Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenboy/416052683/In the Foursquare example we’ve talked about giving the relevant information to the right consumer. But who are they?A very valid question is whether the way we think about our customers and consumers in general is still relevant or are we seeing changes?
There is a big shift in the way we think about personas on the web. Facebook has 400 million users and has recently dropped the initial focus on geographical location as foundation for your personal network.The story “from zero to hero” can become reality now based on a certain achievement or accomplishment. People become internet celebrities (e.gScoble, EsmeeDenters) or highly reputed in their community (e.g. clouderati, twitterati, followers on Twitter)However the big difference with before is that people can have very distinct personas depending on the situation. You can be a blonde babe in second life, in real life have a boring office job and lead a clan in world of warcraft or have hundred thousands of followers on Twitter. They key here is that there is a shift from focusing on the person to focus on the online persona(s). your facebook or hyves profile is probably different than your linkedin profile. How do you put such a person in a box to target? The information you harvest from his participation in forums, might be actually irelevant to target him when he’s on facebook. Source: Gartner “The Business Impact of Social Computing on Marketing and 'Generation Virtual‘ and Gartner “How to Determine Levels of Engagement for Generation Virtual”
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturalturn/3264726560/We are talkingabout web technologies, Web 2.0, etc. butit is very important that the web is nowrapidlychanging in a different kind of web that we are familiarwithforyears. The biggestgrowth of the web is not the traditional website side, butrather more under the radar. Much more ubiquiutoussippingintoour lives.Goal of thissection: smallmindset shift. Showingsomecuttingexamplesthat have not been commonlyadoptedyet.
Drivers:Shops don’t have brochures anymore!Broadband adoptionOnline shoppingResearch onlineVisit stores to try and maybe buyWhat do my friends thinkSocial Media sites are ever more popularProposition - What if you could use the power of social networks in your dealings with your customers?