Internet access provides consumers with endless amounts of information at their fingertips – it’s all a search and a click away. And since this information has become available, we have become much smarter consumers. We care more about what’s in our food, what effect our actions have on the environment and so on. If a brand is unethical in any way, we are going to hear about it and hear about it fast. It’s the new word-of-mouth and it’s much more accessible and viral.

This is why environmental organizations like Greenpeace, on a growing scale, are tapping social media sites to seek support for political causes and voice consternation over what they see as unfair company practices.

In a recent attack against BP, Greenpeace shut down every BP petrol station in London, putting up signs saying: “Closed. Moving beyond petroleum”. The activists stopped the flow of fuel by flipping safety switches located on the forecourts and then removing them to prevent the petrol stations reopening. This attack was not targeted at motorists, but was targeted against BP to get the company to rethink their strategy:

But that is not all. Greenpeace also initiated a “Rebrand the BP Logo” contest. Greenpeace asked its supporters to “ . . . create a logo for BP which shows that the company is not ‘beyond petroleum’ – they’re up to their necks in tar sands and deepwater drilling.”

Nestlé, have also been attacked by Greenpeace for using palm oil from companies that where trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction. Greenpeace prepared a frontal assault with prepared assets such as off-brand logos, detrimental videos, and called for their Twitter followers to attack Nestle’s Facebook page.

And human rights group Amnesty International  launched a social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and through bloggers, designed to raise money for a full page ad buy attacking oil company Shell in a UK national newspaper.

Social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr have become invaluable mobilization tools for activists.

This is why brand transparency has become increasingly important. Brands can’t hide behind walls and tell us who they are. We decide who they are by how they act and the quality of their product. Our purchasing decisions will be made with more information at hand. To succeed brands will have to be open and part of the discussion so that consumers are aware of the value their brand has on issues we care about.

We’ve always been social, we just have the technology now to easily connect with others on a massive scale. Word-of mouth has never traveled so fast. Brands need to remember that with every decision they make.

Short URL & Title:
Transparency in a social media age — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/ysk

Before the Web 2.0 took off the danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck via the foundation Lundbeck Institute developed two online communities for their end customers, which are patients, relatives and physicians.

Being a pharmaceutical company Lundbeck operates in one of the most regulated industries. There are strict limitations to Lundbeck’s communication. Many pharmaceutical companies with Facebook pages simply disable their Facebook walls because they are afraid, that they will be held responsible for postings made by users.

But Lundbeck developed a concept that makes it possible to have online conversations with end customers. The sites are run by a foundation, and there are chinese walls between the commercial activities in Lundbeck and what is published at the DepNet and DementiaNet websites, of which there are more than 20 worldwide.

The first of the Lundbeck communities, DepNet, was launched in 2001 and the second, DementiaNet, was launched in 2005:

Lundbeck pays independent doctors to answer questions from users at the sites, and by this Lundbeck is able to create communities and facilitate conversations amongst patients online which are perceived as valuable by its end customers. Doctors mention products in their postings, and in many cases it is products made by Lundbeck’s competitors. The Doctors at the Danish site mention Lundbeck’s products less frequent than the seize of Lundbeck’s market share could justify.

When Lundbeck was attacked in the Danish press and accused of being unethical in marketing its medicine by the means of DepNet and DementiaNet user after user responded online and stated how much they valued the conversations and content at the sites and defended Lundbeck against criticism.

Short URL & Title:
Social media in a highly regulated industry — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/hkb

A new wave of street vendors aren’t content to stand still and hope customers find them. Equipped with mobile kitchens and mobile broadband, they roam the urban landscape, luring the crowds to them via social media. Facebook and Twitter has given businesses a new way to promote themselves.

This video tells an interesting tale about how everyone from an Ice Cream Truck to a Mobile Bistro are able to use social media to promote their products: The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, The Bistro Truck, Holton Farm:

And the trend is spreading as more food trucks are using the social networking site to draw customers. Another example is Curbside Cupcakes:

The enormously popular Creme Brulee Cart in San Francisco, has amassed over 12,000 followers in a little over a year. Most of their business comes now from people who follow Creme Brulee Cart on Twitter because Twitter is the only way that customers can find the cart’s location for the day – This has gives people a valid reason to follow Creme Brulee Cart.

Short URL & Title:
Using social networking sites to draw customers — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/bqj

The vast majority of consumers prefer to carry out business communications via social media, according to a new survey by research firm Yankee Group for Siemens Enterprise Communications – Yankee Siemens Social Media 2010 (.pdf).

Consumers want companies to be more engaged with social media, particularly in the realms of customer support and service. Companies are being seen to fail when it comes to using the likes of Facebook and Twitter as a communication channel.

According to the survey consumers want to engage with companies via their social spaces:

• Over 70% of consumers want access to company experts and support via social media channels and trust company information provided to them via social networks
• 57% of customers feel company outreach via social media would improve their loyalty to that company
• Most customers feel that companies should be monitoring social media for customer feedback
• 50% of respondents use social media at least once a day

Businesses must understand that social media is no longer just a marketing initiative for generating leads. Businesses need to focus on how social media, combined with customer service and other revenue-generating initiatives, can help make the relationship between a company and its customers more effective for both.

Short URL & Title:
Consumers want companies to be more engaged with social media — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/ybh