We have heard much discussion in recent times about the need for brands to increase engagement and two way communications with their audience. The rise in usage of social media means that like it or not, brands are being discussed however there is still a lot of resistance from advertisers to actively hand their brand over to consumers.

I met with Kate Carruthers last week who is chairing the panel on “handing your brand over to the consumer – are you ready to let go”, to get her perspective:

Kate

Kate makes some interesting points about the fact that you can’t really control what people will say, but it is better to be part of the conversation. Some marketers think this is a somewhat uncontrollable thing however it does have some manageable components.

Most brands have at least some advocates as well as some active and vocal detractors. Smart brands already know who these people are and proactively engage in dialogue with them to either inspire on brand content creation or to actively listen to and address issues.

Even the worst situation such as the Dell hell story there can be a happy ending if brands can actively listen.

I am interested in your thoughts on the areas that we should explore in this discussion.

See more about Kate’s session and book your place at ad:tech.