Excellent! How does this impact me? The customer/end-user comes first...this is your Higher Power, per say. Have a thinking problem and do not understand the loss of control? Try the Communicators Anonymous Program.

Thank you, it is good to get back to basics.

As your posting suggests it is possible to speak of a brand as the subjective experience of others. From that perspective customers/end-users do define an organizations brand.

But isn't it also true that brand is the intentional expression of a company's products, goods and services? And for that reason somethings are within an organization's control.

It seems to me this is a both/and kind of issue. Branding has a subjective side and an objective side.

Of course I realize you are trying to "set the stage for" your presentations. I can see this is a great way to jar loose some of the thinking that ignors the impact of social media.

Thanks for extending the conversation. Have recently discovered your blog - glad I did.

This is brilliant! I love your defintion of social media. May I quote you (with credit) on the seminar I'm giving next week? Your definition is far funnier (and more provocative) than mine!

"You're smart enough to realize that you don't define your brand, people do."

That definitely is an oversimplification. People cannot define your brand without you simply exisiting and interacting. That interaction is in the form of sales and customer service people, as well as the ads, PR, Web site, graphics, etc.

You do have control over your brand. Granted, not total control, but, as a company or organization, you have more control than any other entity.

Now, in trying to control your brand, you have a lot of customer "touches" to oversee -- employees and stuff like ads. So, consistency is not easy.

But, regarding control, you do have a high level of control. You project your brand, and people's reactions, comments, etc. -- collectively and individually -- is how your brand is viewed. Sometimes it's clear and centered; sometimes it's fuzzy.
Mike

Mike:

All good points, the overall tone of my post and my statements are geared towards audiences that can't even get their arms around the subject of social medai/CGM.

Sometimes oversimplification is the start to an expanded dialog.

Josh,
It seemed like the oversimplification was a bit too "over." While baby steps are good, I think companies who are fearful of or can't fully grasp social media, might be scared away if they feel they have no control at all. (I'm in no way implying I have a full grasp of social media. I think we're all learning, with some of us -- me -- having more learning to do than others.)

John Wagner addressed the same topic yesterday (http://tinyurl.com/nea6p ).
Mike

One of the difficult things when speaking to any audience is determining the level of knowledge in the room. The same thing goes for my blog. I know that half my readers are knowledgeable about the subject, as such the conversation assumes certain points and perhaps gets very specific. The other half of my readers are people that I have spoken to over the past few months and are just learning about all these new tools. In my general sessions I have been waiting to move on to version 2.0 but the majority of pr audiences just aren't ready yet. KD Paine talked about this some in a recent post:

http://tinyurl.com/nqctk

There is also the issue of multiple definitions of all these topics. Look at 'blog' for example...what is it?

Hi, there, I think the analogy you make between social media and branding is very interesting.
From an advertising standpoint, I think that utlimately, the company creates the idea of the type of consumer it seeks for a particular product. Take Nike for example. They have had numerous celebrity endorsers who appeal to different segements of the market. Most recently, Nike has launched a campaign tarketing women who may be strong mentally and dedicated to fitness, but who are not stick thin or perfect. Through advertising, the company creates the image of its ideal consumer, and those who identify with the product purchase it.
However from a PR standpoint, I think you may be right because ultimately companies cannot CONTROL who purchases a product, they can only influence a decision.

So, while companies cannot control all social media, it may become increasingly important for them to develop their own blogs/online journals to influence the opinions of their readers/customers.

The question is, is there enough trust in corporations/organizations to believe what they post in their own online publishings? I suppose this is where the notion of transparency and open communication enters.

So my questions then become:
Do you think that the PR of organizations will become weaker and the use of social media becomes stronger?
AND,
Is this one of the main differences between advertising and PR?...Advertising allows you more control over consumers than PR?

Laura:

As to the last few lines of your comment....I think the opposite will occur. You say, "advertising allows you more control over consumers than PR?"

That's just it, consumers/people don't want to be controlled and are beginning to resent it in some ways. Yes there will always be bad PR people trying to 'control' the message, but there will be those that learn new ways and realize that open conversation is the way to go.

As a "PR newbie", I am happy to have a broadly defined term (such as social media) be broken down into a simplified definition.

In my public relations courses, the bombardment of textbook definitions can sometimes become repetitive and overwhelming. Public relations terms can become so complex, the actual meaning disappears.

For instance, in one of my textbooks, the basic definition of public relations takes 3 pages to fully define. I find myself spending a lot of time trying to weed through the definition so I can find its true meaning.

However, I do realize some terms are complex and need long explanations. But, it is still a relief to read a basic term which can be used as a reference point.

I am thankful for your simplified definition of social media because it's nice to have a break from all of the wordy textbook definitions I am bombarded with.

This is the first time I have read your blog, and from now on, I will keep coming back.