Social media have created a participation culture. We no longer merely watch and consume culture. We create, share and interact with it. Social media has forced openness and transparency in businesses that was not possible before. The power has shifted to the customer who can – if dissatisfied with the business – impact the business: [...]

This is what a social media fail looks like: 900+ comments and no response from VW. On their Facebook fan page VW was asking for advice for 2012: “We hope you had a fantastic New Year. Do you have any resolutions and what would you like to see us do more of this year?” Over [...]

The voice of the customer has changed – it can influence the actions of even the biggest companies. When Bank of America announced that it would begin charging debit card users a $5 monthly fee, 22-year-old Molly Katchpole got mad and started an online petition. Her petition eventually gained more than 306.000 signatures and that started [...]

Many global marketing companies are “sitting on the sidelines” looking for opportunities to “commercialize” social media. But sometimes brands don’t do this the right way. Sometimes brands get things wrong. But there are preventative measures brands can take to lessen the likelihood of these mistakes happening. And if they do happen, there are also ways [...]