From Presentation to Conversation: Smart Brands in the Connected Age

Now that everything is connected to everything – all the time – how can your brand stay in sync with its audiences?

According to Tim Leberecht of Design Mind, the Connected Age requires “smart brands” - “self-organized systems with built-in feedback mechanisms and the ability to constantly reorganize themselves in order to adapt to their ever-changing environment.”

Okay, great, but what does that mean? Here, I think, is Leberecht’s key point: You have to shift “from a linear, static, and robust model of planning and executing … to a more fluid, non-linear, agile, and distributed approach that allows knowledge … to quickly flow through” your network.

It’s about strategizing on the move, learning and doing in real time – sometimes at the same time. It’s about knowing that your audience is now a part of your brand, not some separate entity; and engaging your partners in dialogues, so the other guy can’t slip in and grab their attention while you’re jabbering on about how great you are.

In the Connected Age, marketing isn’t about presentation. It’s about conversation.

via: frog design: Smart Brands In The Connected Age