Marketing as a Conversation

Marketing is fast emerging as a conversation. Earlier, it used to be a one way process where the marketer bombarded the message on the consumer as she haplessly tried to make sense of it all. But now, thanks to web 2.0, marketing is becoming a multi-dimensional communication process where marketer and an entire community of consumers interact through a free wheeling conversation.

This is an interesting phenomenon. On one hand, it throws an opportunity to the marketer to engage the consumers, but on the other hand, it can rip open a brand at its seams to scrutinize the claims made by it. It is turning out to be a double edged sword.

If the brand is true to its self and manages the conversation process confidently, it will create a lasting impression on the mind of its consumers and a flood of word of mouth publicity for itself. It will emerge stronger by engaging consumers and making them feel a part of the brand. But if the brand is not true to itself, it will get itself killed by the conversation.

The best thing about this emergence of marketing as a conversation is that consumers will get to see better products and services in coming days as conversation rewards good products and kills bad products. With availability of abundant information at the click of the mouse, and the power to share it with millions of people just a blog or tweet away, consumers were never as powerful as they are today.

It seems the days of fiefdom of brand managers are numbered. Finally, democracy is emerging on the horizon of brand management!