crowdsourcing - hype, myth or just (testing) de-unionization of agencies?

food for thought about crowdsourcing on marketing:

Ad-Age: Unilever's So-Called Crowdsourcing

Forbes: Crowds don't innovate--individuals do.

os gurus cá do burgo

2 boas entrevistas ao "i"

Pedro Bidarra: "As audiências são um embuste"

Pedro Pina "Quero saber o que as pessoas pensam, a que sítios vão"

50 most innovative companies

very usa-centric...but good insights from Fast Company magazine.

worth to take a look at the sub-categories winners

New Thinking About Consumer Marketing

"Customers take longer to find a solution than we think. Companies tend to focus on their initial contact with customers, believing that shoppers’ experience with a product or service begins when they walk into a store or visit a Web site.

In fact, their journey begins much, much earlier. The easy availability of information on the Internet today allows customers to form opinions from countless sources. Conversations on Facebook, e-mail, and discussion boards steer consumers well before companies have had a chance to pitch their product or service."

-- Jeneanne Rae, "New Thinking About Consumer Marketing"

Should Youtube charge its users?

possible (and curious) way to monetize youtube - charge a “nominal fee” to people to upload videos to YouTube if the video isn’t appropriate for advertising.

music and media - 2 industries strugling

50.000 helicopter views on music and media/advertising industries' challenges ahead.

powerfull infografy on music media/business evolution.

new media using old-media criteria...

worth to read article at Tom peters' blog

back to school @ social networks

how to motivate customers interaction (and build relation) without being intrusive?

#1 the article with pertinent questions

#2 our humble approach

Why 'Cheap' May Really Be Expensive

Cheap-paradigm arrived at consumer electronics and sometimes (it seems) customers tend to forget natural laws. As my grand-father António used to say, we can't harvest tomorrow if we don't throw seeds and nurture the camp today...

this are not his words - but idea is similar ".. when a company continues to advance innovation in leaps and bounds through investment in R&D, or environmental compliance, or product quality, don’t be surprised that their products are priced appropriately. After all, ideas cost money. For companies, ideas and innovation are an investment for higher returns."

he also liked the expression "nothing is for free"....

worth reading this post at ZDnet.com

all brands are niche brands

curious approach at s+b, that reflects paradigms shifting: from mass market to "each customer is a customer"; from market share to mind share