Disentangling the Web: Losing Control and Loving It

Abstract

The emergence of 'Web 2.0' tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter has significantly lessened the amount of control that organizations have over their messaging. Web 2.0 presents marketers with a dilemma: on the one hand, being talked about, shared and parodied on the Internet brings attention to a brand; on the other, it may not be the kind of attention the brand wants. The author provides three recommendations for organizations: lose the illusion of control; constantly monitor Web 2.0; and actively engage with your customers. He shows that in the end, while it might seem like a brand new playing field has emerged, in many ways, Web 2.0 returns us to two of the very foundations of Marketing: understand your customers deeply and develop active, engaged relationships with them.