"There's not a compelling reason to stay." - Brian McGuinness, vice president of Aloft, abrand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. that "launched" in SecondLife.
I've always said that there are two kinds of companies:Those that read case studies, and those that write them. Most want to be thelatter but fall back on the former - they are willing to take risks as long asothers have taken them first.Reading case studies and doing your homework is fine. Butmore and more, at least in terms of exploring and investing in new media,companies are either holding back or getting out too soon. I've seen it again and again in my professional life. Somecompanies want to be perceived as "hip" without actually having to be hip. Theywant to "do social media" as long as they can "do it" the same way they'vealways done traditional PR. They want "one of those viral videos," as ifputting a clip on YouTube is an automatic Golden Ticket to word-of-mouthnirvana. Even those companies that take the leap - that are willingto write the case studies for our new media world - do so without a clearstrategy or get out because there wasn't any "immediate" return. For example, American Apparel and Starwood Hotels, two ofthe earliest innovators in the virtual world of Second Life, are either closingshop or letting their simulations languish. Others simply wanted to write apress release about being in Second Life more than they wanted to be in SecondLife. Now corporate marketing executives want to know what's next so they canlook cool to their kids (some friendlyadvice: You will never look cool to your kids.) You can't experiment with a bleeding edge social network andexpect immediate results, yet this is the message these companies send whenthey fold their tents. And if more companies go, who will be left to move themedium forward? Social media allows innovation to come from the bottom up, thisis true, but great innovation also needs stewards at the top. Corporate America is scared. Things are changing too fast, consumers are too powerful andmarketing is too fragmented. The One Corporate Voice now has to speak with multiplemessages for infinite desires stretched across psychographic lines on variedplatforms. Marketing today is better because of the ability to havereal conversations and relationships with consumers. It's also a lot easier tofind the people you want to reach.But marketing today is also harder. It requires patience,some prescience and lots of participation. It demands new metrics ofmeasurement. And yes, it calls for risk and a long-term view. Running in place will keep you fit for a while, but it won'tget you anywhere. And if they continue to be too careful, American marketerswill find themselves on the sidelines and out of the race for good.
link to original post