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But we are entering a new phase of this cultural development. Customers don’t merely want to know where their order is, or where thy can find a good deal.
They want to know what we stand for. Mitch Joel writes about this beautifully in hisrecent post:
“Brands are willingly (and unwillingly) being pulled into these social media, traditional media and public battles, that are driven by a customer’s values and how they may oppose those of the brands. It’s interesting: the consumer now believes that it’s not about what you sell and the price of it, but what you stand for.“
What’s unique now, is that the brand response is no longer binary. In today’s environment, brands that have quickly/swiftly removed themselves from the situation have often not been applauded, but hurt more for bending and cowering to another side. Brands that have pointed the blame elsewhere (like, say, blame the technology) have been bashed for being so out of touch with how business works these days.
Brands that have distanced themselves from influencers that have run amok, are still accused of using them for when it works for the brand, but bailing on them when times get tough (meaning: not authentic). And more....
Social media has been good for businesses, forcing them to be more human and transparent. But the next evolution may force a re-write of corporate strategy according to Mark Schaefer.