their most loyal and dedicated customers camp out, line up and fork out hundreds of dollars for a now over-priced product. Wow.

Apple has been riding high but I fear they may be in for a bit of a fall. My biggest concern in all of the fall-out though is they seem to be attempting to censor the customer response. People that are trying to express their dissatisfaction and call for a rebate are having their Apple forum posts deleted. What does this mean? Well, it definitely will affect consumer confidence. People could take the dialogue elsewhere which makes it more difficult for Apple to gauge consumer opinion and feedback.

The larger question this raises though is do they care? I think this is the biggest outcome of today’s immediate announcement. People in the forums are indicating that Apple retail stores were unaware of the price cut (bad internal communication) and call center reps seem to be quite pompous. I personally have not followed up so this is only what I’ve read, but if Apple doesn’t manage this well it could have a significant effect on how well they’ll do in the long run.

Update: Within the time I started writing this post, the story has changed. According to Everything iPhone, a rebate may be in the works from Apple. Here’s a classic quote though, supposedly from Mark Miller of Apple, posted on Everything iPhone. “Right now we’re reviewing the overwhelming response of the iPhone’s price cut, and had no idea it would result in over powering the news of our new iPod family, thus tarnishing this memorable day.”

Technorati Tags: iphone, apple, customer service