Social Media Through the Looking Glass

Martin Thomas @crowdsurfing

Social Media Comes of Age?

A Market Matures

Growing sophistication

Gartner H

ype Cycle

Growing Sophistication

“as social networks mature the individual platforms are beginning to demonstrate their core strengths & UK consumers are increasingly differentiating them” YouGov (Jul 11)

A Market Matures

From gimmicks to game changers

Gartner H

ype Cycle

Gimmicks Play Important Role

o Beta test ideas & technologieso Build audienceso Excite media Generate publicity

… but Gimmicks Have Limitations

o Exacerbate market fixation with tactics, trivia & technology

o Perceived as superficial Fail to be taken seriously in the boardroom

o Limited impact beyond press office Fail to transform markets & businesses

Game Changers

o Transform organisations & working practiceso Create new markets & business modelso Set trends that others will follow

Game Changers

o 70% 70% of companies regularly create value through use of web-based communities

o Using customer communities to solve customer problems costs 10% 10% of traditional call centres

o Web 2.0 companies are more profitable

* McKinsey 2010* McKinsey 2010

Game Changers

o Transforming public services

o Supercharging customer services

o Creating new business models

o Meeting organisational & cultural challenges

Organisational & Cultural Challenge

o Social media is driving new behaviours & heightening expectations

Real time problem solving Real time expectations

Instant access, instant response, instant gratification “living life through shortcuts” MTV

“The trouble with McDonald’s is it’s too bloody slow”

o Amplifying cultural trends

Organisational & Cultural Challenge

Dramatizing institutions’ structural, operational & cultural weaknesses

Connected Consumer meets Disconnected InstitutionConnected Consumer meets Disconnected Institution

“Digital communications is a destabilizing force in a bureaucratic environment. And I am sitting right in the middle of a bureaucratic environment.’”Senior corporate communications director

“We’re not set up for this shit”UK CEO

Thriving by Loosening Up

o Operational & cultural traits of successful organisations

TrustingOpenAgileInformal Collaborative

Tight Thinkers Need Not Apply

o Organisations & people that struggle with this new worldHierarchicalBureaucraticProcess orientedDistrustful

90%of public sector bodies restrict staff use of social media to some extent (Socitm 2010)

67%block access entirely(v. 20% in private sector) (Socitm 2010)

www.crowdsurfing.net@crowdsurfing

Summary

o Are you delivering gimmicks or gamechangers?

o Get the culture & organisation right and the social media will look after itself