| A famously controversial American TV personality | | | | many sites have devised ways of making it very |
| recently discovered the hard way that more power | | | | simple to be heard - usually a simple combination of |
| now rests in the hands of average people than at any | | | | vote up or vote down buttons - more people are |
| other time in history. | | | | speaking up. This can only mean that campaigns like |
| Glenn Beck is known for being a very pro-Republican | | | | this will happen more often and with greater impact. |
| commentator on the Fox Network. The effective use | | | | President Obama has even structured national |
| of social networks has held him accountable for his | | | | addresses based on how many votes certain |
| words and actions in a way not possible until the last | | | | subjects receive on the White House. And the |
| couple of years. This has implications, both negative | | | | subjects themselves were written by members of the |
| and positive, for all brands and the people who market | | | | public. |
| them. | | | | Companies can no longer hide behind the "official |
| In the red corner we have... | | | | company line" or rely simply on media spend to |
| Beck does not try and hide the fact he is no fan of | | | | influence the public's thinking on any given subject. |
| President Obama. This is fine of course - everyone is | | | | Ignore social network-driven campaigns at your own |
| entitled to an opinion. The problem is that many people | | | | peril. |
| consider his tactics to be less than honourable. He has | | | | What does this say about the collective online |
| been accused of spreading lies and hatred on many | | | | community? |
| occasions. He is a favourite target of Jon Stewart's | | | | The original dream of the World Wide Web was to |
| Daily Show. And sites claiming to expose Beck's lies | | | | have information free to all and instantly accessible. |
| have popped up all over the internet. | | | | This dream still lives on in a growing variety of ways |
| Things came to head when Beck said: "This president | | | | and the online community has taken that philosophy |
| has exposed himself as a guy over and over and | | | | into their lives. They love a movement and will react to |
| over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white | | | | a cause. |
| people... this guy is, I believe, a racist." | | | | But beyond this grandiose concept is something far |
| Within minutes of him uttering these words, videos of | | | | more fundamental. The human race is social in nature |
| the segment had been distributed over the internet | | | | and individuals like to make an impact. |
| through social networks. Comments began springing up | | | | Writing for Wired magazine in May this year, futurist |
| everywhere and it quickly became one of the most | | | | Kevin Kelly examined the profound cultural shift |
| viewed video segments - for a day or two. And that | | | | underway - he called it "The New Socialism". It is the |
| may have been as far as it went if it weren't for a | | | | idea that the human race is now congregating and |
| group called The Color of Change. | | | | communicating online - sharing information, cooperating |
| This group came into existence to inform Black | | | | on small-scale events and collaborating on large-scale |
| American's, via the internet, of changes in the political | | | | projects - creating a fast-paced survival-of-the-fittest |
| landscape and help get their voices heard. The Color | | | | environment. When a concept can grow and mutate |
| of Change had the idea to set up a special Glenn | | | | at breakneck speed, everyone can be exposed to it. |
| Beck page, not to expose his lies, but to expose the | | | | This is not a passing phase. It is an extension of what it |
| advertisers who supported his show. They posted a | | | | means to be human. Empowering the individual to have |
| video of some of Beck's most outrageous segments | | | | a voice will always bring about change. That is what |
| and overlaid the advertisers who were sponsoring the | | | | democracy is all about. |
| show and asked people to use an online form to | | | | How can companies use this 'instant democracy' to |
| express their anger to the advertisers. | | | | their advantage? |
| Some of Fox's biggest advertisers soon dropped | | | | All of this points to huge opportunity for brand |
| Beck from their advertising schedule. One even went | | | | managers. The collective opinions of millions of people |
| as far as to stop advertising on the network | | | | can be assessed in real time. You no longer need to |
| altogether. Social networks were buzzing every time | | | | rely solely on expensive software to analyse online |
| another advertiser decided to drop Beck. The people | | | | conversations and try and gauge intent (bit of a hint |
| had spoken and it was influencing the bottom line of a | | | | here: it's usually the ones that are angry who take the |
| major international company. Instant democracy in | | | | time to comment at all). Of course, that software |
| action. | | | | helps, but having a system in place that allows people |
| What can be learnt | | | | to vote on any given topic will give you precise |
| Glenn Beck has already made a tearful apology... of | | | | real-time information, positive or negative. |
| sorts. He has always been hugely popular with his | | | | This could be used to pinpoint new markets, develop |
| audience so it is likely he will bounce back from this | | | | new products, conduct market research or even |
| after a few weeks of carefully constructed PR. But | | | | decide on what to speak about. I have recently been |
| this example does highlight some very interesting | | | | involved in developing a system for a client that will |
| questions. | | | | enable an audience to communicate and vote on |
| Should brands pay attention to online campaigns like | | | | detailed views that, until recently, would have been |
| the one against Beck? | | | | impossible. And it seems every company has |
| The Beck campaign is really just one example of a | | | | information that is hard to tease out of their market or |
| much wider trend that grants viewers of web content | | | | their stakeholders. |
| the right to be heard. | | | | The rise of social platforms tells us in no uncertain |
| Blogs have allowed people to comment on articles for | | | | terms that people want to be heard. Amazing things |
| a long time, but the issue with this is that only the truly | | | | can happen if you listen to them. |
| motivated take the time to write a comment. Now that | | | | |