Cluetrain @ 10: Peter Hirshberg Reflects

From 2003, lots of cynicism on Amazon.com comments, "Markets will behave how they're told to behave." Social media changed much of this, the press was being told by blogs about inaccuracies in 2004 election cycle. CBS News's report by Dan Rather was exposed as inaccurate by blogs. [Video] CBS news exec - today it's not "that's the way it is," instead "that's what we have right now." Born-again converts are the biggest
believers. Michael Dell was not a believer, now is. MarketWatch - 100 percent user-gen content on community front page, audience mashing up their content. See that they are curating communities.

"The inconceivable becomes what you do to thrive." [Video] Shoeshiner can see the impact of blogging on publishing companies. Same answer as McKinsey, just less expensive. But most people didn't know what it was back in 2004. Brands wanted "elimiBlog, clears up troublesome posts instantly" or "brand renew" air freshener. Sony - audio CD rootkits, created an enormous swell of resistance. Didn't respond, lead to t-shirts and other techniques to popularize opposition. German flag - 82 million people, PR campaign to up national pride, blogger found that Hitler used almost the same phrase as propaganda. "Du Bist Deutschland" became top Technorati search based on an email to many people. 

"Control was so 20th Century."  Cluetrain statements on marketing as conversations, brands need genuine intellectual curiosity about brands. Nike, shoes talk to iPod, people come to site three times a week, spent 50 percent less on advertising. "We're in the business of connecting with consumers." Soap -  Sidney Greenstreet in 1947 movie explaining how he's supposed to relate to customers. Spits on table, you've just seen me do a disgusting thing, when nobody remembers your brand you're not going to sell any soap. I believe in selling by demonstration. That's the difference between selling and advertising. Irritate and knock them dead in advertising." 2007, Dove soap's conversational marketing campaign, photos of normal to chubby women. Online community helped revenue go up 15 percent. Now we need to go where the audiences are. Spoof of Dove video on YouTube - shows all the touch-ups to "natural" model look. MakeupAlley bulletin board, brands lost the conversation. People will mash up beauty videos and have fun with them.Video mashup of young man eating, drinking, like the Dove spoof, turns into a chubby oaf: nobody wants to look at ugly people.

Lots of brands that don't get it, people don't get it, takes leadership. Has to come from the top. Jonathan Schwartz' Blog at Sun, product pages have unfiltered posts from Technorati, don't go through legal. Video - Schwartz - "These people have a spine, must be pretty proud of their products or really ready to do things with their products. Use Technorati to be an honest broker. The more we know the better we can do in the markets." Java FX, people saying, "we don't ge." Video - Schwartz - feedback allowed them to fix things in product quickly.

Social media isn't about marketing, it's about how you do your business. Fixya - usergen troubleshooting for consumer electronics. Manufacturers, retail are not in that business generally, Fixxya had the answer. Users keeping track, nobody else does. Campbells - Warhol played with it, they have to decide if they let us play with their brands. Star Wars - had to decide if they would allow mashups. Let them play with your food. Content needs to be in a format that encourages sharing. American Express - water charity turned out to be a P&G charity, lawyers involved. Saw that it was transparent, charity won. "Eventually a mess will happen, but remain authentic at all times."

Video - back to shoeshine man in 2005 - "Shoeshine Manifesto". Now 12 million bloggers - now problem is that blogging is about haters. You can destroy a person's credibility. Friend of shoeshine -  relationship with girlfriend was exposed on blog, forwarded to friend. Asked her to stop writing, but freedom of speech, she says "I will not be censored." Shoeshine - it spreads like a gunpowder trail.

Wrapup - a really interesting time but a lot of inertia. Media buyers don't want to hear about measurement issues, but marketing world gets the fundamental differences. Not a direct marketing model, getting to know people. Has to be beyond the control of marketers. Marshall McCluhan - global village - put everyone together and you'll see things happen. McCluhan video - extreme involvement in other people's business. Doen't necessarily mean peace and quiet but it does mean involvement in others' affairs. 75 years ago, video, three little pigs parable, back then the brick house was good, the straw house bad. Big bad wolf, now it's who's afraid of an API.

QUICK TAKE: Best presentation of the day, good use of video, added to the conversation very effectively.