Brand Mix

Warning: This post is a shameless plug for an Landor Salon Series online event this Thursday. The content is designed to get you interested in this event and sign-up for it. There. I've made my intentions known. Read on, if you dare.

If you were going to put together a list of things to read or watch to generate interest in a panel discussion event on social media, what would you include? Here's some of the things I found while I was putting together a list for a pre-event pizza lunch and learn:

1) Social Media Revolution: Socialnomics09
Is social media a fad or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? This video is a little dated now but it presents a deluge of social media facts and figures that argue for "shift." And the Fatboy Slim music is great. A similar post, more up-to-date but less good on the music and graphics front is here.



2) Social Media is Dead. Long live Common Sense: David Armano
A SlideShare presentation from David Armano that looks at what social media is and isn't and digs into topics like: Community, Engagement and Localization that need to be considered and built into a social business plan.

3) How social media can change history" TED
Clay Shirky is the author of “Here Comes Everybody,” a book that discusses the impact of the Internet on the media, society, everything! In this TED talk, Clay Shirky reprises some of the themes of his book as he talks about how Facebook, Twitter etc are radically changing the way people communicate with each other and what gets talked about.



4) 5 ways Social Media is changing branding forever: Dennis Van Staalduinen
Is push marketing really dead? Is crowd sourced creative changing the game? Is humility sexy? Dennis says: "yes" to all three in this post. Plus he put together a SlideShare presentation with six pictures that "explain" social media. Heard of the Scobleizer starfish? It's in there.

5) Basics of Social Media ROI: Olivier Blanchard
Olivier understands that social media will not be embraced by companies until it proves its worth. And by "worth" he means, that social media programs can be proven to either increase revenue or cuts costs. Non-financial metrics such as visitor traffic, followers etc are all well and good but not enough. You have to speak in financial language if you're going to protect and grow your social media budget.

6) Does Your Company Need a Digital Readiness Checklist? HBR
Are you switched on for digital? Is your company structured and organized to succeed in a world: "Permeated by digital networks and devices, social media, and data analytics." Jeffrey F. Rayport provides a checklist you can use to see how switched on your are. Lotus Notes, blocked sites, information hoarding = Bad. Open platforms, open access, information sharing = Good.

Landor Salon Event details
The People's Republic of Brand
Brand has evolved into a democracy of sorts, where the collective voice can wield as much—and sometimes more—power than corporate communications. Will community be crowned king of the brand domain? Or will it ultimately be revealed as a pretender to the throne? Maybe both sides can strike a balance of power that works to the benefit of all.

Join our expert panel, marketing professionals, and members of the design community for a conversation about this new world order of brand.

Time: 6:00–7:30 pm PDT
Convert the date/time to your your time zone

Venue: Landor Associates
1001 Front Street
San Francisco

Attendance, in person, is by invite only but all are welcome to watch the online stream

Online Stream RSVP here

Twitter Hash for the event #landorsalon