Complete transparency and a genuine desire to build a dialogue or platform around a given community is quite critical to planning the social media marketing initiatives.

Published: 03 Mar 2009

Complete transparency and a genuine desire to build a dialogue or platform around a given community is quite critical to planning the social media marketing initiatives.

Such initiatives should give consumers an ability to share their passion for a brand/subject, says Duncan Wardle, VP Global PR Integration & Walt Disney World Public Relations, Disney Parks and Resorts.

Wardle, who is scheduled to speak during Social Media Strategies for Travel USA 2009 Conference (to take place in San Francisco on March 10-11), believes the successful brands of the future will be those brands that allow their employees and customers to engage in rich, meaningful dialogue around the topics that both are most passionate about.

“Ultimately influencing what products and series are developed and delivered in the future,” says Wardle.

In an interview with EyeforTravel.com’s Ritesh Gupta, Wardle spoke about loosing control over a company’s brand, challenges for brands in the the social media space and much more. Excerpts:

EyeforTravel.com: What sort of controls do you think you can lose about your brand with so much of "ünofficial" content floating on independent websites? How do you think media relations and self-initiated social media initatives (like applications on social networking sites, blogs etc) can result in positive influence?

Duncan Wardle: Many companies are scared of loosing control of their brand. They fail to understand that they never had control of their brand.

That has always resided in the hearts and minds of their consumers. What is changing now is that brands no longer have control of the message. However, what brands gain in return, is the ability to leverage the passion of their brand advocates to reach people they cannot reach in a credible and relevant manner.

Consumers are today’s publishers. By providing platforms that allow them to share their passion and content with yours, brands will be able to extend their reach in a much more meaningful way.

EyeforTravel.com: Can you provide an insight into some of the recent social media marketing initiatives? What according to you are the main challenges associated with these?

Duncan Wardle: Perhaps the greatest challenge for any brand moving into the social media space is to ask themselves if are they ready to engage the consumer genuinely. Once you have opened the doors, there’s no looking back. One statistic told us we were ready to engage in this new forum. For every one negative comment about a Disney theme park experience posted in the blogosphere, 18 people came to our defence without us lifting a finger.

EyeforTravel.com: Last year, a blog referrring to you mentioned that the days of the interruption economy are done. People can and increasingly will be able to screen out brands they don't consider relevant. Can you elaboarte on the same?

Duncan Wardle: Most people today are already self selecting which brands they choose to engage with without really even trying.

The DVR has provided the consumer control over which brands reach them through TV. RSS feeds have allowed the consumer to screen the multitude of brands and information available on the internet. The ipod and satellite radio have provided a brand screener for music and iphone apps have further allowed consumers to choose exactly which brands they choose to engage with.

So, it is imperative that brands engage their brand advocates, allowing them to spread the message on their behalf.

EyeforTravel.com: How do you assess relatively new opportunities such as a new hybrid digital marketing and social media offering, where social media features like customer comments and user-generated content are injected into digital advertisements such as banner ads or microsites - in effect, turning mainstream ads into social media opportunities distributed across the digital world?

Duncan Wardle: All new intiatives usually present both opportunities and challenges.

The challenge of working this space for many brands is giving up complete message control. The opportunity however is the ability to reach new consumers, leveraging the reach and credibility of passionate brand advocates.

The new forums are also far more trackable in terms of reach, awareness and converison. I also believe that the terms in which we measure online will advance from just clicks, to stickiness, engagement and activation.

EyeforTravel.com: Companies like Orbitz have blogs being run by their employees (in terms of contribution into postings). How do you think employees can be turned into brand evangelists? Why do you think companies dont take advantage of the enthusiam of their employees and customers nearly as much as they should?

Duncan Wardle: I believe the successful brands of the future will be those brands that allow their employees and customers to engage in rich, meaningful dialogue around the topics that both are most passonate about. Ultimately influencing what products and series are developed and delivered in the future.

Social Media Strategies for Travel USA 2009 Conference

Disney Parks and Resorts’ Duncan Wardle is scheduled to speak during Social Media Strategies for Travel USA 2009 Conference, scheduled to take place in San Francisco on March 10-11.

For more information, click here:

http://events.eyefortravel.com/social-media/agenda.asp

or contact:

Helen Raff
VP North America
+44 (0) 207 375 7582 (UK)
helen@eyefortravel.com