The document analyzes the integration of consumer-generated media (CGM) into brand equity consulting, highlighting the challenges faced by mid-market companies in leveraging CGM services due to their limited brand equity. It discusses the acquisition of Cymfony by TNS and the trend towards advertising analytics, emphasizing the need for actionable insights and improved standards across CGM metrics. The text advocates for a new model that connects large multinational corporations and small to medium enterprises to enhance brand intelligence through effective data utilization.

1. CGM Metrics Industry Analysis A Contrarian Proposal Alan D. WIlensky, Analyst, vCastProfiles

2. New CGM vs. Brand Equity Consulting Establishing the Practice of CGM Services is not centered solely on Technology. The primary hindrance comes not from the early sector leaders – Cymfony, Umbria, Etc. The multi-billion dollar brand equity and consumer demographics agencies are total owners of the Fortune 1000 in CPG, CE, Automotive, Etc. Mid-Market companies do not control enough brand equity to benefit from CGM services due to low-frequency of "mentions". However, the SME is the recipient of brand choices, and must adjust philosophy as to catalogs, relationships, and services outcomes. A line must be connected between BI data from Call centers and CS info, and the in-the wild CGM metrics.

3. Late Breaking News Cymfony Acquired by TNS An Advertising Research Conglomerate One Step Below Brand Equity What Does This Mean? Cymfony Topped Out Production / Hiring Brand Suitors NOT Interested As Stated in Flair Report, CGM Metrics will Steer Ad buying, Recommendations, Catalogs Now Cymfony is Hiring Again

4. Segmentation Shifting Underfoot Agencies – Zero Tech Footprint (Umbria) CGM Hybrid Practices (Cymfony, Buzzmetircs) ASP models absent, but not undeclared Other metrics (Influence, Buzzlogic) Expert Consultants (i-Alias, You-Know) Integrators – IBM, EDMS soon BI – not for deep analytics, but for outcomes Tools

5. Sector Derivation

6. Trends Custom to Syndicated Research – more cost efficient Low Cost or Free via UTB – via blog hosts and aggregators M&A – early indications of shift to advertising analytics support, and failure to impress brand equity giants – trend too early to call

7. Problem Extraction

8. Resell Space

9. Business of Brand

10. Brand Channels

11. Crossover

12. Value Chain Segmentation MNC: Fortune 500 CPG, CE, and Automotive spends 100's M to billions on brand equity Curious about CGM, threw a few bones to the leaders Concerned that there are no standards between vendors – measurements differ for identical training sets. Disconcerting. Awaiting integrated solutions with full metrics

14. Value Chain cont. SME: Tough nut to crack – victim, not owner of brand. Greatest Disruptive Opportunities !! Q: An empty, unexploited sector – why? A: Requires creativity, resources, tangential thinking Needs a flex model to span MNC services that connect to SME's that represent their brands, and… A model that delivers daily, cost effective, actionable brand intelligence. Current CSA offerings are woefully inadequate for both the MNC and especially SME – not actionable or relatable to operations, interventions, decision support. This is why the early entrants have modeled after agencies (add expert commentary).

15. Balanced CGM Services

17. If it was only so simple…. Customer Relationship Management Business Process Management Business Rules Engine Business Intelligence Text Analytics + Enterprise wide applications = Strategic decision making Previous Flair Report basically accurate, but market model is significantly more in flux, dependent on classic brand services, and needs to supersede state of technology.

18. Two Way Street SME wants product line performance data MNC wants dealer and distributor outcome data Both have CS data – can sanitize and open to both. Reconcile CS data and CS outcomes with highly targeted CGM metrics – Highly Accurate and Structured Ontology – Brand, Product, Distributor, Dealer, Customer, Contact, Reason, Outcome. SME monitors and adjusts product lines and ad buy A much lower cost steering than typical brand consulting MNC gets real-time outcomes on D/D performance It's the opposite of vague CSA metrics !

19. A Dream or a Nightmare? Will companies open CS data from call centers? How to Incentivize? There are big wins for both. MNC through SME connection as distribution, retailer and dealer chains have contiguous CS and shared brand/product performance monitoring concerns. But from different perspectives Will they Cooperate? If we show them how it works.

20. Side by Side Integrates with Call Center Measures Performance Verifies Catalog Choices Tracks Brand and Channels through most consumer touch points . Complex Technical Engagements at first, but gets better as standardization matures. No Integration Mimics Brand Equity Practices, and badly at that. No standards from vendor to vendor Soon to be commoditized No continuity, stops at subjective language, and is less authoritative than panels and surveys. Balanced Services CSA Early Sector

21. Organization

22. Engagement

23. Breakthrough: the UTCSPPO The Universal Taxonomy of Customer Service and Product Performance Outcomes Unambiguous Grading of Entire Retail or B2B chain that unifies mentions of brand, products, interactions, outcomes, and CGM Tight Modular Ontologies – Directly Actionable No nonsense predictors of catalog performance Repeatable metrics of distributor and dealer performance.

24. UTCSPPO Schema